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Posted on Tue, Feb 22, 2011 : 9:27 a.m.

It's Showtime! Ann Arbor resident experiences New York's Fashion Week

By AnnArbor.com Freelance Journalist

khandesign11.jpg

A model wears one of Khan's designs on the catwalk during 2011 Fashion Week in New York.

photo courtesy of N. Khan

This the the first of two columns written by Ronald Miller on his visit to New York's Fashion Week.

Tuesday, Feb. 15
By an amazing bit of luck, I have been invited to Mercedes Benz Fashion Week in New York by the management team at Saks Fifth Avenue at Somerset Mall in Troy. I am attending with Cheryl Hall Lindsay, marketing director for Troy. This is my second time at Fashion Week but the first chance to experience the new facility set up at Lincoln Center.

I am attending the Naeem Khan shown on Thursday evening, one of two fashion shows that end a week of presentations by nearly all the major fashion designers. The 52-year-old designer from India is known for his lavish beaded and embroidered clothing, with evening wear a specialty.

He trained with designer Halston and describes those days as a “wonderful fun time.” Khan launched his collection in 2003. I had met Khan several years ago at the Saks store in Troy when he was in Michigan for a Saks fashion show at Oakland Hills Country Club and found it fascinating how one becomes a major force in the couture fashion world; the manufacturing and distribution aspect of his business; and the effort to consistently be at the top of his game in creating clothing carried by the top national retailers.

Today, mid-afternoon Tuesday, I visited the Naeem Khan studios in the Fashion District of Manhattan. It was far calmer then I imagined, what with a major fashion show on Thursday.

The studio (roughly the same size as Gratzi Restaurant in Ann Arbor) is on the top floor of an old building. Exiting the elevators, one enters through massive 12 foot high mahogany double doors imported from India with door knobs of blown crystal, the size of grapefruit.

You walk into a massive showroom that features oversized lantern chandeliers, very dark wood floors and iron columns supporting the ceiling. To the left along the window side of the space are three spacious offices, one for Khan, and the other two housing the offices of jewelry designer Ranjana Khan (his wife). The back third houses a 10-person tailoring operation where the samples are sewn.

Music pulsates throughout - and Naeem Khan greeted us at the door. He is a handsome, energetic guy, with sparkling personality and winning smile. Wearing a pressed white shirt and jeans, he immediately remarks on his past visits to Michigan and his respect for the efforts the Detroit area is making at economic recovery. He last visited two years ago, while doing an in-store visit at Saks.

In the studio space were six large rolling rods packed with the dresses to be shown on Thursday. At least 70 pairs of gold, black or sparkly beaded shoes were lined up to be matched with the dresses as the models are fitted.

Near the rods is a large board featuring snapshot of the models along with a listing of the outfits she will wear. While there, one of the models, a 5’11” woman of Asian decent, was trying on the outfits she will model. A bevy of tailors worked on the outfit, making adjustments to the garment as it is fitted her body.

The dresses are immediately taken off the model, the tailoring staff in the back makes the adjustment, and they try it on her once more to double check. The models are told how to work the clothing, including hand movements to highlight an aspect of the clothing, and how to walk —aggressive steps, almost a march, to move down the runway.

The stylist, Mary Alice Stevenson, a former model who grew up in Birmingham, was taking notes as to the hair styling, the accessories and where in the line-up this outfit was placed.

Khan described the months of work that goes into the creative and production process. The sketches and ideas were finished in September/October. Contracts were let in early November to produce the fabric, based on the designs that he created.

His work, known for elaborate beading and embroidery, is difficult, labor intensive and expensive to produce, and the fabrics come from all over the world, though primarily from India. Upon arrival in January, the fabric is cut, and the samples are created in the studio by the tailoring staff. All the beads are attached by hand; feathers (a hot feature this year) are hand sewn and adjustments are made as the picture boards become reality.

While I was there, Kahn fussed with a brilliant floor-length bright maroon and black silk gazaar dress.

“It is supposed to be a tube of fabric with three stitches creating the design sewn into the back,” he says.

The tailors had not gotten the concept right, and he ripped the sewing out and recreated the design as we, and his tailoring staff, watched.

I asked if he was ready for the show. His response: “I have been working on this for months and am very ready for it to be over. At this point I just oversee the final decisions for the event.”

But “over” just refers to this specific collection for this specific show. After Thursday’s preview, the orders are taken and the pieces produced for delivery in August/September. And Khan begins again, focusing on designs for resort wear, and spring fashions that will be sold in 2012.

Khan was excited about a new addition to this show. He felt that the designs for this year should feature real jewelry - as in nearly a million dollars of real diamond, rubies and other precious jewelry. When I asked about his wife’s thoughts on using jewelry she did not create he said, “It’s all good.” And when I went to say goodbye to her, she smiled at me and said,  “It’s all good!”

At least 10 interns were scurrying around the space creating the packaging - dress, shoes, and accessories for each outfit. Models were phoning in to confirm their fitting appointments and big roles of felt were being delivered that will be placed on the floor in the dressing area at Lincoln Center. A sense of calm reigned, with Naeem Khan firmly but happily leading the “orchestra”.

Next: a blog post about the show.

Ronald Miller is from Ann Arbor and has been involved in the arts community in southeast Michigan for many years.