Last night's installment in the Riverfront Park Fashion Series, featuring clothing from Garbarini, had the base of the Millennium Bridge hopping with complimentary drinks, tasty treats and, of course, plenty of fashionable eye candy.
The crowd milled about while the DJ spun -- and for a brief moment, the scene took a very surreal turn as an electric violinist performed while several girls dressed in very Parisian-looking white corsets with electric blue fishnets did a kind of interpretive dance. It was baffling, but fun. Even my husband, who doesn't know the first thing about fashion, was intrigued, mostly because he said it reminded him of the final scene in Revenge of the Nerds. I'm thinking he might have been the only one in that crowd who would have made that connection, but I'm just guessing…
After the crowd enjoyed the perfect late-spring weather for a couple of hours, the host welcomed us to the fashion show and reminded us that "You're not in the desert without a glass of wine in your hand. Don't take it for granted." And she was right: Almost everyone in the place had a drink in his or her hand, and we all were eager to see some fashion.
After a brief jewelry show, the clothing fashions made their way down the runway. Many of the looks featured bold prints, which are a great summer trend, and there were a lot of beautiful gowns for evening, as well as a touch of '80s nostalgia when bold stripes, shoulder pads and neon colors paraded past us. Bell bottoms also made a brief but perplexing appearance on the runway, and a couple of the ensembles were distinctly reminiscent of Robert Palmer's "Simply Irresistable" video. But overall, the looks were classic and beautiful.
Beautiful clothes, beautiful weather and beautiful people all around.
The next Riverfront Park Fashion Show takes place on July 17. Visit www.riverfrontfashion.com for information.
-- Aubrey Shoe
