Last night's Spring Preview of Phoenix Fashion Week at the W Scottsdale introduced us to "model time," the unspoken law that makes it acceptable to start a thirty minute long event over two hours after its scheduled time. Way to milk guests for more $5 bottles of water and $12 cocktails, W hotel!
The party kicked off at 7 p.m. with a VIP cocktail hour at Bronze Boutique, a nail salon and spa within walking distance of the hotel. Word has it that there were people lined up on the street to get in; perhaps because the first 50 people to show up snagged a $20 gift certificate. At 9 p.m., it was off to the W Hotel's rooftop infinity pool for the fashion preview. Or 10. Or 10:30. Or 11:15....whatever, you know.
In the meantime, hundreds of highlighted blondes in miniskirts up to their Vicki's Secret thongs poured into the W. As one guest pointed out, fashion is all about being unique. So we were surprised to see so many women looking the same. Ninety percent of the crowd wore very short-cut dresses with a little glitz and teetering, strappy heels.
Then there were the originals, like one older woman in a while broomstick skirt, white hat and fluffy crocheted top carrying a purse dog, nicknamed "Little Bo Peep" by the woman sitting behind us during the show. That took guts, especially at the W -- kudos to you, Bo Peep!
The fashion show was short and (mostly) sweet. If this show is an indication, this year's fashion buzzword will be "retro." Banana Moon of Monaco introduced a line of swimsuits that incorporated vintage floral prints and other retro elements. Mainly bikinis, but a few one-pieces for those of us who prefer to cover up the tummy. Nothing spectacular here, but a few standouts including a classy black one-piece with stepped cutout sides and a pretty white bikini with a triangular top and vintage printed bottom.
Next, Moody Blues showed off their line of tight-ass jeans and cotton tops. Surprising that a mall store made it to Phoenix Fashion Week preview... Perhaps they were Plan B on denim dealers, as the preview materials didn't mention Moody Blues. Heavy acid wash pair from the '80s aside, the jeans were sassy. The tops were ok, but this sexy square neck button-down tank was a knockout.
| Photo by Adriane Goetz |
| The top of the lot. |
The last designer was Stop Staring!, an L.A.-based company that makes rockabilly clothing and glamorous cocktail dresses straight out of L.A. Confidential. I would've taken home their entire line if I'd had the cash, but the Scottsdale crowd the event attracted seemed less thrilled with the pin-up look.
"Cute, but it's not like they're bringing anything new to the table," remarked my companion. No kidding. Our alt-culture set has been wearing similar rockabilly and pin-up designs since burlesque and swing came back into fashion nearly a decade ago. Hopefully this isn't a sign that vintage pin-up couture is going mainstream. 'Cause if it is, Phoenix's roller derby girls and pin-up models will have to find a new look.
That was all, folks! Thirty minutes. Three vendors (actually a few more, but the poor accessory makers didn't even get mentioned last night). And an assload of money dropped by people waiting around two hours for the event. Let us hope that Fashion Week proves a little more organized, and a little less of a rip-off.
