The January 2008 edition of SFiS available. Two juxtaposed articles stood out.
One article announces the marriage of San Francisco Fashion Week producer Erika Gessin. Her husband has this admiral quote about her self-made status and ambitions, “She’s beautiful and talented at what she does. But picking up and moving from New York to California, not knowing anyone, having no network or friends, and pioneering and creating San Francisco Fashion Week — it was great to meet someone with a great spirit about them, who just wanted to take on the world.” That quote gives relief to San Francisco fashionistas. To Erika’s credit and aggressive training of fashion designers from Academy of Art, San Francisco will become a fashion powerhouse in this decade.
Whereas, the article about the self-promoting Diana Lu highlights the opportunistic “must conquer all” attitude. It is disgusting. I can not believe Ms. Lu celebrated her 40th birthday by sending models down the runway with her dramatic and ugly formal wear to tout her fashion inexperience and early demise. Some rich people who extend themselves in unfamiliar territory with no humility and lost dignity, need a reality check. If she opens up a clothing store at the Embarcadero and if I have to walk near it, I will duck my head in shame.
When one person makes a huge difference for the San Francisco fashion scene, it takes another person to give a swift kick to damage the scene again.
Photo credits: Erika Gessin prepping for 2006 San Francisco Fashion Week from SFGate.com and Diana Lu’s catwalk from SFGate.com, taken by Byamy Sullivan and Heather Wiley for Drew Alitzer.
