Take Me Home

So this Wednesday past was the opening night of Full Figured Fashion Week.  And if you've been keeping up, you have read about my exploits prepping for the BIG event.  It was my civic duty and design responsibility to make sure my sister/Communications Director, Ashanti, was representin' so I had my seamstress, Victoria, create a one-off look from the collection which will debut in September.  And I was very pleased with the dress.  To be perfectly honest, Ashanti was FLAWLESS.  But flawless can only be achieved with serious preparation, so I staged a "run-through" the previous Saturday at the house to make sure everything met my standards including earrings, shoes, mani-pedi, and handbag.  It turned out that the Kente Handbag I created was a huge hit with many of the attendees.  So when Ashanti met me Wednesday evening at the fab club BLVD on Bowery here in NYC, I knew she would be magazine ready.  The great thing is that so many of the women in attendance were magazine ready.  It was a moment that just soothed my fashion sensibilities and made my heart sing.  One of the first ladies I met while waiting behind the velvet rope was Ms. Christina Lewis who writes a blog called Musings of a Fatshionista.  What caught my eye with Chrisitna was the band of brilliant plumes that encircled her neck.  It was a moment that brought to mind a festooned Lisa Fischer - the fabulous R-n-B diva who wore a feathered confection when she picked up her Grammy in 1991.  At this point, I knew that these curvy girls were about to show me what FIERCE style should really look like.  After Christina and I talked for a moment she pulled out her camera and snapped photos of both Ashanti and me.  It made me feel like I might start showing up on someone's fashion radar and that was so validating.

I met all shapes and sizes of full-figured divas at the event.  They were confident and beautiful and pleasant.  I didn't experience the shady attitude or all the anxiety I do when I attend mainstream fashion events.  This was just about being fabulous and chic in your own skin.  The runway show, with a lineup of both brands and independent designers, had a little something for everyone from everyday chic to over-the-top fabulosity.   There were cocktails and the music throbbed as the first segment got underway with Kanye's very appropriate Flashing Lights pumping from the sound system. And Gwen DeVoe, founder of Full Figured Fashion Week looked tres chic in a white bustier adorned with sculpted roses.  She played emcee with aplomb as she kept the action rolling.  When the presentation ended at 9 p.m., I wasn't ready to see it become a memory.  The energy and the women and the fashions were euphoric.  But all good things must come to an end.  However, I think I may have found a place for myself in the fashion universe.  Because it felt like I'd come home.

Peace & Fashion!