Tour de Fashion with New York Designers
In fashion-mad New York, it’s not just the people who get decked out in designer fashion – their bicycles do too! The recent Tour de Fashion may not have been exactly the Tour de France, but bikes certainly received a lot of love from some of New York’s top designers including Diane Von Furstenberg, Isaac Mizrahi, Betsey Johnson, Elie Tahari, Yeohlee, Nanette Lepore, Nicole Miller and many more.
Noted jewelry designer Amrita Singh and happening fashion designers Prabal Gurung and Bibhu Mohapatra were the South Asian presence at this buzz-y fest with designers, fashionistas and hordes of fashionholics.
“My inspiration for the bike was Indian Royalty,” says Amrita Singh. “I wanted to make the bike fit for a maharaja. As you can see the bike is full of colors, inspired by my love and travels to India.” She used jewel tones in the fabrication and the seat is made of vintage sari fabric and strung lots of bangles which were inspired by vintage textiles.
She must have done something right because her bike was the first one to be taken for a ride, and noted Hollywood actor Matthew Modine also took it for a spin!
Tour de Fashion was created by the Fashion Center Business Improvement District (BID) to highlight New York City’s legendary Fashion District as the pulse of American style.
During Fashion Week, the crowds were treated to designer rides in the Fashion District and the Meatpacking district and the bikes were later auctioned to benefit CFDA’s fashion incubator program to launch new designers.
