Life Is Full Of Characters (Not Just 140).
A photo-friendly post about my evening with Kenneth Cole. Read more after the jump
Kenneth Cole Blogger Convention Video.swf 
Monday was an incredible night. I feel awful taking so long just to write about it, but I’m a busy guy. Keiko and I got an invitation to attend a Pre-Spring preview for their upcoming line. I was at work when I got a text message from her, telling me that I had a cool package waiting for me at home from Kenneth Cole. I got so excited! I’ve never received anything from anybody before - except from Con-Edison and Time Warner Cable (I could do without those letters).
I got home and opened my package to see a Sony Bloggie, gifted and personalized from the Kenneth Cole team, with a video from Kenneth Cole himself! He spoke of how he looked forward to the 18th, informing each person who received their new toy that he would be attending the dinner, too.
I was floored! I was going to meet Kenneth Cole, a designer that Keiko and I have such respect for, especially for his drive and story. I remember the first time I picked up a pair of Kenneth Cole shoes. They were two sizes too big, but I loved them and wore them to pieces.
Needless to say, he’s a very nice guy. He took the time to talk to each person there, answer any questions and was able to do so with composure. It’s not an easy thing to speak to several dozen people with video-cameras waving about, documenting your every word.
Now is it sad that, yes, I was excited to meet Kenneth Cole, shake his hand and be one of the first to see the new Spring collection, but that I spent more time gushing over the food? Each course had a wine to pair with, which, I think was done very well.
After eating, we all walked about, mingled, jingled, talked and tweeted about the event. The clothing was great. I can’t really talk much about the women’s clothing, so let’s leave that for the girls. The men’s stuff was wonderful, though. There was a great amount of subtle technique in the designs. My favorites were the grey washed-leather jacket, the sleek suit and the stripe-blazer combo.
At the end of the event, we were told to pick a pair of shoes or a bag. It killed me because I was gushing over the brown leather satchel, and also the cap-toed shoes. Keiks helped me out. Since she wanted to bag, too, I got the shoes. Now we’ll just have to share.
Almost all of the photos were taken using the Sony Bloggie, courtesy of Kenneth Cole. This evening was wonderful, and I felt so grateful to be there. You can read more about it, from the girl’s perspective, on Keiko’s Blog.
Good night, and good luck.
-Bobbert.
A big thanks to Kenneth Cole, Ingo Wilts, the Kenneth Cole team, Karen Robinovitz and everybody else that helped shape this event or participated. It was a pleasure to meet them all.
