MNfashion Week in review: "Athenaeum" + Blasphemina's Closet Open House

[Content shared with l'étoile magazine]

Steampunk-inspired fashion may be all the rage in mainstream fashion as of late, but it's been the name of the game for local neo-Victorian designers Samantha Rei (of Blasphemina's Closet) and Heather Luca (of Scoundrelle's Keep) for upwards of a decade. After presenting a preview of her Spring/Summer 2012 collection at last Friday's MNfashion Week runway show "Full Fashion Panic!" (which we review here), Rei hosted a trunk show introducing her brand-spankin'-new Minneapolis studio space as well as the opportunity to see her work, past and present, on display. Also in the mix was Bionic Unicorn jewelry by Kristin Berwald, a frequent collaborator of Rei, who offered a special name-your-price deal in honor of MNfashion Week. View more photos from the open house and trunk show by Nic Abrego here.





Then on Friday's runway show "Athenaeum: A Study in Fashion," Luca premiered her Fall 2011 line "Alkali" at the appropriately Victorian-era James J. Hill Reference Library in St. Paul. Accordingly, Luca showed a collection that held true to the Victorian aesthetic (corsetry, ruffles, bloomers, puff sleeves and high necklines) while adding a modern twist. I absolutely adored her leather satchel that connected to a corset - a hands-free innovation that dates back to Victorian times. Also smart were her pairings of traditional menswear items, like vests, with girlish ruffled skirts and bloomers, as well as her gender-bending incorporation of corsetry on her male looks. Luca demonstrated excellent craftsmanship and use of rich fabrics combined with a genre-pushing sense of style rare in the neo-Victorian fashion community.







The joint runway show kicked off with looks by emerging designer Tara Reich. Like Luca, Reich worked from a neo-Victorian aesthetic while incorporating modern, on-trend touches such as sheer fabrics, fishtail-hem skirts and - gasp! - short hem lengths in eye-popping colors one wouldn't ordinarily associate with Victorian times. Though some of the taffetas looked a bit dated (it's really hard to pull off a fabric so heavily associated with '80s bridesmaid gowns), Reich showed herself to be one to watch in the local neo-Victorian front.




View more photos from "Athenaeum: A Study in Fashion" by Nic Abrego here. Styling credits: Hair and makeup by MC Nelson Artistry, hats by the Blonde Swan. View more photos of the line by Photosynthetique here.

MNfashion Week in review: Full Fashion Panic!

[Originally posted at l'etoile magazine]

Last Friday, subculture fashion from the worlds of anime, manga, Lolita and steampunk got its MNfashion Week moment. The eighth annual "Full Fashion Panic!", part of anime and manga workshop, Schoolgirls and Mobilesuits at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design, showcased lines from the Twin Cities and beyond in a runway show produced by esteemed local neo-Victorian designer Samantha Rei, whose line Blasphemina's Closet was one of the first custom lines in the country to offer Lolita and neo-Victorian stylings.

As with any fashions delving into subculture, the looks in the show sometimes veered too far on the side of costume for me. I realize that this is the point for many within the neo-Victorian/gothic/Lolita/anime subculture, but for me, fashion isn't fashion unless it brings something new to the table - adding a twist to a classic style rather than regurgitating ideas.

Lauren Peyton's collection went full-on Lolita, so infantilizing as to deck one model in a baby bonnet. For as much she sometimes crossed over into cliche, it was conceivable that some of her looks - like one bedecked in bows - could be reimagined on the likes of Lady Gaga or Katy Perry if styled with more of an edge. It must be said, though, that he collection appeared well-made.



Theresa Winge's Hello Kitty-meets-naptime collection was unfortunate to say the least. The designer seemed to be making an attempt at avant-garde manga pop, but using Hello Kitty-printed fleece and flimsy, bedsheet-like fabric wasn't the way to go.



Irregular Pearl's line was all across the board - gothic Lolita, Victorian, and gothic looks rendered in cheap satins and dull tablecloth-y fabrics in clashing colors. Despite the bad fabric and disjointed color story, there were a few kicky, fresh little dresses in there. It was, suffice to say, a highly irregular collection.




Carousel Cafe focused on puff sleeves and ruffles in her Lolita-goes-to-workcollection. While I did think the teal and black romper and blouse showed a little bit of style, some of the looks seemed to be a tad frumpy, but it was nice to see a designer bring a new idea to the Lolita genre.



Deborah Block's collection seemed to capitalize on the vampire-inspired, gothic trends on the fall runways, particularly with a very-now velvet cape and an edgy, structured dress with a kimono-like feel. But whether due to bad fabric choices, iffy construction, atrocious styling (i.e., fake blood running comically down the models faces), and some looks that went all-out Ren Fest costume, her attempts fell short.




But for every costumey look, there were some fashion-forward moments. The mother-daughter team of KMK Designs - Sheridyn and Kaitlin McClain, a recent U of M apparel grad - showed construction and fabric can make all the difference from taking subculture fashions out of the realm of costume and into fashion. Their plaid suspendered dress evoked Victorian styles without going all-out Lolita, and even their more costumey looks were more carnival chic than Halloween cheap. Some pieces were so 1940s Vogue that they might have well been crafted from vintage patterns. (Though they indeed were not.)




Hitomi K. first caught my eye last spring with her gothy, industrial collection at St. Kate's senior apparel show. In this showing, she shied away from those more theatrical looks to focus on more wearable pieces that still showcase her gothic Lolita aesthetic - all impeccably tailored. Her cropped, zippered leather funnel-neck motorcycle jacket belongs in my closet now. Alexander Wang, hire this girl now.




The show culminated with Samantha Rei's preview of her Spring 2011 line for Blasphemina's Closet (which will be shown in full at next month's Teslacon steampunk convention). The four looks seemed to have a lost city of Atlantis feel, in both color story and ornate detailing. Despite the Rei trademarks in the mix - rich fabrics and contrasting textures, ruffles, bloomers, and perfectly executed construction - it was a clear departure for the longtime neo-Victorian designer, with silhouettes including everything from tent dress to a drop-waist babydoll dress. This wasn't just subculture style - this was forward-thinking fashion. Here's hoping that this crop of enterprising designers will take a cue from Rei and take their neo-Victorian, steampunk, Lolita and gothic stylings into the future.




I also dug the custom jewelry created by local line Bionic Unicorn for the collection, and the fun hair accessories:


Click here to view more photos from Full Fashion Panic! by Nic Abrego.

Tonight: Bionic Unicorn jewelry special offer

Here's a hot deal for the local fashion lover: tonight at the Blasphemina's Closet open house, Bionic Unicorn designer Kristin Berwald just announced that she will be accepting price offers on her jewelry - meaning, name your price, and if she likes the offer, she'll accept. "I'm doing this because I want to give people a chance to own my jewelry who might not usually be able to afford it," Kristin told me.


While you're there, you can also snag 10 percent off all of Blasphemina's Closet samples and accessories by designer Samantha Rei, check out her new studio space, enjoy some treats, and view her F/W 2012 collection, "Atlantic Kumarindau," which hit the stage last weekend at Full Fashion Panic! and will be debuted in full this November at steampunk convention Teslacon. Here's the link to the event. Visit l'étoile magazine's guide for more MNfashion Week events.

Editorial: Tomahawk Tassels in "Steampunk Time Travel"

Burlesque performers sometimes make for the best models, bringing a mix of showmanship, style and posture to the lens as well as they do for the stage. Local burlesque star Tomahawk Tassels - a lovely mix of Irish and Native American heritage - stars in a new steampunk, time travel-themed editorial highlighting the work of local neo-Victorian line Blasphemina's Closet, styled by Tomahawk herself.









More photos: [Album 1] [Album 2] [Album 3]

Credits:
Photographer: Ryan Blomquist
Model: Tomahawk Tassels
Hair: Vee Valentine
Wardrobe: Samantha Rie Crossland for Blasphemina's Closet
Makeup and Styling: Tomahawk Tassels

Editorial: Blasphemina's Closet goes Retro

Here's a lovely little photoset by Fairshadow Photography featuring local designer Blasphemina's Closet's looks from RetroRama 2011, as worn by local burlesque performer Loud Louisa, with jewelry by Bionic Unicorn.







Click here for more. [All photos: Fairshadow Photography]

Recap: RetroRama 2011

On Thursday, the Minnesota History Center once again hosted RetroRama. In its fifth year (and my fifth year styling it), the show also served as the final time Voltage producer and MNfashion founder Anna Lee would direct and host the show. Every year, the show presents a handful of authentic vintage looks paired with retro-inspired looks by local designers. This year's theme, underwear - presented on burlesque dancers as models - was certainly a contributing factor in the show's sellout status, and was inspired by the Minnesota History Center's new "Underwear" exhibition highlighting the history of Minnesota-born underwear brand Munsingwear. Since I was involved with the show personally, I won't attempt to review it objectively, and instead am posting photos and descriptions.

[Photo via Scoundrelle's Keep]

Heather Luca of Scoundrelle's Keep has the theme of "restriction," Munsingwear's general theme in the '50s that harkened back to Victorian corsetry. The model wore jewelry by local line Bionic Unicorn.

[Photo via Art of Wore]

Sarah White of Jagress Intimates offered a humorous take on the garter belt with her underwear set that included a gartered skirt.

[Photo via Art of Wore]

Christopher Straub (who was out of town during the event) presented a look inspired by the machinery of Munsingwear's factory with screen-printed fabric featuring an original print by Straub and an external "caged" corset and headpiece. There was some criticism that the headpiece and look in general was too similar to Seth Aaron Henderson's SolarWorld collection presented at Sol Inspirations, but metal caged masks aren't exactly anything new. (Victor & Rolf featured them in their F/W 2006 show - which Gaga infamously donned at Sir Elton John's Ball in June 2010.) Either way, it's fun seeing the designer push himself in edgier directions with his fashions, though it's hard to detect a style that is distinctly Christopher Straub.

[Photo via Scoundrelle's Keep]

Danielle Everine continued on her sheer look she presented during Voltage last month with this look inspired by Munsingwear's push for active lifestyles in some of their 1940s ads. The sheerness of the garments allows the viewer to see every seam and stitch that goes into each piece - a really intriguing concept that is quite lovely and uniquely Danielle Everine.

[Photos via Scoundrelle's Keep]

Samantha Rei of Blasphemina's Closet played with her theme of "exposure" by exposing the knickers of her models via a sweet floral print against sorbet green.

[Photo via Scoundrelle's Keep]

Here I am backstage with some of the "authentic look" models. Unfortunately I haven't come up with any better photos of them, but the necklace on the model on the left is by Bionic Unicorn, and the flower hair clip is by Anna Lee's line Ruby3.

The guests were also super stylish:

[Photo via Art of Wore]

[Photo via Art of Wore]

[Max Sparber and Coco Mault. Photo via Art of Wore]

Here I am with designers Ivan Idland and Maritza Ramirez. Maritza and I are both wearing Ivan Idland designs, Maritza's having been from 2010's RetroRama.

[Photo via Art of Wore]

See more photos from the show via Art of Wore, Scoundrelle's Keep, and the Minnesota Historical Society, and Coco Mault recaps the event for MinnPost.