Eleganza: The 15th Anniversary

Walking the Runway to Redefine Beauty and Change Lives

by Brian Shen ‘11

It’s the advent of the 15th year of Eleganza, the largest fashion production at Harvard, and yet people are still wary of what Eleganza has to offer. With bad press looming over the show, the executive producers Alexandra Aves ’11, Denetrias Charlemagne ’11, and Nick Navarro ’10 are more conscious than ever of the message they are sending.

Barraged by criticism by The Crimson and by various students and faculty as being “a tasteless show” that promotes “negative black sexual stereotypes” and “blaxpoitation,” drawing on the infamous scene that portrayed loincloths in last year’s show, one student mentioned to the February 2, 2009 issue of The Crimson that “[Eleganza] is clinging to the last strand it can to be able to call it a fashion show.”

But this student may not have noticed that shows in New York and Paris have long since incorporated dance, music, and alternative mediums including film and video into their collections. Viktor & Rolf for example are renowned for their haut-couture shows that turn into almost theatrical production—sometimes including live performances, same-sex ballroom dancing, smashing porcelain accessories to the floor and utilizing a blue screen for special effects—all while commenting on the sartorial garment and what’s socially acceptable. And they’re the one of the best in the industry.

The fact of the matter is, Eleganza, like Viktor&Rolf’s shows, is social criticism—and so is modern fashion. Fashion as an art and as an industry, according to Walter Benjamin, author of the authoritative Arcades Project, names fashion as a medium of change. Specifically, it’s a change from the ancien régime, the system of dress that used to govern social stratification. And since World War II, fashion has taken on a different mode—it’s a vehicle for social change that reflects the social and economic attitudes of the times. Take Yves St. Laurent for instance, who made the pantsuit for women, which has since become a staple for politicians like Hilary Clinton. But at the same time, with capitalism governing all enterprises, artistic or otherwise, fashion must walk a fine line between scandalous entertainment that pushes the envelope of expression and being socially acceptable.

The concept of fashion itself is rests on a paradigm of change that reflects on the past and updating it for the future, and that seems to be doing exactly what Eleganza is doing. While some of the scenes in the show might be controversial, they are in effect fulfilling their duty by getting people talking about race, sex, and sexual liberation—and no one can deny that. Just look at all the press and comments people have offered on the show—and the still impressive 12,000 plus audience.

It’s no surprise, then, that Eleganza is continuing to be an event of entertainment, allowing it to engage a broader audience and to comment on a diverse set of social issues in a variety of ways—clothing, dance, music, and playing with the idea of gender norms. But that’s not to say that they haven’t listened carefully to the criticisms and responded constructively.

By working even more closely with organizations including but not limited to BlackCAST, The Harvard Gay and Lesbian Caucus, and The Center for Teen Empowerment in Boston, Eleganza aims to celebrate racial, cultural, and sexual diversity all while supporting the efforts of a charity in our community. In doing so, they hope to create a show whose overall message can’t be misconstrued as merely stereotyping.

There will be no shortage of dancing and conceptual garments—and even a drag character dressed as an Alice in Wonderland dream inspired Queen of Hearts in this year’s show. But one of the executive producers Alexandra Aves ’11 honestly offers, “We want to celebrate diversity and the fashion and the music going into the show. People say it’s Eleganza or whatever but it’s a lot more than that. It’s about the celebration of art, dance, and diversity—and I want people to remember that going into the show and after, I want them to leave with that sort of feeling.”

ELEGANZA 2009 : Wake Up!

With the economy crumbling, the Eleganza family had to breathe innovation. Some of the sponsors that previously worked with the show including big banks like Morgan Stanley, were not able to contribute anything at all. Luckily other contributors with which the Eleganza family has worked in the past, including but not limited to Red Bull and Macy’s, have pulled through. However with social tensions heightened by the not only the economy but also the passing of Prop 8 in California, the team of three scene directors, decided it was time to call for people to wake up to social issues like diversity.

The sleep sequence is a literal yet conducive to the message of the show. The three scenes this year thus developed into Dream, Nightmare, and Awake. Each scene moves between different styles of fashion: surreal, couture, and prêt-a-porter (ready to wear). Fashion Director Beatrice El-Hage has been working hard all year to bring in garments from designers like Club Monaco or Le Vu.

ELEGANZA 2009: Celebs, Drag, Fabolous, and Other Goodies

Considering it’s the 15th anniversary of Eleganza, this show needs to be bigger and better than ever. That being said, the show this year will incorporate some things you never thought you’d have the opportunity to see.

Fashion Ambassadors: This year’s fashion ambassadors are groundbreakers to say the least. Ktiti Kironde, a Harvard alumna, was the first black woman to be on the cover of a fashion magazine (Glamour) and Guila Clara Kessous has worked extensively in fashion marketing, having completed the Luxury Marketing MBA program within the division of Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy before arriving at Harvard for a Ph.D.

Drag: The Queen of Hearts performed by Chris Turner ’11 will be a stunning addition to the show. Read his profile in the side bar.

Fabolous: At the end of the show, Broolyn rapper Fabolous known for his two platinum albums Ghetto Fabolous (2001) and Street Dreams (2003) as well as his one gold album Real Talk (2004), audience members will get a taste of his fabulousness. Apparently different from other rappers because he doesn’t try to convince fans of his “hustle,” the artist has signed with the famous Def Jam label.

VIP Goodie Bags: If you are a VIP guest. You’re in luck because you’ll have scored: a Red Bull energy drink, a Jack Wills catalogue, a Boloco coupon, make up samples, beauty products from hilights, a Santé Smile full size tooth whitening sample, a black shirt from BCBGeneration that says “Love Revolution” and many, many coupons.

THE PEOPLE

Nick Navarro ’10 – Executive Producer

Bravely sporting the goatee that harkens back to recent resurgence of 80s styles, Nick Navarro ’10 greets his acquaintances as he meanders over to meet me. But as soon as he gets to me, it’s smiles and a jump directly into Eleganza-speak, asking if I’d heard the latest and begging for questions.
Nick tells me he has been living and breathing Eleganza for a while now, joking “You should put in a sample schedule of what an executive producer has to do… I think this past weekend I had…” I can hardly catch his list of five meetings in one day, he rambles them off as if they were his telephone number. “Eleganza takes over your life,” he tells me while grinning and shaking his head slightly. Cognitive dissonance perhaps? I imaging a voice in his head saying why do I put myself through this? And another voice saying because it’s so fun. And you get to produce a fashion show! Jeez! The shaking of the head stops as he tells me the latest news on the show that has gotten him so buzzed, which happens to be the concept of the show, the drag queen, and the celebration of diversity.
After I weave through his PR speak to get through to the person, I saw that he is actually just a guy who is really passionate about fashion and promoting the visibility of the queer community in the show.
Actually, Nick was sincerely concerned about how the drag character would be received. He comments as his face suddenly becomes serious “I don’t want people to say this is stereotyping again.” He had mentioned there were only three openly gay male models in the show and he wanted to make gays more visible—hence the drag queen. Nick mentions that the team prepared a lot for this drag character. They attended a QSA drag workshop where a professional drag queen got them excited for the performance and told them that the best way to get a message across and to get people to pay attention is to “paint swastikas on that bitch’s face and blow fire at Jesus. Do it over the top and be crazy.” While Nick would not put that into the show, he has taken the idea of “go big or go home” to the table—and it will be reflected in not only the dress but also the choreography in the show.

Christopher Turner ‘11 – Model

Donning a North Face fleece, indigo jeans, and black frame glasses—the classic Harvard uniform—Christopher Turner’s appearance gives off a Lamont or lecture hall vibe rather than exuding glamour or flamboyance. For the model that will be dancing and wearing drag in front of hundreds of students in this year’s Eleganza show, Turner is surprisingly unassuming.

This is the first year the sophomore chemistry concentrator is participating in Eleganza, prompted to try out by various friends who were involved with the show. Initially cast as a dancer only a couple of weeks ago, Turner was asked to portray the Queen of Hearts character after a few practices.

As a member of Expressions, Turner is well-versed in performance and entertainment, but drag is far from his area of expertise. He hasn’t seen his Queen of Hearts costume yet, but knows that the dress will be made out of actual playing cards.

Eleganza—which has promoted racial and body shape diversity in past years—is emphasizing sexual diversity in this year’s show. “It’s one aspect of diversity that hasn’t been given in the past, but this year there’s a definite LGBT presence in the show,” says Turner.

As the social chair of the QSA, the goal of promoting sexual diversity through a positive portrayal of a drag character is especially important to him.

“The Eleganza board wanted to make sure that the drag portion wasn’t done in a way that seemed untoward or stereotypical,” Turner says.

“I can’t comment on how good or bad my performance is, but I’ve heard from other board members that the portrayal is tasteful and not potentially harmful to the community,” Turner says.

According to Turner, there have been many planning meetings between the QSA and Eleganza in order to balance the desire to entertain with the goal of presenting queer life in a positive light.

Turner recounts that there was initially some friction between the two boards, with the word ‘normative’ being tossed around often and QSA members expressing concerns that the show’s portrayals of queer life were generated from a heterosexual point of view.

But those concerns have largely been allayed, says Turner, after the Eleganza staff reformed their ideas and consulted with the QSA board regarding their revised visions.

“I think that this year’s show struck a good balance between entertainment and tasteful portrayal,” says Turner, adding that he is more nervous about dancing than wearing drag.

However, Turner doesn’t see his participation primarily as a chance to represent the queer community. “I got involved because I thought it would be a fun experience, and if I make a statement that resonates with the audience and I accomplish the planners’ goal of acknowledging and supporting queer life, then that’s all I could ask for,” says Turner.

Beatrice El-Hage ‘11 – Fashion Director

The walls of Beatrice El-Hage’s bedroom are plastered with pages torn out of Vogue and InStyle magazines. Countless rows of advertisements—Dior, Moschino, Ralph Lauren, MaxMara, Burberry, and Cole Haan—transform the modest Claverly single into a shrine to style, fashion, and beauty.

It’s a fitting boudoir for the fashion director of Eleganza, whose job involves procuring all the clothing for the show. And for a production that involves 150 to 200 looks, that’s quite a big task.

Since October, Beatrice and the rest of Eleganza’s fashion board have contacted hundreds of companies and boutiques in order to secure pieces for the show. Clothing this year will come from designers like Club Monaco, Guess, Milly, and Jack Wells, as well as student designers.

Beatrice—whose grandparents were seamstresses—considers fashion an intrinsic part of her identity. Last summer, she took a four-week intensive fashion design course at Parsons School of Art and Design in Paris, and has worked on Freeze magazine photoshoots in the past at Harvard.

Clad in a v-neck sweater and light blue polo, Beatrice aptly describes her own style as “very preppy.” The looks she has compiled for Eleganza, however, are more eclectic and eccentric The three different segments of the show—Dream, Nightmare, and Awake—each have their own unifying fashion theme. For instance, Nightmare will be dominated by dark clothing, Awake will feature ready-to-wear and classic looks, and Dream will be a mishmash of various styles, highlighting the erratic, unpredictable, and inexplicable nature of dreams.

Beatrice recalls spending her entire President’s Day wandering in downtown Boston with the rest of the fashion board, pitching Eleganza to each boutique that caught their eye. “We literally walked every single block up and down Newbury Street,” Beatrice says.

Equipped with business cards and publicity packets, she and three other students knocked on the doors of stores that they were interested in having the show. Despite the exhausting process, she describes getting a great response from managers, who were very receptive to having their pieces in the show.

Though Beatrice’s dorm hasn’t yet been deluged by clothing—most of it is stored in producer Denetrias Charlemagne’s room—she expects her spare closet to be flooded in the days preceding the show.

Surprisingly, after seven months of dealing nonstop with clothing, Beatrice still hasn’t tired of her job. “All I want to do is shop!” she laughs.

Though the sophomore economics concentrator has a consulting internship this summer in Beirut, her long term goal returns to fashion. “My dream is to be the CEO or president of a fashion corporation,” Beatrice says. With Eleganza under her belt, she’s certainly headed in the right direction.

Anjelica M. Kelly ‘12 – Model

When asked whether she considers herself to be model-like, Anjelica M. Kelly ’09—who has participated in Eleganza every year of her Harvard career—promptly rejects the notion.

“I’m not particularly rail thin,” Anjelica says. “I have some sort of shape or figure, and I’m not apologetic for it.”

Her response contradicts itself, however, for it is exactly this self-assurance and confidence which affirm her status as a model.

Aside from her tall stature, though, Anjelica says she little conforms to model stereotypes.

“I’m not especially fashionable or anything,” Anjelica says. “I’m not all about the clothes.”

Though Eleganza is her only fashion-related activity at Harvard, Anjelica got a taste for modeling in high school by participating in local shows and doing catalogue work for department stores like Nordstrom and Mervyns.

Anjelica half-jokes that Eleganza may have played a role in her choice to come to Harvard. After seeing the show as a prefrosh, Anjelica remembers being impressed by the major production—which she says was bigger, more glamorous, and more entertaining than the fashion shows put on by other schools.

“It definitely broke the stereotypes of how people view Harvard,” says Anjelica, who remembers wanting to be in the show after seeing it. “I got really excited to be involved in student life and student culture.”

A year later at the last day of Eleganza auditions, though, Anjelica says she remembers being nervous and “extremely intimidated.”

Surrounded by people decked out in party attire and dresses, Anjelica recalls rethinking her simple outfit of jeans and a tee.

After selecting a song, walking for the directors, and then performing a short dance, Anjelica went home thinking that she would probably not be chosen as a model, especially as freshmen with few connections and little experience.

But it is clear how that story ended. Since that audition, Anjelica has gone through essentially the same process three more times, though she says she has felt more confident and comfortable each year. But although her demeanor has changed, her audition outfit hasn’t, always remaining a pair of jeans and a dressy top.

“Simplicity is best,” says Anjelica.

As a seasoned Eleganza model, Anjelica says she has witnessed an improvement every year in the show, with more professionalism and increased diversity in body types, ethnicity, and sexuality.

“I’ve really enjoyed my experience,” says Anjelica. “It’s a way to do something that’s not strictly academic but kind of fun and glamorous.” And despite her insistence to the contrary, Anjelica’s comment reveals that she does indeed contain some of that model spirit.

Photos by Sophia Wong Chesrow ‘12