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CFW 2010: Thursday Night
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Thursday Night under the tents with Charleston's retail runway shows and Mary Porter Couture
Photo gallery:
As I walked behind the curtain on the third night of runway shows, I quickly noticed two things. First, there was more blue eyeshadow backstage than Charleston has seen since the cancellation of the Drew Carey Show. Second, the mood behind the scenes had shifted dramatically. Ashley Brook Perryman and the Stella Nova team still worked at a brisk pace and the runway coordinating team was just as efficient as the night before, but everyone had finally settled in a bit.
Gone were the pre-show jitters so prevalent before the Emerging Design competition and Mychael Knight show. The models were relaxed and enjoying themselves, hitting their stride just before the start of the Rock the Runway competition. The shows got underway, but with all the outrageous styling going on backstage I was too distracted to stay glued to the closed-circuit TV screen. Every time I turned around, I found myself staring into pairs of blue-ringed raccoon-like eyes, knocking into towering feather hats, or peering around enormous clouds of teased hair. Hampden Clothing delivered an energy-packed, dynamic show, which helped alleviate nerves backstage as the finalists in the Rock the Runway competition began lining up. The pre-catwalk jitters again rose to the surface, but the models passed the time by supporting each other... or goofing off.
I turned around to find Rouge Apker and Travis Holland hopping up and down while shaking their hands in some sort of funky runway ritual, but they both did great last night so maybe they’re on to something! As the models lined up, I snagged a few minutes with contestant and CFW rookie Antwuan Whitney. The nervous male model told me he had been preparing for the competition by practicing his walk in his room and “listening to a lot of Jay-Z... for swagger!” All that practice and swagger certainly paid off, and Antwuan was named the male winner of the 2010 Rock the Runway competition. Antwuan was ecstatic about his win, and judging by the shrieks and wild applause coming from the audience so was his mother!
Joining Antwuan on the runway as the female Rock the Runway winner? Caroline DeBruhl. I caught up with the super excited 15-year-old model backstage, and she was still in a state of disbelief. “This is so shocking, I didn’t expect it at all... This is my first show ever!” Caroline said. What’s next for Caroline? While she would love to someday model for Victoria’s Secret, Caroline is currently focused on “just going forward from here!”
I spotted Antwuan and extended my congratulations. Ever charming and humble, Antwuan said, “I came in here the first day, and I didn’t even know how to walk. I had to have some dude grab me and pull me outside and teach me how to walk! This is awesome!” The crowd began to clear out, and the third night of Charleston Fashion Week 2010 was officially over. Stepping out of the tents and into the chilly March night, I couldn’t help thinking that for me, the best part of the Rock the Runway competition was knowing that this year’s winners truly are two beautiful people, on and off the runway.
