Fashion Now By: Hope Wilkos, Writer/Blogger
It was a day jam packed full of unique fashion and fabulous fun at Boca Town Center Mall in Boca Raton, Florida on Saturday, September 24th, 2011. Under the bright skylights of Center Court, serious shoppers were treated to ‘Simon Fashion Now’.
It all began with a furious design war competition called the ‘Gaga Fashion Challenge’. The original top 10 designs were brought to the stage to compete for the ultimate Lady Gaga look and a chance to win a $500 Simon gift card. Judges included a former member of the all-girl band ‘Seduction’ and now host DJ on West Palm Beach radio station 93.9, Michelle Visage, dressed in black and creating quite her own style. Joanie Cox, Glamazon fashion blogger for City Link Magazine and editor of Boca Piquant, was the second judge and third judge was Boca’s own Brett Loewenstern, of American Idol Season 10 fame.
It was a tough decision for the judges. All the contestants had vivid imaginations and skills that brought Lady Gaga to life on the runway. We were treated to Vampire Gaga in a red cape dress with high platforms revealed through a slit up the dress. Gaga Power could have come right out of the pages of an action hero comic book with black lycra suit complete with wings that told their own story.
The final ten outfits made use of film, vinyl, flowers, feathers, mirrored balls, electrical wire and motorized elements.
All the looks took on that Gaga appeal with a specific theme in mind but the final winner of the competition was Elaine Timerman’s ‘Era of Paparazzi’.
This look of self-expression captured the popular one-shouldered effect with a full skirt in a patchwork of fall colors in what looked to be a shiny leather material and completed with an eye patch and high brown leather boots.
The competition led into a non-stop day of fashion shows from popular retailers such as Lilly Pulitzer, Tommy Bahama, Lucky Brand, White House/Black Market, Chico’s, Ann Taylor, Cache, Banana Republic, Guess, Francesca’s Collections (a newer merchant to the mall) and so many more. Accessories and shoes played a key role as well and stores that participated were Nine West, Steve Madden, Bag’n Baggage and a variety of others. The audience was whisked off to the beach with swimsuit fashions from Everything But Water.
Highlights of the trends included layering, outfits and boots in animal prints, strapless glamour in sequins, sheaths and cape dressing, textured tights, trench coats, faux fur vests paired with jeans, black and white tweed dresses, the little black dress, cowl neck sweaters and suits that made a statement in powerful colors. It was an endless array of all the incomparable looks of the seasons. Local celebrities walked the runway in the shows as well. Appearing were Keli Fulton of WPTV NewsChannel 5, Shelli Lockhart of WPBF 25 and Nathalie Pozo of WTVJ NBC 6.
The Gap Show featured fashions for adults as well as children and included some of the most adorable and photogenic kids strutting and bopping down the runway. The audience received a real treat when Boca’s own Brett Loewenstern who gained fame on last season’s American Idol show, modeled a layered look over jeans from Gap. As he came down the catwalk, young girls swooned and reached out to touch him.
Brett also entertained fans with a few of his songs and drew a huge crowd as they clapped to the rhythm.
One of the best parts of the day was the interactive segments between shows. Attendees could text a key word to their phones to receive great gift prizes and tickets were drawn each hour (spa packages, gift cards, mall merchandise).
In ‘Ready, Set, Style’, volunteers were picked from the crowd to dress and accessorize two models for a Simon gift card. They had two minutes to complete the assignment with a bit of help from the audience.
Style and beauty demonstrations were taking place at various locations in the mall and select stores were offering great discounted deals all day.
This event could not have been possible without the generous sponsorship of Braman Motorcars of the Palm Beaches, Boca Raton Regional Hospital, Ulysse Nardin and the Pandora Store at the Boca Town Center Mall.
One of the next stops for Simon’s Fashion Now Showcase will be the Roosevelt Field Mall in Garden City, New York on October 14th and 15th. Make sure you put ‘From the Runway to Your Way’ on your calendar today and see what great fashions you can add to your seasonal wardrobe.
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