You might expect a fashion show from plus-sized clothing retailer Lane Bryant to feature clothes for so-called "regular woman"--i.e., the gals who don't look like the genetic wonders of nature that normally strut on fashion catwalks. And you would be right, if what regular woman really want is to walk out of the house wearing only a black leather blazer, a pink bra and panties, and black go-go boots.
That's the type of clothing Lane Bryant showed at its spring/summer 2001 show at Studio 54, probably because the clothes that most women actually wear wouldn't make for a very exciting fashion show. Catherine Lippincott, Lane Bryant's director of public relations and special events, and independent event planner Lynne Manheim were obviously trying to generate some excitement. They succeeded. The audience was buzzing loudly, even before the "big girls"--as Lane Bryant's ads described the models--took to the catwalk, which Kadan Productions added to the stage where Cabaret usually plays.
Before the show, DJ Andy Anderson played some upbeat, thumping dance music while four muscle boys in black hot pants writhed on the stage, which was lit with blue and purple lights. Meanwhile, a screen at the top of the stage showed live video of arriving celebrities including Roseanne, Todd Oldham and Stephen Baldwin.
When the actual show started, two models stripped behind the white screen as Bernhard-Link Theatrical Productions projected their shadows onto the screen; when the full lights came back up, they walked out in camouflage lingerie. Next, Anna Nicole Smith came out shaking everything she has--and what she has is considerable. The crowd was loud during the entire show, but Smith's three walks clearly drew the loudest hoots and hollers. These weren't catcalls from the lusty men in the audience, though. Instead, it was the women in the crowd who were carrying on with you-go-girl encouragement--standing, screaming and dancing to the 80's hits (including "Rock the Casbah" and "I Want Candy") selected by Richard L. Brezner to match the show's 80's-inspired clothing. (The question is, were the women encouraging Smith's performance on the stage or in the courtroom, where she's fighting to get her late husband's millions?)
Immediately after the models left the stage, four back-up singers came out, followed by Aretha Franklin and two tuxedoed men who danced and posed as she broke into "Respect." The audience stayed on their feet, clapping, dancing and singing along through two more songs ("Think" and "Freeway of Love") from Franklin, who wore a black floor-length jacket over a black sequined top and skirt--considerably more clothing than the ensembles on display earlier in the evening. Not content to relinquish the spotlight while Franklin sang, Smith reappeared on the floor, dancing among people in the audience seated at cabaret tables.
--Chad Kaydo
That's the type of clothing Lane Bryant showed at its spring/summer 2001 show at Studio 54, probably because the clothes that most women actually wear wouldn't make for a very exciting fashion show. Catherine Lippincott, Lane Bryant's director of public relations and special events, and independent event planner Lynne Manheim were obviously trying to generate some excitement. They succeeded. The audience was buzzing loudly, even before the "big girls"--as Lane Bryant's ads described the models--took to the catwalk, which Kadan Productions added to the stage where Cabaret usually plays.
Before the show, DJ Andy Anderson played some upbeat, thumping dance music while four muscle boys in black hot pants writhed on the stage, which was lit with blue and purple lights. Meanwhile, a screen at the top of the stage showed live video of arriving celebrities including Roseanne, Todd Oldham and Stephen Baldwin.
When the actual show started, two models stripped behind the white screen as Bernhard-Link Theatrical Productions projected their shadows onto the screen; when the full lights came back up, they walked out in camouflage lingerie. Next, Anna Nicole Smith came out shaking everything she has--and what she has is considerable. The crowd was loud during the entire show, but Smith's three walks clearly drew the loudest hoots and hollers. These weren't catcalls from the lusty men in the audience, though. Instead, it was the women in the crowd who were carrying on with you-go-girl encouragement--standing, screaming and dancing to the 80's hits (including "Rock the Casbah" and "I Want Candy") selected by Richard L. Brezner to match the show's 80's-inspired clothing. (The question is, were the women encouraging Smith's performance on the stage or in the courtroom, where she's fighting to get her late husband's millions?)
Immediately after the models left the stage, four back-up singers came out, followed by Aretha Franklin and two tuxedoed men who danced and posed as she broke into "Respect." The audience stayed on their feet, clapping, dancing and singing along through two more songs ("Think" and "Freeway of Love") from Franklin, who wore a black floor-length jacket over a black sequined top and skirt--considerably more clothing than the ensembles on display earlier in the evening. Not content to relinquish the spotlight while Franklin sang, Smith reappeared on the floor, dancing among people in the audience seated at cabaret tables.
--Chad Kaydo
Models including Anna Nicole Smith showed off racy lingerie at Lane Bryant's fashion show.
Kadan Productions added a runway to Cabaret's stage at Studio 54.
Immediately after the show, Aretha Franklin performed her hits "Respect," "Think" and "Freeway of Love."
After the show, TV crews and photographers swarmed around the famous attendees including Sean from Survivor.
