On Wednesday, April 28th, I went to the Fox Theatre in Downtown Detroit to see The International Academy of Design and Technology's Sixth Annual Imagine Fashion Show. I received the tickets courtesy of my Twitter pal Nicole B., creator of the online discount designer website The Sale Rack. The Imagine fashion show recognizes students' individual designs with a runway show and awards in several different categories. Portions of the proceeds from this event benefit the Ronald McDonald House of Detroit.
I was sitting in the sold-out VIP section with a great view of the stage and my trusty camera to catch all the action. The place was packed with families and proud parents and friends there to cheer on the designers. The Master of Ceremony was Detroit City Council President Charles Pugh. Charles showed his over the top personality by cracking jokes and sporting his gift of an custom animal print tie - which he referred to as "The Bomb Diggity".
The judges for the evening were Bessie Sneed from Saks, artist and designer Cynthia LaMaide, Natalie Robinson, shoe designer Tom Carbone, and men's suit designer William Malcolm.
The show presented clothing in the categories of Paper, Ronald McDonald, Alumni, Wearable Art, Sportswear, Little Black Dress, Red Dress, After 5, Detroit Inspired, and Paper Wedding Dress. Designers were able to enter clothing in all the categories and to present multiple pieces in each category.
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| Does this dress look like paper? |
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| These were the best in the Paper category! |
The crowd favorites from where I was seated were the items in the paper category. Yes, just like on Project Runway, the designers made clothing out of paper. Designer Katie Barth's items definitely did not look like they were made from paper (see photo above). Many ladies seated behind me were saying that they would definitely wear these dresses.
The Ronald McDonald category was for kids clothing. The kids were looking totally professional as they strutted the runway in their colorful clothing. (see photo above)
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| From the Wearable Art Category |
The Wearable Art category was totally out there in terms of color, cut, style and makeup. Designer Anna Tyler had her models channeling "The Corpse Bride" in terms of makeup and styling. (see photo above)
The most memorable part of the evening was the 30 minute mini Vegas show put on by designers Matthew Berger and Aaron White as they led off the After 5 category. These designers used drag queens as their models (see photos above) which had the whole audience in a buzz as the models strutted and glam posed the elegant fashions. It was definitely something to see.
Unfortunately, I did not see all the fashions. The show started "fashionably" late and two hours into the show it was only half over. My bedtime was calling so I had to leave, but I can say that it was one exciting evening. My favorite dress of the evening was a simple white evening gown designed by Aaron Jacobs. Everyone around me was loving this dress and even the judges gave the model a standing ovation. That just goes to show that sometimes elegant and simple can speak just as loud as glitz and glamour.
You can also read a version of this article on The Examiner where I am the Fox Theatre Reporter
Hi! Do you happen to have a picture of the first outfit that came out in sportswear? That was my favorite.
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