By Norm Harris
The 51st national touring edition of the highly regarded Ebony Fashion Fair took the stage at the York College Performing Arts Center Sept. 26 to a virtual sell-out crowd.
The attendees, most of whom were female ranging from the preteen years to senior citizens, were treated to a truly American and internationally eclectic palette of the latest in everyday classic fashion, colorful sports wear, leisure attire, work clothes and the most uniquely sophisticated and chic evening wear available anywhere.
The show, presented in two parts, kept the audience on the edge of their seats with exquisitely colorful and fashion-forward statements from the most renowned houses of high fashion and couture.
The annual “Seventh on Fifth” extravaganza that ended its New York run in Manhattan a few weeks ago had nothing on the Ebony Fashion Fair. Sponsored by Ebony magazine, the show included of some of the most creative and eye-catching creations from some of the world's most revered houses of design.
Represented on the full stage, incorporating funky music numbers and small skits to heighten the excitement over the staid runway format of the Manhattan shows, were women's and men's selections from renowned designers such as Christian Lacroix, Louis Feraud and Emanual Ungaro of France; Belville Sasson of Britain; Anthony Hanklins, Bill Blass, and Oscar De La Renta of New York; and Italy's Laura Biagiotta, Amuleti, and Angelo Marani, to name a few.
Designs and accessories from as near as Canada and as far away as the Virgin Islands, Lebanon, Germany, Argentina and Japan were part of the collections that the Ebony Fashion Fair troupe incorporated into their display.
The co-hosts for this New York edition of the tour were once again the Theta Iota Omega and Psi Psi Omega chapters of the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority. During the intermission, Lea Watson, the president of Theta Iota Omega, and Betty Hilton, the president of the Psi Psi chapter, presented to the president of York College, Marcia Kiesz, a $2,000 scholarship check for the school's SEEK program, which provides assistance for new students. The two sorority presidents and some of their membership were also very busy prior to the show and at intermission, conducting a voter registration drive for the November presidential race.
