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This year, Paz still wears her spots, but with more fabric... if very little more in some cases. Gritty and garish, her Carnival meets Anima look emphasizes bright colors in eye-jarring combinations with themselves or with animal prints and feathers, and sometimes all together. We have Paz herself, ready to speak with us.
Paz: Hello, Dazyl. First of all, they are jaguar spots.
DG: Excuse me?
Paz: My spots. Jaguar spots, not leopard. Big difference. And before you ask, no comment, or I might say something you will regret.
DG: Oh. [pause] Ah, then tell us, in your words, about this year's Paz spring line.
Paz: My inspirations are, obviously, animals. True natural beauty. And, growing up poor, I became enthralled with the party colors of Carnival, because it was the time of beauty in my early life. My other inspiration is the body itself. It's lines are beautiful and should be enhanced, sometimes hidden in suggestion. That's why I like skirts, really. I mean clingy skirts, not skin-tight. With a form-fitting top, I think they are great on a woman. And for men, too. I know that they would like to get out of the sharply tailored suit sometimes. [laugh]
DG: But you do pants, yeh?
Paz: Of course. Not everyone takes to skirts, especially men. But my pants are very loose. Again, suggestion. Suggestion is sexy.
DG: No arguement there. One last question. Most designers have incorporated color changing fabric in their designs, but you, with your emphasis on color, have not. Why?
Paz: [snort] Could you imagine trying to shift all this? [points to her own dress]
DG: I see what you mean. Thank you, Paz, for your insights.
Paz: Thank you, I suppose, for finally giving me and others some attention.
DG: Ladies and gentlemen, Paz...
Like Paz, bright colors are important to Imamu Shange, the UAN's representative in the fashion world. However, the two have very different visions. Shange's designs are simple. In fact, all of his designs on the runway can be made from the same rectangular piece of cloth, like a sarong. Though he did not want to be interviewed on camera, he did tell me that he drew inspiration from the ancient cultures of Africa and elsewhere, and that he believed that all peoples lives could be much simpler and less cluttered if all they needed in their closet was a couple of squares of color changing cloth that could be made into a hundred different outfits, with the right accessories. I couldn't agree more, and some of these combinations are just darling, yeh? Big, Egyptian jewelery, golden snake belts, wood and bone look chokers and bracelets...all on a backdrop of brilliant reds, whites, and oranges. Shange considers himself a designer for all people, claiming his ideas are almost entirely unisex, though he uses primarily female models. "I like women," he said as he grinned at me.
From the simple to the complex, Constance Corwin is as opposite of Shange as one can get. This young native of the Camelot sector of Luna is not exactly new to the fashion world, though she may be new to us. Over the past couple of years, Corwin has made her mark in the Bang scene, becoming the designer of choice for several divinas, sometimes specially making clothing just for particular shows. Corwin's use of fabrics that shift and change with the light in combination with regular color changing technology and Nihonjin smart-clothes ideas makes every article of clothing different every second. She also makes use of the fantastic gauzy, filmy fabrics that were discovered accidentally by Orgotek's bioware makers. When she does not use the color shifting, Corwin sometimes chooses to add scents, from regular perfume to synthetic pheremones, that can be turned on or off by a flick of the wrist. To top it off, she accessorizes her fashions with polymemetic and animatronic tattoos, generally in a flower motif. Corwin seems to invoke a wonderful world of fantasy in pastels. Let's talk to her.DG: Good evening, Constance. May I call you...
CC: What? Huh? Oh, yeah. Uh, hi.
DG: So, tell us about your line.
CC: Well, I guess my main inspiration is my grandfather. His books I mean. Grandpa was a costume designer for theater productions and he had all these books with all sorts of pictures of different kinds of clothes and stuff from all different times and so I just took some things I like, sleeve here, waistline there and put them all together to make them look pretty.
DG: What about...
CC: I like pretty things. There is such a lack of delicacy now, romantic things. All that form fitting stuff now makes me look like an overripe pear. And I won't change my body. I won't. I mean, one body type is in this season and once everyone looks like everyone else, some other body type will be 'in'. So why bother, yeh? I like flowers too. That's... [stares somewhere off camera] Oooh...that's pretty.
DG: [looking slightly stunned] Constance?
CC: Hummm? What? Oh...Where was I?
DG: I don't know. Flowers, I think.
CC: Yeh, flowers. I get my colors from flowers you know. Pinks, blues... My mom grew flowers in the house sometimes and I used to stare at them for a long, long time. And then when Grandpa left his books to me...but I said that already, yeh? I like masks too. Did I put masks in this show?
DG: Uh...
CC: No, no I think that's the next one. I... [stares off camera again]
DG: Hello?
CC: I smell vanilla. Oh, yeah, [giggles] that's my dress. I always thought vanilla smelled pink and cream, so I put in on this dress. I design what I see. [pause, apparently captivated by her own dress]
DG: Can I ask one more question?
CC: Ehe? Sure. I'm sorry. There's just so many people here and so many lights and colors and sounds.
DG: Right. Is there any truth to the rumors that you are clarisentient?
CC: Does it matter?
DG: It might explain a few things.
CC: I don't want to be judged that way. I have a headache, so I think I'm going to go lie down now. Bye. [walks away] [off camera] Nice, quiet, dark room.
DG: [smile plastered on her face] Perhaps you should. Next...
Also from Luna is our next designer, Chang Li. As you might recall, Chang experimented with mirrored surfaces last year, creating a suit entirely of flexible chrome. An interesting idea, but one who's time had not yet come for Joe Hologram, yeh? However, this season, Chang is presenting us with an entire array of fabulous jumpsuits. You heard me right. He has taken your normal, everyday jumpsuit and, with a few changes, elevated it to an unprecidented level of elegance. Though he has not entirely abandoned reflective surfaces, Chang has created a glittering extravaganza of what he calls 'dragon scales', appearing like oversize lizard scales, and faux gems. The one he refers to as his darling is the 'White Dragon', a jumpsuit covered in sparkling white and false emerald buttons with a Chinese flair.CL: Hey, Dazyl! It is just fabulous to be talking to you tonight.
DG: And to you. Tell me, why jumpsuits?
CL: Every day, I see people wearing them. Marvelously comfortable, really. I wear them myself. But they are usually very plain. I figured I could mix beauty, comfort, and functionality. No reason to be plain, yeh?
DG: Of course not. Do you have a main inspiration?
CL: Not really. Or, I guess I do have one every day, but it changes all the time. Last year, mirrors. This year, reptiles and tradition. Or, as I'd like to call it, something that might actually be popular. Next year, who knows?
DG: [laughs] Indeed. I must say, your jumpsuits are adorable.
CL: Thanks.
DG: Anything else to add?
CL: No, not really. Kisses.
DG: Good night.
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Tonight's final designer, Bernaud Fortier, has already made his mark in the fashion world. By bringing back the twentieth century in his designs, Fortier has hit a deep nerve. Pockets of retro fashion can be found all over, and chances are, Fortier's name is on it. Also, he is considered by many to be anti-couture, refusing to put anything on the runway that isn't affordable by the average person. To do this, he makes extensive use of easily grown plant fibers that mimic different kinds of natural fabrics, from wool to silk. These plants are most readily grown in hydroponic farms, making them available everywhere. Anyway, Fortier is a very private man, and generally not inclined to grant interviews. But tonight, in a Lifestyles exclusive, I will be talking to Bernaud Fortier.
DG: Good evening. Thank you for speaking to us.
BF: [nods]
DG: Where do you get your ideas?
BF: I watch the old movies. I have travelled all around to see them, in their old format when I can. I used to be in the holovid business, and I believe the old films are touching in their simplicity. I love the way the old clothes create body lines with bagginess and padding or even corseting. I love the hats, the gloves, the shoes. To me, they represent something we have lost, a past, and innocence maybe, as some have said. I want to help, if I can, to recapture a bit of that. To do this, I watch the films, and when it is over I try to remember the clothing I've seen. I think I scramble the decades a bit, but that's allright. It's the impression I'm after.
DG: And you do admirably well, I think. You have earned yourself a name for it, certainly. But why, when most designers create coture and ready-to-wear lines, do you not?
BF: Why should I cater to the wealthy, Ms. Grenich? [pause] I'm French. I know what it is to have nothing. Had I not been working on a holo in Australia...
DG: I'm sorry.
BF: [waves his hand] It's alright.
DG: But why the past?
BF: Why? I think a look at the past helps us to have hope for the future. We remind ourselves where we've been to help us go forward.
DG: That could very well be true. Thanks again.
BF: You are very welcome.
I can say with certainty that this year's spring show has been interesting to say the very least. We have seen many different looks from very diverse designers, from Paz to Chang Li, from Constance Corwin to Bernaud Fortier. Despite all the controversy, everyone put on a spectacular show. Now, the question must be asked again: Does Kostbaar have some competition here? The answer is up to you at home, yeh? But if you ask me, the answer just might be yes. Well, that's all the time we have here tonight. And don't forget, two weeks from tonight, I will be back here in Rio for the unveiling of Kostbaar's spring line. This is Dazyl Grenich for Lifestyles. Good night!
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