Elson, who lived quite close to the Twin Towers, recalled in haunting detail witnessing the attack firsthand, and then running for her life. “It was very eerie, you know, your eyes are seeing this horrific thing, yet still the city was bustling, moving, and it was just this surreal moment. But then a moment of fear of ‘Oh, this is a terrorist attack that is happening,’” she said.
Bart took charge at his agency, making IMG’s headquarters a meeting point for models and ensuring that they got home safe. Lippes, who was then the creative director of Oscar de la Renta, had been prepping for a noon show at the tents at Bryant Park in Midtown when he heard the horrific news. “Everybody came together at that moment,” Mallis, who shut down the shows, recalled. “The tents became a meeting place for everybody to find out what was happening, especially for the thousands of editors who were in town for Fashion Week and wanted to know what to do.
Nasr also asked the panelists to share lessons from that time that they carry forward. “Watching Oscar through 9/11 helped me lead my own team [during Covid], because they were all looking to me,” Lippes responded. “Even though I didn’t know the right answer necessarily, I knew I had to stay strong, stay positive, and move forward. What we are doing in fashion is important. We employ a lot of people. We let a woman put on a dress, a guy put on whatever, and smile and feel good about themselves.
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