It was certainly a busy week folks. Fashion Week  was indeed  time consuming with runway shows and  events that kept most of us media people so occupied, that we had very  little time to cover anything else that was going on in the city. Mercedes Benz Fashion Week 2009 was once again a terrific event and of course the in-depth coverage like who wore what, what A lister sat where & who attended what shows  can all be seen on many of the fashion blogs and FW websites that have been inundated with reports and images from the shows and parties. For show coverage I like www.thefashionlist.com.

 But the one thing this year that I really enjoyed covering and attending  was  Fashion’s Night Out celebration of Fashion Week in NY. Hundreds of upscale stores turned their shopping venue into a night time party complete with DJ and complimentary drinks to show their appreciation to all the patrons who supported them through these tough times.

 From the trendy and swanky Soho district stores to the fashionable and popular Meatpacking area famously known  for “The Sex & The City” filming and celebrity sightings, almost every area of Manhattan celebrated the week long event with a party.

DJ cocktail party at the Theory store was one of the many fashion parties during Fashion Week 2009

Sexy taxi girls were waiting outside the stores to assist guests in getting cabs to other parties.

Beautiful models served champagne to guests during the parties.

The Theory store located in the Meatpacking district in lower Manhattan indeed was one of the hottest fashion parties.  Complete with DJ and models, guests sipped drinks and mingled amongst the fashion elite celebrating  the debut of Fashion Week with dance and music. Tory Burch was also another great party filled with models & musicians. Most stores offered special complimentary drinks which included champagne, rum and vodka and many of the guests that I spoke to said that it felt like a glamorize pub crawl  except with  beautiful people and fashion models in attendance. A stunning  model wearing Versace  waiting for a cab outside the Tory Burch store said that Fashion Week felt more festive this year with the stores providing parties for those people who could not get into the shows at the Bryant Park tents.

Another exciting  part of the week long  event  was the opening of the new  & sexy  lounge La Pomme (“the apple” in French) in Manhattan. (www.lapommenyc.com)  

La Pomme gives guests a mysterious look into the nightlife in NY with 20 ft high murals by celeb photograher Fadil Barisha.

The event which was  hosted by the beautiful & talented actress Reshma Shetty from the hit television series “Royal Pains”  was a fundraising gala for City Harvest (www.cityharvest.com) and it drew the creme de la creme of NY. Top medical experts, models, publishers, news media  folks  and well known business leaders attended the classy party.

 The new lounge features  exotic and mysterious   interiors according to owner Tommy Tardie,  a talented business man & former owner of the club Ultra, says New Yorkers will appreciate his concept and the show appeal the place will have to New Yorkers.

Performance Art is also part of La Pomme's unique concept

” We are giving an upscale lounge environment to New Yorkers in a very  Great Gatsby mixed with a Stanley Kubrick kind of way,” says Tardie. The lounge will also feature weekly performance art  shows with some of the top artists in the city.

Tardie said these ongoing tough economic times  didn’t affect his plans to open at all.   “You have to be resourceful. You have to learn how to make it happen and work with a great team which I have been so fortunate to have had,” says the  former creative director in advertising.

Shetty  is even more impressive in person then she is on television. Warm, friendly and very excited about being on one of the top rated shows on the USA Network so far this television season, she spoke candidly about  her first television series & how Asian Indian faces are becoming more accepting now in mainstream  Shetty plays the the role of Divya Katdare, a physician assistant to Dr. Hank Lawson played by the talented actor Mark Feuerstein.

” I am so thankful everyday and the cast is so talented that I have to pinch myself at times!” said the  beautiful actress. Shetty believes  the show is doing well because everyone works together as a team and says that  the concept-conceirge doctor for hire  really sets itself apart from the other medical shows on television.

Stunning actress Reshma Shetty co-hosted the opening night.

Shetty, 31,  is from London  & grew up with Bollywood culture but doesn’t like to be stereotyped in any way when it comes to roles she is offered.  “Being an Indian actress is not important to me as  being a good actress is” she says.  The sexy  television star says that even though an  Indian face is much more recognized in the UK then it  is in the US , she is happy to see that South Asian actors now are slowly making their way into mainstream media.   Shetty who has done theater and tv nows wants to add another  groove on her resume and is  so ready for the next step- films.

“As an actress I am used to theater and tv so now, I am ready for films and I want to do inspirational roles”  The New York based actress  says that if Bollywood did come calling, she would consider it as long as the story line was powerful. Tom Hanks and Dustin Hoffman would be ideal co-stars for her if she went Hollywood.

Reshma Shetty poses with Ravi Yande for The Ravi Report

The recent news of the passing of actor Patrick Swayze made Shetty sad because she said she watched  “Dirty Dancing” a dozen times growing up and was in awe of the actor’s ability as a dancer and actor.

“He was incredible and so talented. I feel Hollywood has indeed lost a great talent.” said Shetty.

Actor Jeff Goldblum & Ravi Yande pose for The Ravi Report

As Fashion Week came to an end, I was heading to my last event  when I met   the well known actor Jeff Goldblum.  Known to the world as  “The Fly” (1986) Goldblum starred in some of the most highest grossing  films in Hollywood. “Independence Day” (1996) “Jurassic Park” (1993),  “Lost World: Jurassic Park” (1997) and “Adam Resurrected” (2009) are just a few of Goldblum’s popular films. The Pittsburg born actor  is now on the highly successful  television show “Law & Order: Criminal Intent”playing the role of detective Zach Nicolas  most recently on the hit television series. The twice married star has been seen lately on the party scene with the usually beautiful ladies and the polite and well liked actor is now on the rise of becoming the next big television star.

For those of you that have not seen “Adam Resurrected”,I highly recommend that you see this intensely emotional drama in which Goldblum plays the role of asylum resident in Israel in the 1960s. The critics praised Goldblum’s work and you will see the kind of raw talent that this actor brings to this powerful film.

Striking Simla beaded necklace by designer Matthew Williamson

On a quick note I want to thank all the great pr people and fashion houses that helped out The Ravi Report this season with show access, interviews, updates and backstage access. I am extremely grateful for their  hard work and their relentless dedication to their craft and for assisting The Ravi Report this fashion season.

The journey continues…

Ravi