by hilary johnson hilary_a_johnson@yahoo.com
If high fashion was ever to visit Jacksonville, this is about as close as it’s come. On September 21, 2007 the Cummer Museum of Art and Gardens hosted their third annual Up and Cummer’s Fashion Forward event.
This year’s event coincided with the Joseph Jeffers Dodge Exhibit lasting from October through February. Dodge was once the director of the Cummer Museum from 1962 through 1972. The exhibit aims to focus on his achievements as a painter, his style of uniquely realistic oil paintings of still lifes and nudes that maintain a deep personal connection and symbolism.
The American theme set forth through Dodge’s work was reflected in the choice of theme for this year’s fashion forward event of the Big Apple. And much like Dodge’s deep connection to Jacksonville, Love Brigade, the event’s featured New York City design firm, boasts three of their four head designers as Jacksonville Natives.
“Three of us are from Jacksonville, but we all met in New York,” says Tinypants, aka Chris Dang, one of Love Brigade’s top officers. “It was like destiny,” he said, laughing.
The event began with a VIP Reception, featuring food from local restaurants Aurathai, Biscotti’s, Brick, Casbah, Mossfire, Preservation Chop House, Publix and Sekisui. The Grotto provided free wine beverages and Anthony’s Catering provided additional beverage selections. Gift Bags were handed out to all the VIP members, including funky jewelry and fragrant gift samples. Smaller gift bags of M&M’s were also handed out as a sweet treat.
The fashion show was featured in two portions, separated by a champagne and dessert intermission. The white and beige room was a perfect fit for the show, elegantly and simply displaying the looks as various boutiques around town strutted the runway in some of the feature lines available at their stores. Olympic medalist Shannon Miller and her husband John Falconetti emceed the show.
“Our catwalk is very unconventional and it’s great,” said Anjna Chauhan, P.A, this year’s President of Up and Cummers. “We have butcher paper that is laid out. It was actually a recommendation by our feature designer Love Brigade, a terrific idea [to put the runway in] the shape of a triangle. It’s a very interactive stage.” The eye level correspondence between the audience and the models puts the focus on the fashion, allowing people to take in the entirety of the outfits.
Local Boutique Edge City featured two different styles on the runway through a number of different looks. The first was a set of black and white outfits that maintained the boutique’s funky flare through exotic and outrageous jewelry. The second was a vibrantly colorful set, while all were distinguishable by the lavish flower hairpieces on all of their models.
Clover offered a more fashionable, sophisticated look with colorful skirts and elegant tops. House of Kilroy presented looks of bohemian casual and vintage chic for the women, as well as a men’s line that featured handmade-in-house boot/shoe covers coupled with splatter-painted umbrellas. Some might have found the looks unconventional, but that is what New York fashion is all about.
Modelcitizen’s looks were very rocker chic along with Harper Rose, while Jaffi’s promoted more of an L.A. sophisticated look with mini-dresses and stylish tops. Carla Shoes and Thomas Fine Shoes provided the newest styles in footwear fashions through stylish flats and bold printed heels. Petal, Reve, Rosie True and Wardrobe Therapy also provided looks that were fashionably chic with a hipster edge.
Finally, Love Bridage’s models started to make their way down the runway in their Fall 2007 Egyptian Rave line. “When coming up with this line, we were looking at what inspired us,” said Allison Press, one of the feature designers with Love Brigade. “We realized there was a new wave vibe on the music side of things, and had been inspired by an Egyptian exhibit we had seen in a museum and realized the two would go great together.”
That they did. Overstated peacock hairstyles and sequined face make-up in purples, golds and blues signified the beginning of the show. The looks were edgy and mod, with a reinvented square v-neck, bold colors and inimitable, angular hemlines. The brazen looks were some of the sexiest outfits Jacksonville has seen in a long time, so revealing with still so many secrets. The audience was hushed through the entire line, except for the occasional outburst of “oohs” and “ahhs.” It was hard to imagine that such exaggerated and extravagant looks could have originated within Jacksonville’s city limits.
“It feels good to be home,” said Press. “Jacksonville is my hometown and it’s cool to still be able to do stuff here even though we are in New York.”
The Up and Cummer’s Fashion Forward event showcased the amount of talent and creativity available throughout Jacksonville. Through the delicious food, the glamorous setting, and the extravagant looks featured in the show, Jacksonville proved it has more to offer than one might expect. Not only was this a venue for Jacksonville’s up and coming talent to come together and showcase itself, but it also made it clear that Jacksonville is coming up on a new time as well. Look out for more of this elegance and edge in the future. There is plenty for the choosing.
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