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Friday, April 9, 2010

GFW Day 2: Wolfgang, Calzatura, Kenneth McCraney

We were treated to plenty of surprises last night at Gainesville Fashion Week's first runway night, starting with choreographed dancing by UF dance students before Wolfgang's 65-look show, followed by Calzatura's 10-year anniversary show and ending with newcomer Kenneth McCraney's first GFW show.

The Wolfgang girl is ever-changing, as the store's 65-look collection took her from wearing a printed, body-hugging dress, to a plaid, tied button-down and shorts to a modern Audrey Hepburn-esque, black dress. I am happy to say that belly shirts are back, so start working on your abs, ladies. Wolfgang's navel-skimming tops paired with skinny jeans and shorts are the perfect dose of summer flair we've been looking for. We also liked a kaki shorts and blazer combo. Could it mean shorts for work? Maybe.

As for the men? Buff up those arms and calves because it's all about breezy tank tops and above-the-knee shorts for you. Our favorite men's look of the night has to go to this grown-up, Pinocchio-style shorts, suspender and button-down combo. Wolfgang's show ended with Matthew Turner and his legion of assistants, all as gorgeous as the models working the clothes, coming on stage for their iconic team hug.

At Calzatura, we were reminded why this has been a downtown staple for 10 years. Just like at Wolfgang, we get the sense this season is going to be a short one, hem-wise. The dresses were short and tight, lit up with bright colors and fun prints. Some had a flow to them, which made the dresses flirty and girly.


We also love the body-con bandage dresses, sure to become every women's dream silhouette as the thick, ribbed fabric sucks everything up and in. Our favorite dress of the night was worn by the saucy model who stopped at the end of the runway to kiss a pre-warned spectator, led by "Girls Just Want To Have Fun." This candy-striped, strappy dress lends the perfect mix of young girl innocence with the allure of the grown-up sex bomb.

The evening came to an end with Kenneth McCraney presenting his first collection. Kenneth's clothes were part working-woman, part adventurer and all rather wearable. We were pleasantly surprised by this newcomer, who got his first taste of Gainesville Fashion Week as BobbyK's intern last season. The designer showed a lot of promise with his first runway show, ranging from sexy pantsuits to drawstring dresses, vests, see-through tops and our favorite, a layered white and bejeweled shift dress, along the lines of Fendi and Chanel.

We loved his pairing of voluminous tops over voluminous skirts, for a combination that was surprisingly flattering. Kenneth's monochromatic scale kept the color palate simple with grays, navys, blacks, whites and yellow (with a hint of red), adding an unintrusive pop of color. We appreciated Kenneth's more dramatic looks, but we are most looking forward to seeing what he comes up with in the department of contemporary casuals. With his eye for done-up simplicity, move-with-the-body shapes and classy, sophisticated palates, this young designer's future is looking bright.




Join us tonight for Sironna, 8pm; Mesh,9pm; and Dahlia, 10pm.


—Stephanie Granada, Photos by Rodney Rogers

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1 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

I'm by no means fashion-savvy, but this post was fun to read. :-)

April 10, 2010 at 1:56 AM  

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