When the sun goes down over San Diego's historic Gaslamp Quarter on September 19, something truly extraordinary will come to life behind the imposing doors of the Granger Hotel. Frances Taylor Presents EXXOTICA is not just another evening in the city's historic center. It is the start of a fearless and participatory celebration of fashion, art, and unapologetic self-expression.
A feast of the senses and a manifesto of the soul, EXXOTICA is more than an event. It's a movement. A 99 percent female creative energy has gathered to produce an evening of avant-garde spectacle, from live painting and exotic runway to evocative dance and transgressive beauty. And it's all in an environment as unconventional as the vision itself.
Where Fashion Meets Fine Art
EXXOTICA is not only a spectacle, but a highly curated sensory journey into the feminine imagination. Picture couture and canvas, gesture and muse, hair and headdress. From the instant guests arrive at the upscale Granger Hotel, they will be surrounded by a living gallery where everything speaks of a tale of artistic rebellion.
There will be non-traditional fashion apparel that wins out over aesthetic norms and extends the limits of fashion down the runway. The models won't just walk to the beat of the rhythm but will also interact with the artwork and live performances that surround them. Fashion as sculpture. Fabric as language. Art as identity.
It is not just its appearance that makes EXXOTICA unique, but its message. It has the audacity to challenge what it means to be empowered by beauty and to see femininity as strength and as art. And it does so with elegance, grit, and shine.
The Power of a Woman's Creative Vision
At the core of EXXOTICA is a passion for hearing the voice of women in all aspects of production. With a 99 percent female staff from designers to stylists, choreographers, and producers, the event is a shining example of what takes place when women stand up boldly and collaborate with no limits.
Frances Taylor, the show's founder and creative director, saw EXXOTICA as a space for bold storytelling with style and movement. Her goal was to create a community of creatives that allows women to unleash their true selves and celebrate each other's gifts.
From handcrafted hairstyling to interactive set design, everything is hand-done by a woman who not only infuses each detail with technique, but spirit. That sense of collaboration permeates the entire production, providing guests with something more than entertainment. It provides transformation.
The Space Behind the Magic
Having EXXOTICA at the Granger Hotel is a calculated and visionary decision. Situated in the midst of the Gaslamp Quarter, the boutique hotel combines Old World charm with contemporary chic. Its bold interiors offer the ideal backdrop for an evening of high-concept imagination.
With its marble stairways, old-world atmosphere, and panoramic city vistas, the Granger stages a fashion experience that is as much a movie as it is an exclusive. The hotel is integral to the art itself, a character in the story that transpires over the course of an evening.
Visitors can anticipate a room to be as chic as the show champagne upon arrival, to begin with, and carefully designed seating that provides immersive viewing to each performance. This is fashion theater in its most sophisticated form.
What to Expect the Night of EXXOTICA
As the guests approach, they will be greeted by a live artist who will paint before their eyes, responding to the rhythm and energy of the evening. It is a moment of preserving the spontaneity and spirit of EXXOTICA where every act of creation is performance and every performance is an act of art.
The runway show itself will be a powerful mix of texture, silhouette, and color stories that redefine fashion. Derived from international aesthetics, mythic womanhood, and modern abstraction, every look is an independent story, on models that reflect a range of identities and expressions.
One of the evening's high points will be a genre-bending new dance work. It's a little ballet, a little burlesque, a little ritual. And totally unforgettable.
Guests can also look forward to bold hairstyling ideas realized by innovative stylists at the confluence of sculpture and fashion. This is not hair as accent it is hair as crown, hair as building, hair as visual vocabulary.
Why EXXOTICA Matters to This Cultural Moment
In an era of instant face and airbrushed perfection, EXXOTICA gives us something deeper. It invites us to slow down and look at what happens when women are given the freedom to push the limits of beauty, style, and art without apology.
It reminds us that femininity is not fleeting but fierce. That art is not contained within walls. That fashion is not what we put on but what we believe.
In doing so, the show is no longer just a spectacle. It is a statement. One that resonates beyond the runway.
A Must-See Experience for Fashion and Art Lovers
For Fine Homes and Living magazine readers who enjoy the finer things in life fashion, art EXXOTICA promises a night of refinement and discovery. An opportunity to see San Diego's arts community take a step bold into the spotlight and to support a network of women who are shaping the future of fashion and art.
With tickets being limited and the word already out, the turnout will be as carefully curated as the show itself. People will not only be privy to an innovative production but also witness something that shatters expectations on what can be created when style and storytelling come together.
Be Ready to Be Transformed
EXXOTICA isn't a show. It's a manifesto. A reflection. A celebration of the divine, the daring, and the gorgeous difference. On September 19th, when the lights dim and the music swells in the Granger Hotel, San Diego will witness something out of the ordinary. Something to remember. Something EXXOTIC.
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