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As a Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week virgin, I wasn’t sure what to expect from the Bryant Park tents. The crowds, the celebrities, the gossip- yawn.  William Rast’s fall 09 collection- tremendous. Everything about the show from the music to the fringed leather carried me from the city to dirty and down-home rock-and-roll America. As studded leather and two-toned denim marched down the runway, I couldn’t help but feel as if I was sitting next to Hunter S. Thompson in a roadside diner on the outskirts of 1970s Las Vegas.

Titled “New America”, Rast’s collection featured a mix of fringed and studded leather, tees with shoulder pads and over-sized plaid shirts worn under dirty denim. The men were outfitted in double-breasted blazers worn over leather pants or multiple-zip denim jeans. Women’s mini skirts were high-waisted and cut like upside-down sweetheart lines in the back. The hair couldn’t have been more perfect for the collection; the women were sporting long, wind-blown locks as the men flaunted slicked-back motorcycle bouffants. I could have done without the overly decorated jeans, as I am still recovering from the last epidemic. Too many patches and lacy appliqués cluttered some of the meticulous design details that made the jeans stand out among other lines. But a William Rast truck stop-fabulous, fringed and studded leather jacket is undeniably on my wish list for fall.

Anna Wintour is just as skeletal in person, Justin Timberlake is more handsome than photos can actually do justice and Paris Hilton’s blonde head was peaking out from behind three bodyguards. Overall, the experience was really great, and I would go back in a heartbeat. I’m glad I got to see a show at the legendary tents before Fashion Week decided to relocate.

GALLERY: William Rast, Fall 2009

Thanks to Style.com for the photos.