Fash Bash
Flashy and funky style editor lands Fash Bash hosting gig
By Kara G. Morrison / The Detroit News
'Fash Bash 2002: Rock the Runway'
- When: 8:30 p.m. Aug. 9
- Where: Fox Theatre, 2211 Woodward Ave., Detroit
- Tickets: Available through Ticketmaster (248) 645-6666; Patron tickets, which include a separate after-party and other extras, can be ordered through the Detroit Institute of Arts at (313) 833-6954.
- Prices: General admission $35-$50; patron tickets $200, $300 or $2,500
- Sponsors: Saks Fifth Avenue, Flagstar Bank, Channel 62 (CBS) and Channel 50 (UPN)
DETROIT --Fash Bash 2002 needed a fun, hip fashion icon to host the high-energy, rock-themed fashion show on Aug. 9. And the winner is ... Steven Cojocaru, whose participation was announced Monday.
The People magazine style editor's fashion prowess and wit have made him a frequent and popular guest on NBC's "Today."
"He loves fashion, and he is so rock and roll," says Fash Bash stylist Jack Alexander. "I think it's just another great element in something that Detroit is never going to have seen before."
A Montreal native, Cojocaru is also a style correspondent on TV's "Access Hollywood" and is known for his colorful commentary on fashion trends and celebrity fashions.
Dawna Kuhne, vice chair of Fash Bash for the Detroit Institute of Arts Founders Junior Council, says she can't imagine a better fit to host the DIA fund-raiser.
"He's quick and witty and sarcastic, and he has something to say," Kuhne says.
By contrast, Marshall Field's, the department store chain that dumped its longtime sponsorship of Fash Bash last year, has chosen Wayne Newton to host its Vegas-themed Glamorama shows in Minneapolis and Chicago. In previous years, Fash Bash has featured Brooke Shields, Queen Latifah and RuPaul as hosts.
Cojocaru is a better match for Detroit than Newton, says former Founders Junior Council president Andrew McLemore Jr.
"Wayne appeals to an older, more subdued Las Vegas-type crowd," he says. "We've always tried to make Fash Bash very up-tempo and cutting edge, and that's what Steven brings."
Local techno legend Derrick May and the Detroit Pistons dance team will share the spotlight with Cojocaru at the Fox Theatre.
Performances by actor Kevin Bacon's Bacon Brothers band will top off the evening.
May, a key founder of Detroit's techno music scene, will perform mainly during a segment featuring Techno Modernist fashions.
A Fash Bash cover band also will be playing the music of Detroit legends including Iggy Pop, Ted Nugent, Bob Seger, Aretha Franklin and the MC5.
Dennis Courtney, director/ choreographer of this year's Fash Bash, and the New York-based Karin Bacon Events staff were in town again last week finalizing details for the show.
"Our hope is that it really does rock the rafters, and that people are out of their seats," Courtney says.
Automotion, the Detroit Pistons dance team, will make an appearance at the beginning and end of Fash Bash, says Courtney, who also has been rehearsing with 10 additional local dancers who will perform between the show's five fashion segments.
A Detroit native who has acted in and choreographed several Broadway productions, Courtney was already familiar with the city's Fash Bash tradition.
"It's going to be a very high-energy visual event," says Courtney. "Everybody's heart is really in this."
