Fashion week highlights

Great first impression

Designer Tiffany Headley was a phenomenal choice for opening Omaha Fashion Week's Saturday night show with her collection of hip-hugging avant-garde dresses. Headley named her clothing line Donna Faye Couture after her grandmother, also a seamstress. Headley said in an earlier interview that grandma Donna, who also wanted to be a designer, was her inspiration. Instead, Donna Faye had a family and became a housewife, another amazing profession. As a tribute, Headley had no doubt what she would call her collection.

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Light the night

Dan Richters did it again. He sent a dozen leggy models down the runway in outrageous outfits. This time, they were tightly strapped cream-colored mini-dresses with wings, spiny skeleton-like bones and inflatable collars, all lit up with LED lights.

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Focus on the men

Designer Jennie Mason's Radioactive Heart collection featured a mix of menswear and women's dresses. She beautifully accented each look with turquoise trims. Every year, Mason does a great job showcasing menswear. Spectators say they'd like to see more of it throughout the week.

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Meet Afro futurism

Olajide Cooper hopes to break into the cutthroat fashion industry with her avant-garde gowns and jumpsuits. She knew she'd get her start in Omaha.

"Fashion is wonderful," she said, "but sometimes it has a tendency to be at a surface level."

She defied that tendency by creating an 11-look Afro futurism collection that pays homage to her culture. Her gowns included an eclectic mix of materials such as silk, raffia grass and beads.

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Heating up halftime

During the intermission, swimwear designer Michaela Cawley entertained spectators with her KKINI collection. Fire twirlers and an African beat drummer performed as bikini models walked down the 395-foot catwalk. Several times as the fire twirler spun his stick his pants caught on fire. Good thing they were flame resistant and the flame would just go out.

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Gauze and gurneys

Chessna Fernald's "d0ll h0spital" line featured guys with shirts that resembled ribcages made of gauze-like fabric and a modern take on nurse uniforms.

Why the hospital theme? She rattled off some of the things that inspired her.

All medical things, such as gurneys, uniforms, wheelchairs and anatomy were influences.

"It's just an interest of mine," she said. "I collect medical stuff. I have gurneys and wheelchairs."

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Footloose

Forget the 3-inch heels. Go barefoot. At least two Omaha Fashion Week designers sent models down the catwalk without shoes. Kaleigh Moynihan's crew looked a bit tattered with disheveled hair and brown makeup scuffs across their faces. But the look worked for the young designer's line described as "machine gun meets sundress." Olajide Cooper said a Nikki Giovanni poem inspired her shoeless models with semi-precious jewels pasted on their feet. "I love spoken word," she said.

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The husband's view

Omahan Anna Lavedan was impressed with designer Yolanda Diaz's 12-look collection of women's eveningwear Saturday night. But one piece in particular caught her eye: a pink pleated vest that tied in the back with black ribbon.

"It's very, very forgiving," she said about the vest. "It has a really nice detail on the back and would fit any body type."

While designer Kevin Steward's models strutted down the runway, Lavedan's husband pointed to one of the male models.

"Look, honey, I'm up there ... the nerdy one."

Just then a model in a gray butler-like suit with long coattails walked across the platform. Anna giggled.

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VIEW FROM AN EXPERT

We asked fashion expert Kirby Keomysay, owner of Kontempo Salon in Omaha and a contestant on the Oxygen network's "Hair Battle Spectacular," for his take on what he saw on the catwalk Saturday night. Here are some comments:

"Love the formal 'dos designed by (Omaha salon) Bungalow 8 for Donna Faye Couture. What a great way to start off the show. Kept it really cohesive with all the looks.

"I really liked LED lights on Dan Richters' designs. It was a very unexpected element, very futuristic and loved the sexiness."

"I appreciate all the different fabrics the designers used. They had such a diverse sense of inspiration for their creations. This made the show especially fun to watch because you were on your toes the entire time!"