Kaleidoscope: Jet Set

Night two of Kaleidoscope Houston was titled – Jet Set, and was also held at the sprawling mansion in the Northside district of Houston. The evening’s designers were: Steve Guthrie, Jessica Lombana, and Meru Merus. The lovely hosts of the evening were: former Miss Houston 2015- Chyna Wheatley and model/actor- John Newinn. The entertainment between the fashion shows were: Saturn Hoops- who wowed the audience with their performance with light-up hola hoops and fire; dancers from the Son Kiss’d Dance Theater and Culturally Yours left the audience feeling energized and inspired.

Steve Guthrie took a cue from the ‘Jet Set’ theme and had his “jet-setting models” being led out to the runway by the “ground crew.” His vintage-inspired womenswear collection takes a nod to photos of Brigitte Bardot, while in Italy in the 1960’s. Guthrie also explained that the era represents his favorite characteristics: the timeless cuts, the texture of the fabrics and also the elegance that’s obtainable for every woman. He also wanted the the simplicity of the clothing to ensure that his goal of designing and manufacturing locally from start to finish, could be realized. Local jewelry designer Tiffany Recio of Recio Designs had several of her contemporary and minimal pieces to help accessorize Guthrie’s collection. Both designers complemented each other well in achieving a subtly-chic ‘jet-setting vibe.’

LOMBANA by Jessica Lombana was the next brand to walk the runway. Designer Jessica Lombana presented to the Kaleidoscope audience, her S/S16 collection titled ‘Native’ and inspired by her ethnicity and roots. The collection consisted of elegant swimwear, cover-ups and flowy dresses (and one insanely bad-ass mirror fragmented mini-dress); all seemingly having a “tropical-meets-ethnic” theme going. Almost every garment was accessorized with Lombana’s colorful coordinating jewelry collection.

Umair Khan’s brand- Meru Merus‘ collection of cocktail and evening dresses closed the evening’s festivities. The collection was inspired by Arizona’s barrel cacti, which accounts for his heavy use of sequined, textured fabrics. The collection also had small influences of his Pakistani roots.

Stay tuned for Kaleidoscope: Imaginarium!

** Saturn Hoops **

** Son Kiss’d **

** Culturally Yours **