Here’s a question that may stump some local fashionistas: When was the last time you attended a show that opened with a catsuit-clad drag queen belting out a rendition of “Don’t You Wish Your Girlfriend Was Hot Like Me?”
Or, how about a show with one of those flat, escalatorlike, airport people-movers on the runway so that models glide from one end of the catwalk to the other?
The answer is probably “nev-ah” unless you were among the lucky 300 who attended illustrious Denver stylist Matthew Morris’ party last Saturday in honor of the fourth anniversary of his hair and skin-care salon.
The event was held in a north Denver industrial park and oozed over-the-top style. It was fresh, fun and hotter than a curling iron.
In addition to Shequida, the New York City-based drag queen and longtime friend of Morris who is perhaps best known for appearing on “America’s Got Talent,” the evening’s celebrity roster included Janine Jarman and Faatemah Ampey. Morris became friends with the pair when all three were part of Season 3 of Bravo’s “Shear Genius.” Jarman was first runner-up and Morris took the bronze.
The event at Cluster Studios was a benefit for the Rocky Mountain Cancer Centers Foundation, which Morris picked at the suggestion of longtime client Kasia Iwaniczko. She’s a two- time breast-cancer survivor; both her mother and father are battling different forms of the disease. Iwaniczko was unable to attend as she and her mom were en route to Poland to visit family. But her sister, Ania, and fiance, David McLeod, were there in her stead.
Before sitting down for the show featuring Morris and ELC Men’s hairstyles and clothing by Goldyn, guests made themselves comfortable in the indoor and outdoor lounge areas while enjoying food and drink from Lime, kuulture, Pop Chips and Ketel One, along with tunes by DJ Craig.
Morris and his team of stylists did the models’ hair in soft, wavy looks with the occasional hot pink extension for extra pop. The hair complemented and balanced the edgy, urban-chic outfits for men and women alike that were featured in the show.
The clothing included styles ranging from distressed denim pants and shorts to silver sequin leggings and a knock-out gold trench coat that elicited enthusiastic applause from those in the prime, beside-the-runway seats. Among them were Edna Chang- Grant, Kay Burke, Stephanie Odak, Fiona Baldwin, Bruce Miller, Andrea Li, Jill Hodges, Georgia Gallagher and Donna Crafton Montgomery, whose second child, a boy, was due to be born the following day.
“My husband (Denver Police officer DJ Montgomery) is on standby,” she said. “Thank goodness Rose Hospital isn’t far away.”More online
Joanne Davidson: 303-809-1314 or jdavidson@denverpost.com; also, and GetItWrite on Twitter
