Virginia Fashion Week lights up the runway at Waterside

Shawn Buhain Lumaban woke up Sunday morning as a design student at the Art Institute of Virginia Beach. He closed out the day as a winner at Virginia Fashion Week. He did it by thrilling the crowd - eliciting cheers and bringing some to their feet - with his "Dark Child" collection, which edged him past the other contenders in the Emerging Designer Competition.

Lumaban, 24, who also goes by the name Shaune, learned of the competition about a month ago. Between then and Sunday, he found seamstress Deborah Ross of Norfolk to help bring the designs he'd been sketching in class into reality. He snagged model Jeanette "Cookie" Dabney to be one of the human mannequins gliding down the runway, and he stole the show.

Lumaban's standout piece was a hooded black fur jacket with hand-sewn silver fringe sprinkled throughout. Another stunner was his black mini-bubble dress made of mink, Ultrasuede and satin.

Backstage, he gave all the credit to his mother, Darlene, who's been encouraging him since he began putting clothes together at age 10.

"That's what you do, push your kids to the limit," Darlene Lumaban said.

Virginia Fashion Week's grand finale shows were held Saturday and Sunday at Norfolk's Waterside. After a delay, Saturday's show opened to a standing-room-only crowd. Fourteen established designers and 15 emerging ones were presented over two days of events that also included a catwalk competition and a Bra-ha-ha on the runway. The week of activities also included a hair and makeup competition and runway shows at select boutiques in Virginia Beach and events in Charlottesville and Richmond.

During this weekend's shows, black was a dominant color. April Spring of Norfolk and Michael Taylor and Azi Blas of Richmond used it to add drama to their designs.

Taylor opened Saturday's show with a model wearing a black stovepipe hat, a silver-gray bolero, a silver mesh-wrap top, cigarette pants with ruching at the leg and a black fur throw.

Blas, who was disabled in an accident nine years ago, presented his first collection since being sidelined.

"What took them four months took me two years to create," Blas said. "People like me were dying in bed, and I'd rather die on my feet. I wanted to get up and make beautiful clothes again."

He opened his collection with what he describes as the "anarchy piece": a bowler hat and a long black dress featuring a deep off-center split worn by a machine-gun-toting model with a cigar in her mouth and midthigh-high black boots.

The look was inspired by the film "Inception." His intent was to hoist people's minds, he said.

Embellished waists were a recurring element in the pieces of several designers, including Brehon Williams of Chesapeake.

Williams' collection showed a transformation. The breakout star of Virginia Fashion Week in 2009 is known for his avant-garde designs in bold colors. This weekend, he presented streamlined fashions in mostly taupes, cappuccino and cream in which a prominent zipper was the focal element.

"I wanted to calm it down and do pieces that people can wear," Williams said.

While several designers used mostly black, red, taupe and champagne, designers Willie Hall of New Jersey and Marina Makaron of Moscow were among the few who lit up the scene with bright colors for their spring collections. Makaron made heavy use of whimsical prints for her sheaths and short jackets. Hall used yellows, greens and simple waist detailing on her dress and skirt designs.

Matthew Cashe, a Trinidad native now based in greater New York, was all about glamour with his evening and bridal gowns. He closed the finale with a silk chiffon wedding gown, embellished with Swarovski crystals and a full hoop skirt.

Waterside's center court proved an apt venue for fashion. Models descended the escalator onto a runway that snaked through the crowd and led back to an ascending escalator. The absence of a platform runway brought the designs closer to view.

Ann Leister, owner of Splash Model Management in Virginia Beach, created Virginia Fashion Week four years ago to showcase the area's fashion and style talent.

It has grown each year. Designers from Italy, Russia and the United Kingdom joined the shows this year.

Jamesetta M. Walker, (757) 446-2211, jamesetta.walker@pilotonline.com