Feeling Haute Haute Haute

From the low-budget runway shows you put on for Mom and Dad to the way you stare longingly into boutique windows — it’s safe to say you’ve always had thread-lust. Now that you’re an adult, your tastes have matured. While you still lean toward the glamorous, you’ve cultivated a devotion to fine lines, uncommon textures, and shapes that give poise and balance to a body’s form. That’s where Gen Art comes in. The organization is dedicated to showcasing the best emerging designer talent across the nation.

Its biggest and grandest affair of the year — Fresh Faces in Fashion — takes place tonight at the positively plush Gansevoort South Hotel. This year’s installment features a jaw-dropping display of mostly regional designers, and it’s your chance to bat an eye at their newest clothing lines before they’re ripped from the models and displayed in boutiques around the country. And although all the designers participating in the runway show are on fame’s cusp, our best bet for women’s wear comes from New York power team Bensoni. Created by Parsons alums Benjamin Channing Clyburn and Sonia Yoon, the collection boasts a petal-like structure that when draped over willowy models gives you a hint of what Olive Oyl might have become had she developed a passion for couture. Tickets cost $45 to $75; get them before they’re off the rack. Call 305-695-8200, or visit www.genart.org.
Sat., April 12, 2008