Brad Boultinghouse showcases all seasons
Brad Boultinghouse showed his entire 2011 collection last Thursday on the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center patio, a collection studying — among other things — fragility, scarab beetles and his own evolution. Attendees came out for a night of champagne, hors d'oeuvres, music by USC alumnus Blake Arambula and fashion with proceeds benefiting One Good Deed charity, based in Kansas City, Mo.
One Good Deed is a non-profit organization that provides aid and training to the underprivileged, impoverished and underserved people of the world. "The goal is to raise enough money for diapers for one hospital for one month and update a laundry facility," Boultinghouse said in an interview a few days before the show. He went on to detail how the $3,000 would buy diapers that would provide effective sanitation and prevent diseases for children, as well as make the outdated laundry facilities able to sustain the new diapers, as there's a landfill problem in Africa, where these funds would be headed.
Expenses for the show were kept down with the support of Flo Hair Studio, which provided all of the hair and makeup and donated eight hours of time in support of Boultinghouse. The studio also provided coupons to go in the VIP gift bags.
Boultinghouse began his show with second-year retail student Laura Fielden in a white full-length dress with a halter top and scooped back. The look was followed by a procession of the lighter, more innocent looks of the collection including a full-length shift dress and a polka dot bandeau top among them.
Of all of the pieces, it was the high-hemmed, pink mosaic-printed piece that elicited an audible response from the crowd. Though styled over a bathing suit for the show, the piece could easily be layered over shorts or even jeans for a more wearable look. The piece was inspired by scarab beetles in flight, with the fabric mimicking the way the beetles' wings catch the wind.
This presentation marks Boultinghouse's first move into chunky knits and footwear, and while he did say he's nervous about how his pieces will be received, he knows that they aren't for everyone. That black shift dress with the white block of fabric layered over it and those herringbone shorts, along with the rest of the collection, are one-of-a-kind pieces going to customers who don't have to worry about going out and finding another girl with the same look. These of course are customers who have no qualms in matching the softness of a simple white cotton dress with the rough appeal of the spiked wedges that comprise one third of Boultinghouse's entry into accessories.
The collection as a whole was consistent, solid and even above average for Columbia fashion. Though possibly a tad confusing as all seasons were shown in one presentation, Boultinghouse ensures cohesion by telling one story, one that he says is his own, and includes a bit of retro sensibility.
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