GFW '09: BobbyK + Dahlia Runway Review

Gainesville Fashion Week ended on Friday with a bang, to say the least. The BobbyK and Dahlia fashion shows brought out the biggest crowd out of the whole week-long event series. Skyy Night Club was packed with enthusiastic fans. We were very impressed to see the Gainesville community come together in such a massive way to celebrate our local fashion scene.
Dahlia

After a one-hour fashionably late start, Dahlia opened the show with a silk and lace tank and jeans combo that set the tone for the whole collection she presented. The first look captured the aesthetic of the whole store—uber-stylish, easy-to-wear, designer casuals.
Look-after-look, we were impressed by the airiness of Dahlia's styling that made even the most high-end designer pieces seem approachable and wearable.

We love the range colors Dahlia gave us—cobalt blue swimwear, turquoise tops—it made even me, a black, white and navy uniform kind of gal, want to spruce up my wardrobe with some of the store's more electric pieces. We will definitely be checking back with Dahlia this week to snag some cute party frocks and trendy girl-about-town pieces.

BobbyK
After the Dahlia show, BobbyK took the stage with what he called "yet another of his many diva moments," as he thanked the massive audience and turned our attention to the "exotic yoga" cage dancer who opened his show. From the moment the lights turned on the dancer's pink hair, we know what we were in for with BobbyK's collection—sex appeal.

The prediction came true, as model after model walked the runway in super short, super tight minis that left little to the imagination and a bit to be desired.

BobbyK's "I'm In Love with a Robot" collection retained some of the style elements we saw in his last collection—the bubblegum pop colors from Alice in Wonderland, the structured, angular dresses from Jack the Ripper, and the soft cotton summery pieces from Amazonian. And although we can see this local designer has a definite designing point of view, Friday's collection was fresh.
Our favorite look was a pink anorak-style shirt-dress that flattered the model and was noticeably a departure from the more revealing looks surrounding it. Bobby hyped up the audience with his use of artfully placed zippers, exaggerated ruffled sleeves, funky tie-dyed fabrics and some space-age inspired dresses fit straight for a spaceship stewardess on her way to find the fifth element. We appreciated the addition of menswear to this collection and hope there will be more to come.
Before the show started Bobby told us he has been working for years to bring us what he did that night, and his hard work paid off as the hundreds of attendants shouts and hollers increased as the collection went on, all the way to and through the show's finale.

—Stephanie Granada
Photos by Sarah Hsu