SCAR 18 - Gail Chovan fashion show by Alton DuLaney
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| Gail Chovan Fashion Show November 1, 2015 in Austin, Texas photograph by Alton DuLaney |
This past weekend I had the pleasure to attend and
participate in Gail Chovan's 18th annual fashion event called SCAR in
Austin, Texas. I have been involved with her shows since their inception
in 1998, to greater or lesser degrees. This year, being based in Texas,
gave me easy access to the event, and I got to spend more time with the
designer before, during, and after the show, as well as contribute to
the design and styling of the event.
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| Gail Chovan Atelier in Austin, Texas photograph by Alton DuLaney November 2015 |
Gail Chovan has dedicated her life to the Art of
Fashion. She studied fashion design in Paris, before moving to Austin,
Texas 20 years ago. In Austin, she has became a fashion legend, starting
the iconic boutique Blackmail in 1997, and having held annual fashion
shows ever year since. She now shows her collection at the Void Showroom
in Paris, and at various boutiques around the world, including
Blackmail on South Congress Avenue, in Austin.
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| At the Gail Chovan Atelier in Austin, photograph by Alton DuLaney November 2015 |
The Gail Chovan Atelier on South 1st Street in Austin
is a hubbub of activity and creative chaos. I arrived the morning of
the show and the team was scrambling to get all the last minute
adjustments completed.
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| At the Gail Chovan Atelier in Austin, photograph by Alton DuLaney November 2015 |
Chovan's
team includes design assistants, interns, stichers, hair and make up
team, set designers, production designers, and numerous other creative
consultants such as myself.
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| My Assistant Aldo at the Gail Chovan Atelier in Austin photograph by Alton DuLaney 2015 |
Even I have an assistant, Aldo offers a lot of support and inspiration on all my creative endeavors.
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| Gail Chovan Fashion Show in Austin Texas photographed by Alton DuLaney |
Meanwhile over at the event space, a beautiful
Victorian home in downtown Austin, the production team was busy setting
things up and getting everything ready for the big event.
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| Gail Chovan backstage at SCAR in Austin, Texas photographed by Alton DuLaney November 2015 |
Backstage, the team was busy with hair and makeup,
fittings, and last minute styling of the models and the collection. In
all 15 models would be sent down the runway.
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| Gail Chovan with Stylelikeu documentary team in Austin Texas photographed by Alton DuLaney 2015 |
There was also a documentary team there from NYC, Stylelikeu,
http://stylelikeu.com/
who are working on a documentary of Gail Chovan's life and art, and
that of her husband Evan Voyles. The team has been following and
documenting Gail for over a year now.
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| Alton DuLaney and Creed styling the pool fashion installation for Gail Chovan in Austin Texas photo by Todd Wolfson |
I was put in charge of the pool installation, which
involved rigging a cat walk and modeling platform suspended over a pool
on the grounds. Gail's son Creed helped me style the space with scraps
of fabrics, pieces of patterns, and eucalyptus before bringing out the
model.
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| Pool Fashion Installation executed and styled by Alton DuLaney in Austin Texas November 2015. |
The
model, Kaidon Ho, was drapped in vintage lace and precariously placed
in the middle of the pool to greet guests as they arrived for the
fashion show.
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| Alton DuLaney and Kaidon Ho photographed by Ellen Bartel in Austin Texas November 2015 |
After
all models were dressed and in their places, we all got to relax a
little with some champagne and take some photos posing with our
handiwork.
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| Gail Chovan fashion show SCAR in Austin Texas photographed by Alton DuLaney November 2015 |
The
main fashion show started exactly at dusk. To the musical accompaniment
of a saw, the models made their way across the lawn, surrounded by
candles and hundreds of fashionistas, buyers, fans, and guests, who came
to see the show. The collection was a celebration of the imperfect,
with unfinished edges, raw and jagged cuts, grafting fabrics, and other
fashion techniques employed to highlight the nature of scarring. Chovan
herself is a breast-cancer survivor and wears the scars of her double
mastectomy proudly across her chest, visible in her plunging necklines
and low cut, transparent gowns.
Gail's
family sat on the front row, other guests sat on carpets or stood to
get a better view. Afterwards, a round of thunderous applause was
followed by champagne fueled mingling about the grounds and within the
three-story home.
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| Gail Chovan, fashion maven, in Austin Texas. |
The response was positive, and the press, both in Paris and in Austin, was supportive. All in all another very successful show.
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| Gail Chovan teaching fashion design at the University of Texas in Austin, Texas |
The next morning, I got to discuss the challenges of
living a creative life and producing art with Gail at her office and
classroom at the University of Texas in Austin, Texas, where she teaches
design.
Gail Chovan is not only a dedicated designer, but an inspiration to many.
http://www.gailchovan.com/
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