|
 by
Jacqueline Monahan
jaxn8r@msn.com
Photos by Judy Thorburn
Venetian
Hotel and Sands Expo Host Fashion Week's Trade Shows
Lingerie, swimwear, high end men’s fashion, and Asian and eco-friendly
product and textile markets were featured during the week of August 27
at the Venetian Hotel and Sands Expo. Here’s a rundown of the highlights
by individual show:
Curve
Designer Lingerie & Swim Show (Venetian, Second Floor)
If you are harboring any doubts that “skin is in”, the lingerie and
swimwear offerings at the Curve LV convention will put them to rest.
Scores of silk, satin and lace-draped booths exhibited exquisite body
coverings (or should I say un-coverings) of every shape and size; from
the single millimeter thong/bikini strap to the floor-length negligee
and all points in between. Speaking of mid-point fashion, the ladies of
Bella Materna showed off their expectant essentials with a pregnant,
belly-baring model, the lovely Jamie Fowler.
The Lucy B booth featured vintage inspired lingerie and their catalog’s
model will have you saying, “I didn’t know Bettie Page still did photo
shoots.”
Chiari’s owner/designer Nancy Neal features “lazer cut” nylon/spandex
panties in brief or thong style, as well as camisole and tank tops. Her
lingerie incorporates silk and lace into eye-catching designs, all
original.
Smart Ass (what a great name for a woman-owned thong company!) launched
two new Lingerie Collections featured at the show: SmoothOperator,
seamless micro-fiber pieces (4) featuring a camisole, thong, gal short
and bikini. EuroTrash is even sexier, made of mesh and stretch lace and
comes with the same four pieces.
Cover Glam’s sexy lingerie sets feature lavish embroidery as well as
slinky shapers and unique swimwear. These folks have their own
manufacturing plant in Guatemala and complete creative freedom.
Pinup Stars offers some of the tiniest, fanciest thongs, but you might
want to consider a Brazilian wax to go along with them.
Claudie Song’s swimwear incorporates evening wear cleverly into the mix.
The bikini top can be paired with a custom skirt for a night on the
town.
Diesel’s fashions feature unusual, cutting edge clothing, intimate and
otherwise. They are not afraid of images, color and texture in both
men’s and women’s apparel.
Bristols6 offers the softest material for tees and the means to a smooth
silhouette with their Nippies, all manner of stick-on nipple covers as
well as stylin’ tape, used to keep those sometimes “barely there” strips
of material (that pass for tops) in place.
From the same direction comes NuBra, silicone breast coverings in a
variety of shapes and sizes. They are self adhesive and offer freedom
from the tyranny of straps and snaps, making all types of daring fashion
choices possible.
There were also plenty of products to choose from that had to do with
the care of such finery. For example, Delicate Drops offers a product
that will safely retain the shape of molded cup bras and underwires, as
well as hosiery, while they are being laundered. 26-year-old inventor
Lauren DeMarco of Dallas, Texas, got the inspiration for this product
while enlisted in the military, with little time for sorting and
remolding twisted bras and hosiery. When DeMarco got home she tried out
several prototypes with family and friends and eventually came up with
the final product.
Jane Webb’s Bra(g), or Bra Bag, offers a cute and clever way to
transport molded cup and underwire bras while traveling. You won’t mind
showing off these whimsical containers, even accidentally.
Kim Olenicoff’s undergarment guards are disposable adhesive underwear
that are versatile and a convenient alternative to toting cloth panties
around. An added bonus is no panty lines… ever.
Jacqueline Sava’s Soak gets your delicates clean and scents their fibers
with Flora, Citrus and Aquae fragrances. There’s also an unscented
version.
The Lingerie Handbook, a virtual encyclopedia of all things “under” by
Rebecca Apsan (she’s the owner of La Petite Coquette in New York City)
was made available to attendees. Filled with advice, before-and-after
photos and correct sizing information, the book is a perfect companion
to the modern woman’s quest for lingerie nirvana. Kudos to Ms. Apsan for
giving women a good foundation upon which to build their knowledge of
that which was previously thought of as unmentionable. Times have
certainly changed.
Lingerie
Americas Las Vegas Show (Venetian, Fourth Floor)
This was a smaller show, but no less spectacular in its offerings,
especially Ed Hardy Intimates, colorful underwear that’s meant to be
seen. Especially appealing were the ladies boxer shorts with suspenders.
Colors and graphics are bold and energetic.
Fashion Forms offered all manner of silicone, self adhesives for breast
coverage. You may opt for straps with this line. Also offered are foam
or water push up pads, breast lifts, nipple “petals’ that stick right
on, and disposable breast protectors.
Nundies’ tag line is “So long, thong! Bye, Bye Briefs!” These
tulip-shaped, self-adhesive disposable panties have been featured in
Womens Wear Daily, Lucky, and inTouch Magazine, to name a few. David
Pokorski, the male spokesperson for this product, may have looked more
like an aluminum siding salesman, but he knew his stuff, blushingly so.
Mr. P. was pretty liberal with samples, too, bless his indelicate heart.
Bedtime Flirt’s advertising came in a laced-up envelope and featured
pictures of sexy bedtime wear. You can be as covered (or not) as you
want to be, but Bedtime flirt will see to it that you make a statement
with their multi-fabric creations.
Another brave soul, Abe Grunspan of Cette, featured a line of underwear
called shapers that are not to be seen; they make you look good in your
clothes. Shapers were quite the rage at these shows, usually in shades
of white or beige. Don’t be fooled by their flimsy appearance. These are
the warriors of underwear, going to battle against any bulge that has
the nerve to mar your smooth appearance.
Exclusive
(Venetian, Fifth Floor)
Although this high end men’s fashion show had a majority Italian
exhibitors (Gianni Marcello, Lorenzo Uomo, Pierluigi Della Spina,
Polifrani Milano), the international flavor was enhanced by offerings
from Peru, Scotland, Kenya, Germany, Spain, Switzerland and the U.K., to
name just a few.
If you’re looking for a bargain, keep on walking. Just one of these
shirts could require a home equity loan. And the original designs are so
proprietary that a sample is almost unheard of. I overheard one designer
say that he would give a sample to someone but that they had to ship it
back to France when they were done. I have no doubt that a
trans-Atlantic flight could occur if this did not happen.
International Laundry stands out for their elegant shirts, embroidered,
bold and one of a kind. Similarly, but more outrageously, Jams World
heaps colors on their product so that all eyes flock to the wearer as if
magnetized.
Shows like Exclusive prove that not all men are denim-clad, T-shirt
wearing slouches, interested in beer, sports, and TV. Some guys actually
want to look good on Super Bowl Sunday, and it seems the Europeans are
leading the way into fashion for the American male.
ASAP
(Venetian, Second Floor)
E.C. O. Tradeshow
I know that the second AP stands for Asian Products, so I’ll just guess
that the first AS stands for…let’s say…Association of Swell…yeah, that’s
it. Something like Association of Swell Asian Products. That’s only a
little off from what it really stands for, but even the people at the
registration counter weren’t quite sure. I do have the Asian part right,
though.
With textile products from China, India, Hong Kong, Korea and Indonesia,
and featuring clothing, rugs, and other fabric wares, the ASAP show was
in one large room, sedate in atmosphere and serious in nature.
Many of the exhibitors were directly from their country of origin. The
handbook of exhibitors is unintentionally humorous with some entries.
For example, the Shanghai AYN Industry Co., Ltd. states in its profile
that “The company owns more than 430 employees.” Way to keep prices low,
China!
The ECO Trade show provided exhibitors from the U.S., with additional
booths from Australia, Canada and Sri Lanka. Featured products included
Bamboo Ecowear, Dirt Candles, (made of organic soy) Ecobaby Organics,
Paper and Nature Products Co., (recycled, of course) Pure-Rest Organic
Bedding, (bathroom, too) and Uglyfish Clothing LLC, (organic and
sustainable fabrics for children 2-7).
Although you can’t squeeze a sample out of these folks, this show did
not make you register to attend, and they provided a free daily brunch
to anyone who visited. Savvy move on their part, which provided many
first-time and repeat visitors, most of whom did not intend it as their
primary destination, but let it evolve into one.
Project
(Sands Expo)
“Where did you get that great bag?” was the rally cry that led me to
discover the Project Show at the Sands Expo. All attendees received a
brown, distressed looking, lined “pleather” bag with the Project logo on
one side, looking awfully chic and striking. Men and women proudly
displayed the bag which seemed to go with every outfit and temperament.
Once you got the coveted bag in your hands, it was time to check out the
Project exhibits themselves. Touted as clothing for an advanced
contemporary market, the trendy offerings just screamed of hip-ness and
overhead.
This was no boring space. Arranged in avenues by type of clothing, the
booths were interspersed with water bars, cappuccino bars, the Valentino
café, a pool hall, internet lounges and hanging Polaroid cameras, full
of film, for the amusement of those who couldn’t get enough of their own
image. Talk about being too cool for the room, even one as massive as
this.
With companies such as American Caveman, Pop Icon, Over Lord, Social
Atelier, Wet Cement and Wicked Quick for Men, and Vicious Collection,
Jour Ut Nuit, Genetic Denim, Rich & Skinny, and Worn Free for Women, you
can imagine the enormous markups possible when the tragically hip become
enmeshed with shrewd capitalists.
That being said, there were many unique and original takes on t-shirts,
skirts and pants. I just didn’t want to take out a second mortgage to be
able to afford them, as fabulous as they were. Still, the Project visit
was fun and full of surprises. That this type of clothing is
horrendously expensive was not one of them.
For more information on intimate apparel, visit:
http://www.claudiesong.com
http://www.diesel.com
http://www.curveexpo.com
http://www.bellamaterna.com
http://www.soakwash.com
http://www.smartassgals.com
http://www.coverglam.com
http://www.bragel.com
http://www.chiarilingerie.com
http://www.garmentguard.com
http://www.bristols6.com
http://www.bra-g.com
http://www.delicatedrops.com
http://www.edhardyintimates.com
http://www.bedtimeflirt.com
http://www.futureform.com
http://www.fashionforms.com
http://www.nundies.com
 |
