Blogs

If you missed Lynne Bruning's fashion show at Artopia, fear not. We have video! Yes, video shot by Vija Rogozina and featuring the extravaganza of black light, pasties, hot pants and fur coats. Meow!

Deb Henriksen at Equillibrium just pinged and said that there are photos of the Artopia fashion show over here. It's a great collection of behind the scenes stuff and actual runway images for both Fabric Lab and Equillibrium. More to come later.

If you missed Artopia this year, you missed one hell of a party. At least up on the roof. Except for presenting our annual MasterMind Awards — $4,000 checks to five of the city's emerging cultural innovators — Cat never left the fourth floor.

The Fabric Lab, Equillibrium, Lynne Brunning, Mister Neats and Betsey Johnson all put on full-press productions. In particular Cat was impressed with our local girls for all the showmanship, passion and effort the obviously put into their shows.

This is a big week for Denver fashion. First, there's Westword's annual Artopia party, celebrating the arts in Denver. As part of that, The Cat's Pajamas has been working on three different local fashion shows: The Fabric Lab is doing a collection culled from ten designers; Deb Henriksen is showing her eco-friendly spring line with a skate flair; and Lynne Bruning is putting on her spectacle of black light and day glo. Check it out on Saturday night at Vinyl, 1082 Broadway, from 7 p.m. until 2 a.m. To buy tickets, $35 in advance, click here.

Then on Sunday night, it's the Oscars! Cat will be at the Denver Film Society's annual bash taking photos of the Mile High City's own red-carpet entrances. Stop by here on Monday to see who was wearing what. Or spy for yourself by heading over to Starz in the Tivoli. Tickets are $75 for members, $100 for non members. Visit www.denverfilm.org for tickets.

See you around town!

Cat got got a little distracted this week. But here's a glimpse at the best and worst of the Monday Fashion Week shows. More of the same trends: volume, bubble skirt, high-waisted pants and sack dresses. Don't say you haven't been warned.

For a full look at the collections, visit www.mbfashionweek.com.

It was more of the same at New York Fashion Week. More '80s, more blousy, formless shifts, more middle finger to the female form. Cat doesn't expect everything to be all va-va-va voom, but unless you're a pre-pubescent girl or starve yourself into looking like one, most of the fall clothes will make you look like you're wearing a giant, unflattering sack.

Even the great Diane Von Furstenberg showed a few of these dresses, although Cat gives her props for making them the most beautiful and elegant of giant unflattering sacks. Moral to the story: If you're going to follow this trend, go big or go home. Spend the money and get a gorgeous dress -- that way, perhaps no one will notice that you could have just stepped into a Hefty bag.

Here's Cat's wrap-up of the day's faves and flames:

It's apparent from Saturday's collections that this is not going to be the year for the female figure. Most everything coming down the runway is oversized proportions — billowy A-line top over billowy A-line bottom — or shapeless and boxy. Either way, curves are out and androgynous is back in. But in a very late '90s meets the late '80s kind of way. Tres bizarre. Thus far, the fall collections have not incited Cat to anything but apathy, but get a peek for yourself at the day's good, bad and amusing. Samples are below, or for the full views, visit www.fashionweek.com.

Cat thought Friday's Fashion Week shows were going to be good for men, with John Bartlett, Perry Ellis and Duckie Brown all on tap. But Cat was wrong. Sorry boys, but there's nothing much to report: You all still get to look like some bastard child of J. Crew and Ralph Lauren living on your snowy ranch in Connecticut. Sweaters. Yep. Cords. Back again.

Cat is so excited: Mercedes-Benz FashionWeek starts tomorrow in New York. When Cat lived in The City, it was so amazing to watch the tents being erected in Bryant Park, hear all the gossip about who was showing where (under the tents or off-site?) and what models were being atrocious. But now that she's here in Denver, she just has to admire from afar, wishing that someday someone would tent our own Civic Center and create a Denver Fashion Week.

Normally Cat would be sad to see fall collections coming down the runway at this time of year -- since it's February and all, time to be thinking spring -- but with this new cold snap settling in, cozy sweaters and skirts (what will the hemline be this year?!) are exactly what she wants to see. No flippy lace and resort wear. Nothing that reminds Cat that she is stuck in an arctic freeze that belongs to Buffalo or Minnesota and not Miami or the Maldives.