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Mi Amiga Magazine Editorial Article
The Heart & Soul of Sol Kent
June 10th, 2014
By: Candace R. Salim
On the first evening of May, in scenic midtown Atlanta, the Mi
Amiga fashion
team enjoyed a standing room-only event entitled Be Divine: A
Tribute To Fashionata
which honored the contributions of the late legendary fashion
curator, Sol Kent. As the
resident styling consultant of the world-renowned Richs store
during the 1950s-1980s,
the essence of his work continues to be heralded long after he
has left us. As a Jewish
man, himself, Kent worked tirelessly to include a diverse and
global collection of designs
for the Atlanta socialites that loved to shop but were unable to
travel to destinations such
as Milan to grab the latest couture straight from the runway.
Sols innate eye for style
was the authority of the day; legend has it that when he
informed a woman that he did not
approve of her outfit, she would immediately change into
something that was more
appealing to him rather than disappoint the fashion guru!
During this time, cities such as New York, London and Paris were
hosting their
annual Fashion Week events, but Atlanta was not necessarily a
hub for couture designers.
Sol Kent wanted to change that. He and his team, personally,
traveled the world to
purchase beautiful investment pieces from Christian Dior to
Oscar de la Renta and would
hand-deliver them to his loyal clientele. He became so
enthralled with the process that he
eventually took over an event entitled Fashionata which was
started in 1945 but lost its
steam until Sols rebirth of it in 1957. This show was lively to
say the least. Those in
attendance during its hey-day still rave about it decades later!
It was truly an experience
to be had, where Atlantas elite descended upon ornate venues
such as the Symphony
Hall or the Fabulous Fox Theatre to view the Broadway-inspired,
interactive fashion
shows. This occasion was always one of the most highly
anticipated events of each year
and fashion directors from other high-end department store
competitors, such as Saks
Fifth Avenue, would take their lead for the upcoming season from
these events.
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The proceeds from the Be Divine affair benefitted The William
Breman Jewish
Heritage Museum, which recently wrapped its Return to Richs: The
Story Behind The
Store exhibit. The marriage of the Be Divine event with the
Museums retrospective
was all the more relevant since the founder of Richs (the late
Morris Rich) was also a
Jewish man like Sol Kent. The host committee was diligent in
informing its guests that
the goal of the evenings show was to honor Mr. Kent and to, in
no way, re-create the
famed Fashionatas of the past. So much of Fashionata was a
physical extension of Mr.
Kents vibrant spirit and personality that those who survived him
still work tirelessly to
preserve the memory of his contributions. In the event program,
Sols wife, Irene Kent,
wrote, ...this evening is not meant to be a Fashionata but a
remembrance of a time and
era gone by. The evening began with a light-hearted introduction
by Mr. Aaron Berger,
the current Executive Director of the Museum. He fondly
reflected upon memories of
past Fashionatas and shared funny anecdotes about the eccentric
world of Sol Kent.
Thereafter, the show opened with beautiful models, or mannequins
as Mr. Kent would
refer to the beauties, sashaying down the runway in designer
duds from the 1960s. The
platforms were flanked on either side by projectors, which
showed looping videos of
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Kent narrating past Fashionata events. It was surreal to see the
current show juxtaposed
with the vintage footage. Catwalk Productions and Carter-Barnes
Hair Artisans provided
the hair, makeup and beautifully designed set. One of the very
first designs to hit the
stage was a beautiful Chester Weinberg frock set to the tune of
Frank Sinatras It Had
To Be You. As the audience was transported back in time, a
steady stream of beautiful
clothes flowed down the catwalk. The models ranged in height,
age, weight, and
nationality, which was very reflective of the diverse models
that Sol chose for his shows
in the past. He would personally teach them how to walk and had
an influence in every
aspect of the production. From a beautiful pale yellow dress by
Teal Traina to a show-
stopping floor length gown by Nina Ricci, the shows 1960s
segment ended with a soul-
stirring serenade of Fly Me To The Moon by Frank Sinatra and
Count Basie.
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The devil was in the details during the 1970s disco era! The
models seamlessly
transitioned into the funky threads that were the antithesis of
the pastel palettes and pussy
bow ties previously shown. In the opening, we hear Sol Kents
voice booming from the
speakers as he says, Over the years, we have resorted to all
sorts of shenanigans there
were times when you must have thought that we were more than
slightly demented.
Immediately, a slideshow appeared featuring photos of magazine
covers, musicians of the
times, and movies that captured the essence of the 70s. The live
models then arrived on
the runway wearing wind-swept hair, halter tops, and Pierre
Cardin wrap dresses (a la
Diane Von Furstenburg) with deep v-necks. Everything about them
looked slightly more
carefree and liberated while they still maintained a fierce
gaze. One of Sols original
mannequins appeared wearing a colorful Bill Blass dress with a
rainbow pleated drop-
waist hem. The way that she sashayed down the runway was filled
with so much pride
and nostalgia! The clothes, which were on loan from a variety of
notable Atlanta fashion
collectors, were unbelievably vibrant and full of buttery
leather suits and accessories. The
clothing coming down the runway was as vibrant as the disco
melodies playing in the
background, flanked by big, beautiful afros and bold tribal
prints. It was a carefully
curated performance set to the sounds of Barry Whites booming
bass vocals and All
That Jazz from the Broadway musical, Chicago. One of the
standout pieces was a wide-
legged leopard print Yves Saint Laurent jumpsuit that captured
everyones attention. It
had volume, movement, and oozed luxury!
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But, there was one ensemble that combined all of the fashionable
factors of a 1970s girl-
about-town:
With bright pops of orange, tailored leather pants, deluxe
driving gloves, a bold print
blouse, sassy shades, and a Calvin Klein trench coat that could
stop traffic from Peachtree
Street to 5th Avenue, the crowd roared with approval! In true
Sol Kent fashion, the
shows producers were careful to leave no detail unnoticed when
it came to ensuring that
the clothing stayed true to the times.
As we transitioned into the final decade feature, the 1980s,
there was an
excitement about how the show would pay homage to the
creativity, ruffles, big hair, and
neons of the times! The opening model rocked a hot pink Donna
Karan cocktail dress
with a plunging sweetheart neckline and strappy gold pumps. More
big names began to
stroll in from Chanel to Givenchy to Valentino and the height of
the hair and shoulder
pads expanded with each design! Heres a fun Fall look from
Chloe:
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And, as promised, the shoulder details and ruffle hemlines made
girls just want to have
fun-Cyndi Lauper style:
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As the show came to a close, emotions filled the room as Sol
Kents former
mannequins came out to take one last stroll together in honor of
their mentor:
And we are certain that he would have approved.
Those that worked with Sol Kent before his retirement in 1991
remember his
preparations backstage with the mannequins as everyone waited
with bated breath for
the show to begin. While standing in the wings with them, he
would whisper no other
instruction than, Be divine. And those two simple words have
carried his standards for
grace throughout the fashion world ever since.
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After the show, we had the pleasure of sitting down with Aida
Perez Flamm,
former Chair of Fashionata and long-time contributor to the
Atlanta luxury scene. Below,
she gives us unique insight into the world of Sol Kent and talks
about fashion then and
now.
~Since Sol's retirement in 1991, how has the Atlanta luxury
fashion scene changed?
Nothing has ever been quite as great. I've attended a lot of
fashion shows but it doesn't
have the same panache. He had all the top designers and could
fill the biggest venues like
the Fox Theater! Now fashion shows are a lot smaller and more
like a party.
~How important was diversity in the life and work of Sol
Kent?
He was WAY ahead of everybody else. He gave most of the Black
and Asian models in
Atlanta many of their runway jobs. However, I don't believe that
at that time there were
many Latina models.
~What did you wear to the Be Divine event?
I wore a Dolce & Gabbana outfit. I bought it at the Dolce
& Gabbana boutique within
Saks Fifth Avenue in Beverly Hills. Oh, and red Valentino
shoes!
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~How are the current Atlanta department stores (Macy*s, Neiman
Marcus, Saks)
maintaining the fashion events scene in the absence of
Rich's?
Fashion shows are very expensive when done correctly. Fashionata
gave you an idea of
what you wanted for the rest of the season. Now, the shows can
be so small and only
focus on one brand. However, when Ken Downing comes in town to
do his shows at
Neiman Marcus, its great because he brings a lot of personality
to the events, which is
what Sol used to do.
~How have you stayed involved in the fashion community over the
last 20 years?
Technology has helped me to stay connected between websites,
reading articles, and
social media. I also love to buy and sell clothes online.
~What is your opinion of the Latina presence in the Atlanta
fashion community?
I came to Atlanta in 1973 and I have sat on the Latin American
Association board for
10 years. I get to travel a lot and see fashion in other parts
of the world. I spend lots of
time in India where the fashion shows there are so glamorous!
But, here I dont see very
many Latinas designers. Often, many Latinas that work in fashion
are on the service side,
such as working in Alterations. I would love to see Mi Amiga
Magazine do a story on
Latinas in fashion!