Beginning with a winter scene, FACES warmed up the Civic Center with a high-fashion spectacle of a glittery winter wonderland.
Titled “World Premiere,” Scene one was equipped with fur, glitz and glamour as the models showed the sexier side of the winter season.
The FACES modeling troupe was outfitted with a variety of models, varying in all different shapes and sizes.
“I was nervous about going out there because it was my first show making the clothes. I used my creative energy to put everything together,” said Brandee Baker, a third-year fashion merchandise student from Jacksonville who serves as female fashion coordinator. Baker was also the creator of the show’s wardrobe.
Though the wardrobe of Scene two was not as much of an attention grabber as that of Scene 1, the second scene showcased the great craftsmanship created by the barbers.
Named “Serious Business,” the clothes seemed generic, common, none especially designed for a fashion show.
Starting off with a display of flashing lights, Scene three was the scene that captured the attention of the audience throughout the entire performance.
This was the scene that propelled the show from average to eye opening, the scene that made the crowd think that the rest of the show would be just as wonderful.
Brandon Stewart, one of the show’s directors described his inspiration for the show as a way of letting his “creative juices flow.”
“I have been in FACES for a long time. I just wanted to do something that no other modeling troupe did,” said Stewart a third year Architecture and Psychology major from Columbus, Ga.
With the start of Scene four the audience was met with a burst of energy, a scene filled with modeling, dancing and interesting clothing.
The thrilled crowd was brought down with the appearance of models emerging from a taxi. Since there was no stadium seating, it was hard for any audience member who was not seated directly adjacent or near the taxi to see the special arrival of models regardless of how different and imaginative the scene was.
The show then took a turn with Scene five, which was titled “Bad Boys.” Receiving a positive reaction from the predominantly female audience members, this scene was also the favorite for some models participating in the show.
Nathan Humphries, a model in the show and a second year architecture major from Chicago felt that this scene was one of most creative.
“I thought that the idea of cuffs and the whole bad boy theme was innovative. I think that it took some thought. From back stage I could hear that the crowd was really feeling this one,” Humphries said.
The Fashion show was then turned into a mini-concert with the appearance of the Rock-a-fella recording artist, Freeway.
The models emerged on the stage while Freeway rapped some of his famous singles. The mixture of the models and a nationally recognized recording artist was a change from the conventional modeling shows usually showcased in Tallahassee.
Just before Freeway’s appearance, the audience appeared on the verge of getting restless, so he really livened up the place.
Scene seven was supposed to feature a risqué example of an artistic vision of the future but looking into the crowd it fell short of the reaction the troupe expected.
Though good at the beginning, the scene got old really soon, and seemed to be on longer than the audience would have liked.
“I thought that this scene was very artistic and unique, but after a while I began to get tired,” said Ketia Felix, a second-year physical therapy major from Orlando.
The show ended with all of the models coming on stage to the song Window Shopper.
One of the major problems during the show was the performance of the host and hostess.
The audience usually thinks of these as the voice of a fashion show, but the host and hostess did not entertain the audience. And if they tried to, the effort went unnoticed. It seemed as if they were asked to host at the last minute.
Freeway’s arrival and the scene that resembled a picture album were the two elements of the show that received the most attention.
Though the clothes were unique and the themes of each scenes were innovative, I let the audience speak for this show, and its voice was not heard on every scene. Overall, the show received a B-/C+.
Contact Katrelle Simmons at famuanlifestyles@hotmail.com