10 designers accompanied by 10 artists took the stage that Saturday evening; it was a whirl of colour, style and sound.
The show began with Vonne Couture featuring D'Prince, the collection had alot of tassles, bow head pieces (very a la Gaga). The line was edgy and fun, the backing vocals by D'Prince set the pace and was a good way to kick start the night.
The second line up was HipHop duo "Show Dem Camp" along side Vive La Resistance. Initially, I was skeptical about this combination; the collection was very quirky, afro-centric and colourful with a 1920s saloon feel to it. I was not sure if the raw, gritty style of SDC would flow well with the collection; I was pleasantly surprised and at ease as the models sashayed and slinked to "Farabale". The song was classy and went well with the line.
After VLR, I was happy to view the work of a long time acquaintance and power house; Toju Foyeh. Every woman deserves a Toju Foyeh piece, it is just such a pretty label! This collection in particular stayed true to Toju Foyehs classic designs and clean cuts. There were a lot of earthy colours and creams that would compliment a woman of colours skin.
Shank featured along side the line with his debut track "Julie". I was thoroughly impressed by the rendition of the song as it had been slowed down and toned down, that absolutely suited the pace at which the models walked and suited the collections style. The MMR organisers and participants knew what the the hell they were doing! Was majorly impressed at this attention to detail.Shortly after, the direction of the show took a drastic turn as the highly anticipated Wiz Kid performed, that boy brought the house all the way DOWN! And in tow was the beautifully different, eccentric line from OBSIDIAN. Words cannot describe the harmony at which this artist and designer meshed; it was so in sync it was unreal. As the models walked, the clothes moved easily and comfortably; I need a piece from this collection, it IS a do or die cause!
The night took a different direction as Grey introduced their unisex collection along side another new talent Davido; apparently it was his first ever live performance, could have fooled me! The boy rocked out and the clothes by Grey were equally refreshing to the eye. A lot of patterns, prints and colour blocking; very reminiscent of Andy Warhol and the Pop Art movement. And please do not get me started on those male models... (fans self).
One of my favourite Nigerian lines as well took to the stage; Virgos Lounge. Another line that every fashionista must own an item from, Virgos Lounge awwed the audience with exquisite and embellished pieces. All the models looked like Princesses and I am sure felt like royalty with Banky W crooning in the background. Sound Sultan came in mid performance as Banky broke into a live version of "Good Bad Guys", it looked like a lot of fun as even the models began dancing.
<--------This dress shall be mine! Look at it! God is good.Another performer that brought the house down was Duncan Mighty, had me standing ON my chair displaying all kinds of foolery (please do not judge me, haha). Duncan performed along side Meena; stunning pieces a lot of blues and purples. I particularly like this piece and the model too, what a smile!
<---- God! I was not sure why he was in there, but GOD!!! *gives Jesus a wiper*My primary school mates, the Sutherland sisters also known as Republic of Foreigner show cased their fun and flirty collection that is oh so beach worthy! Dr Sid and the sisters allowed their playful nature shine through as they got down on the stage and even shared a hug, the "awww" that rumbled through the crowd was comical to say the least!
As the night drew to an end, there were 2 acts left. Babushka and Naeto C were an interesting ensemble; Naeto always quirky with his hat and high tops and the classic, clean cuts of the collection. I have always loved the Babushka designs for its texture, home girl (Simi the designer) can literally make a dress out of card board and it still will look so bloody good. Unfortunately there was no stroking for me that night, feel free to weep on my behalf. The collection had a lot of somber colours, blacks and the odd yellow dress which is on my hit list; I NEED that dress! All together, I wish the collection had a bit more colour or evidence of texture.
And the final act was by the amazing Tsemaye Binitie and Wiz Kid once again, kudos to him for performing twice and hitting every note with a home run, home boy sounded good! The collection was particularly appealing because it could easily cross boarders; it could be worn any where around the world regardless of culture. It was a mix of casual wear and some cocktail pieces; I was particularly feeling the transparent black evening gown that is quite similar to the one from Virgos Lounge. But the Tsemaye Binitie version was styled in such a way that only a daring fashionista could rock it successfully; black sheer underwear and a black mink coat. I was slain by that ensemble! Yassss!
The night all in all was an experience, I am too bi-polar to chose a favourite collection; all the lines catered to my moods! What was your favourite collection or piece and whose performance rocked your socks off?
And we promise not to desert you Fashionistas ever again, there shall be plenty more posts from now on. Till then; peace, love and all that good stuff....
Faridah Adebiyi and the LPM Team xxx
