Okay, sorry. I totally forgot to finish my double make-up story in the last post. Why? Because in the middle of the post I got a phone call telling me I had a ticket to the Vivienne Tam show! The clock read 5:30 and I had to pick up my invitation by 6:15. Time was of the essence. The rest of that story will have to wait…

I threw on a different outfit (thank goodness for warm weather clothes that pack so light!) and make a beeline for Bryant park. Inside the tents was chaos and madness because the Max Azria show was about to start and Ana Ortiz was walking in right ahead of me. She’s so tiny!

Even tinier was Bebe Neuwirth, who waited in front of me for a few minutes with her husband (?) in line for the Vivienne Tam show after the Azria crowd had made their way to their show. She seemed really nice and unassuming and I wanted to take her picture and ask her to wear a Goodwill dress to the next Tony Awards…but it seemed a little much. It was my first time in the Tents and I didn’t want to come off as a newbie.

Anyhizzle, I was told I had “standing room only tickets,” but my colleague had much more experience than I and said, “Let’s just try walking up to the stairs and see what happens.” And low and behold…they let us in, no questions asked. We picked seats that seemed likely to stay empty (as if we knew!) and amazingly I was able to maintain my fourth row.

To the left was my view across the runway before the show started. The music was pumping, the masses were preening, and the show was starting almost an hour late. Now certainly that’s no Marc Jacobs timeframe, but we were getting restless, indeed.

Eventually the lights dimmed and the plastic came off the runway. Here we go!

A few first impressions: the models were incredibly inexperienced, to the point where a few seemed like they had never worn high-heels before the show. One poor girl (Go, Hannah!) was practically in tears as her right shoe gave out. She quickly and smarly made the decision to kick of her heels and finish the trip back down the runway in bare feet. She was met with resounding applause from the audience.

Unfortunately, that was pretty much the entirety of the excitement for the show. Many of the outfits seemed derivative, like something Diane von Furstenberg is doing righ now (secretary blouses and wrap dresses) or Prada last season (lacey cutouts) or Marchesa three season’s ago (ginormous flowered skirts and hemlines) might have created. Hate to be such a Debbie Downer, but them’s the breaks, kids.

There were some nice pieces, though, like the blurry, sparkly sheath at right (hey…my camera’s not that great, okay?). Check out better pics on style.com later to get the detail on the beading, but this dress and two other like it at the end of the show were gorgeously glamorous.

Tam’s real strength, though, lie in her Asian inspired pieces, a trademark of her years in fashion. I’m not saying every dress she creates needs be a cheongsam, but seeing fan applique, floral embroidery, and Eastern-influenced prints like that on the shift dress at left.

This dress and another like it with fan-pleats at the mid-section featured refreshingly relaxed silhouettes and hemlines that would flatter those of us not blessed with mile-long model-thin legs. I’d love to get my hands on one of those frocks!

My least favorite piece was - are you ready? - the “cream wrap short” aka a SKORT. What the…? Yes, it looks like something Dockers might have created about fifteen years ago (not hating on Dockers, mind you… just saying!) with an almost knee-length inseam short and wrap front secured with, um, buttons? Velcro?

I don’t know and I don’t care. Even the 16-year-old Russian model (Lekeliene, according to the program provided on my seat) couldn’t save that ensemble. It was as matronly as other outfits featuring pinstriped suits (really?), early-90s style sheer-sleeved blouses (ouch!), and put-me-to-sleep trench coats.

The color palette was all over the place, too, including everything from bright pink patent leather (with matching five-inch stilettos) to graphic black and white to the garden-y pastels at right.

The overall effect was a bit lackluster and people were hopping out of their seats before Tam even came out to wave to the crowd. I definitely enjoyed certain pieces, but can’t see myself running out to purchase anything. Heck, I probably won’t remember much of what I saw tomorrow.

I will say this, though… When the lights go down and the music starts thumping your seat, and the first model enters the catwalk, it is something a little bit magical. We might feel silly for loving so much this thing we call fashion, but we can’t deny that the world’s a little better place to be in because of it…

Any purchase made at a Goodwill Retail Store or on shopgoodwill.com funds Goodwill’s mission of training and employment programs for people with disadvantages or disabilities.