There'll be a slew of young men clad in yellow Monday.
The student group Black Men in Motion is hosting a student fashion show - "De La Sol" - in the SUB at noon.
The group's last two shows featured a green color scheme for the gentlemen and peaches and cream for the ladies. Each contestant pays $10 to enter, a portion of which goes into the prize pool.
"I noticed everybody in the black populace had a great view for fashion," said Jason Goodman, who's in charge of the show. "Guys wanted to outdress themselves for the guys; ladies wanted to outdress themselves for the ladies. So I decided, why don't we have all the men compete together in full splendor to entice the ladies and then eventually, hopefully, entice the ladies to do the same?"
There'll be a runway, a DJ and jugglers from the UNM Juggling Club.
There will be 15 to 20 contestants and nine female judges, including Miss Native UNM.
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"Now there's this gold curtain designed as the focal presentation," Goodman said. "The contestant shoots out of the curtain with great momentum to energize the entire SUB. The audience is supposed to pick on this energy and cheer, hoot, holler, raise a pandemonium."
Contestants also choose a song to play while strutting their stuff.
"You know how you have a time machine? This is a confidence machine," Goodman said. "You're presenting yourself as who you are, amplified by the song of your choice, which then arouses your confidence, self-esteem and demeanor. And the adrenaline rush lasts about a minute. The judges are looking as in-depth as at your socks, your accessories, your cuff links, tie, body language, persona, even your smile."
Each judge has a white rose which she gives to her favorite contestant, but she has to do it while he's on the runway, or the chance is gone.
"It's a gamble for the judge, because the judge can only see one contestant at a time," Goodman said. "Now, if a judge were to still have possession of this rose at the end of the show, she'll be stigmatized as being a self-centered narcissist, stigmatized for being bougie. There's a sense of subliminal courting. It's like, 'Hey babe. I'm hot stuff. Want to toss me a rose?'"
Goodman said that though he's not much of a dresser during school hours, he'll compete in the show.
"I'll be mistaken for Will Smith in 007 attire," he said. "I'm having a black tux with a yellow cummerbund."
A month after "De La Sol," Goodman will host "Fire and Ice," the women's edition and the grand finale for the semester. Contestants will have to wear pink and blue.
"It's Fire and Ice: the 'Miami Vice' edition, because these two colors are the primary colors for the show 'Miami Vice,'" he said. "You don't see them together, which makes it a great appeal to see them together. You have a woman who has a cold front and a hot front. Somehow, she can switch it up both ways, however she wants to."
