—Drum Roll Please—
and the WINNERS — are!
1st Place
DARCY FOWKES
– Resort Wear for the Blue Lagoon –

Owner and principle designer at D’Arcy Couture
2nd Place
MARY R. PROCTOR
– How is Ugly Overpowering Beauty –

-ZO Blue Expo – 2nd Place Fashion
This child is the 2nd beautiful baby girl I have been so grateful to deliver into our world. She is days away from being age 10, and I captured images of her as I have every year. Her smile had yet to appear, so I ask, “Why are you not smiling?”
Her reply broke my soul, “Mommy, I’m ugly and I don’t want my picture taken anymore! “
I share this image, so you see as I See, the impossibility of her as ugly, yet the absolute image of perfection and beauty
3rd Place
GAIL FRIEND
– Couture –

3rd Place Fashion
Couture blue floral top and satin sash bow and skirt. Hand made flowers.
Photographer: Jack Yarayanan
As a one of a kind gown designer I specialize in luxurious fabrics with many embellishments. I love making handmade flowers to add a unique touch. I am inspired by flowers, nature, gardens and fine art paintings. I have had the honor of showing my collection at Phoenix Fashion Week and one of the Milan Fashion Week shows in the fall of 2021. I’m currently working on my latest collection, “The Other World Where magic Lives”, and will be creating a magical fairytale video to showcase the collection.
Instagram – @Gail.Friend.designs
JUDGES were sent the photos below and instructed to rate the submissions from 1 to 9 – with 1 as their favorite and 9 as their least favorite. Final judging was blind and the photos did not have the name of the submitter nor any information other than the title of the work. Judges were instructed that if they recognized the work of a submitter, they were to recuse themself from voting on that work.
We at ZO Magazine marveled at the final choices. We think they are all “truly” – A Different Kind of Universe of Fashion . . .
Everyone connected to the Expo thought the entries were thought-provoking and inspiring. Especially some of the artist’s descriptions of their methodology and raison d’être for creating. Once the ratings were all in, the votes were averaged and the winners were chosen by the math. Often the differences in placement were small fractions. There’s a lot of inspired work here . . .
Thanks and blessings to everyone involved. ZO’s next Expo will be a little different from those prior and we hope to start it in June. On Sun. March 26, we will host an online Zoom Breakfast Toast, meeting with artists that work with us. We will also invite those who submitted to this Expo. The Zoom call will include poetry, music, and a few chefs (from NYC, LA, CA, and Honolulu) sharing their breakfast specialties. Information on all of this will be forthcoming on our Welcome Page.