The Style Experience: Runway Obsessions

The Style Experience returns THIS WEEKEND, March 18, 2012 to the Davis Theater in Montgomery, Alabama.

The Style Experience – Runway Obsessions For Colored Girls Who Considered Fashion When the Rainbow is Enuf.

Featuring Ebony Fashion Fair Model Rodney High, Guest Models the Radar Men and hosted by Tonya Terry

Showtime at 6pm.

 

Then join the producers, models and attendees for the official after party Style Experience After Glow to be held at the Reniesaance Hotel Exchange Bar following the show.

 

 

Faces of Cloochie 2012 Model Search

You could be next face of Cloochie! Please join the team at Cloochie as they host their national model search on Sunday, March 18, 2012 at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens Hodges Room.

Selected models will receive a one year contract and national exposure which includes paid modeling opportunities in print, video and runway.

Requirements:

No visible tattoos or piercings, 5’8″ or greater, 18 to 30 years old, please bring a copy of your drivers license or a valid ID.

For more information CloochieModelSearch@yahoo.com for additional information or questions.

Sunday, March 18, 2012
Birmingham Botanical Gardens/Hodges Room
2612 Lane Park Road
Birmingham, AL 35223

 

Tyra Mail! ANTM Casting Call Heads South

Are you the next Eva Pigford, Jaslene Gonzalez or Saleisha Stowers? Or even the next Toccara or Bre?

America’s Next Top Model – the College Edition – is looking for its Cycle 19 cast!  If you are a US citizen between the ages of  18-27 and are at least 5 feet, 7 inches tall, click HERE for eligibility requirements and the application, as well as to see the list of other casting call dates and locations.  Be sure you have your passport in order as well; if you are chosen, you may shoot episodes in an international location!

That’s Haute: Perry Varner Talks Style

Fashion industry veteran Perry Varner is currently in town for Radar Magazine’s second anniversary party and fashion show this Sunday.  He’ll launch Style Experience: Runway Obsessions in Birmingham in July, and has a book in the works; The History of Black Fashion in America will detail the major impact people of color have had on fashion and pop culture.  We caught up to talk fashion and his latest projects.

Who are you wearing? “Right now I have on Kenneth Cole from head to toe: I’m wearing a grey sweater and grey pinstriped slacks.  I’m stylish but conservative.  I’m not that trendy.  I believe in a nice tailored shirt, a sports coat and a vest. A sports coat is my signature item.”

“You’re never fully dressed without…”: “Your eyewear.  Either  some casual eyewear or shades.  That’s for me.  I wear glasses a lot,  fashion lenses and I always have that.”

What would you not be caught dead in? “Probably leather pants.  I won’t do that.  And I did wear some shorts on vacation last year, but I typically don’t wear shorts.”

What did your parents teach you about style? “Everything! My dad is a minister; he has a church in Montgomery.  What I remember the most is he always dressed.  My mother, being the first lady, was always impeccably dressed. My greatest influence came from both of them, watching them [step out] tastefully and well-dressed every Sunday.”

What would people be surprised to know about you? “Fashion is not the thing I’m most passionate about; it’s people.  And equalizing the playing field for people of color, in whatever opportunity where there is a gap.  Fashion gives me a voice, and I use it.”

For more on Perry Varner, click here.

A Final Word on Birmingham Fashion Week 2012

One blistered heel. Ten cramped fingers. Three nights in a 40″ by 140″ tent in make-your-teeth-chatter-and-knees-knock weather.

No,  I didn’t spend the past few nights camping; I covered the second annual Birmingham Fashion Week, with a portion of the proceeds benefitting Camp Smile-a-Mile and Alabama Forever. It was my first fashion week anywhere, EVER and what I learned in the tent is that next year, I’ll make sure we have seats. I didn’t rock shades a la Anna Wintour, and I wasn’t so much of a rube that I held up numbered cards to rate the designs, but every night I was left breathless by the energy, the generosity, and the sheer creativity I witnessed from members of the beauty industry, the models, the designers, and the audience.

It may not be New York, but then why would we want it to be? Not to get on my soapbox, but I’ve lived here long enough to grow tired of the comparisons between Birmingham and just about every other city. It was nice to see us step up and (literally) strut our stuff for a change.

“It’s hard to show your inner heart and be judged,” BFW co-founder Heidi Elnora admitted before the finale began. Although she was referring to the pieces preparing to march down the runway, she could have been talking about any of the million other dreams people have but never follow through on because they’re afraid. As Hayden High School art teacher Amy Cutcliffe emphasized, “Everybody has something [to share creatively].” BFW gave many – myself included – an opportunity to do that.

Was everything about the event perfect? No. But that’s not the point. The show’s mission – to bring together our community – delivered. There was pageantry, there was drama, and for three nights, people from different ages, backgrounds, aesthetics and perspectives commiserated and celebrated in the name of fashion. Not to be missed: Brandon Wayne giving us FASHION as he emoted down the catwalk, Ashley Davis’ perfected “smize,” and Marcella Bailey’s infectious cheering from the sidelines. I’m no Pollyanna, but I left feeling that some very talented people brought everything they had to give and left it on the catwalk.

I, for one, feel richer for it…and am already marking my calendar for BFW 2013.

Want more coverage of BFW 2012? You know you do:

Eighth Grader Makes Debut at Fashion Week

Lights, Camera, Fashion: BFW 2012

Who Wore What Where: BFW 2012

Emerging Designers and Rising Design Stars Shine at BFW 2012

Friday Night Fashion at BFW 2012

Straight from the BFW Runway: Kaylon Nichole

Menswear and Vintage Looks Close BFW 2012

That’s Haute: Camisha Rivers Styles Birmingham Fashion Week

We are currently in the midst of the second annual Birmingham Fashion Week, a four day fashion explosion underway at Pepper Place which benefits Camp Smile-a-Mile and Alabama Forever.  While you can read last night’s runway recap here, I caught up with a local hairstylist who is making sure the models she’s working with are coiffed to perfection before strutting down the catwalk.  Camisha Rivers is currently employed at Pampered Salon.

How long have you been a hair stylist? For seven years.  First I went off to college [at Alabama State University] but I was doing so much hair in my dorm that I told my mom I wanted to come home and [become a hairstylist].  I returned home and worked for Kevin Kirk [with Pedestals; formerly Images] for about a year and then I [came to] Pampered Salon.  (Camisha was formally trained at Bessemer Beauty Institute. Then she worked as an apprentice under Burnetta Crittenden.)

What’s your specialty? I’m really known for my extension and color services.  Cutting is also one of my favorites.

How did you get involved with BFW 2012? Actually I was doing a photo shoot with Angela Karen and she [suggested] I audition for BFW.  She gave me the contact for the stylists and I auditioned.  The audition was a room full of hair stylists and they had the actual BFW models come in; they gave us mood boards and we had to style according to whatever [board we were assigned].  They chose 20 stylists from that group, and then the top 12.  I was selected for the Top 12 which was also chosen to design hair for the BFW calendar.  My model is [featured during the month of] April and she made the cover.

Which designers are you working with during BFW 2012? I’ll be working with different designers every day. [On Thursday] I worked with SOCA and Laura Kathryn.  I also styled for William Bradley and today I’ve worked with Theodora. I also worked with a couple of the emerging designers, including Shannon Warren.

How do you collaborate to create a look? Or is it totally the designer’s vision? It’s totally the designer’s

vision.  They bring in a mood board for the looks they want you to achieve and you have to work from that.  They want [the hair] to look exactly like the picture, or as close as you can get it.

Have you had to adapt to “make it work”? YES! We’re working out of a tent [not a salon], and it’s freezing cold. Today they [brought in heaters].  Yesterday it was about 30 degrees.  It’s also really fast paced, so there’s not [time do] a perfected look.  I’m used to perfection, and I’m [adjusting to] having to do the ‘messy’ look.  But generally everything has run really smoothly;  they did a great job putting everything together.

What’s been the most exciting part of the process? The most exciting part for me is networking and meeting a lot of great people that I didn’t know were in Birmingham. [I've meat a lot of] designers and photographers that I can work with in the future to create my brand, Camisha Rivers Hair.

And what is Camisha Rivers Hair? If I had to break it down, I’d say it’s healthy, sexy, modern hair.

How is hairstyling from the runway different from working with “everyday” clients? For me the everyday client wants more structured looks, more precise looks.  For runway it’s more over-the-top creativity.  It’s totally different; [the designers] want messy hair and beach waves.  But in the salon it’s more precise.

If someone is interested in having you style her hair, where can you be found? I can be found at Pampered Salon/111 Richard Arrington Jr. Blvd South Birmingham 35233

All images provided by Camisha Rivers/Birmingham Fashion Week 2012

That’s Haute: A Conversation with Darrius Peace

Darrius Peace, a twelve year veteran of the haircare industry, hopes to redefine beauty and leave a legacy with his latest endeavor: MyHairAintNappy.com, a resource for natural hair-enthusiasts.  The brand also features a book, My Hair Ain’t Nappy: A Black Man’s Introspective on Natural Hair, available via the website and on amazon.com

What inspired you to launch the website? MyHairAintNappy.com was inspired by my entire career of doing hair.  I wanted to showcase natural hair in a way that it has not been showcased.  When I first started styling hair I learned to do relaxed hair. But natural hairstyling came with me experimenting with my Afro-textured hair, which I incorporated into my styling.  We weren’t taught that in school.  I attracted natural clients because of my own natural hair.  As a result of doing both [textures of] hair, my relaxed clients’ hair wasn’t as lustrous and full as my clients who had natural hair.  The benefits of wearing natural hair far outweighed that of wearing relaxed hair.  I noticed a shift: people with natural hair became more organically confident.

Who will your website appeal to? There’s a new, natural woman in town: she is professional, she’s stylish, she’s sophisticated, she’s polished and she’s refined.  She is no longer interested in wearing chemical processes and she’s ready to sport her natural tresses in a conservative, yet edgy way.  Because she’s a professional, she’s not interested in being limited to solely braids, twists and locks.  She seeks out styles that are somewhat ambiguous and leave you questioning ‘Is her natural?’ or lead people to say ‘I wish my hair did exactly what hers is doing.’  [I'm catering] to that woman, the woman who is interested in learning and loving her natural hair, and in learning beautiful styling techniques that she can do all by herself that give her a salon-quality finish.  What sets [my resource] apart from other natural hair websites or blogs is that it’s coming from the perspective of a black male who has over a decade of experience in the natural hair care/beauty industry.

What other developments do you have in the works? I do plan to go on tour speaking about natural hair, working hair shows and appearing at workshops to helppeople learn to do their hair themselves.  My purpose is  not to take business away from salons, but between visits to the salon I’d like to help people learn how to manipulate their curly textures into beautiful, salon-quality masterpieces.

Some women are hesitant to transition because they think men don’t like it.  What’s your reponse to that? I know a lot of naturalistas are curious as to what black men think about their natural hair.  To be frank brothers don’t care.  It ain’t even about your hair; it’s about YOU.  We love confidence, we love beauty, and we love you when YOU love you.

Ultimately, what do you hope to accomplish? At some point I am going to retire from doing hair.  When I do that, I want to leave a legacy.  I would like for this brand to help redefine what we consider, or what we’ve learned to be ‘beautiful’ and incorporate our organic beauty into that definition, to love and embrace ourselves in our organic form.  I don’t want anyone to think I’m opposed to relaxers – I’m not.  I prefer that if you’re going to wear anything that isn’t native to your curl pattern, that you don’t wear it because you think your hair is nappy.  I hope that black people begin to employ more positive terminology in reference to our hair textures and omit words like “nappy” and all those other words that are antithetical to our being beautiful.

For more information, please contact Darrius Peace - dpeace@myhairaintnappy.com

NAACP Night of Fashion Rocked the Runway

LexintheCity was in the building (yes, fashionably late!) for the NAACP Night of Fashion last Friday night, and what a fabulous night it was!  Held at the Birmingam Museum of Art and hosted by Jazze Pha and Miss Alabama  2010 Ashley Davis, the standing room only event featured designs by Alabama A&M alum Nicci Hou, Francisco Azucar, Shaka King, and Piedmont, AL native Borris J. Powell.  The evening also included formal recognition for Justice Ralph D. Cook, Sr., who received a crystal gavel courtesy of Bromberg’s.  And over$30,ooo was raised for the NAACP!

The catwalk sizzled with some serious looks, but if we had to choose a favorite, it would have to be the taffeta shirtdresses featuring layered or puffed sleeves, nipped waists, popped collars and ballgown silhouettes.  These classic looks brought the drama and would up the ante for any after-five social event.  We also loved Shaka King’s Spring 2012 preview, with its easy, breezy tribal-inspired resortwear for men.  Clothed in textured and printed fabrics, his models looked like they were flown in from some rocking party in Morocco!  For more fashion fab, check out the video from Kenny Luk here.

The fashion wasn’t just on the runway however, as Birmingham’s social set turned out in their finest furs and baddest hats.  Ashley Davis dazzled in a teal silk satin one shoulder floor-length gown with front slit, and of course, Jazze Pha was in his “uniform”: a red checked dress shirt, navy vest and denim with coordinating baseball cap.  We spotted several ladies in red, but our best dressed of the night has to go to the young woman who was spotted wearing a knee-length red chiffon dress with long sleeves,  accented with long strands of pearls, black tights, and leopard boots.  Trés uptown chic!

NAACP Fashion Show hosted by Jazze Pha and Ashley Davis

SHOW RECAP

Check out the footage from what has become one of the signature Fashion Shows in the City of Birmingham.

 

Video by Kenny Luk

The City of Birmingham, Alabama Power Company, Waldrep Stewart Kendrick, Malcolm Pirnie, Global Solutions, SWAC & Schaeffer Eye Center present The NAACP Fashion Show – A Night of Fashion in the Magic City.

Hosted by celebrity producer Jazze Pha and Miss Alabama 2010 Ashley Davis.

Featuring Nicci Hou, Francisco Azucar, Shaka King and Borris J. Powell and honoring former Alabama Supreme Court Justice Ralph D. Cook, Sr.

Friday, December 9, 2011 a the Birmingham Museum of Art – 2000 Rev Abraham Woods, Jr Blvd.

Featured radio personalities Isis Jones & DJ Chris Coleman of 98.7 Kiss FM.

Tickets are only $15 and can be purchased at the NAACP Birmingham Office which is located at 1520 4th Avenue North // Birmingham, AL 35203 between (12 noon – 6pm).  For more information call (205) 305-8912.

Doors open at 6:00 pm, show starts at 7:00 pm.

That’s Haute: Fashion Stylist Ryan Christopher

Bravo TV’s Real Housewives of Atlanta returns to the airwaves this Sunday, and I recently chatted with Ryan Christopher, who – as assistant to celeb stylist Shun Melson - has worked on set with the Georgia peaches.  Mr. Christopher, 27, is a graduate of Miles College and began by producing fashion shows as an undergrad.  He has partnered with Saks Fifth Avenue and also created looks for Jennifer Williams, one of the stars of VH1′s Basketball Wives.

The importance of education: [Majoring in] business gave me a broader horizon.  My curriculum prepared me  to handle MY business, and also – one thing  I think up-and-coming stylists may not understand and think it’s just picking out clothes – to understand the connections you have to make.  You have to present yourself in the best way so that you can build relationships with others who can help you.  My education taught me how to do those things properly.  Stylists don’t necessarily have to go to school for fashion; it’s about having an eye, and you either have it or you don’t.  But to learn how to properly run a business has been very important for me.

On his decision to remain based in Birmingham: Atlanta is like my second home, but I never wanted to become part of a commodity.  I’m only an airport away [from reaching a client], and as long as [that is the case] I’m good.  You have thousands of stylists elsewhere, and sometimes I’m looked at as an underdog, but I don’t mind that.

On his biggest break: All my breaks have been big! I consider all my breaks [to have been big ones] and have been very grateful [for the experiences].   If I had to say what was my biggest I’d have to say when I first started interning with Shun.  Although I’d done some wonderful things [in the past], my relationship with her has exposed me to a lot in the styling world.

What it’s like behind the scenes of Real Housewives of Atlanta: Oh wow…it’s fun.  I’ve met all [the ladies] and they are all very nice.   It’s great working with Shon.  Kim is really funny and really kind and really sweet.  I always look forward to working with her and Nene.   Nene is a full personality and she’s full of life, and every time I’m around her she keeps me laughing.   Kim is the same way.   She’s a sweet soul.

How looks are created: I really like to research a client to see what they like and how they would dress. I don’t push myself on them, but I try to enhance their style.  I like to get a sense of my client to be sure their personality shines more, [so that the] the outfit is not wearing him or her.  Shun works the same way and I think that’s why we work so well together.   We like to really get to know our clients to know who can carry off a certain look.  It’s really knowing your client and knowing who you’re working with, whether they like to wear pieces that are classic and safe or those that are edgy and fashion-forward.  Again: research, research, research!

On being able to adapt: I say expect the unexpected.  I remember shooting in LA once and I took the shirt off  my back for someone to wear.  A million things can go wrong, so you prepare for two million.

Ryan revealed that he is available to work with anyone who needs styling for any occasion.  For more information please contact his publicist, Toni Rousell, at (205) 523-4PUB.  She may also be reached at Trou35@gmail.com.

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