Houston Fashion Event Archives

HCC Grad Brings "Alantude" to Houston’s Fashion Scene

Jul 06 2016

Alantude Fashion Show

Recent HCC grad- Alan Gonzales held his first large-scale fashion show not long ago at the Houston Museum of Natural Science. The fashion show had two showings over the course of a weekend. Now, this was not your ordinary fashion show. You see, Alan has been a theater major all his life. His fashion career started in high school when he wanted to showcase the costume designers, because he felt that the stage is always for the actors; and the costume designers never got as much praise as they should have. He felt that their work is also just as amazing. So, he decided to produce a fashion show for them. They then got the models and the venue ready, but when it came time to do it, the designers approached him, saying they couldn’t do it (and gave every excuse in the book). So they decided not to do it… That is, until one of the models, who didn’t get the memo, asked when the rehearsals were. Alan told him that there wasn’t going to be a show. He didn’t have designers. The model’s response led him to have a change of heart. “Do you need designers? What if YOU make the clothes?”

So within a month, he put together 35 designs and had his own fashion show. “That’s when I realized I think I could do it for a living. I found that I had so much happiness and beauty in myself being on stage. I like being able to project that on other people. So when I make a design, at that point it becomes about that person and their personality and getting to see themselves in their dream dress,” Gonzalez explained.

So, with that being said, it’s only fitting that, when you have an awesome theater background such as Alan’s, that when you put on a major fashion event, you have to “go big or go home,” right?!

He’s been working on this project for a year now, though it took about four to five months working with the models and getting the videos done by cinematographer- Andrew Petersen. The evening’s festivities started out with mingling in the Grand Hall. When it was time to proceed to the theater, we were treated to a Mariachi Band and models in long gowns as we walked down the main stairwell. We gathered in a smaller lobby, where a few more models in Gonzales’ designs were posing. One gal wore a white strapless dress, with the skirt created out of paper. This dress played the role of Alan’s guestbook. It was cool having a hands-on experience, being able to literally write on one of his creations.

We then headed to the Giant Screen Theater, where all three of Alan’s F/W 2016 collections would be presented on the 60ft x 80ft screen.

His ready-to-wear collection – “My Queen’s Fate” – was filmed in an abandoned building. Again, having his theater background in mind, Alan had two actors- Zachary Givens and Justin Gibbons- doing an intense fight scene, both on video and in the theater. The scene had an underlying message that also was in relation to the mass shootings that have been plaguing the world these last few years. “The idea of me not being able to control everything and knowing that some things are just out of my control. So the whole collection is black and white and it’s a knit, so it’s ready to wear. While the models are walking down the runway, we have actors shooting paint at the clothing while it walks, so the end result of how it looks or what the print is…I have no idea…It’s been scary not knowing, but it’s been great seeing the result of this new dress that I didn’t have control over.”

His avant-garde collection- “The Carter Collection – was filmed on scaffolding on the side of a church. Alan’s inspiration for that particular collection came from a situation he had with his best friend of almost seven years. Long story short, there was lots of unneeded drama and they have not spoken since. When Alan came back home, he took out all his aggression on his sketches. “The collection is red and black, paired with chicken wire hats .. so the whole collection is very aggressive. On a market standpoint, the collection covers your body from head to toe. The clothes don’t show much skin, which I think is very important, because we’re starting to notice the importance of women in today’s society- not just as these physical beings. So it’s nice to have women look great without showing skin.”

His last collection of the evening, the haute couture collection – “Glacier”- was filmed by a lake three quarters of a mile from where they parked. “I was trying to bring this ‘lake that had been frozen over with a mountainscape in the background’ to the city of Houston. But you don’t see that here. So I had to work with fabrics that would give you the sense of winter and cold and…just a glacier; but at the same time, it was Houston weather. So all the pieces are really light. The dress that everyone has been going crazy over (including yours truly) is 36 yards of fabric with horsehair hem at the bottom. I snuck boning into it as well, in order to give it the pouf that it has. The movement of it just comes from this ‘airy glacier’ that’s happening. Despite it being 36 yards of fabric, it’s extremely light and very breathable for Houston weather; that was my main concern, because winter here is never really “winter.” You get this breeze and than that’s it…”

After the video presentations, we proceeded back to the Grand Hall, where all 26 designs were on display on models. It was so cool actually seeing the clothes up close. I think that Alan did a fantastic job putting the whole production together and serving some fierce “Alantude.” Plus, what an interesting new fashion show concept, eh?

Check out Alan’s website for his portfolio and additional information!

"Alantude" FW2016 Fashion Show

Jun 09 2016

** Videos provided by Alan Gonzalez **

“Alantude” FW2016 Fashion Show, to be held June 25th and 26th at the Houston Museum of Natural Science, promises to be unlike any other traditional fashion show. Recent HCC grad- Alan Gonzalez recently showcased one of his collections- “Glacier” to a large fashionable gathering during the HCC “Shear Dimensions” student fashion show. He also recently won first place at the MFAH Fashion Fusion for his ruffled white dress.

His highly-anticipated “Alantude” show will feature over 30 models from Neal Hamil, actors from University of Houston, hip hop dancers from Pushia Presentations, and dancers from the Houston Ballet. The show will feature three collections, ranging from his ready-to-wear, to the avant-garde and haute couture; all of which will be featured on a 60′ x 80′ screen in the Giant Screen Theater. Guests will then get the chance to view the garments live, after the video presentation.

Tickets are available HERE.

All proceeds go to Houston-based charity: Neighborhood Centers Inc.

"Shear Dimensions" HCC Student Fashion Show

May 21 2016

Houston Community College recently presented its Spring Fashion Show – “Shear Dimensions” and I was so excited to have witnessed it. The show featured twenty student designers, with each student showcasing at least five garments in their collection. These students truly exceeded my expectations, from their collection concepts to their craftsmanship. This show even surpasses some of the fashion shows I’ve been to…

Now, let’s hear it for the designers:

* Kristen Hanks presented “Swinging London,” a delightful collection of 1960s-inspired shift dresses with vibrant geometric shapes and zig zag patterning. Hanks was largely inspired by her grandmother and photos of her style back in the late 50s and early 60s. “I’ve always loved the 60s mod look. The mod movement known as Swinging London was also a big influence when creating my collection. I also used different textiles such as vinyls and suedes for the geometric shape accents on my dresses to give texture and add mixed media. The geometric shapes came from the art movement known as constructivism, which I have always loved, and helps add a more modern aesthetic,” Kristen further explained. Any inquiries for custom pieces or buying information can be directed to lizzie_hanks@yahoo.com or (281)736-0532.

* Haylee Cater presented “Cashmere”- another seemingly vintage-inspired collection, which was a combination of multi-brown and white checkered-print skirt, dress, and jacket ensembles.

* Constance Franklin presented “Le Smoking.” It was very “Mad Hatter,” with whimsical tailcoats, veiled millinery and eye-catching patterns.

* Linda Padilla presented “Marina Collections,” a collection with a “nautical-meets-sailor” sort of theme.

* Cecilia Rojas presented an all-white collection, adequately titled: “Angels.”

* David Valdez presented “Havana Melody,” a print-heavy plus-size collection with awesome fringe detail and uber-cute top and skirt ensembles.

* Lara Faussat created “Exotics,” a collection with an assortment of separates, with two things in common: lovely scalloped hems and unique blend of multi-blue with prints fabrics.

* Lauren Battistini’s inspiration for her “Sculpted 70s” collection was Stevie Nicks’ style in the early to mid 70s. “I took note of her low necklines and wide leg pants, along with details such as: pendant necklaces and aviator sunglasses. I looked at the fabrics she wore, such as: suede, leather, and silks; combined in one outfit. Though I appreciate the bohemian, flowy aesthetic in her wardrobe, I personally aimed to design more fitted pieces. What you saw in my collection is essentially tailored or fitted. I narrowed the wide-leg pant a bit, minimized the volume in the bishop sleeve of the cobalt blue blouse and ‘sculpted’ the garments to the body,” Battistini further explained.

* Kemi Alao presented “Drive,” a collection that looked to have been inspired by a little bit of race car driving and ‘romanticized driving.’

* Annie Chyr presented an all black and white collection, titled “Dissociate.” I LOVED how she paired dresses with edgy structured capes.

* Erica Medrano presented “La Adelita Collection,” that I feel was inspired by Frida Kahlo. Bright flower crowns adorned the models heads. From the Matador-inspired jacket and shorts ensemble to the white finale gown with dramatic cape-like train in the back; that collection’s seemingly Hispanic influence really caught my eye.

* Maria Hammond’s “Resilience” collection had a more laid back 60s feel, with clean-cut sleeveless dresses that, when seen from the back, had a lovely bow design detail.

* Jessica Guardiola’s attention to sculptured shoulders and lines in her “En Garde” collection was really impressive. All her designs hugged the body’s curves, yet flowed when needed.

* Kitty Dupas’ “La Rapture,” focused on leather and black and white patterns, namely chevron and polka dots. I can imagine myself twirling happily, wearing the mini dress with long leather fringe.

* “La Vie en Rose,” by Claudia Covarrubias focused on sweet silk shantung-like cocktail dresses and one gorgeous ballgown.

* Katya Blakey’s “Black Swan” collection looks to have been inspired by the movie Black Swan. Each model wore a black gown with fitted bodice and full tulle skirt in a variety of lengths and had ribbon that was wound around one arm, which seemed to mimic the ribbon ties of ballet slippers.

* Monika Pham’s “Femme Fatale” collection was the essence of the femme fatale, but without overdoing it. Dresses that hugged the body or showed some leg with a slit were trendy details in the collection.

* Student designer Nhan Doan took the collection’s name “Walking Flowers” literally, in that the models that were walking, had flowers somewhere on their garment. The garments were subtle, allowing for the flowers to take center stage as either a statement belt or the awesome finale cape collar.

* Criseyda Arriaza’s “Eclipse” collection showcased beautifully tailored gowns that all had a black and red color palette.

* The last student designer was Alan Gonzalez, who presented “Glacier.” He chose a white and periwinkle color palette for his mixture of garments, ranging from cool pants with striped cut-outs at the bottom, a ruffled dress that reminded me of Rhianna’s pink Giambattista Valli Grammy dress; to the finale gown that needed a pint-sized escort to help carry the long train. Be sure to check out his website!

I want to personally thank Andrea Bonner, the rest of the faculty of HCC, the folks that helped create such a great show, models, designers, and makeup artists.

Tag - Houston Fashion Event