Fashion Show Recaps
Don’t Miss It! This weekend! #RSVPNOW
Boston Arts Academy presents an exclusive meet & greet with the amazing Kobi Halperin #bostonfashion #chestnuthill #bostonartsacademy #bloomingdalesboston #tailcoattimes
Boston Arts Academy presents an exclusive meet & greet with the amazing Kobi Halperin #bostonfashion #chestnuthill #bostonartsacademy #bloomingdalesboston #tailcoattimes
Save the date created by Tailcoat Times
Revere Hotel Rooftop - July 2018
Behold! Look at my gal pal go! #onlyGod #faithandfashion #bostonvoyager #bostonfashion She's a #trailblazer #fashionphonebook #heleenanorvette
http://bostonvoyager.com/interview/meet-trailblazer-heleena-norvette/
Tailcoat Times had the pleasure of attending the first ever New Hampshire Fashion Weekend. The 2 day event put on by Cynthia Hudson & Amy Azeredo-Samson (Almorinda Photography) was a special and unique event for Manchester New Hampshire and the surrounding areas. The event raised funds for two amazing charities End 68 Hours of Hunger and Janie’s Fund. NHFW 2016 also featured entertaining performances by; Ella McGowan, Traci C, Shaded Glitch and more. One of the featured sponsors was Shane's anti bullying campaign, they also conducted a riveting interpretive dance performance for the audience. There were swag bags and a silent auction that included custom made fashion pieces from Shaco Couture and multiple jewelry lines.The Mayor of Manchester Ted Gatsas also spoke during day 2.
Venue: NHFW took place at the Radisson Manchester Hotel, a VIP cocktail hour was held in the front lounge area on Saturday and both shows were held in the large Armory Ballroom, the space was massive with a wood vaulted ceiling and a center runway stage. The step and repeat was well placed and featured event sponsors including 26th on Hanover Color & Design Studio , Aspiring Magazine, Bayleaf Communications, Maria Bucce and J.Scott Salon, The entire perimeter of the show room housed multiple vendor tables selling a variety of fashion wares and beauty related products. There was also a check in desk with staff and a full service bar.
Hosts: Saturday was hosted by Seraphim Ann Victoria D’Andrea (Aspire TV) and Tharon Cottrell. They had a wonderful chemistry and did an excellent job of engaging the crowd between collections. Sunday Seraphim hosted again alongside Jeff Lawrence (WRKO). Seraphim made her way effortlessly though multiple stunning gown changes during both days. She was upbeat and charismatic, it would be great to see her host again next year.
Overall for a first year this show was a decent success. We are really looking forward to see what they have in store for the 2017 NHFW
(We've included a pic of our standout favorite from each designer along w/ a note on why we loved it)
A bold and creative accessory line by local designer Inga Puzikov. The runway presentation featured bejeweled pieces with crystal accents and beading in a variety of lengths and configurations. Models sported an array of both causal and dressy clothing options with the pieces which really demonstrated the lines versatility. Jewelinga offers custom creations and unique design patterns for fashionistas looking for something different. Why we loved it: the gold ring and red/white beading of this statement necklace is just the right big piece to add pizzazz to any solid color outfit. The drop earrings were also a nice touch.
JEWELINGA
The budding swimwear line by fashion model extraordinaire Francine Makuwa debuted a colorful line to strut the beach in this summer. MSW rocked the runway with an exotic take on the crochet swimsuit trend. Each piece is personally designed and hand crocheted by Francine herself. The styles had intricate patterns, bright hues and daring cuts, definitely a must have for your summer/vacation wardrobe. Why we loved it: Not withstanding the abs of steal on this model the detailed pattern of crochet, middle webbing holding the top together and the flirty tie string bottom brought the love of a staple white bikini to another level, especially with the color tone pop against tan skin. (www.wearmsw.com)
MAKUWA SWIM WEAR
According to web sources Wearable Art by Rimma collection is now going by Rimma Zaika. Rimma showed a lovely collection of dresses, crop and lace tops, and crocheted skirts. Most of the pieces incorporated varying shades of purple or yellow and the styles appeared to be geared mostly towards day, beach, and casual wear. One particular model wowed in a beautiful head piece adorned with ribbons and pearls that streamed down creating a modern veil effect over the face. Why we loved it: The crushed silk material on this asymmetrical shift dress was a real eye catch on the runway and would surely do the same out at a day or garden party. The flow of the fabric offered timeless beauty while the crocheted top added a bit of quirky and colorful fun along with the lavendar piping around the top of the dress..
RIMMA ZAIKA
A perfect season to show for brides to be, Coronah Designs filled the runway with a stunning assortment of beaded and lace gowns. The dressmaker even threw in a few looks that could easily translate into prom wear. Deviating from the traditional gown cuts many of the skirts featured delicate overlays with unique patterns. The makeup for this showing did well to further serve the bridal aesthetic with glowing cheeks and whimsical lip colors. Why we loved it: This strapless mermaid gown with full tulle bottom offered so many possibilities for brides of all sizes. The flexibility of design made this look simple yet very elegant with raised floral swirls along the entire bodice.
CARONAH DESIGNS
Lainy Gold Designs seemed to be the featured designer for this event with a total of three different runway collections over the 2 day event. There was a staggering amount of LGD on display. Each collection offered something completely different and served well to show the versatility of the designer. Why we loved it: Almost every single piece from the menswear / leather collection show on Saturday night was a signature look. A fresh approach to the "leather and lace" style LGD mixed daring cut leather and fringe with full length lace skirts and leather head/arm bands. This dress gave lots of sex appeal combined with a no nonsense tough girl twist.
LAINY GOLD
A collection with a piece for everyone Zadon Fashion had a very mixed display with heavy inspiration in tribal print and bold color blocking. The majority of items were skirts and dresses in varying lengths perfect for evening or date night. Zadon has been showing at quite a few shows recently and they always bring something fun and daring to the fashion scene. Why we loved it: The 2 piece crop top skirt look has been very much on trend for the past few years. The bold approach of this abstract neon print reignited our love affair with this racy yet classy look. The idea that an outfit so bold can be paired with bright statement shoes and accessories or even toned down with neutral shoes and no accessories was very appealing.
ZADON FASHIONS
To be marked as one of the local Icons of fashion can only be made sweeter when the body of work continues into the here and now. Battle Designs (aka Battle of Earl) creator Earl Battle is steadfast in pushing his creations through the decades with each and every stitch, A separate article will be written about the design life and works of Earl here on Tailcoat Times. To keep it brief; the showing at NHFW was a mix of things we have seen may times and things we've never seen before, we were equally wowed by both. Battle has a knack for dressing women in a way that is bold and powerful yet very feminine. Why we loved it: The dramatic billowed shoulders and v neck cut were so very alluring, The possibilities of being able to wear this as an open or closed coat, dress or top really took it to the next level.
BATTLE DESIGNS
Sharon Cox Cole - Shaco Couture
Sharon Cox Cole designer extraordinaire brought her eclectic collection to the stage with over 20 pieces of Shaco Couture. Running the gambit from beach to formal wear Shaco Couture pulled out all of the stops with quite a few styles featuring sweeping capes and bold pattern detail. There is a real magic in the unpredictability of the Shaco Couture brand, every piece to grace the runway is a unique surprise. Why we loved it: The standout cobalt color or this dress is exquisite. Details on the one shoulder creation featured a bejeweled broach and translucent bottom with a cinched waist. One of our favorites of the night.
SHACO COUTURE
Hilton Boston Woburn was the setting for this year's Excessive Fashion III fashion show. This location would be somewhat of a hike for non-drivers and city dwellers. Nevertheless the parking lot and venue were packed with about 200 + guests, vendors and models. The actual event room was just a large salon on the 3rd floor of the hotel. Set up much like a traditional fashion show in a hall rows of seats faced the middle runway with a diagonal formation. Outside there were vendor tables, a step & repeat, bar and check-in desk.
The vendor tables were a mixed bag and I often still question if this is a necessary feature for established fashion shows. From a logistical viewpoint point I can respect that vendors contribute a majority of the cash flow needed to create such a large scale event. However often times these high value vendors are selling items that don't relate to fashion at all. In the end it seems these vendors are capitalizing on a somewhat involuntarily captivated audience with a questionable level of interest. The only table I took a slight liking to was the Arbonne table. Arbonne is actually a skincare and wellness brand focusing on natural and organic products. The rep for this table cleverly parlayed the space into a table that displayed the intended product on one side and then African inspired clothing and jewelry on the other. HC Studio, A painter and a Hover Board company also had a tables.
The show was MC'd by Dr. Sara Russo and Frankie Vizzle from Jamin’ 94.5. The runway seemed to be on an average delay time and the hosts did an excellent job of time filling with crowd. A feature I found quite excellent was a projector to the left side of the stage that displayed real time video of the runway. The second projector set to the right didn't display anything, instead the designers were listed on a small tv in the middle of the stage. I purchased a VIP ticket for this event, I was in no way treated that way by the two ticket check ladies who sent me into general admission twice and simply could not be bothered to split from their personal conversation to show me to my seat. Show producers should really evaluate the help they select to represent their brand, the small things make a big difference to those with purchasing power. On a positive note I did appreciate that my seat was labeled and that my chair location afforded me an opportunity to see the designs up close and personal. Media coverage was provided by Dirty Water T.V. There were a few performances by the Craig Lewis Band. I thought their voices were powerful and beautiful and the audience seemed to really enjoy it.
In addition to showcasing amazing clothes a portion of the ticket proceeds were scheduled to go to The Jimmy Fund in support of The Dana-Farber Cancer Institute's ongoing cancer care and research. This is an event I would definitely attend again.
The show lineup was a fantastic mix of local designers (JOE Malaika, Soodee, Jewelinga, KM Swimwear (Karla Medina) and mass produced heavy hitters like Zara and Banana Republic with styling / jewelry by Jeweling.
My favorite pieces were a purple leather dress from Malaika and a short velvet jumper from Zara
More About:
A wife, mother, businesswoman and cancer survivor is how Musu described herself to the audience. She stressed she wants to be seen as a survivor not a victim of the illness that claims a 44 percent higher mortality rate than any other race (See more at:http://www.sistersnetworkinc.org/breastcancerfacts.html)
Musu's words were moving and honest with the key message being how important it is, especially for our community, to listen to their bodies. In it's 3rd year the LTYB (listen to your body) trunk and fashion show is not only a celebration of perseverance and strength against the horrible disease that is cancer but it is also used as a platform to reach out to our community and encourage early detection. LTYB incorporated fashion, music, jewelry and art into the schedule of events which made for a fun and memorable evening Hearing a young mother of two just near the age of 30 reveal that she was recently diagnosed with stage four cancer was extremely heartbreaking and moving. Her determined and fearless spirit really set the crowd's tone for positive vibes. Boston songstress Al Copeland also discussed the impact cancer has made on her life. The recent loss of her mother, Al openly revealed the pain she felt about realizing her mother passed before she could see Al's debut album and that her mom ignored many physical signs her body was giving her until it was too late. These speeches gave way to a decidedly triumphant and celebratory sentiment among the audience. In the face of such emotion recounts I could do nothing but be humble and grateful for my life and the lives around me. I have been to many benefit shows that raise funds for cancer and other illnesses and I have to say this particular show felt the most intimate and close to the cause. LTYB is something I would really like to see gain a larger following and continue for many years to come. The crowd also had a lot of fashionably dressed attendees that you can check out under the "serving face" tab.
I came into the space initially not knowing where to go or who I should interview or speak with. The designated volunteers were mostly young children with one person greeting guests at the door.Taking place at the Paris Street Gallery in Everett the location was slightly removed from the city and the actual event space was somewhat small. There was a check in desk, a narrow hall (housing vendors and a step and repeat) opening up at the end to a wider square room with a small bar, front stage, 4 rows of chairs on each side of the room and a buffet sponsored by Good N Plenty straight raw and eclectic dishes. The space was decorated with pink balloons and pink streamers wrapped around columns.
There were 4 tables set up in the hallway described above. Table 1 - I purchased a bib necklace from Eden natural collection for $60 only to get home and read the tag which has a California prop 65 disclaimer that warns the necklace contains chemicals that are known to cancer!!!!! Lol - so yeah I might not be wearing that which is sad because it’s a really great necklace - I wish I had read the back or furthermore that the vendor read the back before selling it at a cancer related event. Table 2 - Ty Scott t-shirts, I wanted one, but no one was available to sell me one. Table 3 - DLachae also selling some cute t-shirts with an additional rack of sweatshirts and jackets. I believe the designs I saw on the runway are definitely by custom made only as I did not see any pieces from those collections on sale. The flyer mentioned same day purchase but I never got a chance to see if the designers brought out the clothes - I will try to reach out and order a piece from each designer. Table 4 - Breast Cancer awareness table offering pins, bracelets, buttons and other informative material on breast cancer awareness. There was a 5th table showcasing some African pottery art but I wasn't sure if that was a vendor table or part of the gallery.
The crowd was entertained by DJ Apache a.k.a. Stevenboy03, albeit a few issues with the sound and mic the music selection kept the crowds energy up during the wait. I thought the DJ would have done more in the way of shout outs or announcements, similar to and MC, to keep the crowd entertained (some scorpio season shout-outs perhaps?) but he remained silent during the event. The first performer was singer Sydaiya Rehema, she opened with her own rendition of the jazz classic "Fever". DLachae collection came down the runway shortly thereafter, the lighting was a tad bit dark for my recording purposes but I'm confident I snapped some great pics. Speeches by Musu, YB_83 and Al Copeland followed until the second performer arrived. After another brief intermission Yummy Bingham took the stage. The Queens, NY artist became the youngest female CEO of a major-affiliated label and the youngest female record executive. Her song "Circles" was featured in the movie "King of Paper Chasin". Her mixtape "No Artificial Flavorz" was released on January 7, 2014 with Nyce Hitz/The Hitz Team. She was very entertaining and had a beautiful voice. Ty Scott label closed out the runway show in grand fashion, followed by pics in front of the step and repeat and a cake brought in to celebrate the success of the event.
Dlachae (pronounced: dee-la-shay) Founder Dennelle describes her company on their Facebook page as a clothing line that makes the ordinary extraordinary with African inspired prints. The line was very colorful primarily using bright reds and yellows. The collection also utilized a mix of standard and plus size models. The makeup (MUA: Denekia Carmel) was beautiful and paired well with the earthy textures in each piece.
Ty Scott Label https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DApSxKojDG8 / https://www.facebook.com/Ty-Scott-Label-124489074232716/?fref=ts founded in 2002 Ty Scott label is run by Native American designer Ty Scott based out of NYC the fashion house designs high-end ready to wear and urban street chic garments. Citing his current muse as Love & Hip Hop's own Amina Buddafly Ty Scott label knows how to dress a women sexy effortlessly. The collection was body conscious and exciting with lots of peek-a-boo cut outs, deep v necklines, fringe and mesh. The menswear line was very tshirt heavy, the piece I liked the most was a floral dress shirt with fitted yellow dress pants. My favorite women's wear piece was a long sheer black maxi dress, with a banded empire waist, embroidered bodice covered in large colorful stones and a bottom hem with a brightly colored feather pattern.
All designs can be seen under the "best in click" tab with video under "walk the plank" or our YouTube channel.
More About:
Production: ListenTo You Body - Musu-Kulla Massaquoi https://www.facebook.com/Musukulla.Massaquoi
Designer: Dlachae - https://www.facebook.com/DLachae-680543771981181/timeline
Designer: Ty Scott Label - https://www.facebook.com/Ty-Scott-Label-124489074232716/?fref=ts / iroctyscott@gmail.com
DJ: DJ Apache - https://www.facebook.com/stevenboy03?fref=ts
Vendor: Jewelry - Eden Natural Collection (Dahaliaj@gmail.com) http://edenatural.com/
Catering: Good N Plenty goodnplenty24@gmail.com (Chef/Owner: Warren)
MUA - Denekia Carmel - makeupbydenekiacarmel@gmail.com
Venue: Paris Street Gallery - https://www.facebook.com/ParisStreetGalleryStudios/
