8:00 pm- Monsoons rainstorms and stacked heels don’t mix, in case you were wondering. But I made it to Bryant Park, soaked, to view the never disappointing Rock & Republic Spring 09’ show titled Redemption. Luckily, I rocked all black so no one noticed.

8:10 pm- Getting to my seat this time was fairly easy. Even the A-listers had already taken their seats, with no cat fights in sight. Celeb sightings included Mary-Kate Olsen, Gossip Girl’s Chase Crawford, R & B crooner John Legend, Nina Garcia, and Julie Roitfeld.

8:35 pm-Flashing lights, blaring music, and Chanel Iman opened the shows wearing a tightly clad dress in all white and the fiercest shoes I’ve ever seen. That metal heel was to die for!

8:40 pm- The procession of models continued, sporting body hugging barely-there-dresses and über-sexy painted-on pants in unrecognizable materials. Reminiscent of the 80’s, designs were kept simple with a touch of ruffle here and there.  All color was voided leaving only black and white to play with. Not for the faint of heart.  Space age printed spandex leggings were paired with shrunken motorcycle jackets revealing exactly what the models were working with. The highlights of the collection were R & R’s version of the cocktail dress in futuristic textiles and the menswear.

9:27 pm- Me and my camera crew scurried our way backstage and scored an exclusive interview with R & R’s designer Mike Ball. Though he wouldn’t reveal exactly what the mystery materials were that he used to create those incredible snug fitted pants. I’ll just have to purchase a pair myself to find out.

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~Earlecia R. Gibb

Photos courtesy of Mercedes Benz Fashion Week