GFW Red Carpet Recap

Date: 2010.04.09 | Category: other fashion topics | Tags:

Participants mingle and observe artwork on display during Gainesville Fashion Week Spring 2010 Red Carpet Event and Art Show at Sharab Lounge on Wednesday, April 7, 2010. Photo Credit: Aaron E. Daye/ Staff photographer
For weeks, I’ve had a feeling this year’s Gainesville Fashion Week was going to bigger than the previous events. As soon as I arrived at last night’s red carpet opening party, I was proved right.

My first sign was the line. I’ve attended every GFW week since the event started and I’ve never seen a long line on the first night. By 8:30 p.m. the inside of Sharab Lounge was pretty full and a line of suits, party dresses and sky-high platforms trailed from Sharab Lounge’s front door to First Avenue.
After guests got their photo snapped on the red carpet against a cool media wall, they glided into Sharab to mix, mingle and party. Once inside, there was another line—but this time people waited to get inside a photo booth complete with fun props. I loved the idea! The prints were free and it proved to be the hot spot for the night among the YBF crowd (young, fashionable and beautiful—my name for this hidden group of people).
I did my share of people watching and fashion spotting and guests did not disappoint. In a sea of black ensembles, I appreciated the folks who stepped out in bold colors, cool abstract prints and pretty polka dots (personally, I went for a strapless dress with a retro-style print). GFW model Julia Bennett looked incredibly chic in an emerald green dress with bow accents on the one-shoulder design and metallic shoes.
Because of my love of vintage clothes and jewelry, I immediately gravitated to Colleen Raccioppi. As she and her friend admired the art show upstairs, I couldn’t stop staring at her work of art—an adorable cap-sleeved black top, red belt and black and white checkered tea-length skirt with an A-line flare. It looked like three separate pieces, but was actually a dress, which made me fall in love even more. She paired it with a pair of black, patent leather John Fluevog pumps with white stitching detail and a lovely ivory handbag with short wrist handle. The dress was from a vintage store in Charleston, S.C. and the purse came from an antique store in the same city.“Out of everything in my closet, this represented me the best,” said Raccioppi, an editor for media company Naylor who also handles marketing and communications for Alachua County Emerging Leaders.
Colleen and Julia are examples of people who dressed for the event and not the street corner. Some of last night’s looks were so outrageously short and tight I wondered if Forever 21 had opened a baby store. I was also puzzled by the large showing of men in short shorts and women who suffered from right dress-wrong shoes syndrome. There were a lot of romper and jumpsuit sightings, but Miriam Roebuck’s romper look stood out because of her black patent leather Gucci platform pumps and thin, black ankle socks. The socks with heels look was recently showcased during the latest Christian Dior fashion show and Rihanna sent fashion blogs in a frenzy when she wore the style to the Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards.
Instead of her usual opaque tights, Roebuck wanted to wear something she didn’t think anyone else might have on. “I was going to Fashion Week and I thought these people are up to speed so I wanted to try something different,” said Roebuck, an interior design student at UF. “I mean if you have the confidence to do it, you might as well try it.”
If you attended last night’s affair, tell me your thoughts about it. I had good time and can’t wait until tonight’s fashion show lineup–Wolfgang, Calzatura and newcomer designer Kenneth McCraney. See ya there!