Thursday fashion runway show and panel discussion sponsored by Pride Awareness Month
My Style: Edgy with a girly twist
Transforming the Reitz Grand Ballroom into a respectable fashion event sounds like it could be a big challenge. Perhaps that’s why the folks from Gainesville Fashion Week didn’t even try. (Shame on you, y’all.)
About 275 people sat waiting to hear from “Project Runway” season 8 contestant A.J. Thouvenot and season 7 finalist Jay Nicolas Sario.
What the room lacked in décor, host Jade Jolie, from season 5 of “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” brought in the form of shiny silver leggings, fuzzy boots and a unicorn horn headdress over turquoise hair while asking predetermined questions to the panel.
Co-sponsored by UF’s Pride Student Union, the second day of GFW’s sixth season was the event’s first on-campus affair. The talk produced a lot of “duhs” from the panel with questions about being gay in fashion — an issue that clearly doesn’t exist.
Short on time, only three audience members were able to ask questions, a ridiculous limit considering the seemingly infinite intermission later in the night.
Post-discussion came an unpredictable display from Thouvenot, incorporating jorts (a Gainesville staple), flannel shirts, tulle dresses and quirky prints. Playful silhouettes were a reminder of the now-nonexistent fashion label Heatherette, a company Thouvenot interned for before his time on “Project Runway.”
Next up: intermission. Although it almost bore me to death, the wait was worth it for Sario’s showcase. From the opening oxblood one-shoulder hi-lo dress to the men’s dark olive-green tweed coat, the 15-piece collection was flawless.
A cohesive mix of tweed, leather and chiffon in rich reds, greens, grays and blacks put the audience into a style-induced wonder.
My pro-tip for GFW season 7: Stay off campus. If the event continues to bring notable names and highlight local favorites, GFW could possibly host a full seven days of fashionable events instead of five — maybe.
A model flips her skirt as she leaves the runway in the opening look of "Project Runway" season 7 finalist Jay Nicolas Sario's collection Thursday night of Gainesville Fashion Week.
