Style It Up

What a great night of culture and fashion. Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Science Black Student Union presented their annual Black History Month Celebration on February 26, 2010. This is the 4th year they have put on this now staple event. This year’s show name was Evolution O.V.E.R.D.O.S.E. O.V.E.R.D.O.S.E. stands for Obtaining Vision, Embodying Righteousness, Defeating Opposition and Spreading Equality. This show replaces their previous show title Sensory Overload. The mission of this event was to educate, entertain and assist under privileged communities through benefiting non-profit organizations. The student group added a new element to their event with a pre-show. The pre-show had a live jazz band, information about the non-profits their proceeds were going to and food samples from around the world. The benefactors of the night were the Haiti Relief Effort, FACE Africa, and Howard University Sickle Cell Research. It was great to see many students out socializing and checking out the information while sampling the cultural treats.

Showtime

The auditorium was packed and the audience was ready for an illustrious night. The show was divided into 4 sections to reflect the O.V.E.R.D.O.S.E. acronym. Each section there was a video presentation paying homage to African Americans who paved the way in all aspects of our lives today. There were 4 designers that presented. Each designer also represented the O.V.ER.D.O.S.E. acronym. Sparklle Thames was the 1st designer to kick off the night of fashion. Her presentation represented Obtaining Vision. Sparklle’s line consisted of stripes, polka dots and playful patterns. She did a mix of one-shoulder dresses to separates with mixed matched patterns. The overall feel for the collection was fun, flirty and comfortable.

Style It Up’s very own reporter and up and coming jewelry designer Perpetual Hayfron showcased her jewelry line Perpetual Anastasia. She 1st showcased during 2009 Boston Fashion Week. She mainly featured a collection catered just to women. Since then she has expanded and showcased in this show for both men and women. Her line represented Embodying Righteousness. The presentation was a vibrant one with models coming down to a rhythmic beat and modeling Perpetual’s jewelry. Each of her elaborate custom-made pieces wowed the audience. She presented intricate earrings to show stopping neckpieces.

Ushering in the second half of the show was Ty Scott. Ty Scott represented Defeating Opposition. Opening his scene a model appeared with a sign saying Justice while dark house music plays in the background. His line was dark, edgy, and enticing. He showed a range of dresses to separates. He featured an all black form fitting line with a few pieces that had a subtle shimmering red or silver in the fabric. This men and women’s collection really impressed the crowd. Through out the presentation in the background we saw more models appearing with one-word signs. All of the words were Justice, Love, Equality, Peace and Respect. Each word emphasized Ty’s collection and tying into his scene’s theme very well. You can hear women buzzing in the audience about how they love each piece or the whole line. It was an overall sexy and sharp line.

Closing out the fashion scenes was crowd favorite Prajje Couture. Prajje represented Spreading Equality. His scene opened with a male dancer showing the crowd how to vogue dance. This definitely had the crowd excited to see what was next. From the 1st dress to the last, the crowd loved every one of his pieces. His collection consisted of fun, flirty colorful cocktail dresses for the women and simple yet comfortable cool urban wear for the men. His line is definitely preparing us for the spring season with all the colors.

In between the fashion scenes were a mix of excellent entertainment. Most of the performers are from Berkley College of Music while others are from Mass Pharmacy. The types of performances we saw were dancing, singing, rapping, and poetry.

This was an excellent show. I really did enjoy this show. You were taken through a journey of Black culture through the different elements that were presented to us. The Black Student Union did achieve their mission for this event. The audience embraced all the different performances and encouraged the performers with their cheers. We were educated in an entertaining way that did not feel like it was obvious that we were learning about our Black History. Show Producer Amandabeth Ferguson and her entire team did a wonderful job. From beginning to the end, the whole production moved very seamless and with beautiful transitions to each phase of the event and the acts during the show. This is a show that you definitely do not want to miss next year.

Till the next runway,

Ms. B