GM's Design Center in Warren became the "Project Runway" set last Friday. Former winner Jeffrey Sebelia was there. Thankfully, Heidi Klum wasn't. And instead of fashionista wannabes rolling out their designs, established fashion designers, like former Detroiter Kevan Hall, fitted models in swank dresses, urban get-ups and trendy shoes.
"It's such a synergy between designers and style and colors," Hall said. "You can look at a great interior of a car and think, 'That would make a beautiful jacket with top stitching, with piping, with contrasting.'"
And though she arrived fashionably late, recent Advocate cover-girl Mary J. Blige – the headliner for the following day's GM Style, a marriage of cars, fashion and music – proved that soul grooves aren't her only forte. She dazzled in a classy urban outfit: a cream Polo turtleneck sweater, a fur-trimmed ski jacket, dark denim, a beret and Louis Vuitton boots. How the heck does she dance in 'em?
"It's what I do," Blige told Between The Lines, smiling.
And she did just that at GM Style, performing along with Kid Rock and Maroon 5, who supplied the soundtrack to a memorable night of auto and fashion design.
Car crushes (Blige's fave: the Chevy Malibu), and savvy fashion aside, Blige, who celebrated her 37th birthday last Friday, also showed love for LGBT folks.
"You gotta let people know that no matter what people do, that's their business, and who are you … to judge it?" she said.
She performed three songs on Saturday's star-studded gala, including "Work That" and "Just Fine" off her latest No.1 album, "Growing Pains." Didn't get an invite? Here's your VIP ticket to the invitation-only gala. Free of charge.
– Chris Azzopardi