DIVA 2007: In or out?
Posted on March 5th, 2007 – 6:22 PMBy Sara Glassman
I say out. As someone who has been to many fashion shows, most fashion people won’t sit through more than 20 minutes of a runway show. There’s a reason: They get boring, really quickly. Last Saturday night, the DIVA MN show started at 7:30 and didn’t finish until after 10. It was a fashion marathon, without much-needed water.
This is not meant to detract from the worthy cause of the fundraiser, but the amateurish production just seemed to happen. Models were booked only a week ahead of time, making fittings near impossible. They weren’t paid, nor were designers. The same goes for hair and makeup. The result was dozens of scarily crimped hairdos, more like ’80s bedhead than anything I’ve seen in recent memory.
For an organization (DIVA MN) that is trying to put on a professional show and be the local fashion event of the year, it seems like it would be worth an investment in professionals. I’m fairly confident that the catering was paid for, why not the entertainment? Are our expectations for a fashion show or any type of entertainment really this low?
In terms of the actual fashions, there wasn’t much depth. Models could barely shuffle down the runway in some of the ill-fitting dresses and skirts. Carlos Chavez, receiving his second design honor in less than a year, is more of a skillful tailor than designer. His ballooned gowns are cartoonish, not high fashion. Kit Cusick’s clothes are basically overblown period costumes and Aglaia Vital’s lingerie felt gratuitous. I can’t imagine anyone ever buying or wearing any of these pieces.
There were glimmers of hope for local design: Jason Hammerberg’s extremely commercial Humble, Joy Teiken’s feminine, fitted Joynoelle and Katherine Gerdes’ wearable jersey evening collection. By the time these “core designers” were on stage at 9:30, I’m not sure anyone was still watching or still sober enough to see anything but a high-heeled blur. As someone who didn’t have a single cocktail, I thought some of the emerging designers were better than the featured designers. However, there was so such relentless quantity paraded in front of the audience, that I’m guessing most attendees would be hard put to describe any single item.
10 Responses to "DIVA 2007: In or out?"
Can we hear from DIVE MN why it was a bit lame? If this is suppose to be a fundraiser, and turns out to be just a local fashion show, then label it that much. Its all good! But don’t use a good cause to parade mediocre stuff.
Whoa! You go girl!
The designers were told months before the show that Macy’s was supplying models and the people who do Glamorama were organizing the show. 10 days before the show the designers found out that they had to find their own models. Did Macy’s drop the ball on this or was it Diva MN’s fault.
Sara, can you find this out?
I’m working on it. I’ll keep you posted.
Thank goodness someone finally came out and said took some of this designers off their high horses (and I agree about who the best designers of the night were).
out of curiosity, Sara, did you by chance catch a glipmse of the opening Student segment of the night? If so, what did you think of that? Some people thought it was one of the better ones of the night.
you are being ridiculously venal for an event that raised $500,000 in one night for hundreds of organizations treating people living with HIV and AIDS. In or Out? Talk about lack of depth. If you don’t like the clothes, fine. I loved some, loathed others. But acting like you are qualified to judge that benefit (as people, intellects,or spirits) would be laughable if it wasn’t utterly contemptable.
And why aren’t the designers paid? Are you serious? That would be thousands of dollars less going to help people. How did you not work that out for yourselves? What, did you get bored? Crabby? Hungry? What makes you think that’s relevent in the face of a disease killings millions of people world wide? It’s worldviews like yours that make me ashamed to be involved in this industry at all.
As I wrote in the piece, I have nothing against the benefit side of the event and bear them no ill-will. The same goes for the attendees, who were there to support the cause.
As for the designers not being paid, they are also not reimbursed for their expenses or given tax write-offs for their work. There are plenty of people involved in the event who are paid for their work.
That’s not what this discussion is about.My issue is with the “fashion” at the event. As an expert on the subject, I offer an honest critique to open the discussion.
I welcome (and look for) the constructive opinions and ideas of others, focusing on the event and quality of work.
I did see part of the student segment and I think they did a great job.
I always go to Glamarama, just don’t think anyone connected to it recently would actually admit or validate my humble opinion. this year and prior: Marshall Fields, who hosted it then, was so eager to sell, that they went ALL out to impress Macy and had an event worthy to name Glamarama. Turns out, they just wanted to sell to Macy’s. Then Macy gets a hold of it, and is lost, and has like an Asian fusion thing so they put some exotic lilly flowers on the table and get a few drag queens in tight sarangs. And no one shows up, not even Beyonce’s mother. How about some local talent if Beyonce and her mother are in rehab, or too busy to make Mpls? ? How about Cassandra from Jaahawir? She would have floored everyone.
Hi Sara,
How come in your fav links section you don’t have a link to Design Collective’s web site? It’s my (and all my friends’) favorite local designer store in the TC. It helps that the owner Christina is super cute and helpful! I think it’s designcollectivempls.com
