VENUE:
Hilton Boston Woburn was the setting for this year's Excessive Fashion III fashion show. This location would be somewhat of a hike for non-drivers and city dwellers. Nevertheless the parking lot and venue were packed with about 200 + guests, vendors and models. The actual event room was just a large salon on the 3rd floor of the hotel. Set up much like a traditional fashion show in a hall rows of seats faced the middle runway with a diagonal formation. Outside there were vendor tables, a step & repeat, bar and check-in desk.
VENDORS:
The vendor tables were a mixed bag and I often still question if this is a necessary feature for established fashion shows. From a logistical viewpoint point I can respect that vendors contribute a majority of the cash flow needed to create such a large scale event. However often times these high value vendors are selling items that don't relate to fashion at all. In the end it seems these vendors are capitalizing on a somewhat involuntarily captivated audience with a questionable level of interest. The only table I took a slight liking to was the Arbonne table. Arbonne is actually a skincare and wellness brand focusing on natural and organic products. The rep for this table cleverly parlayed the space into a table that displayed the intended product on one side and then African inspired clothing and jewelry on the other. HC Studio, A painter and a Hover Board company also had a tables.
THE SHOW:
The show was MC'd by Dr. Sara Russo and Frankie Vizzle from Jamin’ 94.5. The runway seemed to be on an average delay time and the hosts did an excellent job of time filling with crowd. A feature I found quite excellent was a projector to the left side of the stage that displayed real time video of the runway. The second projector set to the right didn't display anything, instead the designers were listed on a small tv in the middle of the stage. I purchased a VIP ticket for this event, I was in no way treated that way by the two ticket check ladies who sent me into general admission twice and simply could not be bothered to split from their personal conversation to show me to my seat. Show producers should really evaluate the help they select to represent their brand, the small things make a big difference to those with purchasing power. On a positive note I did appreciate that my seat was labeled and that my chair location afforded me an opportunity to see the designs up close and personal. Media coverage was provided by Dirty Water T.V. There were a few performances by the Craig Lewis Band. I thought their voices were powerful and beautiful and the audience seemed to really enjoy it.
In addition to showcasing amazing clothes a portion of the ticket proceeds were scheduled to go to The Jimmy Fund in support of The Dana-Farber Cancer Institute's ongoing cancer care and research. This is an event I would definitely attend again.
THE DESIGNERS:
The show lineup was a fantastic mix of local designers (JOE Malaika, Soodee, Jewelinga, KM Swimwear (Karla Medina) and mass produced heavy hitters like Zara and Banana Republic with styling / jewelry by Jeweling.
My favorite pieces were a purple leather dress from Malaika and a short velvet jumper from Zara
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