By Malena Belefonte With Pride
“I was thinking about doing an event during NY Fashion Week.” These words are not uncommon, but when they are uttered by fabulously fierce sunglass designer Corey Woods during a pandemic, those words are downright scary: First of all, I know that means he wants to do a show and not a small pop up. Secondly, he wants me to come up with some grande show idea with a million intricate details that will have me up night after night until it’s executed in grande ways, and I am on my 3rd week of no sleep.
Thirdly having opted to produce virtual Fashion Shows, and Fashion Week for TV, along with Covid innovative events during a year of “quarantine”, a live show in the middle of New York City seemed irresponsible, if not downright dangerous. And lastly, I knew so very well that it meant, that I would absolutely create a show, a Winter Wonderland, in the middle of a pandemic, and the second race pandemic in downtown New York City. Because it was for Corey Woods! They broke the mold after Corey entered earth’s atmosphere. Corey Woods on the outside, behind the freakishly fantastic visor glasses, red, blue, green fur coats, and always matching velvet pointy dress shoes can seem one way to those who do not know him: Larger than life, designer -centric, (my newly invented word, no need to explain) tough, demanding and many other words that so fittingly are thrown around in the fashion industry to convey a message of allure, exclusivity and maybe a small high horse :)…. BUT Corey Woods on the inside, and the real Corey, the one I take long walks with in witchy poo pointy shoes, and jump on sea-saws with in Times Square, only to never be able to get him of the ground… I’m a twig, he is not… THAT Corey Woods is EVERYTHING. He is a cuddle bear with a heart of gold and for sure larger than life, crazy and so funny and extra and everything positive that can be drawn from every word that describes him. He does want a show that is over the top, but he has no issue leaving the creative direction to me, as well as every tiny detail because I am a control freak where that is concerned, as long as he gets to surprise me with what he is going to wear at the end. That is our gig…. 50 shades of my face when surprised when he comes out, is what he lives for. For every minute we spend together working on a show, 75 percent is spent laughing. SO yeah, I knew we would do a show, and alas the bubble I had created as a safe haven and lived in during these scary Covid times, in order to keep my family safe, burst and I went to work. The idea of putting others at risk was absolutely not going to happen on my watch. We implemented a very strict policy of testing everyone in order to participate, regardless of what role. Models, photographers, designers, venue owner etc. We limited the team to 20 and everyone had to wear multiple hats. We wanted to have an outdoor audience, give a vibe of voyeurism and Pride Month. The space we found was a big store front in Soho with huge windows, which got me so excited… because what can you create in huge windows??? A spectacle is what you can create: We created multiple vignette with different activities; models posing, make-up artists doing make up, photographers doing a photo shoot, stylists steaming and fitting models, and one vignette where several models hung out, did selfies and interacted with the public outside. It was a circus. Only to be topped by a Pride worthy entrance and paparazzi following Jack Frost walking down Broadway, fur cape, silver face and wait for it, wait for it…. Pointy silver and white Swarovski crystal dress shoes….. Mic drop.
