By Sonya Magett, BlackVoices.com
If you've watched 'The Fabulous Life of Kimora Lee Simmons,' where she giddily displays acts and spews rants that are so over the top ("The house is only $7 million? That's too cheap!"), then it should come as no surprise that her Baby Phat Fall 2008 fashion show last Friday would be just as colorful.
Take for instance her celebrity attendees.
No other fashion designer during New York Fashion Week except perhaps Marc Jacobs, has nearly as many famous devotees in the house: Her current man actor/Calvin Klein model Djimon Hounsou, Tyra Banks, Star Jones with accessory husband Al Reyolds, Lisa Raye, Vivica A. Fox, Amerie in a sleek satin trench coat worn as a dress, a bevy of unrecognizables including Remy Ma, Joss Stone (dark hair! shoes on her feet!) and Chrisette Michele with teacup Yorkie in hand and sporting a very short 'do instead of her signature old Hollywood glamour curls.
Also attending were Nina Sky and a super tattooed Lil' Mo, ANTM judge Jay, winner Jaslene, non-winner Keenyah and my personal favorite: a purple-hued, cape-wearing Perez Hilton. It wouldn't be Fashion Week if somebody didn't bring some light heartedness to it. Hear that Anna Wintour? Crack a smile every once in a while!
Simmons is the Creative Director of the Phat Fashions brand, which encompasses Baby Phat, Phat Farm and KLS Collection so it was only befitting to show all three lines on the runway. Simmons is a smart girl, who knows her customer very well, that they buy into her fantasy.
She understands that if she shows more fabulous, non-sportswear pieces on the runway, her customers will still go out and buy the jeans anyway to buy into her lifestyle. Hence, mostly dressy pieces were shown.
With a nod to the Old Hollywood, Simmons impressed us with the dark lips and pinup curls of yesteryear and flapper-inspired numbers that featured pearls instead of strings. Other standouts were the a purple feather miniskirt, tophats and derbies on men and women (think Usher in his "My Way" video) long dresses in black and bold brights from KLS that were an instant it with celebrity stylist Phillip Bloch, "The long orange with the back out and the purple dress with the ruffles was divine! I loved the old Hollywood references."
Kimora said she was simply offering her take on what's been done before. "I'm offering everything for my girl to wear from the red carpet to the boudoir that's why I showed garter belts and stockings from my lingerie line as well. It's fashion from the 20s to the 40s, very retro glam, old Hollywood hence the gown with stones, rosettes. Stones add fabulosity."
Fabulous indeed.
1. Her clothing line looks cheap! If her clothes actually looked anything like it does on the runway, I would actually buy into it! The only non-celebrity people I see wearing babyphat are little ghetto high school girls!
Tiffany at 8:33AM on Feb 6th 2008