By Jae-Ha Kim
Chicago Sun-Times
August 11, 2003
The models were gorgeous at Glamorama–the fashion extravaganza held Friday night at the Chicago Theatre. The clothes were delightful. And the atmosphere was festive.
But from a purely entertainment point of view, the 80-minute fashion show sponsored by Marshall Field’s was a calmer, more staid version of its previous Fash Bash incarnations. Instead of the glam-rock tribute band Kiss Army, we got laid-back Uncle Kracker. Rather than the electrifying dance troupe Antigravity, we got videos of models who looked great, but whose dancing skills weren’t nearly as attractive as they were.
Still, Glamorama–which made its Chicago debut in 1999 as “Fash Bash”–raised $300,000 to benefit the Art Institute of Chicago and attracted the event’s most diverse range of stars to date.
Pamela Anderson was a scene-stealer in her red Monique Lhuillier dress. Lauren Holly looked fabulous wearing jeans and a colorful Badgley Mischka top. But it was “The Fast and the Furious” actress Jordana Brewster who was the evening’s stunner in a simple black Chloe dress.
Oh, and we’d be remiss if we didn’t mention Cris Judd looking mighty handsome in a cream-colored Yves Saint Laurent suit. He inspired more than a handful of women to mutter, “J. Lo is a fool!”
The evening’s hostess, Tracey Ullman, went old school, wearing a 1970s vintage layered red and black dress and black platform sandals. The British actress made her entrance to the strains of her 1984 hit single, “They Don’t Know,” and cheekily proclaimed, “I’m not gonna run for governor of California. I’m going to let you Americans do it!”
Funny and irreverent, Ullman cracked jokes at the expense of some of today’s top designers, suggesting Helmut Lang provide more room in his clothes for women’s bums and that Stella McCartney should realize the average 5-foot-3-inch woman doesn’t need 2 feet of extra length in her trousers.
As for the newly whittled down Karl Lagerfeld, who advised women to lose weight to fit into his skinny-minnie clothes, Ullman said, “Karl Lagerfeld, you might be losing 9 pounds every nine minutes, but we’re not.”
The night’s most uncomfortable moment occurred not when the gorgeous models attempted to dance to the beat, but when Ullman’s 12-year-old son, Johnny McKeown, came onstage stating, “I need ice for the models’ nipples.” We all know what erect nipples do for most men’s libidos, but do we really need to hear about it from an adorable kid who looks like the little cherub from “Jerry Maguire”?
Uncle Kracker’s cover of Dobie Gray’s “Drift Away” was an anticlimactic finish to the shindig. The comely Australian string quartet Bond did a much more inspired cover of Led Zeppelin’s “Kashmir” just a few minutes before that would’ve been a better finale.
Of the two live bands, Bond’s look and sound were a more cohesive fit for the show. Dressed in pieces from the Yves St. Laurent’s collection, they made their first appearance playing “Freedom ‘90.” When George Michael made a video for the song more than a decade ago, he enlisted that era’s top supermodels (Cindy Crawford, Linda Evangelista, Naomi Campbell) to lip synch to his lyrics. Because Bond doesn’t sing, a gospel choir provided the lush vocals.
Still, the canned music that accompanied the catwalkers was a better fit than either Uncle Kracker or Bond. Deee-Lite’s “Groove is in the Heart” set the carefree pace for Anna Sui’s collection. Beyonce’s “Crazy in Love” captured the heat of Matthew Williamson’s designs. And U2’s “Where the Streets Have No Name” laid out the foundation for Ralph Lauren’s “Gangs of New York” inspired pieces.
