Pratt Fashion Show 2014 - Award Winners

Congratulations to all of the graduates of Pratt Institute Fashion, Class of 2014! Last night was a celebrated evening for all of the talented designers, seasoned and new.

First, Stephen Burrows received the Lifetime Achievement award from longtime friend, legendary model Pat Cleveland.  My favorite, Byron Lars received the Fashion Visionary Award from modern style icon, actress Angela Bassett.  Also notable are the fact that both winners are the first African American designers to be honored for the Pratt Fashion awards.

Fellow fashion VIPs were on hand to support the new class and award winners like Catherine Malandrino, Fern Mallis and Stan Herman.

I am going to post more graduate collections from Pratt in the next few days, but first, here is Julia Wollner.  She was the winner of the Liz Claiborne Award for her achievement in concept to product.  Her collection had a clean, high-tech aesthetic.  The group looked to contain white fabric basics paired with digitally printed art on vinyl.

Our own Mdivani Monroe interviewed Fashion Visionary Byron Lars and style icon Angela Bassett:

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Stephen Burrows: When Fashion Danced

When is the last time a major fashion designer made clothes specifically to dance?  The Stephen Burrows exhibit at the Museum of the City of New York is a retrospective of a designer inspired by nightlife.

Stephen Burrows was a pioneering African American fashion designer whose look was defined by slinky knitwear, metallics and movement.  The bright colors, lettuce edged fabrics and body conscious silhouettes were inspired by the popular music of the 1970's, perfect for dancing in clubs like Studio 54 and worn by celebrities of its day.  What struck me was how contemporary the outfits all looked, as if they were a department store display you would see today.

Stephen Burrows was also one of the American designers chosen to represent the country is the famous "Battle of Versailles" fashion exhibition in Paris in 1973.  French couturiers like Givenchy, Dior and Yves Saint-Laurent and American fashion designers Bill Blass, Oscar de la Renta, Anne Klein and Burrows staged an epic contest to prove which country deserved to take the style crown.  While the traditional French designers showed classic dressing with Josephine Baker performing, it was the Americans who blew away the elite crowd with Liza Minelli, modern fashion and a team of African-American models who until that moment, were not considered the mainstream face of luxury fashion.

I love the short film near the beginning of the exhibit showing scenes of 70's New York City with slices of flashy disco nightlife.  It was nostalgic for the gritty, edgy, dirty NYC and how fabulous it was for it.  Stephen Burrows' fashion illustrations were also displayed throughout the exhibit.  You can see how a certain rhythm moves through the figures, colors or not colors, all the fashion is dancing...

Let's raise a mirrored ball to a man who was well ahead of his time and rocking his style still today!

The exhibit runs until July 28, 2013 at the Museum of the City of New York.

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Huffington Post Game Changers of Style

Huffington Post and AOL honored individuals they considered "Game Changers" last night at the Skylight Studio in Soho.  These were people who were innovators or accomplished notable feats in their respective disciplines that ranged from categories like education, environment, culture to style.  

In the style categories, style icon and self described "geriatric starlet" Iris Apfel won an award for her influential taste.  Four guys who met at Wharton school were honored for their company, Warby Parker.  They mixed fashion eyewear, technology and a goal to provide eyeglasses to those more needy with every pair sold in collaboration with a non profit agency.  

Gayle King presented a style award to the 1973 Models of Versailles.  A bunch of models in France may not seem significant at first, but this was a group of African-American models who brought international attention to their look with the help of American designers Oscar de la Renta, Bill Blass and Stephen Burrows.  At the time, African-American models were not being taken seriously, if at all.  American designers were also not being considered top tier fashion players as well.  Together, they showed the world that they were an influential force to be reckoned with, and as a result, African-American models were in demand for years to come.

So are you properly inspired? What will you do to change the game today?

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