By Anna Spiewak, Featured Writer

If you can’t travel Scotland, look no further. Plaid and kilts were back in full swing early this month as fashion and Scottish celebrities attended the tenth anniversary show From Scotland With Love, a Scottish evening of fashion, benefit, and fun with DJ Johnny Stuart. The show, produced by the team of Dressed to Kilt nine times earlier, was held on April 2 at Liberty Theater in the heart of Times Square.

The annual charity aims at raising funds to benefit noble causes and promote more contemporary and changing image of Scotland to the United States. The event, which tends to draw an eclectic crowd of fashion and Scottish celebrities, included a red carpet arrival, followed by a cocktail hour and then a fashion show, which included 49 plaid-like runway looks inspired by Scottish designers as well as Vivienne Westwood’s archival couture. Original fashions by American designers inspired by the classic plaids and textiles of Scotland were also a highlight. Silent auction items including the world’s most expensive kilt that was made by Holland & Sherry for Sir Sean Connery and donated by Connery were modeled on the runway and are available for purchase on FromScotlandWithLove.net.

The fashion runway judges included America’s Next Top Model’s photographer judge Nigel Barker and TV host Wendy Williams. Welsh actor Ioan Gruffudd, Reed Richards of Fantastic Four, on the other hand, strutted his Scottish best as a model on the runway, which was followed by loud shouts and applause.

This year, all proceeds benefited both the US-based non-profit, the Wounded Warrior Project, and Cash for Kids, a registered non-profit in Scotland.  Founded by veterans of conflict in Afghanistan and Iraq, the Wounded Warrior Project helps injured service members aid and assist each other, providing unique direct programs and services.  Information is available at www.WoundedWarriorProject.org. Cash For Kids provides aid to over a quarter of the children who live in poverty across Glasgow and the west of Scotland. More information is available at www.CashforKids.uk.com.

Tickets were available for sale to the public ranging in price from $99 to $8,000. Cynthia Cherish Malaran, a health coach, designer and producer, CherishTV.com, has attended the Scottish event three years in a row. She donates to several causes every year and From Scotland With Love was on her list for 2012.

“I paid $220 for my ticket and every nickel of it was worth the cause for the Wounded Warriors,” she said. “I love the fashion, the performances, the energy and DJ, such a great animated and lively event.”

        Featured Writer, ANNA SPIEWAK

One of the most anticipated fashion events in the Big Apple, New York Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week, commenced Thursday, Feb 9^th and ran until Thursday, Feb. 16^th in Lincoln Center.

If the nation is in a recession, the fashion shows did not show it, practicing a conspicuous consumption ordeal on the runway.  Once again, celebrities, designers and media gathered at Lincoln Center to observe up and coming artists or see what the big names are up to this season. Where the pinch could be felt was on the business end of the event, where fewer sponsors participated at Lincoln Center’s fashion week, and even fewer swag was up for grabs.

Zipping through fashion designs, the collections reflected a reaction to 2011 weather disasters that the East Coast has been braving: hurricanes and snowstorms. More hats, scarves and sweaters could be observed on the runway compared to last year. An unexpected twist of fate is that the weather this winter was warmer than usual, and go in the books as the fourth-warmest on record.  If winter repeats itself, and we are stylish, it could be very warm.

The 2012 Fall New York Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week opened up with the Nicholas K show, spearheaded by designer siblings Christopher and Nicholas Kunz. The 9 a.m. show was a combination of Bohemia meets Indiana Jones. The presentation unfolded with Texan country music as models strutted in dark brown lipstick and dramatic eyeshadow, Wild West apparel, cowboy hats and tortoise shells around their necks. The trend for fall and winter 2012 according to the designer duo, which used both female and male models with long hair, suggesting androgyny, were wool overthrows, hoods underneath hats, knit sweaters, cownecks, scarves and layering, all in colors of grey, brown and earthy green. For evening wear, the designers focused on bareback dresses, and asymmetry.

The second show on the first day of fashion week was no other than BCBG inside the Theatre, the largest runway hall at Lincoln Center. Max and Luba Azria, the married couple design team went more towards a polished, refined look, a la Twiggy, 60’s mod with  flowery assymetrical dresses, fur collars on coats, and geometric square designs. The models held clutch bags and wore ponytails to not detract from the outfits, which were a combination of pumpkin color and earthy tones. The style could be imagined on stars such as Gwyneth Paltrow, Katie Holmes and Kate Middleton.

The third Fall-Winter show on Fashion Week Day 1 was Richard Chai whose designs appealed to the back-to-school collegiate crowd, with oversized grey sweaters, hooded jackets, grey blazers and backpacks. Chai stuck with two designs throughout the collection: horizontal blue stripes for most of the clothing and red roses against black material for night wear. The collections screamed comfort and ease.

On the third day of fashion week, one of the largest shows was Herve Leger by Max Azria. A notch more elegant than the BCBG show, Azria’s second collection exuded a futuristic elegant version of Mad Max versus 21^st century bondage. There was a lot of leather, belts on both jackets and dresses simulating garters and corsets, furry sleeves with touches of sparkle on evening wear, the boots resembled a modern twist on the gladiator look. Colors on the runway included earthy tones, browns and blacks, with a hint of red.

Vantan Tokyo, an esteemed designer school in Japan made up of four talented designers was the next show on the list. The theme was loose, breezy, sheer, black sleeves with one designer, a sexy combination of see-through suits with another and pastel and flowery circa 80s more casual outfits from another designer. All of the clothes were loose fitting, accentuating a chic and coolness, just-don’t-give-a-damn attitude. Most of the bold colors came from the leggings that the models wore, in fluorescent yellow and blue.

SACHIKA, the label of twin celebrity designers: To-Tam and To-Nya held its runway show at the Metropolitan Pavilion in midtown Manhattan. The collection titled as “Ivanka: If We Ever Meet Again,” was a combination of retro Dynasty and modern chic of the confident woman. There were hoods, sequins, hats with nets, and even guns used as props.   The theme was attitude, danger and elegance. One of America’s Next Top Model winners Eva Marcille struck a James Bond pose with her weapon prop. Silk, lace and faux fur where staples on the runway, and color was plentiful. Guests were offered refreshments, gift bags, as well as non-latex condoms courtesy of Lifestyles, which were distributed to all guests, in honor of Valentine’s Day.

Tip: If you want to grab more refreshments and swag, opt out for runway shows outside of Lincoln Center.

What does it take to be a fashion icon? This is how the show Fashion Star works. Designers present three pieces in fashion shows every show based on a branding exercise.  Then, mentors Jessica Simpson, Nicole Richie, and John Varvatos offer their feedback ~ likes, dislikes, etc.

The bottom line: fashion is business, and it boils down to what sells. Retail executives from three retailers -  Macy’s Caprice Willard, Saks Fifth Avenue‘s Terron E. Schaefer, and H&M‘s Nicole Christie  – decide whether to make a bid, and exclusively carry the pieces of the designers. Some of the fashions will be on sale at Saks Fifth Avenue, Macy’s and H&M the day after each pre-recorded episode airs.

The buyer with the highest bid wins that line, making the designer safe from elimination that week. If the designers does not make a sale, they can be eliminated. At the end of the night, the judges can save one designer who is at risk. The “not our Fashion Star” goes home. The last designer standing takes home a $6 million collection.  Not so bad for a designer who never makes it to the final round. After all the designer gets free advertising, and a chance to introduce pieces at one of the stores.

Fashion Star is a huge opportunity for the new designers. In this weak economy, it is particularly difficult for unknown designers to start collections when loans are hard to come by. Retailers opt to rely more on big-name designers that can split marketing and retailing costs.

The idea of making winning fashion designs available in stores the next day appeals to the instant gratification culture of today’s youth accustomed to getting everything instantly. Also, the immediate availability of winning designs increases audience involvement. Winning pieces are not just screenshots on TV, but products that can be “actually” seen, touched, and worn. In effect, this elevates the connection audiences have with the designer and the store.

Mesmerized with Hollywood fashion, but can’t afford it? Good chance if you viewed the Oscars, you responded well to stimulus generalization, where consumers generalize and respond similarly to a stimulus.  The Oscar’s red carpet event is all about high end fashion. Viewers are eager to see their favorite stars on the red carpet. With J.C. Penney — now referred to as JCPenney –  the only retail sponsor for the 83rd Annual Academy Awards, eyes were on the retailer.

In August JCPenney will begin updating all stores with new merchandise and presentations, adding two to three shops each month through its 2015  metamorphosis.