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Vampires on the Catwalk: Designer Turns Heads at DC Fashion Week
By
Emily Bratcher
Want to see more photos from Washington events and parties? Click here for Washingtonian.com's photo slideshow page. Van Niece Johnson—Smooth Jazz 105.9 radio personality and DC Fashion Week cohost—opened Sunday’s International Couture Collections Show saying Washington’s fashion scene is catching up to New York’s.
“DC is on your heels!” Johnson exclaimed.
Although it was a rousing introduction for Fashion Week’s closing night, the statement was a bit of an exaggeration. Each of the eight international designers showed promise in at least several designs, but only one took the audience’s breath away.
A techno beat signaled the start of Alek Risimnic Couture’s line, but the music gave way to hard metal as the models started stalking down the catwalk. Dark and sexy, the clothes were high-fashion vampire.
A male model wore a black top hat and brandished a cane, and a female model twirled a fringed black umbrella. Platform black boots were heavy and buckled. Other models belonged in an underworld masquerade with big hair, wild makeup, and sequined masks. Many runway watchers gave Risimnic a standing ovation as he took the stage after his show—he was clearly the favorite.
Ean Williams of Corjor International was this year’s fashion-week director and sponsor. Williams’s lines both started and concluded the five-show fashion week. From piece to piece, his designs seemed like non sequiturs, but as a whole they were unified with serious embellishments: peacock feathers, beaded designs, and silk flowers.
Sunday’s designers also included Argentina’s Yosoy Fashion, Ghana’s Studio D-Maxsi and Kustom Looks, Botswana’s Motlapele, Kazakhstan’s Symbat, and Ethiopia’s Sophia Ali.
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Comments
DC fashion week could be so much better if it was more discriminatory..just because you have a mother who can sew flashy fabrics cut into a store bought pattern does NOT make you a designer...there are some amazing designers in DC that could run circles around the junk featured on DCFW runways, but they’re not featured because they’re not ’edgy’ or ’urban’ enough...all of these wanna-be fashion moguls should find some craft other than stenciling their names onto t-shirts bought at wal-mart that they cut into slutty dresses...
Posted by: cristobal, Nov 05, 2007 12:24:02 PM
DC fashionweek is so local and limited in media coverage that no one talks about it outside of DC, Md, Va. There are so many other great shows in DC. Expand DCFW, Expand!
Posted by: Styleman, Oct 11, 2007 08:50:05 AM
so u luved the embassy....wats dat mate....i dnt even no wah im sayin man....i rock ppl....add me meand_iii@hotmail.com
Posted by: woo hoo, Oct 08, 2007 06:13:21 AM
I WOULD LOVE FOR ALEX RISIMNIC COUTURE TO DESIGN ME SOMETHING
Posted by: BUTTERFLY, Oct 04, 2007 12:40:11 PM
I LOVED EVERYTHING ABOUT THE CLOTHING LINE. THE DESIGNER IS VERY CREATIVE AND I FORESEE HIM MOVING UP IN THE FASHION INDUSTRY!!!!!!!!!!
Posted by: SHERRON, Oct 04, 2007 12:38:26 PM
The shows were great. They are getting better every year
Posted by: Ej, Oct 04, 2007 10:31:15 AM
Dc Fashion week at the Embassy was the best display for the love of fashion. Ean Williams and Mr. Jimmy Jones are the most passionate and sincere people on this earth. What a brilliant way to share a "passion for fashion". Thanks Ean and Jimmy, I had a great time and lk forward to next year’s show!
Posted by: Miss k'Toure, Oct 03, 2007 02:40:02 PM
Alek Risiminic’s Couture is clearly one of high profile fashion and classic vague definition...to say the least! Not taking anything away from anyone else, but when you’ve got it, you’ve just got it! I’d certainly like to see more of AR Couture in the fashion spot light!
Posted by: Sir Tyjn, Oct 03, 2007 01:23:40 PM
DC Fashion week seems to be doing a lot better than past years (behind the scenes as well). Some of the designs were great. Good job dcfw
Posted by: fashion with passion, Oct 03, 2007 08:36:22 AM
I think the Washingtonian needs a new fashion reporter. Ms. Halonen waxes poetic over what are essentially Halloween costumes crossed between Edward Scissorhands and the Matrix, and ignores what was the true gem of the evening: The brilliant elegance of Sophia Ali’s designs.
Posted by: Fashion Guru, Oct 02, 2007 02:33:16 PM
Loved this article but one simple correction. Ean Williams has been the director and sponsor of Fashion Week since the beginning. Corjor is wonderful
Posted by: Ebbony Holmes, Oct 02, 2007 06:31:59 AM
I attended this Embassy show and found it very exciting and enjoyed it very much. The enthusiasm of all those young designers and models was contagious and the show was very well produced. I just wish I could have seen it on a grander scale, even though this smaller venue was more than adequate. Bravo to DC FashionWeek
Posted by: Homer Scott, Oct 02, 2007 06:07:26 AM
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