Summer Styles at Sunset, a Fashion Show at Abel’s on the Lake

Summer lovin’ had me a blast…maybe if cute straight men liked going to mediocre fashion shows. It’s not that the “Summer Styles at Sunset” fashion show at Abel’s on the Lake Monday night was bad (and trust me, I’m not expecting to find love at a fashion show.) It was just one of those shows that could have seriously been improved by better styling. The Austin Fashion Week show did feature several local designers whose work I had never seen before, so that was nice to see, especially since there were a couple of interesting pieces in the bunch. Amade’, Design by Talon, E’Lyshet, Ilonka Designs, Joe Van Overbeek, and Lala all put several looks down the runway. The show also featured some outfits from local Eastside boutique Maga La Boheme, as well as swimwear from Stream Bikini, a mobile bikini boutique that travels around to different locations in an airstream trailer.
The atmosphere for the fashion show was casual, with the view of Lake Austin setting a laid-back scene for attendees. But let’s be honest, even if it hadn’t taken place at Abel’s, that probably wouldn’t have stopped me from eating chips and salsa on the floor while taking photos. I think I might start bringing my own snacks to fashion shows.
Brianna Fleet of Butterfly Entertainment said that with “Summer Styles” she just wanted to put on a “fun show,” and I think this was accomplished by some of the male swimsuit modeling that took place. You try not having a good time when a skinny guy walks out in a speedo and absolutely does not break his serious “model face.” I lost it.

Joe Van Overbeek