The Halloran Centre was filled to capacity as fashion extraordinaire Ashley Dean, CEO of Dean’s House of Fashion, presented the fourth installment of her highly-anticipated runway show “The Weight is Over” on Sunday.
Sponsored by plus-size retailer Lane Bryant, the show was dedicated to full-figured women of all shapes and sizes. “It’s really great to finally see some great fashion for girls our size,” said Jerica Richardson. “I ran across this event on Facebook and was so excited! I’ll definitely be back next year.”
The models provided some of the hottest looks for the everyday woman. Creativity graced the runway in pieces from business wear to casual to night looks. The crowd was completely blown away by most of the dressy looks that included daring and risque pieces that in past days most curvy women would be hesitant to wear. However, there were no reservations as Dean continued to school the students that were willing to learn.
The show not only swooned the crowd with the latest curvy trends, but it brought on the funny with hosts Pametria Brown from RBG Productions and Darius “Phatmak” Clayton. They hyped the crowd throughout the night with their high-energy personalities while requiring crowd participation that had everyone laughing and falling out of their seats.
A sure crowd-pleaser was “American Idol” finalist and Motown recording artist La’ Porsha Renae opening up the show with her chart-topping songs “Good Woman” and “Already All Ready.” Renae had a few moments to speak with the The New Tri-State Defender before the show and her excitement was evident from the beginning.
“Memphis is like home and I’m just so excited to be here,” Renae said. “This was perfect because I’m terrible when it comes to fashion. I’m not really the best when it comes to putting clothes and prints together, so I’m very glad to be here amongst these beautiful women in these fabulous clothes!”
For additional details of “The Weight is Over,” visit Dean of Fashion on Facebook.