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Don’t let the dress fool you.

The gorgeous white gown with silver sequins and velvet adorns a pure villain. Margy Ryan wears it in the Lincoln Community Playhouse production of “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.”

Returning to the Playhouse stage for the first time since starring in “Dixie Swim Club” in 2011, Ryan will play the White Witch in an adaptation of the C.S. Lewis classic.

“I’m an evil character who gets to look nice,” Ryan said of her dress designed by costumer Karen Statham.

When told her White Witch sounded a bit like Cruella de Vil from “101 Dalmatians,” Ryan agreed.

“That’s not a bad comparison,” she said. “But I want to kill children instead of puppies.”

Scary stuff.

Directed by Dustin Mosko, a graduate assistant at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Johnny Carson School of Theatre and Film, “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” opens the Playhouse’s 70th season. Performances begin Friday on the mainstage.

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“Wardrobe” is the first of seven young adult novels making up Lewis’ “The Chronicles of Narnia.” It (and the play) tell the story of four children (Carson Cash, Amanda Schumacher, Matt Stephens and Colleen O’Gara) who inadvertently wander from an old wardrobe into the exciting, never-to-be-forgotten Narnia, where the great lion Aslan (Walter J. McDowell III) struggles against the White Witch (Ryan).

For Ryan, the play is sort of coming full circle for her. A veteran of 39 shows in 17 years, she first appeared in a children’s classic: the stage adaptation of Madeline L’Engle’s “A Wrinkle in Time” in February 1998 at the Playhouse. Ryan had a supporting role in “Wrinkle,” a play that featured her daughter Caitlin (McCleery) Casella as the lead, Meg.

“My daughter and I both loved the book,” Ryan remembered. “She was active in the Playhouse, doing tech and acting. She always kept saying, ‘you need to come and audition with me.’”

Ryan admitted to being a Lewis fan. She’s read “Wardrobe” multiple times and seen the movie and BBC series. She also played Aunt Letty in “The Magician’s Nephew,” the sixth book in the Narnia collection and a prequel to “Wardrobe.”

She showed up to auditions hoping to land the Aslan role. She even frizzed up her long hair into a bushy mane.

“I thought it would be fun,” she said, “but I got the witch.” Not that she’s complaining, because “evil is always fun to play.”

This isn’t even her first time as a witch on stage. She portrayed one of three in Flatwater Shakespeare’s production of “Macbeth,” but noted that director Bob Hall toned down the witchy aspects of the characters.

“He said there would be no cackling, no pointy hats and no green makeup,” she recalled. “I do some cackling (in ‘Wardrobe’), but there’s no pointy hat. It’s a crown.”

And a beautiful white dress.

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Plus Size Bride Tania Jennings Spent Over 1000 Hours Crocheting Her Dream Wedding Dress

We hear the stories and see them on all of the wedding TV shows: Women who are willing to do anything, travel any distance, and pay any amount for their dream wedding dress. A plus size crocheted wedding dress is going viral for taking that to the extreme. Tania Jennings from Chesham, England spent over 1000 hours creating the 150 pieces for her unique, offbeat wedding gown.

Using various shades of purples and white, the pieces making up the overlay and train took Jennings seven months to create — including the last few hours before the wedding. “The photographer asked me, ‘Tania, do you think you might actually finish the dress today?’” she told WHAS-11. “I just laughed and said, ‘Yes, I will finish at three o’clock.’ They asked how I knew and I just said, ‘Look, that’s when I have to get my hair and makeup done so I can go marry my best friend.’”

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The various pieces of the dress took between two and 80 hours to complete, depending on the size. Jennings said she has been crocheting since she was three years old, but she had never crocheted lace before — which posed some challenges and made her question her decision. “There were a lot of tears along the way as I tried to learn new techniques, ripped out pieces that just weren’t working right, and tried to envision what it was going to look like,” she said.

The final result not only allowed this bride to wear something uniquely suited to her tastes and needs, but it also celebrated her family and the people in attendance. Jennings said that she added different little pieces that were meaningful to people in her life like “an elephant for my younger daughter Bridgette, a tulip for my daughter Gabby, my husband wanted a martini glass on the dress, a friend of my daughter’s requested a giraffe, another a turtle, and so on… It became a bit of a game at the reception for everyone to find ‘their’ piece.”

While dress choices are overwhelming for most, plus size women can have a harder time finding a gown due to the diminished selection over a bridal size 14. Never mind that bridal sizes typically run two to three sizes smaller than standard sizing! The majority of gowns at your average shop, and even more size inclusive wedding retailers like David’s, are going to be for a size 14 or under. It’s hard out there for a plus size bride!

Whether Jennings struggled to find something that she felt suited her perfectly or whether she was just choosing to opt out of a mountain of ivory taffeta and “bling,” her customized dress is pretty perfect. Although it’s not for every bride, it seems so fitting that Jennings chose to create something that was meaningful to her, her family, and that she connected with so deeply over a course of seven months. On a day about celebrating love, commitment, and family, there couldn’t be another dress more perfect.

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As Islamic fashion is becoming a global industry, plenty is happening on the couture front.

The characteristic scent of Arabic perfumed oils linger around the entrance of Selfridges, a high-end Central London department store, where abaya-clad women from the Arabian Peninsula can often be seen searching for their latest luxury item in the Louis Vuitton and Gucci boutiques. Fashion-interested and with money to spend, Gulf Arabs also flock to the iconic British shopping mecca Harrods, which was bought by the Qatari royal family in 2010 from Egyptian businessman Mohamed al-Fayed.

Wealthy Middle Eastern consumers have long enjoyed shopping in European fashion capitals, but now Muslim fashion designers are increasingly claiming their own space in the world’s fashion scene.

“Islamic chic” is a fast-growing market. The State of the Global Islamic Economy 2014-2015 report shows that Muslim consumers spent around $266 billion on clothing globally in 2013. And Thomson Reuters, which co-commissioned the study, estimates that figure will increase to about $484 billion by 2019.

AAB IN EAST LONDON

Aab, one of the world’s leading Islamic clothing retailers, opened its first boutique in East London this spring. Complementing its online offering, the physical store opened its doors to a crowd of 2,000 people eagerly awaiting its arrival.

The opening of Aab’s London shop is the first in an international long-term growth strategy that includes expanding to key international fashion and financial hubs in the Middle East, Malaysia and Indonesia over the next three years. “With the success of our first flagship boutique in London, we plan to open more in the UK and overseas due to the demand for our brand,” says Nazmin Alim, creative director of Aab.

“[With] the population of young Muslims rising, they have [significant] spending power as this is the generation that are now independent, working and exposed to media in more ways than one,” Alim adds.

As Islamic fashion is becoming a global industry, plenty is also happening on the couture front. The Islamic Fashion Festival, which started in 2006 in Kuala Lumpur, has been held 17 times to date in cities that include New York, London, Jakarta, Dubai and Singapore. Names like Sydney-based Frida Deguise, Rabia Z and young trend-aware Muslim fashion lovers, dubbed “hijabistas,” are leading a modest fashion revolution with their own brands, garnering hundreds of thousands of followers on social media in the process.

“The new younger generation want to be modern without compromising on their halal lifestyle,” says Salma Chaudhry of The Halal Cosmetics Company, which launched in 2013. “We’re in a society where any and all information is at our fingertips, ladies are chatting and sharing information on social media particularly about topics like beauty and fashion all the time.”

Chaudhry, who will be speaking about her cosmetics range in Saudi Arabia, France and Azerbaijan this year, predicts both the Islamic fashion and beauty industries are on the cusp of something big.

“Muslims of this generation are embracing their identity, and businesses that do not cater to this huge consumer sector will be left behind. I think that halal cosmetics will be as readily available as any other types of beauty products pretty soon. The industry is still in its infancy and the future is about to boom,” she says.

QUIRKY TURBAN HAUTE COUTURE

Iman Aldebe is a Stockholm-based fashion designer who focuses on quirky turban interpretations as an alternative way of wearing the hijab. Raised in a religious Muslim family from Jordan—“I hated my mother’s baggy and shapeless clothes,” she says—Aldebe studied design at high school and started creating dresses for friends’ graduations and weddings at an early age.

DESIGNER IMAN ALDEBE. PHOTO: BINNIAM ESKENDEREach one of her trendy pieces is hand-made. Her collections are sold in exclusive galleries in Sweden, Paris and Dubai. “I’m always at the forefront because I’ve worked with Muslim fashion during a large part of my upbringing. It used to be men designing women’s clothes but now women have taken over,” she says.

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The daughter of a religious leader and politician in Sweden, Aldebe’s groundbreaking quest to modernize Muslim fashion provoked the conservative views of Islamist and right-wing extremists alike. “If you are paving the way for something new, you can count with a certain resistance,” she says.

When one of Aldebe’s female friends attended Polishögskolan (Police College) in Sweden and needed a suitable hijab, Aldebe was commissioned to create the hijab that now forms part of the official Swedish police uniform. The task, complicated by security considerations, resulted in is a sleek, stylish, yet highly functional hijab that seamlessly blends with the required headgear. So far, just one Swedish police officer wears it for work. But Aldebe will soon be creating an official military hijab for the Swedish army (in camouflage), as well as another for women working in pharmacies and hospitals.

CHALLENGING NORMS

Aldebe is currently working on her first Islamic clothing line for both men and women for the Arabian Peninsula, particularly Riyadh and Dubai. Combining Swedish style with long, traditional garments, her norm-breaking collection is all-white for both sexes, challenging the Gulf norm that women should wear black and men white. The white collection aims to strengthen women’s role in society and promote equality. “Sometimes, clothes have a larger impact than politics,” she says.

Making art out of fashion, Aldebe says, has always been a tool for her to try to eliminate prejudices and open up the eyes of the fashion world to other cultures and religious influences. “I want to show the emergence of strong, individualistic, intelligent, independent and driven women with a different background from the Swedish one, and that are Muslim,” she explains. “I’ve wanted to eradicate the image of the oppressed Muslim woman that voluntarily isolates herself from society to live on welfare and produce babies.”

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is the second largest consumer of Muslim clothing in the world, spending $22.5 billion in 2013. In first place is Turkey, with $39.3 billion spent on the merchandise in the same year. “When I was asked to change UAE’s traditional outfits, I discovered that the men’s traditional garments have remained the same for centuries. But colored female abayas are now slowly being accepted,” Aldebe says.

“Since I’m not confined to a certain norm, it’s been easier for me to think outside of the box and to create something modern, particularly after the Arab Spring,” she continues. But she has stuck with the wealthy region’s penchant for silk, pearls and Swarovski crystals, which features heavily in her newest designs.

Anas Sillwood, manager of Jordan-based Islamic clothing company Shukr, points out that most women, however, don’t wear haute couture. “The majority of Muslim women wouldn’t wear turbans. But Muslim women are looking for nice evening gowns to wear to special occasions,” he says. “At Shukr, we’re trying to meet some really pressing needs in the Muslim community.”

“Shukr’s sales are highest in the summer months because Muslims can’t find mainstream alternatives. In the winter months, sales slow down because the clothes become more modest in mainstream stores,” says Sillwood.

“Ideally, Muslims have a very balanced approach towards clothing—they want to look presentable and beautiful, but they don’t become obsessed with it, or with the latest fashion,” he adds.

BEYOND “MUSLIM COOL”

The term “Muslim Cool” relating to fashion was coined by ethnologist Leila Karin Österlind in her doctoral thesis on Muslim fashion that has the working title, “Next Year in Dubai Incha Allah. Islamic Fashion and Muslim Cool.” The concept works in two ways: It includes how trendy hijabistas like Instagram star Mariam Moufid and fashion blogger Dina Tokio dress, as well as the way in which Muslim fashion affect mainstream Western brands—for example, H&M’s offering of harem trousers and Moroccan-style kaftans in its collections.

A DESIGN BY JORDAN FASHION HOUSE SHUKR. PHOTO SUPPLIEDÖsterlind points to how this has also infiltrated wider male fashion: The now-infamous hipster beard, the height of its popularity occurring a few years ago and much-spotted in capital cities worldwide, was originally an expression of Muslim Cool. According to Österlind, there are mainly two trends that are taking over the global Muslim fashion scene: tight outfits combined with wraps or turbans and Khaleeji-influenced (Gulf style) abayas, and large, built-up hijabs. “Being a Muslim today is increasingly connected to consumption,” Österlind toldSwedish newspaper DN in April.

While valid as a description of previous trends, both “Muslim Cool” and “Mipsterz” are now dated terms according to Aldebe—as is “Muslim fashion” itself. She says that Islamic-inspired fashions are becoming more and more mainstream.

“The pressure for fashion profiles and celebrities to always be the first to deliver inspiring looks has contributed to an increased acceptance of the unknown. Trends shift so quickly today, so people are happy to get inspired from other cultures and religions,” she says.

Sillwood believes Islamic international fashion companies will emerge to compete in the fashion industry. He says that Turkish companies, while much bigger than Western Islamic clothing companies, are heavily influenced by Turkish fashion, which is not appreciated everywhere, and they are unlikely to become major international brands.

“Overall, the Islamic fashion industry will become more and more similar to the mainstream fashion industry—in terms of presentation and style of clothing. Because of the globalization of Western mono-culture, it is probably Western Islamic clothing companies that have the greatest chance of becoming major international fashion companies,” he says.

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Life in the Boomer Lane has just returned from Santa Fe. Having been there many years ago, she was eagerly anticipating the art, the food, the vistas, the laid back vibe, and the magical mix of Indian/Latino/Caucasian culture. She will bypass all of this to tell her readers about some of the extraordinary people she met under the most ordinary of circumstances, in the shops and galleries she visited. These people, whether born in Santa Fe or in New York City or in any other place in the country, have chosen to make Santa Fe their home. These people are the heart of Santa Fe.

Norma, the sales clerk, appeared as a vision, in the first store LBL and her friend, Sandy, entered. LBL is a huge fan of the blog Advanced Style, and Norma looked like she had stepped from the blog directly into LBL’s line of vision. From a long career as an artist and designer, Norma and her husband settled in Santa Fe, to soak in the arts and the culture, and to inspire whoever might cross her path. LBL told her she would write about her in her blog, and so she needed Norma’s last name. Norma asked, “Which last name? I have two.” LBL has now looked up both of her last names (Andraud and Sharon), and it turns out she is well-known with either. One is her art work, the other her fashion design. She doesn’t have an inspiration website, but she should. She is a master at that.

LBL and Sandy asked Norma where they should eat, and her first suggestion was a restaurant called The Shed, right near the main plaza. They went there for dinner, and the place was packed. The hostess suggested that they stand at the bar, and, if seats were available, could be served there. In awhile, they did get seats at the bar, next to three people who were already eating. LBL, being polite, smiled and introduced herself and asked them where they were from. The married couple was from Austin, TX, their friend from Oklahoma. The woman from Austin was a Methodist minister, here in Santa Fe to officiate at a wedding.

After awhile, LBL, again simply being polite, leaned over and commented to the husband how lucky is wife was to be officiating in Santa Fe. She asked him if the bride and groom were paying their way. His answer was, “It’s a groom and groom, and no. The church doesn’t allow my wife to marry same sex couples, so we have come here so that my wife can officiate until the last sentence that says, “I now pronounce you…” She will leave that sentence out. In that moment, all of LBL’s preconceived notions about these people flew out the window. She said to the husband, “Soon, there will be no such thing as same-sex marriage. There will simply be marriage.” He shook his head and answered, “Amen to that.”

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Kathleen Piccione was seated at a desk in Gallery One, one of the 300 art galleries and studios that wind their way up the legendary Canyon Road, Santa Fe’s most famous street. Kathleen is sweet, she is welcoming, she is beautiful. She is a vision of young, artsy-looking Santa Fe. LBL thought how lucky she must be to have a job that surrounds her with such beautiful art, until she asked Kathleen who the artist was. It was Kathleen, herself. The work was hers, as well as the gallery. Originally from Wisconsin, Kathleen is largely self-taught. She pointed to a stunning portrait of a young Indian girl. Kathleen found the girl at a powwow, painted her, and has now entered the painting in an international art competition. You can see her work on her website and the painting she has entered at Art Prize 2015.

The Railroad District is a part of Santa Fe that, until some years ago, was simply, well, the railroad staging area. Gradually, young artists and gallery owners began to buy up the cheap spaces that surrounded the tracks. Now, the area is filled with galleries, shops, and the Santa Fe Farmers Market. One of the galleries LBL and Sandy went into was owned by a sculptor, Joyce Stolaroff, who bought the cavernous space to start a gallery some years ago. Joyce sculpts dogs: big, black dogs. They were all over the place. They were beautiful, scary, intimidating, friendly, depending on one’s belief system about big, black dogs. This is what Joyce had to say:

“Did you know that black dogs are euthanized at a much higher rate in shelters than any other kind of dog? But the few black dogs that are adopted go on to live lives in which they are loved, cared for, valued. I think about this all the time. What makes one dog a throwaway and another an object of love? It’s like what makes one person a throwaway and another an object of love? So I create most of the dogs like the ones you see here, the ones that never make it. Then, I make a few that are gilded. These are the lucky ones, the ones who are deemed precious.” Her words stayed with LBL long after she left the gallery.

Joyce works tirelessly for the dignity of all dogs. She uses her art for fundraising events and is constantly trying to raise people’s awareness. You can see Joyce’s work and feel her passion at Wheelhouse Art Gallery.

The William Siegal Gallery is a huge, slick, contemporary art gallery on the outskirts of the Railroad District. By the time LBL and her friend entered it, they were becoming brain-dead from art overload. But there, amid the huge contemporary works of art, were the “Retablos” of Victor Huaman Guitierrez, a self-taught folk artist from Peru.

Guitierrez is 38-years-old and has always lived in the place he was born, a remote village in the Central Highlands of Peru. His journey as an artist began at the age of eleven when he saw a Retablo for the first time. Retablos are a key part of the Peruvian culture and originally served as religious shrines, but have evolved to include depictions of secular scenes of daily life and traditional events. Victor has since dedicated himself to this ancient art form that originated in the nearby town of Ayacucho.

Guitierrez is one of fifteen siblings, seven of whom died at an early age due to malnutrition and other hardships of living in extreme poverty. To this day, as a result of these harsh conditions, he is ill at ease with much of adult life. He has a singular manner of speaking, is unusually shy and sheltered for his age, often struggling to fit in. He lives in the village of Quinua with his now elderly parents, in a rustic adobe house with no indoor plumbing. He works in almost complete isolation, in a small corner of his home reserved as his “studio”, surrounded by the clutter of family belongings. His materials include a local brand of children’s water color paints, a variety of odds and ends he finds on his daily walks and brushes he makes from hair that is either his own or that of the cat, burro or goat.

What astonished LBL about Guiterrez’ Retablos was the cultural perspective they are drawn upon. Guiterrez, whose only perspective would seem to be defined by his tiny village, instead makes artistic statements that are more indicative of world-traveled and highly educated individuals. It would be like someone growing up without a piano, sitting down one day in a music store, and beginning to play Mozart.

Gallery Director Eric Garduno told LBL that Guiterrez was actually in Santa Fe that very week to participate in the huge, annual Santa Fe International Folk Art Market, that draws artists and collectors from all over the world. Because the William Siegal Gallery carried Guiterrez’ work (the only folk art they have ever carried), they were hosting him. This was his first time out of Peru.

“For the last couple days, we have been doing fork training,” Eric said. Thinking this was a new art form, LBL asked him to explain. “Victor has never used a fork to eat. We thought he should know how to do that, for all the events that will take place this weekend.”

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Cowgirl fashion and rodeo lifestyles got off to a rip-roaring start on a recent weekday night at the Miss Rodeo South Dakota competition as the ladies came out dancing to country music.

Mikayla Sich, 22, of Brookings, hit the stage in a white hat and a purple dress and boots for the modeling portion of the competition. It was a standout wardrobe of vibrant colors that was difficult to resist.

In the speech and on-stage question portion of the pageant, Sich spoke in a pleasant South Dakota singsong, citing former Miss Rodeo America Jennifer Smith as an inspiration for her stage career and speaking about her own plans to conquer the world of broadcast journalism.

The four women in the main competition all performed well together and individually at the Belle Fourche Area Community Center on July 2. Two days later, Sich, 22, of Brookings, was selected as the next Miss Rodeo South Dakota Lady in Waiting.

She was crowned by last year’s winner, Kendra Peterson, of Sisseton, who was given a heartfelt sendoff by Miss Rodeo South Dakota President Ted Thompson and National Director Cindy Wilk.

“It’s hard to put into words the bond we have with these girls,” Wilk said.

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Peterson tried to keep things short, saying that “if you give a rodeo queen a mic, she’ll keep talking.”

Peterson’s reign will end in December, after she competes at Miss Rodeo America at Las Vegas’ MGM Grand. Sich will compete in December.

Sich wasn’t lacking competition: Her fellow contestants, Carrietta Schalesky of Bison, Shamee Merkel of Aberdeen, and Stephanie Gruener of Brandt, all performed admirably.

Schalesky wore a red leather dress with a cowhide design on the skirt and a white hat. Her speech praised the work ethic of South Dakotans and an on-stage question gave her time to speak of her travels in South Africa.

Gruener wore a purple dress with a white hat and spoke of her background in agriculture.

Merkel’s white dress, hat and boots all matched beautifully as she gave an energetic speech about her greatest inspiration, her grandmother. Her on-stage question gave her time to talk about her background in physical therapy.

Each contestant had a chance to speak about what South Dakota meant to them and about their own inspirations, but it was Sich’s speech about how South Dakota is shaped by its weather that won over the crowd.

In the Junior Miss Rodeo South Dakota pageant, Bailey Bosworth of White Lake was crowned by last year’s winner, Martina Loobey of Sturgis.

Bosworth’s gray dress with blue satin ruffles was accentuated by her black boots and hat, and her amiable on-stage presence and speech about South Dakota’s self-reliance won over the crowd.

She was joined in the competition by Victoria Hagg of Rapid City and Tyler Flintz of Aberdeen. Hagg hit the stage in a red satin gown with a black hat while Flintz wore a green satin and lace gown.

The contestants also competed in a horsemanship section on July 3. Wilk said that she looked forward to working with Sich and Bosworth in the future, and said that they’d be excellent role models for future Miss Rodeo South Dakota contestants.

“Their job is to promote the sport of rodeo and to be all around well-rounded girls and good role models,” Wilk said. “And I have faith in them and in all of the girls.”

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When contemplating the nature of love, don’t you ever hark back to the good old days when marriages were prudently negotiated? When a relationship was built on solid, practical ground? Like how handy your potential boo was with a plough, or how well they could withstand an acute bout of dropsy? Married At First Sight runs with this commendably pragmatic attitude towards coupling, combines it with shit-hot science, and takes sexual chemistry back to its natural home: the laboratory.

It hopes to show that modern medical technology can break love down to its component parts with genome sequencing, things written meaningfully on to clipboards, dippers whooshed about in spit samples, and questionnaires analysing the very foundations of how you love. Evidence is then sifted and a slick, biologically watertight and hormonally compatible union created between willing volunteers, the strength of which is tested by a very real and legally binding on-the-spot wedding. What Channel 4 joins together let no man put asunder.

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The concept of a dating show that – all going well – ends in holy matrimony is not new to TV, as fans of high-quality broadcasting such as The Bachelor, The Bachelorette and Bachelor Pad will note. As the extensive lab coats illustrate, though, Married At First Sight is an in-depth study of partnership. And if, after five weeks of closely documented will-they-won’t-they, they don’t, the matched couples are offered a very real and sensible divorce. I’ll admit, I don’t know a lot about wedded bliss, but I know these contestants won’t be the first people to walk down the aisle repeating the mantra that it doesn’t have to be for ever, so at least an element of tradition remains.

The tumbleweed love lives of the urban millennials involved is a symptom of a wider problem, the programme suggests. Thirty-one-year-old Emma is pretty typical of the test subjects as she stoically tells us about how she buggered up her chances of happiness with modern indulgences like “turning up to work”. Across the board, in fact, the hopefuls say that they’ve found themselves unexpectedly in their 30s – around the time most Londoners start idly fantasising about moving from their seven-person houseshare and settling down in a nice cupboard above a butcher’s/VHS outlet – single and sapped of any inclination to mingle.

The show’s scientific approach – and especially the Phones 4 U-inspired rolling contract to commitment – seems like a much better option than a solid decade of terrible dates. But, as most people will tell you, love can’t be quantified with beakers and charts. There is something ethereal in the bond that unites two souls, and it’s best summed up as the mortal fear of dying alone. Maybe the question isn’t whether modern science can determine compatibility, but whether five weeks is long enough to convince yourself that the person you’re now waking up next to is a better alternative than pegging it on the floor beneath a Morrisons turkey dinner for one. Or “let love grow”, if you want to get poetic about it.

This, I’m sure, is the real reason for love’s endurance, and trying to foretell how strong that love will be probably yields results similar to casting a chicken’s entrails over a divining table. This visual metaphor brings us nicely to the delicate matter of if and when the couples will cultivate the petri dish. Mash the mitochondria. Partake in a bit of horizontal housekeeping. When will the couples consummate their holy vows is what I’m trying to hint at here. At this stage, it’s unclear exactly how probing Married At First Sight’s research will be, but I’ll take my cue from the innocent optimism of the participants and hold out hope for some awkward night-vision footage.

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The fifth edition of Africa Fashion Week London, which is scheduled to hold between 7th and 8th of August at the Olympia, London, is set to deliver a platform that might change the economics of design on the continent.

Since debuting in 2011, Africa Fashion Week London (AFWL) has gone from strength to super-strength in its attempt to change how fashion is done and perceived in Africa. The balance of trade is tilted towards the developed west, because the African fashion industry, although harbouring a few out-of-the-box successes, is still largely undeveloped, with over a billion people to cater for. AFWL hopes to solve this conundrum, by showcasing young, upcoming, and unknown African designers to the world.

“It’s a conscious decision we made,” AFWL’s creative director, Sola Oyebade told THISDAY during a press conference in Lagos announcing the fifth edition. “We don’t go for the big names. We try to give a platform to young designers and help push their products out there. We’ve had top designers approach us, but told them, no, this is not your market.”

This, the bringing of the unknown to global consciousness, is invaluable in setting up the continent as a fashion destination. A plethora of accomplished designers can only be a good thing, as it boosts retail trade, even across the Atlantic. It probably accounts for why the South African Department of Trade and Industry is sponsoring 20 designers to AFWL 2015. Other African countries, including Nigeria, should do the same.

About 68 designers from all parts of the world will take part in the two day event, which will have three shows per day.

“Last year, we had designers that came from Thailand showcasing African fabrics. They are coming again this year. We also have designers coming from Uganda, Hong Kong and other places. So those two days, the 7th and 8th August will be remarkable for fashionistas ,” Oyebade said.

There will also be emerging designers such as Taiwanese Aimme Ku, who is flying the flag for Africa-inspired fashion in her native Taipei City; and a welcome back for one of the favourites of the 2014 catwalk, Nigerian designer, Needlepoint. The winner of the Mercedes Benz Best Designer in Africa, Mary Martin, will also make her bow on the AFWL 2015 catwalk.

The AFWL 2015 brand ambassadors are top models, Victoria Michaels and Noella Musunka Coursaris. Michaels is one of the most sought-after models for leading businesses in Africa. She has played major roles in commercials for Hertz Rent-a-car, Vodafone, MTN, Nexcafe, Da-Vica and Bela-Aqua mineral water. Noella, meanwhile, is also an international model and the founder of Malaika, a non-profit organisation which is aimed lives in her native Democratic Republic of Congo.

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“It feels really great to be chosen as the Brand Ambassador for a globally acclaimed proudly African event like the African Fashion Week London,” Michaels has said. “I am particularly excited to be part of this grand platform that showcases the original African creativity, style and talent.

“We have a very rich fashion culture and I look forward to working with inspiring African designers from both within the continent and the Diaspora as we thrill and dazzle the world with authentic mind-blowing designs that speaks only of our incredible creativeness.” For Noella, she is “delighted to be serving on this year’s Brand Ambassador to Africa Fashion Week London, and to help showcase the brilliant work of African designers. It has always been my belief that fashion can be a tool for breaking down barriers and transcending cultures.

“This industry has the ability to put Africa on the world stage and can provide for countless job opportunities on the ground and abroad, from local factories to international shops. It is time for the world to see the amazing talent that lies within Africa.”

Maggie Smith takes over from Chi-Chi Nwuba as the face of AFWL 2015, after being chosen in a pubic via social media. “Maggie is of Ugandan/Scottish heritage and with her beautiful personality and impressive work ethic, she is an excellent ambassador for African fashion, and the perfect representative for Africa Fashion Week London,” a press statement read.

“I’m so proud to be the face of AFWL 2015. The journey so far has been very overwhelming and the support I’ve had so far is incredible. I look forward to the rest of this experience, and I intend to enjoy every minute,” Maggie said. Moving Forward

A rare combination of brains and beauty, Ronke Ademiluyi is the founder and headmistress of the AFWL team. At the press conference, she wears a warm smile as she touches, in brief words, on how AFWL has managed to survive to its fifth birthday.

“A lot of fashion weeks that started with us have died. We try to do everything on a very tight budget,” she says, “but if you are walking with the right team, it makes things look very easy. And, this year, a lot of people wanted to see more, and that’s why we have a larger cast of exhibition and designers, and why we are very diverse with the choices we make.”

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A viral image posted by popular Star Trek alumni, George Takei, pretty much sums it up. On June 26, the actor tweeted, “When I checked Twitter this morning…”, alongside a hysterical cartoon of a Zoozoo-like stand-in for himself left open-mouthed by a rainbow beaming out of his computer screen.

Takei was, of course, speaking of how the teeming denizens of Facebookistan have hitched on to the rainbow bandwagon, ever since the historic ruling on marriage equality by the Supreme Court of the United States (or SCOTUS, now an acronym familiar even to Indians).

So, while Twitter added a cutesy rainbow heart to every use of the hashtag #lovewins, Facebook doled out whimsical rainbow makeovers to millions of profile images. My feed now resembled, quite possibly, the conveyor belt at a massive Cadbury Gems factory.

If, in India, it was as if the festival of colours was upon us once again, one can only guess at what the cumulative effect of such multi-hued activism (armchair or otherwise) could be on those located at the centre of the action.

Symbols

It brought to mind the arguably more aesthetic (but equally choc-a-bloc) vision of rows and rows of red boxes with pink equal signs, or the Human Rights Campaign’s symbol of equality that caught on like wildfire in 2013, when arguments in the lawsuit (actually, four same-sex marriage cases that have been brought together in this landmark case, called Obergefell vs Hodges) were first being heard.

The three seconds it took to change one’s profile image allowed people to become instant signatories to a happening cause. There was (and is) the whiff of lazy clicktivism to this, as legal scholar Cass Sunstein observed in The New York Times, “The experience of the echo chamber is easier to create with a computer than with (the) forms of political interaction that preceded it,” but there is no denying the impact of such a profusion of ‘right noises’.

A costumed dog stands along Market Street during the annual Gay Pride Parade in San Francisco, California after the US Supreme Court’s landmark ruling legalising same-sex marriage nationwide.

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In India, this was experienced first-hand with the #GayForADay campaign, that took off in the weeks after the egregious turning back of the clock on gay rights by Justice (or ‘Injustices’) Singhvi and Justice Ganguly in December, 2013.

Thousands changed their display pictures to ones in which they could be visibly seen kissing (very chastely, in most cases) a person of the same gender. However reductive that may appear to be now, word on the ground can sometimes begin with such seemingly flighty measures, positioned out in the open, and involving all kinds of people, both gay and straight.

Certainly, for those in the gay community, starved of images of affirmation, these passing trends serve the purpose of making them feel cursorily a part of the very society. Ironically, it is a society that has traditionally excluded them, even if giant strides made elsewhere can seem irrelevant in an India where the specter of Section 377 still hangs like the sword of Damocles over most queer lives.

India

In a shrinking world, many gay Indians are no longer insulated from global changes that impact them, both positive and negative, drawn selectively, of course, from what the mainstream media tends to highlight. We are equally repulsed by anti-gay butchery in Uganda and Iraq, as we’re enthused by the victory marches in Ireland or the US, which have the marked the culmination of years of struggle, something we are quite familiar with.

Many Indians have benefited from marriage equality laws (or indeed, civil partnership statutes) that exist outside their own country, and not just in the notional sense of skipping over to Nepal for a quick ceremony. Many human-interest stories have emerged over the years, only sporadically documented, ever since the civil union between Wendell Rodricks and Jerome Marrel.

Their Goa reception was dubbed the country’s first gay wedding in 2003, although as much as a decade earlier, Aditya Advani and Michael Torr had exchanged garlands in a Hindu ceremony organised by Advani’s mother. It was the earliest instance of an Indian gay marriage on record, with all the pomp and panoply.

Last week, when news of the ruling first broke, account manager Rhea Fadnavis, 26, was in Paris with her partner, Annette Nicoll, preparing to celebrate their first Paris Pride as a legally wedded couple. “We were overjoyed when we read the news! It was such a warm feeling. I wish there comes a day when ‘gay marriage’ doesn’t make news anymore and is acceptable as heterosexual marriage,” she said.

Although she came from a volatile environment in a broken home, Fadnavis had never shied away from the idea of marriage. Over five years ago, she moved to the UK from Mumbai to complete her education. There she met Nicoll and after a whirlwind courtship they were married in a registry wedding last year, in a ceremony sans any kind of religious trappings. It was only a couple of months after Britain had passed legislation to allow same-sex marriage (although civil partnerships have been in vogue since 2004).

“At the end of the day, signing those papers is just a means to an end, to spend your life together as a ‘unit’ recognised by the state. It meant we were protected, come rain or shine, and we were each other’s next of kin, so we were very happy to do it,” she said.

Asked if she would have liked a wedding in India, Fadnavis is emphatic, “I never would have wanted a wedding in India, even though all my close friends are there. I would rather be in a supporting and accepting environment on one of the happiest days of my life.”

In May, the Irish referendum on gay marriage hit headlines around the world. Approved with more than 62 per cent of votes cast, it marked the first time a country had legalised same-sex marriage in a nationwide popular vote, as stated by The Guardian. Indian Karan Chugh, 28, who works in Dublin as a business consultant, was already planning to enter into a civil partnership with his long-standing partner, Conor O’Byrne, later this year.

“This was to ensure I could have the access to return to the country anytime without a visa, because my work takes me to different parts of the world,” he said. Chugh wanted to ensure that their future was secured, even if they were to enter into a long-distance relationship later on.

Unlike in the UK, with an Irish civil partnership, it would have been difficult for Chugh to have a legally recognised relationship with the biological children of his partner, and vice versa (even though the couple hasn’t yet thought of raising children). Now, with the constitutional amendment slated to be in place very soon, parity in all respects has been established, to much salutations the world over.

Chugh takes a contrary view of the mêlée. “Obviously those changes are important but I saw the referendum as a huge ego clash between the Church and gay men. Apart from cocking a snook at the Catholics who have branded us as all kinds of bad, I don’t think this overhyped campaign will make too much of a difference,” he signs off.

Laws

Back in India, even as the struggle for decriminalisation continues (or remains in limbo), some recent rumblings have registered on the radar. As states in the US began legalising gay marriage one at a time, we have come across professional photo-spreads of perfect weddings featuring Indian (or part-Indian) same-sex couples. Through an Instagram haze, these were heart-warming spectacles that also seemed like faraway fairy tales.

Closer home, activist Harrish Iyer’s matrimonial ad captured eyeballs in May and has even resulted in several prospective match-ups for him, a la Mr Yogi. Perhaps we will soon see a glitzy wedding (still without legal sanction) like the one envisioned in Celina Jaitley’s music video The Welcome that was released last year, where a young man surprises his family by bringing home, instead of a comely bride, a bridegroom in a fetching red bandhgala, for the saath pheras.

Within the community, marriage is sometimes seen as one of the sturdiest bastions of heteronormativity, and perhaps, an institution that need not (or must not) be inherited in its current form, when even straight couples find it difficult to marry out of their own free will. Straight nuptials, with their unending rituals that can stretch for weeks on end, can be oppressive to those who can never hope to bring their partners home to as much felicity.

However, the struggle is for equal rights and equal dignity. The ostensible sanctity of marriage, however contentious, with all its connotations, legal safeguards, and baggage, must be available to all. Which is why, the quest for gay marriage is here to stay, and surely, the sugar rush of rainbow-coloured avatars and this profuse solidarity with international (read, American) signposts, will pave the way for changes in our country too.

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Anyone in the Sterling area during the last two weeks would have been able to see smoke from the Card Street fire rising into the sky.

At the same time, something less visible, but no less present, has been wafting through the air: love.

As the Card Street fire burned through more than 8,000 acres of land since it began June 15, it has unfortunately taken several structures down in its wake. One of those buildings was the home of Bob and Hope Hensler, who, after a 14-year engagement, were married at the Sterling Community Center on Sunday afternoon.

The couple lost everything in the fire that destroyed their home, including Hope’s wedding dress. Melissa Daugherty, vice president of the community center’s board, said the couple was there receiving counseling from an American Red Cross representative when the wedding plans fell into place.

“(The representative) came and whispered in my ear that Hope lost her wedding dress in the fire and we need to find her a dress,” Daugherty said. “And I said, ‘We need to do more than the dress, let’s give her a wedding.’”

From that moment on, Daugherty assumed the additional role of wedding planner, and donations in support of the couple began pouring in. Everything from the dress and wedding cake to the guest book and ring bearer pillow were donated by local businesses and members of the community. The couple’s honeymoon is being donated by Land’s End Resort in Homer.

For Daugherty, it was heartening to see the surge of support for Bob and Hope, a completely separate phenomenon from the continuous stream of support for those affected by the fire thus far.

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“I remember my wedding — you know, how special it was — and to give that to (Hope) after losing everything, I don’t know how to put it into words,” Daughtery said. “I’m so proud to be part of this community.”

Gary Hale is a retired fire marshal from Soldotna with 40 years of experience, including 28 years with Central Emergency Services. When he got a call last Monday and was asked to walk a stranger down the aisle, it took him only a day to decide to say yes.

“It was an unusual request, but I got to thinking about it. What an honor,” Hale said. “I met them for the first time just before the march.”

Daugherty and other volunteers transformed the community center into a quaint, fairytale-esque ceremony space, complete with twinkle lights, hard hats, boots and cupcakes decorated to look like flames. Signs and banners reading “From Ashes to Hope,” were scattered throughout the building, embodying the resilient spirit of the happy couple.

Firefighters were there in more than spirit — several members of the Washington Incident Management Team 3 were in attendance.

Max Konkright, public information officer for the team, said never in his career has he known of, let alone been invited to, a wedding held in the wake of a fire.

“To me that was mind blowing,” Konkright said. “Here we are doing what we consider doing our job, and then they invite us to their wedding and give us the front row for their ceremony.”

Konkright said the couple’s gesture is a reflection of the community as a whole, which has responded by supporting each other and the firefighters with water, baked goods and other forms of support. He said that while he has interacted with several welcoming communities through the course of his job, this one will be hard to beat.

“I don’t remember the last time I’ve had a community this supportive on a fire,” Konkright said. “This community went above and beyond. There’s no firefighter that’s going hungry on this fire, I guarantee it.”

Daugherty said inviting and honoring the firefighters with her wedding is just part of Hope’s giving character. That character was reflected in the number of people more than willing to help make the wedding a reality. Hope’s dress will even be auctioned off at the community center on August 15, and the money raised will be donated back to the center.

“There wasn’t one time where I asked someone to help out that there was a ‘no.’ That’s amazing,” Daugherty said. “And even more than just not a no, it was ‘yes, and what else can I do?’”

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Not content with being just one of the Big Four global fashion capitals alongside New York, London and Paris, Milan deftly manages to offer some of the most exciting and innovative cuisine to be found in Europe. Thoughts of Milan as an ‘industrial’ city, full of concrete buildings, which lack the more refined elegance of Rome or the wondrous scenery of Tuscany have been firmly left in the past, thanks in part to the arrival of World Expo 2015 and the Salone del Mobile design fair.

Milan Fashion Week is unquestionably one of the most important dates in the fashion calendar, with industry insiders from Anna Dello Russo to Daisy Lowe coming from around the world to grace the Front Row. Fashion week can be a rather daunting experience for the uninitiated, with the seemingly endless back-to-back shows, dinners and afterparties draining even the most energetic fashionista, especially in the almost 40°C heat Milan ever so kindly provides.

When it comes to traditional dining options the elite of media, fashion and society flock to the opulent Ristorante da Giacomo, designed by Renzo Mongiardino, who has been hailed as an exceptional twentieth century designer. We quickly decided on the Garganelli with little squids and mullet roe, spider crab salad in Veneziana style and Giacomo’s bomb. The quality of ingredients in all the dishes was clear to taste, with Giacomo’s bomb being an indulgent treat to finish off the lunch.

Although we reached our seats just after the restaurant opened its doors at 12:30pm, within a mere 15 minutes the well-heeled fellow diners had already packed most of the eatery. The sudden influx of customers was well received, as we were beginning to feel rather self-conscious with four waiters floating solely around our table. The atmosphere is the real reason why Giacomo appears to be so oversubscribed, particularly due to the eclectic decor.

Next on the itinerary was Mantra Raw Vegan, which describes itself as ‘the restaurant that does not cook anything’. I must admit to being somewhat apprehensive before visiting Mantra, as I had not been exposed to a great deal of vegan food previously, let alone raw vegan cuisine. The kelp noodles with pepper cream and chocolate brownie stuck out to us on the menu, with the next two dishes newly created by the chef showing an experimental streak.

Mantra’s skill is not to simply make good vegan dishes, but good food, full stop. While I personally enjoyed all four courses, my dining companion, who happens to be vegan, found some of the tastes to be a little too variety and busy for her palate. The unusual White Charcoal water filter, which is meant to naturally adsorb impurities from water and release vital minerals, is certainly an interesting talking point for the table.

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A mix of models, designers, bankers and socialites manage to muster enough energy to have late night rendezvouses at Just Cavalli Milano, which unlike many other designer branded night clubs always stays seasonal, with the decor being changed every season to ensure trends are followed exactingly. The location within the largest city park in Milan, Parco Sempione, gives Just Cavalli a distinctively exclusive and hidden away vibe.

For the morning after the night before Pavé, in the up and coming Porta Venezia area, provides much needed respite from the bustling city streets, with the homely and friendly feel it offers. This pastry and bakery shop has already been recognised as one of the 20 best bakeries in Italy by food and wine magazine Gambero Rosso and is currently looking for another location in Milan to expand into.

Fendi was a standout show with designer Silvia Fendi saying after the presentation that “these are just young, everyday basics, done in a more sophisticated way.” Models entered on a faux-wet granite runway, as Silvia placed synthetic and organic materials against one another, blurring the difference between the two. Although the pieces were minimalist in nature, the fabrics used betrayed the understated design. The Roman house turned potentially unglamorous looks into luxe items for the everyman inside consumers who pay far much more than everyday prices.

The commercially focused collection saw the addition of the “Bug” mascot to two bomber jackets, amidst the unstructured and boxy silhouettes on display. The craftsmanship took priority in the menswear pieces, with the oversized tees and sweatpants still appearing meticulously constructed.

Backstage saw Fendi family scion Delfina Delettrez and Leonetta Luciano mingle with Breaking Bad’s RJ Mitte, who also opened the Vivienne Westwood show, and Boyhood’s Ellar Coltrane, while discussing the latest collection.

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