Runway & Backstage: Rachel Comey

"Midtown Manhattan meets ethnic" described Rachel Comey of her latest spring/summer show. Set in the New Dance Group, ballerinas were replaced by models walking down in front of the long, mirrored space to a live percussion and piano performance. We saw prints in saturated, contrasting colors (lots of chartreuse, bright blue, pink, gray, mint, and red) in silks and linens, in soft, easy-going, silhouettes. Our favorite part? The hair, which was a reverse-french braid up the back with big, curled bangs--"like a visor," said Comey. Comey said the beautiful hair styling was inspired by "Hot summer...when New York is gross and you're just surviving." We also loved the re-worked vintage, flower earrings (she designed a few of the metal and enamel ones herself), which were multiplied entirely around the edge of the ear to a very symmetrical, working-girl-meets-tribal style. Spotted: Parker Posey wearing a Comey dress, Vogue's Jane Herman in the sickest pair of Acne boots, Haidee Finlay Levin sported pale orange lips and light blue nails, and Magda Berliner wore some of her own pieces mixed with Helmut Lang.