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Ebony Fashion Fair entices

Hold up. Waif a minute! The Ebony Fashion Fair kicked off “What’s Hip. What’s Hot. What’s Now!” at the Monroe Civic Center this weekend. The fashion extravaganza celebrated myriad blackness and bold international designs.

The Zeta Phi Omega chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc hosted the event. Profits benefit scholarships and community service.

Publicity chairperson for the event, Glenda Henderson looks forward to the yearly show. A lady with fluffy golden hair, a subtle smile and bejeweled pumps, she appreciates the opportunity to bond with her sorority sisters and witness the latest trends in her city.

The upper echelon affair gave a homey town a tony feel for the night. Scores in the audience donned floor grazing, embroidered get-ups that rivaled the Carolina Herrera, Bill Glass and Vivienne Westwood designs beneath the bright lights.

The mood was decidedly upbeat as models strutted and shimmied in everything from grey dreadlock wigs and shifts to barely bikinis. The showed ended, per usual, with a nuptial scene. Two models kissed to reenact the moment that they decided to put a ring on it. Husband, Richard Gallion swooped up his bride, Deonna Pinkerton and carried her effortlessly offstage to enthusiastic applause.

As for the rest of the models, they were mind numbingly pretty. One of those models was Ontwanet Moran. This is her third year modeling for Ebony Fashion Fair and her eighth year modeling overall. She described the occupation as an exciting and adventurous way to meet new people.

Part of the show’s excitement stemmed from onstage slip-ups. The first included a wardrobe malfunction. Body makeup or a sarong could have easily kept the audience unaware of a curvier model’s posterior dimples and a cheetah print thigh tattoo. It created a visual mixture of hood and haute that likely wouldn’t fly anywhere else.

Commendably the affair showcased lovely black women of differing complexions and hairstyles. Every model seemed alive, which is more than some working models affirm. They were taut, toned and occasionally fleshier than millions of their Caucasian counterparts counting (or nixing) carbs (to work) in Milan.

After all, the fashion industry received unprecedented global heat once Fashion Week models literally dropped dead due to starvation a few years back.

That’s not to say that the show lacked thin models, but the more slender fashionistas remained voluptuous accents to the clothing, rather than gaunt, garish ghosts in stilettos.

They won over tuxedo donning, 12-year-old Devphin Frank of Houston, Texas. The quiet preteen enjoyed the show and believed that the dresses flattered the women, but shyly averted wide eyes. No one should expect him to saunter just yet.

“I’d be too shy to get up there.