The throng gathered last Friday for this year’s WMPG Fashion Show, an always edgy and up-to-the-minute parade of Maine designers’ current creations.
Once inside SPACE Gallery, the crowd pushed toward the catwalk. Anticipation built until finally the lights came up, the music boomed and the show started – fashionably late.
Brazilian beats filled the air and the newly formed Samba Volta Ao Mundo dance troupe made its debut performance. With feather headdresses complementing feather bustles and plenty-o-skin on display, the fast-paced dance number got us all warmed up for the main attraction.
This year 20 designers showed their spring collections for women. Creativity and originality were the glue holding all the clothing together. In general each of the designs could be placed into the category of evening gowns, casual wear, lingerie, jewelry or wearable art.
“Some people have an art school background, some sew as a hobby and some are up-and-coming designers,” says Paul Drinan, the fashion show’s producer and director. “It’s a very eclectic, very community-oriented event and it represents a wide spectrum of the community.”
One of the designers new to the show this year is Adele Ngoy. Seven years ago she left the war-torn Democratic Republic of Congo for Portland. In her home country she ran a design business with 30 employees and frequently included her creations in high-end fashion shows. Now, after working as a seamstress at David’s Bridal and Andrea’s Bridal, she’s struck out on her own.
Three months ago she opened Fladel Couture at 570 Brighton Ave. in Portland. The shop creates custom prom dresses, bridesmaid’s gowns and anything else customers want made to order.
At the WMPG Fashion Show, Ngoy’s pieces included a tea-length lime green tulip dress with an empire waist, a baby doll purple ball gown with poofy sleeves and a tangerine body-hugging number with a fishtail hem.
She notes that Portland is not the most fashion-conscious city, but she aims to fill a niche for people looking for expertly crafted formal wear.
“In Africa it’s not like here, people dressed up all the time,” Ngoy says.
Svetlana Bell, who runs a similar couture shop in Yarmouth, also showed stunning evening wear. Her bright red gown featured a super-low-cut back and a ring of roses at the knees. Her yellow-green cocktail dress came with a long fitted skirt covered by a much shorter, flouncy number above it. Bell’s sleeveless purple ball gown turned heads with it’s orange trim and wide skirt.
Other designers showing evening wear were Justin Cote, Scarlett G., Maria Cruz, Lillian Gardner and Kelly O’Connell.
Described as “improvised lingerie,” the skimpy numbers from eehnJeanne were both provocative and eye-catching. These pieces mixed everything from plaids to metallics for a super-sexy look. One piece was so revealing, the model only gave the audience a brief flash of what was concealed beneath her robe.
The only things offering less coverage were the original jewelry designs shown by Willa Wirth, Judy B. Designs, Suzannearts and Betina Clark.
“It comes to life when it’s out of the case and on a body,” says Wirth, who plans to open a jewelry design shop this summer in the old location of Hilltop Coffee on Munjoy Hill. Wirth’s shoulder-caressing silver spiral earrings with a huge chunk of amber at the bottom were all that was needed to take a little black dress from ho-hum to head-turning.
For a more casual look, Blackbird Mercantile showed a halter top and a dress made from a fun black and red printed fabric.
Finally, verging more toward the art world, Rayne Grace assembled works like the Sacred Wedding Dress. This piece featured a steel blue satin top that left the model’s midsection and a good chuck of her breasts on display. It’s not what most brides would pick for the big day, but, like all the designs on display, it showed that Portland’s fashion scene has a sexy, sophisticated side.