By Assunta Ng
From left: Luuvu Hoang, Charlene Lee, Ms. T, Dwayne Clark, and Christine Lee
Although the Northwest Asian Weekly was celebrating its 30th anniversary at the Seattle Sheraton, we also wanted to create a meaningful experience for our guests. In addition to the rest of our program, we hosted a fashion contest during the dinner. The contest was chaired by Karen Tsuo, an image consultant, and was judged by eight judges who did not know each other beforehand. The judges included a former Miss Chinatown princess and various other well-dressed people. They went around the room and picked three winners and two honorable mentions.
Both women and men were represented as the finalists.
I didn’t give the judges any criteria. They decided that their decision should be a consensus, rather than by voting. In the end, they chose to honor five guests who had impressed them with their fashion choices. Little did they know, one of the winners was married to one of the honorable mentions. Dwayne Clark, Chairman and CEO of Aegis Living, and his wife, Terese (T), were the most stylish couple in the room.
Here are the top three winners:
Ms. T wore a red, accordion pleated gown. The color was gorgeous, said Judge Gary Tang, a fashion designer. “T’s hair and makeup brought daring sophistication and Hollywood glamour to the party. We don’t recall seeing another red dress that night.”
Several judges went crazy for Charlene Lee’s cocktail dress.
“The top was intricate and the tailoring was impeccable,” wrote Tang in his critique. “The length of the dress elongated Charlene’s figure in a most fetching manner. We also loved her black satin shoes.”
Christine Lee, the owner of Ocean City Restaurant, was also a hit.
“Christine Lee offered us a fresh, sleek, feminine style,” wrote Tang. “You don’t often see that style in Seattle or Bellevue — Christine was refreshing and charming. Her jade green gown sported graphic black blocks. It was modern and chic. And Christine’s sultry makeup — smoky eyes with gold and subtle green sparkles on her face — gave us pleasurable chills, and foreshadowed the spooky season just around the corner.”
The judges were also delighted to see Seattle guys dressing up for the evening, “reflecting the sophistication of a modern metropolis,” according to Tang. The two honorable mentions were Dwayne Clark and Luuvu Hoang.
“The fabric of Dwayne Clark’s four-button suit was luxurious and well tailored,” said Tang. “Clark styled his hair in an effortless-seeming manner; he looked really dapper!”
“Luuvu wore a slim three-piece suit with a sporty bow tie. The fedora was a great addition. Luu was able to grace a formal evening event, while maintaining a young image.” (end)