Everybody has their rock-star moments, including those in the sartorial set. In 2004, WWD asked a number of designers to recount their serious star wattage moments. Here, their responses, from Vera Wang’s claim to rap music fame to James Mischka’s game show go.
Betsey Johnson: “I’ve felt like a rock star because I’ve been mistaken for Cyndi Lauper for years.”
Kimora Lee Simmons: “There are a lot of people running around with cat tattoos [the Baby Phat company logo]. I’ve had women come up to me and [Russell Simmons] and show us their butts — and they’re saying, ‘No, we’re not mooning you, we just want to show you what the brand means to us.'”
Badgley Mischka’s James Mischka: “A question was asked on ‘Jeopardy’ for which ‘Mark Badgley’ was the correct answer. The contestant didn’t get it right. [Otherwise,] since Mark and I are always running late to catch a plane, we always find it necessary to take helicopters to JFK [Airport].”
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Kenneth Cole: “After a long flight home from Milan, I awoke as we were landing and realized my shoes had been moved. As I was disembarking, a steward approached me and said, ‘I have always worn Kenneth Cole shoes, but today was the first time I actually wore Kenneth Cole’s shoes.'”
Project Alabama’s Natalie Chanin: “I was on the cover of a local newspaper’s magazine. When I was getting gas, the guys at the station asked me to autograph it. And people always stop me at the Winn-Dixie in Florence [Ala.].”
Vera Wang: “Jay-Z used my name in his song, ‘Change Clothes.’ That’s my rock-star moment, literally.”
Zac Posen: “Every day is a rock-star moment. I am the fantasy.”