Day: August 10, 2010

Summer Sizzle BVI, the “ultimate fashion getaway”, was back and better than ever in its second year on the island of Tortola.  Project Runway finalist Korto Momolu, LA based Kevan Hall and New York based fashion designers Roger Gary, Cesar Galindo and LaQuan Smith as well as other breakthrough designers from across the globe presented their Spring
2010 collections during this super sexy annual event.  Top models Sesilee Lopez, Georgie Badiel, Arlenis Pena Sosa, Tara Gill, Wendell Lessimore and more than 20 internationally acclaimed models ripped the runway in the Summer Sizzle fashion show, the nexus of Summer Sizzle BVI.

The festivities kicked off on Thursday, July 22nd with a Culture & Style Welcome Bash Pool Party sponsored by the Ministry of Education & Culture and ended July 25th with an all day sailing excursion to one of the world’s most pristine islands, Virgin Gorda. Style influencers and fashionistas alike also enjoyed an elegant and festive Sunset White Fashion party at the Long Bay Beach Resort, “1748” Beach Restaurant where guests were required to wear white and a delicious
buffet of traditional island fare while dancing the night away to music provided by one of the BVI’s top DJ Dre.  JTV Channel 55, the BVI’s top music television station and a platinum sponsor of the Summer Sizzle BVI was there to capture the festivities and interview well known guests for its viewers.  Other sponsors included CBN Channel 51, Bob’s Gas & Service Station, Voyage Escape, Speedy’s, Native Son, Villa Sade, Colombian Emeralds International and Norman
Allen Photography.

Guyana’s own, Roger Gary opened the spectacular event with his Aqua Couture Collection. The 80’s inspired collection that featured exaggerated shoulders, neon colors, feathers, sequins and lots of bling. “I was having a Dynasty flashback” said Gary, referring to the 80’s TV series, Dynasty. It was a dazzling opening to one of the best runway events in the Caribbean. More than 200 visitors from around the US and Caribbean experienced a 3-day non-stop lifestyle escape including the trendiest fashion show in the Caribbean hosted by Joel Steingold, co-host of The Style
Network’s Clean House and E! Entertainment’s That Morning Show. Glamour, glitz, fashion, and fun were the focus of this spectacular event held at the Sir Rupert Briercliffe Hall in the center of Tortola. The show was sponsored in part by Mary Kay Cosmetics, Official Beauty Sponsor and featured collections from some of the world’s most sizzling designers such as Korto Momolu from Project Runway Season 5, New York designers Cesar Galindo, Aqua Couture by Roger Gary, and Johnny Vincent Swimwear.  Joining them were Mill House menswear and The Cloth by Robert Young of Trinidad and the BVI’s own designer Kristin Frazer of Trefle Designs and renowned fashion designer Kevan Hall. New York based fashion stylists Carlton Jones andMemsor Kamarake, who cast models for the show worked alongside legendary makeup artist Ashunta Sheriff, celebrity hairstylist Giselle Modeste, top make-up artist Theo A. Faulkner and show producer Margo T. Lewis to make the Summer Sizzle fashion show a tremendous success.

Originally created in 2007 by Terry Donovan (of “Signature by Terry Donovan”), Summer Sizzle began as a fashion show with the purpose of promoting the British Virgin Islands.  Since then, Terry’s vision has culminated into a five-day fashion and lifestyle event.  Summer Sizzle is the central highlight of the British Virgin Islands each July and has attracted thousands of visitors from the Virgin Islands, neighboring Caribbean islands and the USA.  Summer Sizzle brings together a number of leading international and regional designers, industry executives, models, celebrities, international media and press, and attracts a diverse audience of affluent professionals and influencers from around the globe.  Commonly called “Nature’s Little Secrets,” the British Virgin Islands is the destination of choice for Summer Sizzle BVI.