Attending Gainesville Fashion Week’s runway event on Saturday felt like I was filming a scene for Gossip Girl.
GFW’s final show was classy and upscale. The event took place at Villa East near the downtown Gainesville area and began at precisely 7:45 p.m.
During the waiting time, two white screens next to the stage played video clips from the GFW Model Callbacks, the Model Casting Call, the Official Model Photo Shoot and the “HOT” Card Promotion.
I decided to award each line a superlative:
Most Likely to Grab Attention on the Beach — Sironna Swimwear
The first of the lines debuted South American-inspired bathing suits. Each female model donned a tropical flower in her wavy hair and sported a rockin’ swimsuit. Sironna exhibited mostly bright colors, and I noticed a lot of purple and teals. Some of the models wore beach dresses, halter-top bikinis, one pieces and cleavage-enhancing combinations. If you want to turn heads at the beach or pool this summer, these trendy, fun swimsuits can do the trick.
Most Likely to Wear Each Day—Chris Cardi
This line of casual, relaxed clothing for men and women impressed me with the way the models made everyday clothing seem fashion-forward. Mostly the men wore polos or v-necks with bright shorts or even jeans. The girls wore light colors such as green and yellow. All the models carried something when they walked whether it was a beach ball, a picnic basket or a bag.
Most Likely to Take You Back in Time—Whitley Denise
This was Denise’s first show in Gainesville, and his line is certainly memorable. With a retro and eclectic taste, I saw several sequined dresses, shirts and even some shoulder pads! His line had everything from floral sundresses to bathing suits and even evening formal wear.
Most Likely to Give You an Edge—Mikho Reconstructed by Miguel Blanco
Wow. In my opinion, this was the most exciting line of the night. An enticing video opened up the line, and the first model wore an oxygen mask. The look of the clothing was grungy and dark. Models kept a serious demeanor and their eyes were rimmed with red. Models wore goggles, headphones, dog tags and large scarves with their outfits. The last model was actually topless and covered her chest with a scarf. This show kept me on the edge of my seat.
Most Likely to Wear at Your Next Formal Event—Three Thirty Couture
Hands down, these were my favorite outfits. I could imagine myself purchasing each and every dress and skirt I saw. I especially enjoyed that the models were interactive and showed personality by encouraging the audience to cheer or by blowing kisses. I was surprised when the last few models actually debuted lingerie.
Most Likely to Wear at a Club—Bobby K’s “Kontrol” line.
Tight navy dresses, metallic items and men’s underwear are all things found in this line. Obviously, the underwear wouldn’t be worn at a club, but I loved how fun this co-gender line was. I could imagine several of these being worn at 101 Downtown or Sharab Lounge. The female models had crazy, curly hair which I loved. Before premiering “Kontrol,” Bobby K announced a merger he is creating with Three Thirty Couture.
Ellie Oliveira, a sophomore family, youth and community sciences major from Orlando, Fla., attended the Saturday event and loved it.
“ I think the show had a variety of styles which was very cool to see. Every designer was unique and had their own story to tell,” said Oliveira.
I agreed with her when she said, “I liked seeing the designers walk out after the show with the models — it’s awesome to see the person who designed all of the clothes we just saw.”