Austin360 blogs > Out & About > Archives > 2010 > July > 31 > Entry
Young Women’s Alliance’s Fashion Evolution at the Driskill Hotel
Young Women’s Alliance’s Fashion Evolution reminds us that models stalk the runway at least once a week in Austin these days. It’s possible to classify these sartorial displays in an Aristotelian manner.
Alessandra Robles and Yuvraj Pahuja
Most informal are the club shows, designed for the youngest fashion followers, although sometimes quite polished, as in swimwear designer Stacy Kenyon’s fluid assemblage at the Phoenix earlier this season. On the other end of the spectrum, you pick up the sleek charity and luxury retail shows. These include frequent events at Neiman Marcus, Saks and Nordstrom, as well as established nonprofit galas, such as the buttoned-down Crystal Ball for Helping Hands Home for Children and the unbuttoned Viva Las Vegas for AIDS Services of Austin.
Kappie Bliss and Tracy Tenpenny
In between, Austin fashionistas can enjoy shows at boutiques and smaller charity parties, or even on sidewalks, as was recently the case on West Second Street. The Fashion Evolution for Young Women’s Alliance falls smack in the middle. It’s large enough to attract a mob of several hundred admirers to the upper lobby at the grand Driskill Hotel, filling the coffers for its foundation run by young leaders. And yet it’s not so formal that one might mistake it for something out of New York’s fashion week.
John Resendez and Mary Catlin
The first clue is the male attendees. Friday, many looked dragged to the party, directly from unexpected places. (No, I didn’t document these misfortunes in photographs.) To be fair, other men were dressed in soft, summer attire that would look appropriate in any Austin restaurant or club. The women, of course, put on the glam — on the cocktail end of the scale.
Andrew Dickson Lindsey Finken
The less said about the food and drinks the better. Anyway, the rooms were full of fascinating people willing to engage in fascinating conversations. The fresh social stars of the evening were Alessandra Robles & Yuvraj Pahuja, recently moved from Dubai and both in the jewelry business. Escorted by connector Allen Beuershausen, they met almost everyone.
Eventually, the show began. As is my wont, I stood near a wall, not up close, sharing observations with new acquaintance Austin Presley, who asked the most adroit questions about the show and my role covering it. (Some people have a gift for curiosity.) Rachelle Briton’s mixed wear led the parade, showing off the lanky Wilhelmina Brown models, who seem to have cornered the market on legs in this town.
Brittany Moore and Austin Presley
Then mod menswear from Alonzo. Languid presentation, although the women in the audience responded as if the male models were going to take off much more than an accessory or two. (Can we drop this practice in Austin?) Like a vision, out came the Linda Asaf creations, smoothly draped, flowing, derived from fun fabrics and kicky cuts. The models appeared to swim through the night in Asaf’s dreamy clothes.
Despite some bumps, it turned out to be a thoroughly enjoyable evening. Again, scored right there in the middle regions of Austin’s fashion range.
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment Categories: Style
Comments
Austinites love to be heard, and we're giving you a bullhorn. We just ask that you keep things civil. Leave out the personal attacks. Do not use profanity, ethnic or racial slurs, or take shots at anyone's sexual orientation or religion. If you can't be nice, we reserve the right to remove your material and ban users who violate our Visitor's agreement. Click here to report comment abuse.