Mary Bianchi was friends with fashion stylist Ali Cognetti before their children were friends.
“Ali taught me to embrace my own style, be confident and have fun,” Bianchi said as she strutted the cat walk recently, part of the first-ever Ryemarkable Moms Fashion show at the Rye Arts Center.
Bianchi was joined in her modeling debut by Molly Pacala, a local Rye painter who takes on artistic assignments for friends decorating their homes; Kiran Teter, a Rye mom who works in finance in New York City, and Katie Watson, a Rye mom who helped develop field hockey in Rye, with her program called “First Flicks” for first-through-fifth graders.
All were dressed by Cognetti, a Rye resident, in clothes provided by four Rye shops: Sartina, Palmer & Purchase, Great Stuff, and The Stand. Their jewelry was styled by Landsberg Jewelers in Rye Brook.
Sponsored by Liz Woods, founder of Ryemarkable Moms and a Rye Record contributor, the idea for the fashion show-advice session originated with another Rye resident, Georgia Dyer. Woods and Alli West, development director of the Rye Arts Center, loved the idea and so did many others, apparently. The event was sold out.
As the women paraded through the room, Cognetti held forth.
Brown is the color of the season. Wear jeans, not leggings, and a sweater when you’re picking up or dropping off your kids. And diamond earrings are never wrong.
Some 75 Rye moms received fashion tips from Cognetti. Teter liked her styled combination of soft stripes and plaids so much, she said, “I bought it.”
“I am so grateful to the Rye community,” said Cognetti, who years ago left the beauty industry to pursue her “passion project” of styling women one at a time. She said it is the word-of-mouth of the supportive women in Rye that enabled her business to grow from Rye to Greenwich to New York City and around the country.
The crowd murmured in approval when she said skinny jeans were no longer the norm and many varieties of jeans are now available. And she suggested “zhuzhing” up the school drop-off outfit with a jacket.
And for the playground look? Adding stripes to the look and why not “diamonds on the playground?” she said. Diamonds, she added, are a great way to elevate outfits for running errands or for playing mahjong.
For game night, look for pants and a top that match — but are not a matching set, Cognetti advised. Stripes and plaid can go together if they are of the same color palette. Strive for “balance and proportion” — so no baggy tops with baggy pants. And of course, “diamond stud earrings … ‘cause it’s Rye,” she said.
If you’re meeting for coffee and running errands, Cognetti recommended a “a sweatsuit, but elevated.” Add a trench coat and some jewelry, she said.
While the models circulated, Cognetti offered advice on what she called closet edits. “Get rid of what no longer services you,” she said. She urged the audience not to be intimidated by a stylist.
Cognetti also fielded questions. “What is the one most important piece of advice?” one audience member asked.
“Always dress for yourself,” Cognetti said.
As for dressing for travel? “So sad,” she said. “No one gets dressed on a plane anymore. Everyone is in pajamas.” She suggested layers.
Another asked: “What is your go-to when you only have five minutes?”
“Jeans, ballet flats, and a tucked in shirt,” she responded.
And for shoes?
“I do love an uncomfortable shoe,” she said to laughter. She also suggested short boots to go with the jeans.
And what’s the color of the season?
“Chocolate brown,” she replied. “That is the color. Go into your closet and find chocolate brown …. and you can mix it with black. You can.”
And after color, what are her other top pieces of advice? “Second, a really good coat. Third, skirts, from mini to long. Skirts are fun to style with boots and ballet flats.”
Asked who her biggest influence is, Cognetti paused. “Lee Radziwell,” she said. AS for living influences? “Anne Hathway. And I think she is being styled,” she said.
Julie Sexton, Rye Mom, who, after a 28-year career in legal compliance, is following her dream of making cookies, donated treats for the event.
Said Woods of her event: “There was so much style and laughter and connection. We celebrated the women of Rye who give so much.”
Photos by Alison Rodilosso
