NEW YORK, Sep 15, 1999 /FW/ --- One of the greatest things about building a relationship and working with the same photographer is that he or she begins to know and anticipate what you need and becomes another reporter in disguise. Our photographer had attended a late, late show last night - well after I’d headed home to write the stories of the day, tells me about it early this morning over the phone.

Miguel Adrover’s show had been out of this world he reports and 'W’ magazine, The New York Times and Woman’s Wear Daily had all witnessed it. Filled with a completely downtown fashion crowd, dressed in fedoras and dresses made out of unusual things like place mats, the clubby platform shoe-wearing crowd filled seats around an unconventional catwalk, decorated with tall grass, sand and dirt.

A political statement kind-of-a-show, Miguel showed outfits on edgy no-pout models. One look sported an anti-fashion deconstructed ‘raped’ Louis Vuitton bag skirt, ripped apart so that the duffel handles rested on the hips. A naked woman wearing what looked like a whole python as a shawl/toga with head of the snake worn as a thong slinked down the runway trailing the tail.

The theme of the show was the plight of global women needing to survive and the plight of the New York City homeless was represented by a white long dress adorned with graffiti - re-papered with newsprint to give a billboard effect. Shiny gleaming body make up enhanced the fashion statements and wailing monk sound effects took the place of a DJ and soundtrack.

This afternoon I can’t wait to see Nanette Lepore’s show. I love wearing her designs. It’s so satisfying writing up a preview of clothes that you like and know they suit you. Everything was so feminine, pretty and spring-like. An adorable lilac washed satin boudoir dress, ruffled halter dresses and embroidered hemp skirts - I just wanted to take them home now. A stunning beaded peacock fabric - encrusted with sequins in pink, white and lime green - made appearances in the form of a dress, pants and halter – all lovelier than the next.

Lots of gingham was mixed in with pieces in a woodgrain print and kaleidoscope print, but the best of the bunch was a strong hot cerulean-red damask coat worn over a lime green striped silk day dress. My ultimate favorite was a soft printed silk negligee in cream and pink.

In the pouring rain leaving the Nanette Lepore show, the fastest way to the next event was on the subway. Fighting through the traffic was not an option! Back at The Pavillion we entered the Marithe and Francois Girbaud tent to find some interesting socialist seating.

The catwalk was a square in the middle of the room with seating around the four sides. Neither the photographers nor the press nor the audience got a better seat than anyone else did. The photographers kept banging lenses; they did not know which way to shoot the show! The collection featured urban comfort; high-tech sports casual wear that this pair is famous for.

Slashed combat pants on male models with long hair, head wraps reminiscent of rap stars, yellow heavy-duty slickers and the best part I thought a series of paper-looking white virginal dresses with color peeking through seams. Orange and white, yellow and white and sky blue and white. Fishing hats worn on strings like backpacks and matching lace-up operating-theater style slippers were finishing details.

The models meandered wearing Sony Walkmans as if looking for the entrance to a hot unmarked club. This line is pure cyber-fibers, laser-cutting and slip-weight ‘polyesters and polyamides reinforced by hot fusion’ - a thoroughly high tech collection for the future Millennium.

As a final shownote for today, our photographer calls me later to tell me he sneaked in through the photo entrance to catch a few minutes of Rebecca Dannenberg late evening. The runway was lit by black-light making the really bad hair-dye jobs stand out and capped teeth look surreal! Some plastic surgery scars were visible too. However, the gimmick did not prevent a room full of black-clad fashion editors enjoy a mostly white collection of open collars, tuxedo vests and open lapels and was supported by fashion maven Elizabeth Saltzman of Vanity Fair who sat front row next to Isaac Mizrahi.