Straight Runway, Textured World

As I attended my last show at NYC Fashion Week Sunday, I had a full appreciation of the power of fashion. I loved watching the gorgeous gowns go down the runway — gowns that had power to take your breath away and cause an entire audience to gasp in amazement. But something was bothering me.

The streets of New York are a broad spectrum of fashion and beauty. You see it in so many forms, on the subways and sidewalks of the city every day. Whenever I’m in New York, I’m constantly snapping photos of people I see around the city. The audiences reflected this diversity — from the fashion editors to the bloggers to the celebrities. Although there were exceptions, the shows were dominated by models with one look: tall, lithe, perfect creatures with long straight hair. Yes, the talented stylists created amazing looks with that hair – beautiful waves and elaborate buns that complimented the designers’ collections. But there was a disconnect.

I thought back to Texture on The Runway, the show that TextureMedia produced during February Fashion Week. The vision was to create a show that enabled brands and their stylists to showcase texture. The models on the catwalk that night spanned a range of ethnicities, showing that there is no one standard of beauty. I thought, a show like Texture on the Runway would eventually be obsolete because every runway would eventually reflect that diversity.

Unfortunately, that time hasn’t come yet. But I’m hopeful it will soon.

Here are some of my favorite looks from Fashion Week.