Minneapolis named one of Lucky Mag's Top 25 Shopping Cities

Lucky Magazine has had its eye on Minneapolis shopping for some time now, as evidenced by a Minneapolis boutique roundup in its June 2011 issue and its online directory, which name-drops Blacklist Vintage, June resale, Grethen House, Hunt and Gather Antiques, i like you, Finn Style, Design Collective, Parc Boutique, Bluebird Boutique, and the Room & Board Outlet. Now, it's giving Minneapolis shopping more props with its Top 25 Shopping Cities list, in which Minneapolis nabs the number 24 slot.

Review: Blacklist Vintage presents "Vintage Did It First"

[Content shared with l'étoile magazine]

Last night, hotter-than-haute retro shop Blacklist Vintage made the case that "Vintage Did It First" in an in-store runway show at the Eat Street store. Like the well-versed students of fashion - vintage and modern alike - that they are, shop owners Vanessa Messersmith and Jennifer Sapiro curated a collection of all-vintage looks that not only nod to the Fall 2011 runways, but demonstrate some striking similarities. Fall trends including '40s-inspired dress suits and capes, '60s-inspired riding pants and dress-and-jacket sets, '70s-inspired printed dresses and wide-legged jeans, and '80s motorcycle jackets clearly took note of past eras in fashion. The two well-heeled ladies - looking ever the picture of vintage style with a modern twist - cleverly paired vintage looks with images of looks from the runways of Chloe, Louis Vuitton, Lanvin, Junya Wantabe, Bottega Veneta, Prada and Azzaro - making the case that this fall, what's old is new again.

[Photo: Amy Gee]

[Vanessa Messersmith & Jennifer Sapiro. Photo: Amy Gee]

[Photo: Amy Gee]

[Photo: Amy Gee]

[Photo: Amy Gee]

[Photo: Amy Gee]

[Photo: Amy Gee]

[Photo: Amy Gee]

[Photo: Amy Gee]

[Photo: Amy Gee]

[Photo: Peter Holme]

[Photo: Peter Holme]

[Photo: Peter Holme]

[Photo: Peter Holme]

Visit l'étoile's MNfashion Week Guide for more MNfashion Week events this weekend.

Blacklist Vintage's "Vintage Did It First" invitation

I received a lovely handmade invitation in the mail to Blacklist Vintage's MNfashion Week event, "Vintage Did It First," taking place tonight at the store's Nicollet Avenue location in Minneapolis. The invitation features a paper doll with a removable dress tucked away in a "closet"! How charmingly retro.




The all-vintage fashion show is inspired by Fall 2011 runway fashions - specifically that of Louis Vuitton and Marc Jacobs - which made a bold-shouldered nod to the 1940s. Check out l'etoile's Guide to MNfashion Week or this week's issue of Vita.mn for more information on the show.

Lucky Magazine features Minneapolis shops

After creating a Minneapolis shopping listing for its website last month, Lucky Magazine has featured a bunch of local shops in its July print issue, going as far as to call Minneapolis one of the "best new shopping cities." Stores featured include Bumbershute, Flirt, Grethen House, Finn Style, Design Collective, Blacklist Vintage, and Allee Metro Chic.

[Click to enlarge]

Local shops listed in Lucky's store directory

It's always nice to see Minneapolis fashion get national attention. Such is the case this week as Lucky Magazine has just launched a new online shopping directory for Minneapolis. It includes some familiar names: Blacklist Vintage, Design Collective, Finn Style, Grethen House, Hunt & Gather Antiques, I Like You, June, Parc Boutique, and Room & Board Outlet. Congrats to those who were listed!

[A Marimekko look from FinnStyle]

City Pages' Best of the Twin Cities poll: the fashion winners

The votes are in, and the City Pages' Best of the Twin Cities annual readers' poll has given props to the best in local retail and fashion.


I could agree more with their picks for Best Vintage Shop, Best Clothing Store for Women and Best Boutique:

Best Vintage Shop: Blacklist Vintage

Best Clothing Store (Women's): Opitz Outlet

Best Boutique: Cliche

More retail picks:

Best Used Clothing Store: Everyday People

Best Vintage Jewelry: The Mall of St. Paul

Best Clothing Store (Men): Heimie's Haberdashery

Best Mall: Rosedale

Best Haircut: The Chair

Best Gift Shop: Patina

Raul Osorio previews Voltage 2011 collection

Local designer Raul Osorio just leaked a couple of preview images from his spring MNfashion Week showing at Voltage: Fashion Amplified next Friday, April 15. One thing's for sure: you can expect a lot of lace. The collection will be available after the show at Blacklist Vintage.



Designer: Raul Osorio
Photographer: Amy Miller
Stylist: Alison Hoekstra
Hair: Susanne Huber
MUA: Ashley Kilcher
Models: Tearra & Alexandra Fee
Photo assistant: Sami Foust
Stylist assistant: Lauren Stark
Location: La Belle Vie

Voltage 2011 band designers announced

This came out a few days ago, but I decided to post it anyway for posterity. Voltage 2011 band designers have been announced, and here's the rundown:

Carly Schoen designing for Fort Wilson Riot; Blacklist Vintage designing for Communist Daughter; Renalie Bailey designing for Me and My Arrow; b. (a resale shop) designing for Phantom Tails; Molly Roark, Danielle Morris, Greta Herman and Jen Hughes designing for Pink Mink

Carly Schoen also posted her proposal on her blog:

Time Out Chicago gives props to local boutiques

Local boutiques Blacklist Vintage, Design Collective, and Cliché were written up in this month's issue of Time Out Chicago magazine for their big Minneapolis cover story. Here's an excerpt:

"Cliché, featuring a well-curated mix of local and national designers. Prices seem reasonable by Chicago standards, with dresses running between $50 and $150. Minneapolis’s vintage scene is worth a look, too. Recently opened Blacklist Vintage houses a remarkable selection of mint-condition mod and retro outfits. For 100 percent Minnesota-made goods, we hit Design Collective, a trove of clever Minneapolis-themed T-shirts and jewelry, plus locally designed clothing and accessories."


Congrats guys! (via City Pages' Blotter)

RetroRama 2010 announced

RetroRama, the annual retro-meets-modern fashion show and event, returns to the Minnesota History Center on Thursday, May 13. I'll be returning as the show's fashion stylist, joined by MNfashion (producer) and DJ Jake Rudh.

[Image by Nic Marshall, styling by Eclecticoiffuer, courtesy Minnesota Historical Society]

The show takes the decades of the 1920s through 1960s, and each of six local designers offer their modern spin on the styles of that era. This year's designers include Max Lohrbach, Ivan Idland, George Moskal, Joy Teiken of Joynoelle, and Kerry Riley of Red Shoe Clothing Co.

More from the press release:

Guests can also pick up retro accessories at the Minnesota History Center stores, and unearth unique finds at vintage boutiques, courtesy of Blacklist Vintage, Spectacle Shoppe, and Spinario Design.

Belt out favorite oldies with Joel Stitzel in the karaoke lounge, and make throwback specs, courtesy of the Spectacle Shoppe. Who knows more about specs than Ben Franklin? Learn about the man who invented bi-focals in the History Center exhibit “Benjamin Franklin: In Search of a Better World.” Visit with chef Dan Ritter as he shares a few tips on mid century cuisine and bartender Ryan Eklund from Psycho Suzi’s Motor Lounge and Tiki Garden will be on hand to demonstrate a few delicious cocktail recipes. Members of Dark Dark Dark provide a musical backdrop to the evening.

Vintage attire is encouraged. For inspiration, visit www.mnhs.org/retrorama and check out past RetroRama evenings with an online video showcasing some of the most fashion-forward vintage looks. Plus, explore a timeline of fashion history from the 1920s through the 1960s.

RetroRama is May 13, from 7 to 11 p.m. The fee is $15 or $12 for Minnesota Historical Society members. Parking is $5. Cash bars will be available and snacks can be purchased. Advanced tickets are recommended; for more information, call 651-259-3015 or purchase tickets online at www.mnhs.org/retrorama.

Saturday: Fashion Fight Night

For the fourth year running, I am doing fashion styling for photographer Nic Marshall at METRO Magazine's Fashion Fight Night. This year, hair will be by Catlin Weston of Mezzanine Salon and Romeny Chan will provide the makeup. Clothing will come courtesy of my friends at Blacklist Vintage. Our model, well - we're leaving that as a surprise.

I believe it is sold out, so I hope you already have your tickets.

Some of my favorite shots I styled with Eclecticoiffeur and Nic Marshall from previous years:

Fashion Fight Night 1 (2007)
Model: Monica Ulrich

Fashion Fight Night 2 (2008)
Model: Ashley Hawks


Fashion Fight Night 3 (2009)
Models: Coco & Breezy


Click here for more

All images by Nic Marshall and styling by Eclecticoiffeur.

Here's my recaps from last year's event: Bout 1; Bout 2; and my bout, Bout 3.
Here's City Pages' A-list spotlight on this year's event.
Here's l'etoile magazine's writeup and a video from last year's event:

SATURDAY FEBRUARY 27TH

Metro's Fashion Fight Night 4

@ Uppercut Boxing Gym
1324 Quincy St. NE
Minneapolis

7:30 doors, 8pm show/ $50

Ok, so maybe you won't catch us DVRing the lastest Ultimate Fighting Championship or hanging up shirtless posters of Oscar De La Hoya on our bedroom walls – at least not that we'd admit – but it doesn't mean us fashionistas can't get behind a good fight. Hyped as the one of the most anticipated fashion events of the season and a Vegas/ANTM/Haute Couture mixture, Fashion Fight Night 4 has boasted a sold-out crowd for the past three years and strangely no one's ever even lost an ear. Metro Mag hosts this metaphor-ridden competition where six teams of photographers and models go head-to-head in a stylish fashion photography deathmatch/shootout. And to add that extra element of fight realism, the event is held in an actual boxing gym! Plus, $5 of every ticket purchased goes towards the fantastic non-profit, LEAD Project. Dress to impress. Mouthguards not included. As of this post, there are still a few tickets available, but we'd hurry up if we were you!

Click HERE for tickets and more info

Check out this video from last year's FFN by Capture Studios

Fashion Fight Night 3 from capture studios on Vimeo.