Shiro Gutzie & Shay Todd end the day by presenting the sexy Shay Todd Cruise 2008 Collection at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Miami.

Shay Todd presented a tempting yet sensual collection filled with innovation and creative style for the woman who likes to stand out. Spotted sitting front row was Smashbox Studio Cosmetics founder Davis Factor and billionaire “bad boy,” Brandon Davis.

Text, Vivian G. Kelly
Photographs, J. Ecochard and Richard Spiegel


Timestamp: Friday, July 13, 9:15pm - 10pm


Backstage: 9:15pm

The hair designed by the stylists at Miami’s Van Michael Salon grabbed our attention as soon as we entered backstage. It was right in keeping with the 60’s goddess mandate. The elaborate updos looked like “La Liz” [Elizabeth Taylor] wore it in the 1960’s “Cleopatra” in some of her steam scenes with co-star Richard Burton crossed with Jane Fonda’s iconic mane in “Barbarella”. The Smashbox Cosmetics team did a smashing job with the makeup, which was right in the same period. Think of all the sultry faces of Sophia Loren and Brigitte Bardot as they appeared in the countless photographs that were taken of them in the 60’s. Obviously, these two actresses have served as inspiration to hordes of hair and makeup artists for decades and will for years to come.

The Shay Todd Show, 9:35pm at the Cabana Grande, the Raleigh Pool

We liked it before even seeing the first model; as usual we studied the run of show placed on our chairs, thoughtfully provided by the TARA Ink. PR team. The exits had great names, “goodbar bikini”, “Barbarella” and “James Bond brief” which evoked the all-out glamour of the early sixties.
While the lame suits certainly lived up to their names, the accessories added an interesting seventies twist. Lucite “Candies” looked good and kept things from appearing one -dimensional.

We love lurex, especially when it comes to Shay’s cover-ups. Who would have thought to wear a purple lurex mini before seeing this show? The designer’s mini with ruched cuffs looked fantastic as did an aquamarine lurex long sleeve dress devoid of any ornamentation. Our congratulations to the designer for exercising self-restraint and recognizing that the fabric and color are enough, all on their own.

You’ll be saying, “Prints please” after having a look at Shay’s “lacquer bamboo” [leaf print] chocolate brown and emerald green, equally striking in maillots and bikinis. Our favorite, the emerald green maillot, hands down.

There was more brown, to come, via a “Sausalito: terry cloth jumper dress and ruffles took on a sexy edge in a café au lait and fuchsia bikini edged with lemon yellow ruffles. Another winner, the pink and green bra style bikini with a square tortoise shell buckle that Ursula Andress might have changed into in “Dr. No”.

The best came late, in the final grouping of retro chocolate and emerald rectangle print pieces. On a final note, Shay Todd shows that she is a wise woman indeed. While she cuts one heck of a sexy suit she wisely modifies the difficult tanga cut so that it falls just on the right side of wearable.