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Africana
PARIS - October 11 - The Kenzo show fell at the end of a long Sunday, at the end of a long week. It was staged in the Bercy sports complex outside of Paris, and lots of American editors decided to skip it. More is the pity.
In one of the most dramatically staged shows of the season, Antonio Marras pulled out all the stops in an upbeat (a professional dancer and African drum corps led the finale) tribute to the Dark Continent.
It's always a tricky business to orchestrate theme shows, especially as they can come off as seeming condescending or imperialistic. This was not the case at Kenzo, where African and European cultures were combined to form a hybrid mélange - even the soundtrack superimposed high baroque with native drumming.
Sudanese supermodel Alek Wek led things off, descending down a series of ramps visible to the audience, and then emerging from a thicket of wooden beams. Her dress, a beautiful creation full of mint-green, cocoa prints and strawberry touches said it all. Elsewhere, silver embroidery, strands of chocolate beads, and delightful prints rounded out the colorful assortment.
Kenzo has danced back to life, stronger than it's been in years.
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