North Bay Fashion Ball | Bohemian
]A just one-evening utopia and the following wave of manner lifestyle in Sonoma County
The North Bay Trend Ball is back. Brainchild of artist, author and all-all-around major human staying Cincinnatus Hibbard, along with a team of fellow artists and creatives, The North Bay Manner Ball, coming May possibly 28 to Petaluma’s Phoenix Theater, is a major celebration for Sonoma County’s arts and manner scene, and the Sonoma County LGBTQ local community. It’s an party the likes of which Sonoma County hasn’t seen right before.
It all began in fall of 2021, when Hibbard identified himself wanting close to at his group of buddies, admiring their myriad skill sets and wanting some way to showcase and boost the resourceful strength in which he found himself immersed.
“I was sitting concerning Alejandro Salazar and Ammon Sigur,” Hibbard mentioned. “Two artists who characterize diverse colleges of style and sensibility—Alejandro is a Gen Xer coming from museum and gallery globe who has began to paint apparel, and Ammon is a Gen Z artist who’s been wanting to set collectively a style house—House of Ammon—for quite a while. Fusing these two creatives and their types collectively in my brain, an concept began to percolate.”
Speedy forward, and that original impulse has resulted in a sort of a 3 ring circus, as Hibbard refers to it. A vogue show, ball-variety event loaded with vibrancy, color, joy and appreciate: The North Bay Trend Ball. The night is a hybrid runway present and queer ball or pagent, with elements of functionality during which guarantee to generate a lot of spontaneous, unpredicted times. Assume German evening meal theater meets RuPaul’s Drag Race satisfies Venture Runway, with the inimitable flair of Sonoma County and a full great deal of loving intention. Hibbard and co have centered The North Bay Style Ball all over motion, vitality and a perception of inclusion for these collaborating in any capability.
“Ammon truly brought the spontaneity of the open up ball sort. Alejandro introduced the runway sensibility.” explained Hibbard. “And this motivation to showcase the expertise of my social circle has turned into a chance to magnetize Sonoma County style expertise.”
Hibbard, who specializes in the what he calls the Broader Human Likely Movement—a self-recognized expression for utopian crafting, or writing for the reason of broadening human potential—got into event and social gathering scheduling since, as he puts it, activities are “one-night time utopias.”
“Events are miraculous they are a person-night utopias, one particular-night communities. They are ephemeral, and they deliver individuals jointly under a new variety of group, a new set of policies. I have uncovered and chosen folks from disparate scenes in Sonoma County, and I’m bringing them all collectively to build this singular, unifying celebration. From there, my far more esoteric or energetic position sets in, as a driving-the-scenes facilitator of an unfolding potential utopia. Every person I have located is very charismatic and vibrant—and they all relate deeply to healing, non-toxicity and kindness. These are fully therapised, loving folks, brimming with compassion and brightness.”
The celebration is structured in 4 parts, like a ziggurat or a marriage cake. In the zero hour or arrival hour, which Hibbard refers to as Presidential Level, attendees will be satisfied at the door by two drag queens, La Brea Tarpit and Courtney Amore, welcoming them into a high style dance celebration with tunes by DJ St. Rose Disco (@saintrosedisco), dancing led by dance master April “Space” Walker (@spacewalker92) and drummer Phil Cole (@clown999), stay spray painting by artist Malcolm Stuart (@malcolmstuart)—who was featured just lately in North Bay Bohemian’s “Look” column—and baked items offered by the Neighborhood Garden Initiative, a nonprofit furnishing food stuff-dependent neighborhood gardens to less than-served communities.
Hour a person, which Hibbard phone calls Princess Stage, has an open up runway and 7 classes of level of competition: Tarot Card, Pop/Rock Star, Gender Queer, Achieved Gala, Recycled/Upcycled, Y2K and Competition Ware. Attendees can sign up to wander the runway in the course of the Princess Degree hour, and Princess Boutique from Santa Rosa will be there with tiaras, distributed to the winners of each individual class. Ticket charges are lowered to $7.50 for people daring plenty of to stroll.
“The MC for the runway competitors is Justin Howard, who started out his occupation writing for Joan Rivers’ Vogue Police. He’ll lovingly and compassionately be MCing and score the appears to be like,” said Hibbard. “Think of who-wore-it improved style vibe, but in a radically inclusive way. This is the democratization of the runway, loving all ages and body forms.”
“And take note, with this part of the event,” said Hibbard, “that it’s really about being adored. There will be winners for each category, indeed, but absolutely everyone will be loved and appreciated. The competitiveness will be judged by noise, and the loudest applause received will result in a tiara, but everybody is a supermodel. This section of the night time is all about opening up the runway, offering every person a change and a fantastic photograph. It is also an option for younger stylists to debut, or to acquire a compact likelihood. The in general winner will be invited to be a designer subsequent calendar year, which is also wonderful incentive.”
The 3rd hour, Queen Stage, will honor the highlighted neighborhood manner specialists and showcase their collections, as very well as supplying a shoutout to community designers and businesses like Trashion Manner from the Sonoma Group Heart and Disguise the Restrict in Santa Rosa. Designers highlighted will incorporate vogue designer Janet (@7anet7ackson), artist and clothes painter Alejandro Salazar (@alejandro_salizar_g), upcycled fashion makers Joshua + Mathilde from BigMouthUnique (@bigmouthunique)—who also not too long ago featured in a North Bay Bohemian “Look” column—and Buck Fortunate Collective founder and director Lena Claypool (@bucklucky), daughter of musician Les Claypool. It is a star-studded lineup.
The fourth and final hour, which Hibbard didn’t identify but I’m contacting the Goddess Stage, will attribute audio from headliner Korean popstar Yozmit, who will start the established with dance pop and shut with celestial ambient new music to ship the night off on a sparkling, elegant cloud. The total party is heading to be a glowing, attractive cloud, constructed on creativity, inclusivity and the electric power of fashion.
“We’ll have two regional photographers, Carlos Chavez and Eric Molyneaux, roving about and turning the spot into a form of open photoshoot throughout the night time. We want people to appear dressed as their fantasy, and be ready to be photographed.” said Hibbard.
For North Bay Trend Ball, this is just the commencing. The celebration is meant to attract out creatives, stimulate persons to acquire a stage towards getting to be designers and to typically ignite and encourage link.
“We want to fulfill the creatives and assistance them,” mentioned Hibbard. “The exciting and fascinating component is that we’re not certain who the ball is heading to carry out. We’re just fired up to meet them, whoever they are. And as this goes ahead, we’re hoping the scene will get even larger and much more vivid. And as it grows, so will these occasions.”
As if the ethos of the occasion weren’t inspiring ample, 100% of the proceeds from the North Bay Vogue Ball will go to Facial area2Experience, a Sonoma County nonprofit formed throughout the primary AIDS disaster, which supplies ongoing and unbiased treatment, tests providers and prevention approaches to all those with AIDS.
