"Thank God for healthy American women!" Paul Stanley screamed at Lane Bryant's Big Kiss spring fashion show at the Roseland Ballroom. Maybe it was a jab at Fashion Week's usual crowd of skinny, chain-smoking, champagne-swilling models, or maybe it was a patriotic statement. Whatever it was, the statement made the crowd go wild. Stanley's scary and legendary rock band Kiss gave a quick 20-minute performance while the plus-size clothing retailer's so-called "big girl" models strutted down the runway in next-to-nothing outfits. One attendee exclaimed after the show, "Those girls are proud of their cellulite!"
The fashion show and rock concert was a dual effort between Kiss producers and event producer Lynne O'Neill. The show took over Roseland's main floor with a runway and stage built by Kadan Productions, and Bernhard-Link provided the flashy lighting for the fashion show, which washed the models in an array of bright colors and dancing gobos of the Lane Bryant logo. Kiss' own lighting designer Bryan Hartley provided the lighting scheme for the band's performance, which included an eye-popping combination of frenetic flashing lights, hazers and a showy array of fireworks, explosions and confetti from Pyrotek Special Effects.
And Audible Difference's Randy Hansen, a veteran of splashy, high-profile fashion shows--he did the Victoria's Secret extravaganza in Bryant Park last winter--provided the sound design that was loud and adrenaline-pumping without being ear-shattering.
The so-called "plus size" models (who are actually about the size of most women) included Joanie Laurer (aka WWF's Chyna), Carre Otis and Anna Nicole Smith, who had a deer-in-the-headlights moment when she strutted down the catwalk to meet an explosion of camera flashes at the end of the show. They were joined by male models Marcus Schenkenberg and Tyson Beckford, who both strolled the catwalk shirtless and looking smug, as if they do fashion shows with legendary rock bands backing them up every day.
--Suzanne Ito
The fashion show and rock concert was a dual effort between Kiss producers and event producer Lynne O'Neill. The show took over Roseland's main floor with a runway and stage built by Kadan Productions, and Bernhard-Link provided the flashy lighting for the fashion show, which washed the models in an array of bright colors and dancing gobos of the Lane Bryant logo. Kiss' own lighting designer Bryan Hartley provided the lighting scheme for the band's performance, which included an eye-popping combination of frenetic flashing lights, hazers and a showy array of fireworks, explosions and confetti from Pyrotek Special Effects.
And Audible Difference's Randy Hansen, a veteran of splashy, high-profile fashion shows--he did the Victoria's Secret extravaganza in Bryant Park last winter--provided the sound design that was loud and adrenaline-pumping without being ear-shattering.
The so-called "plus size" models (who are actually about the size of most women) included Joanie Laurer (aka WWF's Chyna), Carre Otis and Anna Nicole Smith, who had a deer-in-the-headlights moment when she strutted down the catwalk to meet an explosion of camera flashes at the end of the show. They were joined by male models Marcus Schenkenberg and Tyson Beckford, who both strolled the catwalk shirtless and looking smug, as if they do fashion shows with legendary rock bands backing them up every day.
--Suzanne Ito
At Lane Bryant's Big Kiss fashion show at the Roseland Ballroom, a not-so-"big girl" sported some items from the plus-size clothing company's lingerie collections.
The show took over the Roseland's main floor with a runway and stage built by Kadan Productions and lighting by Berhard-Link and Kiss lighting designer Bryan Hartley.
Kiss posed for pictures at the end of the fashion show and concert.
The pre-show stage set-up featured a shimmery curtain with the Kiss logo.
