Wendy Brandes Jewelry Blog

Never Is the Next New Thing

Kirstie Alley and Georgie Badiel Rock Zang Toi’s Show

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My designing friend Zang Toi had his North Africa-inspired Spring 2012 show yesterday at Lincoln Center. I am madly in love with the model who opened the show — Georgie Badiel of the Muse agency. She came out wearing Zang’s strapless linen jumpsuit with a matching coat that was bordered with 23K gold leaf. She made her turban herself from fabric brought from her homeland of Burkina Faso.

Georgie's opening the look, photographed by Eka Halim.

When Georgie hit the end of the runway, she struck pose after pose, with the coat flaring out around her. It was theatrical and fabulous, and much more to my taste than a model with a blank look and limp arms. After all, when you try on clothes yourself, you don’t stand there gaping into the mirror like a dead fish, right? You check yourself out from different angles. I was so enthralled I forgot to take a picture, but you can get a sense of what she did from this photo of her wearing Zang’s black satin gown later in the show.

Georgie Badiel werks!

The other superstar model was … Kirstie Alley, who closed the show Surprise, surprise! She looks very regal, doesn’t she?

Kirstie Alley struts! Click to see her take a bow with Zang at the end of the show.

Thanks to Kirstie, it was mayhem backstage after the show. Everyone was trying to get a picture of her or with her.

I want to wear a hair piece like that!

MrB and I finally clawed our way over to Zang for our traditional post-show photo.

Congrats, Zang!

In the audience, Zang’s friends were dressed to his specifications, as always. He’s awfully good at convincing people to wear matching outfits. I think these three ladies should start a Doo-wop group called the Zangettes.

Zang told me to wear a mini skirt I got from him in 2009. I wasn’t positive I was going to wear something so short, but it was as hot as hell and most of my Zang clothes are fall/winter, so I went with it. The strapless sweater is by Zang too. MrB took this picture on the runway after the show. I’m not sure about the length of my hair these days. This is the longest it’s been since first grade!

What Wendy Wore
Strapless knit top: Zang Toi
Mini skirt: Zang Toi
Shoes: Prada
Ring: My own onyx skull design

There was a great sapphire-blue high/low hemline, aka mullet gown, in the show. (I didn’t get a good still picture of it but you can see it in my video, which is eerily muted because EMI claimed the copyright for the background music when I uploaded the clip to YouTube. Harsh!) But I’m holding out for the black and purple mullet gown that Zang showed in 2010. He’s going to remake it for me. Imagine — an accommodating fashion designer! Zang really is one in a million.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. EMI’s muting now?! Pfft !

    I can’t wait to see you rock your mullet dress! Zang is truly awesome.

    Also: Will you rock a mullet on your head with your dress? It can be a sexy mullet wig if need be. 😉

    • Thank you! I didn’t want such a short skirt but when the designer points out that HIS skirt is even shorter…well, it’s hard to argue with that.

  5. First of all, Wendy you look like a model in that last picture…so cute! I am taken with your top picture…blurry or not..she is stunning and picturesque. Kirstie even looks amazing and I agree I would not have expected to see her there. What a wonderful show to be in the audience!!

  12. gorgeous gowns, I’m so glad you got the video finale! And I need to see the opening posing, I knew some girls in my day who could pose up a storm at the end of the runway, or the top, or while leaning dramatically against a wall before exiting…I miss those divas!

  14. All fabulous! He headdress, the hair, the clothes, everything. It is so nice when the models glam it up a bit. And you look fabulous, of course.

  15. enjoyed this post
    love that first photo.
    so funny you said that about the model
    at FNO my friend and i kept commenting on this one model who looked like she was actually having fun on the runway.
    Kirste was killing it with that hair!
    brett

  16. Kirsty’s hair is downright incredible! What beautiful clothes, quite a breath of fresh air these days (in my opinion).

    I like your hair longer! But damn you for looking good at all lengths, grrrr! x

  18. Looking great at the show Wendy! With all the press surrounding Kirstie right now, I can’t even imagine how much of a whirlwind the show ended up being!

  20. I love that the model was being dramatic! So cool. Kirstie’s hair looks amazing – I love her at any size. Did you ever watch “Fat Actress”? She was awesome in that.

    I found another (slight) mullet dress to go with my mullet skirt! Wendy, you’re such an inspiration!

  21. Zang’s clothes are brilliant, gorgeous and I wish I had shop because they would sell out … just march out. You look fabulous with long hair and your smile. Kirstie representing the West Coast even though she goes both ways, so to speak. Rocking.

    Prettiest coat, pretty pretty pretty.

    Bravo Zang Toi.

  25. you look fabulous.

    I want you to know that you have single handedly given me a craving for mullet hemlines. I am eyeing a few of my dresses and my sharpest pair of scissors.

    Planning to check out your video. EMI- lame.

  26. I’ve been marveling at Kirstie’s dress since I first saw it, but the first model, even in these stills is very, very striking. Zang has hit my radar!