By Louise Irvine
What an amazing time we had tumbling down the rabbit hole again into our WMODA Wonderland on April Fool’s Day. Chelsea Rousso’s Encore & Finale runway show of glass fashions was a huge success. A capacity crowd socialized and enjoyed Drink Me cocktails and Eat Me bites before the fashion show. True to form, the White Rabbit was late for this very important date and DJ Trace had the audience singing along to his music while they waited for the tardy bunny to scamper down the runway with Alice in pursuit.
The stars of the original show were back– Whitney Fair as Alice, Dr. Gretchen Heinsen as the White Rabbit, Sam Fray as the Mad Hatter, Alena Alberani as the Mad Hattress, Derek and Clay Rousso as the Footmen, and Dr. Maria Portilla as the Queen of Hearts. Louise Irvine, our WMODA Queen, tried to usurp the throne of Wonderland and there was a mock battle for the glass scepter made by Josh Fradis as the symbol of royal authority. Fortunately, the imposter held on to her head and her glass tiara designed by Chelsea.
The mysterious Cheshire Cat reappeared in the form of Tanira Kane who beguiled the audience with her feline antics. Jayne Stewart made a beautiful Duchess in a newly designed glasskini, and Keyla Escobar was the serene White Queen in a glistening gown of Swarovski crystals. The playing cards with their flashy turnover glass medallions were represented by Liseltte Walker, Lannie Burns and her daughter Alenna. Nicolas Totera skipped down the runway as the mad March Hare after working backstage as head of hair and makeup. Most of the team are students training at the Cosmix School of Makeup Artistry.
After curtain calls and photo opportunities, DJ Trace got the cast and audience dancing in the Hot Glass Gallery. The rival Queens were reconciled and shared the floor with Abba’s Dancing Queen! Glass artist, Rob Stern, joined the throng in his mirrored suit which he made as a tribute to his Murano mentor, the late Pino Signoretto. Thank you to the photographers, Suzanne Barton, Humberto Vidal, Toby Muhlhofer, and Lloyd Goradeksy, and to the cast, crew, and sponsors for helping us to “Believe the Impossible” at WMODA in celebration of the International Year of Glass.
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Deco Drive March 22
