An impeccable lineup of dresses with faceted leather jewels, feather trims, and caviar beads circled Joanna Mastroianni’s runway for an encore finale – the models gave an emotional applause as 90-year-old Iris Apfel closed the show alongside the designer. The conclusion was so moving that the stranger sitting next to me instinctively clutched my arm as the house lights came back up. But unbeknownst to us, 95-year-old Zelda Kaplan, who had fainted during the show, was rushed to the hospital minutes later and passed away shortly after.
A touching show to commemorate the life of one New York icon also became the last public appearance for another. Joanna Mastroianni’s beautiful collection, coincidentally inspired by a winter journey, became Kaplan’s Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening – inspiring last moments for a magnetic front row fixture.
Post by Amanda LaMela
