My daughter Skatie is a fashion design major and aspiring pop star. (As you can see, she’s already perfected the look and the paparazzi pose.)
This provided the ideal rationale for our mother-daughter trip to Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in New York City this year. It was an educational field trip!
Better yet, this raised money for the American Cancer Society too – because we “won” the trip in their charity auction. The very generous charity auction package included airline tickets, a room at the uber-chic, animal-print-and-exotic-wood-decorated Empire Hotel, tickets to the Broadway show of our choice and VIP Fashion Week access. Mercedes-Benz donated the package to the American Cancer Society.
Thank you ACS and Mercedes-Benz. It was fantastic!
Many stars circulated with us at the Empire Hotel, including Kristin Chenoweth, star of “Wicked,” and a frequent guest on “Glee.”
The people-watching outside the shows was almost as entertaining as the action on and around the runway.
 |  |  |
We loved the VIP Star Lounge, which felt like a luxurious, bohemian tent filled with new friends from around the world.
We attended the Anna Sui and Isaac Mizrahi shows, where we saw hundreds of paparazzi crowding the end of the runway.
We walked the runway before each show with other guests, dodging video cameras, bright lights and interviews of the many celebrities.
Johnny Weir, U.S. Olympic skating champion, known for exotic attire, in hot pink jacket.
Andy Cohen—Oscar-winning Bravo talk show host with Skatie
And the fashion on the runways was fantastic!
The Anna Sui clothes were girly, playful and sensual, featuring sheer overlays, open backs, feathers and pleats.
Isaac Mizrahi showed timeless styles in silver, black and bright flowers. We predict that you will see the long, sleeveless silver gown on many celebrities in the coming months.
Had we tried to purchase this experience on the open market, we probably would have paid 10 times the amount of our donation to the American Cancer Society. So, please allow me again to thank our host, Mercedes-Benz. We had the mother-daughter field trip of our lives.
You can find your own win/win opportunity visiting our Charity Auction page.
