Rockefeller Center turned into a runway of patriotism this week as Vogue and the CFDA welcomed New York's fashion elite for the launch of United Flags of Fashion. The installation, timed to the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, transformed The Rink's flagpoles into a display of more than 120 custom flags, each one reimagined by a leading American designer. The celebration paired a striking public art moment with an equally striking guest list, and the outfits on hand told their own story about the state of American style right now.
The idea took root more than a year and a half ago, when America250 chair Rosie Rios approached CFDA president Steven Kolb about giving fashion a seat at the anniversary table. What started as a conversation about quilts eventually became flags, an idea credited to Vogue's Anna Wintour. Designers were then invited to claim a state or territory and put their own spin on its flag, resulting in a lineup that stretched from Ralph Lauren to Willy Chavarria to Christopher John Rogers.
