Preview: Danielle Everine's YSL-inspired collection at Denver Art Museum

As I reported a while back, local designer and Project Runway season nine darling Danielle Everine would be participating in the Yves Saint Laurent retrospective at the Denver Art Museum (the only U.S. museum to show the exhibition). Yesterday, the exhibition opened, and featured five looks by Everine inspired by the iconic Parisian designer along with a group of seven other PR alums. The collections will debut on March 30 with a full runway show at the museum, but for now you can preview two of Everine's looks in Denver-based publication 303 Magazine, photographed outside of the museum.


A full look at the previous design:


In other Everine news, she was interviewed in the latest issue of Lavender Magazine about her recent winter wedding. Click here to view it online.

Photo(s) of the day: Danielle Everine gets hitched along the river

Local designer Danielle Everine got married on Raspberry Island in St. Paul this past weekend in a wintery, nautical-themed outdoor ceremony along the Mississippi River (wearing a coat of her own design) that included fellow designer Rachel Blomgren's accompaniment on harp. Here Danielle is with her husband David, as shot by Peter Holme. Congrats to the lovely couple!

Danielle Everine releases Fall 2011 lookbook

The lookbook from Danielle Everine's Fall 2011 capsule collection, "Call Me Ishmael," is has just been released. It's more than a few months late, but few can blame the very busy designer (who is currently working on pieces to debut at the upcoming YSL retrospective at the Denver Art Museum). The seafaring-inspired line is gorgeously captured by local photographer Eliesa Johnson against a waterfront background, and the pared down, natural styling was a perfect choice. Click here for my review of the collection, which debuted with a humble in-store fashion show at Cliché last October. Better late than never, I say.










Photos & Layout: Eliesa Johnson
Hair: Micah Savage
Model: Telsche Mae

In review: Cliche's Avoid the Grey

Cliché hosted its annual fashion show "Avoid the Grey" on Saturday night at the Grainbelt Bottling House, and this year the local boutique decided to change things up. The "show" was more of an art installation, with models dressed in one avant-garde look by local designers housed inside peephole-laden boxes designed by local artists. While I love me a good old-fashioned runway show, it was a great concept - fashion as art. With the recent slew of overly-lengthy runway shows that seem to be more about quantity than quality, it was refreshing to see so much thought having gone into a show. Less was more, in this case. A minor criticism: it was difficult to get a good gauge of what was happening in the boxes with only the small peepholes to peer through. But nonetheless, the interactive feel of the event served only to make fashion more accessible and less intimidating.

Here are the individual looks, out of the box. Let's assess:

Kerry Riley of Needle & Black translated her love for patent leather into a skintight Latex look complete with her signature holster, this time rendered in stripes, which offers a great graphic element to the otherwise fairly basic design. The gold cuffs were a nice addition.

Rachel Blomgren is one of my favorite up-and-comers in the local fashion scene. She has a great way of merging a punky, West Bank aesthetic with genuinely impressive knitting skills and a great eye for color and pattern. I want those leggings NOW. The headpiece (or rather, "hand" piece) and doll head necklace are deliciously wacky. (Necklace by Lela Baumann of Chrysopoeia.)

Kimberly Jurek's contribution to the evening was a silk skirt inspired by traditional bomba skirts, which are designed for a traditional Puerto Rican folkloric dance. She updated it with the pops of neon, though with the addition of the fringed jacket, it looks more like a costume than true fashion. (Accessories by KR Designs by Kristi Relopez.)

As for Kathryn "V" Sterner's look, this is just plain weird. Apparently the "hoof hand" gloves are inspired by a lyric from a Devandra Banhart song, and the dress is made out of wallpaper - no wonder it looks so stiff. The makeup and the head wreath are making me think of Jesus Christ, and that's not good. (Head wreath by Cocoquette by Andrea Oseland.)

What a fun look from Sarah M. Holm. Love the juxtaposition of the soft floral and bow motifs with the "gun bustier" and black cage skirt. And it's perfectly constructed. It's no surprise coming from a designer known for injecting high-concept ideas into her work while still making it fashion (i.e., not a costume). (Bullet jewelry by Timmilynn Johnson of Sweet T.)

This was an intriguing offering from Danielle Everine. It's clearly in line with her latest work shown at the "Sashay Shantay" fashion-geared Art Shanty over the past couple of weeks - sort of an Arctic seafaring snow queen, with equal parts fashion and function. The black and shades of blue work gorgeously together. My one complaint is that it's overstyled - she really didn't need the antler necklaces (which are by up-and-coming accessories line KR Designs. And I do really like the antler necklaces on their own; I featured them in last week's issue of Vita.mn).

Yikes. This look by Carmichael Claith just looks ridiculous. It's clear she was going for some outsized proportions, but those pants make the model look like The Adventures of Frog & Toad.

Double yikes for this look by ArielSimone. Yellow lace with cutouts and rhinestones can never be a good idea. It's pretty draggy. (Accessories by Jen Scheffler of Realia by Jen.)

Killah look from Amanda Christine. That jacket is perfectly cut, and this is far edgier than we typically see from the typically more subdued designer (who is among the city's more commercially successful designers). The sheer red hose are a great touch. (Accessories by Timmilynn Johnson of Sweet T.)

Up-and-coming designer Gina Marie Landes of Gina Marie Vintage sticks pretty true to her subdued palette, chiffon fabrics and easy-fitting silhouettes in her boho/Grecian goddess look. (Accessories by Larissa Loden of Lefthand Originals.)

And to get a taste of the actual event, here's some video:



All photos by Marty Andreason except Kimberly Jurek's look photo by Sara Glassman.

More one-of-a-kind pieces for sale by Danielle Everine

Local designer Danielle Everine of Project Runway fame has added some new pieces to her collection over at e-retailer One-Offs Yippee! (which I always cringe upon typing). As much as I hate the name of the site, it does a great job of giving designers the opportunity to sell their one-of-a-kind pieces, which are typically a hard sell in a more traditional brick-and-mortar retail setting.

Windowpane wool intimate shorts

Plaid wool intimate shorts

These are from Danielle's collaboration mini-line with local lingerie designer Sarah White of Jagress Intimates last spring (which I reviewed for l'etoile). Though designed as lingerie, they'd be super cute paired with some dark opaque tights and boots.

Silk organza grey sheer trousers

Silk organza black sheer trousers

These pieces from Danielle's all-sheer Spring/Summer 2011 collection, shown at Voltage 2011, are a little trickier to wear, but would be great worn with some short-shorts or contrasting leggings underneath.

Click here for more of Danielle's one-of-a-kind looks for sale on One-Offs Yippee!

Danielle Everine to be featured in new YSL retrospective

The new Yves Saint Laurent retrospective at the Denver Art Museum gets a Project Runway twist when it opens in March. In addition to highlights of YSL's career, from his early days at Dior in the 1950s through his last show in 2002, the exhibition opening will kick off with a runway show of looks inspired by the iconic designer created by a group of Project Runway alumni - including hometown girl Danielle Everine. Each of the eight designers, notably season eight's Michael Costello and Mondo Guerra, will show five original looks. The exhibition overseen by Pierre Bergé, who was YSL’s one-time romantic partner and life-long business partner, will be hosted at the museum from March 25 through July 8.

YSL's Paris retrospective. Photo: © Sophie Carre / Fondation Pierre Bergé-Yves Saint Laurent

Art Shanty Projects kicks off with on-ice fashion show

It was one thing to have Christmas without snow, but no snow for the Art Shanties? That would just be wrong. Fortunately, the long-awaited snowfall began just in time for the commencement of Saturday's kick off of the Art Shanty Projects. The main attraction was certainly the debut of the Sashay Shantay shack, a fashion-geared shanty that not only allowed guests to try on handmade clothing by local designers such as Danielle Everine, Rachel Blomgren and Carly Schoen, but also culminated with an on-ice fashion show featuring the designers and their friends donning the wacky, wild and wooly wares - some appropriately wearing ice skates. The Sashay Shanty organizers reported on the blog afterward, "The most frequent comment of the day 'Oh! It’s nice and warm in here.' Second most: 'Oh! It’s so cuuuuuute!'" The Shanties run daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. through February 5, with a runway show happening daily.

Look by Lindsay Rhyner

Look by Emrys Stramer

Danielle Everine, pictured third to right in her own design

Look by Emrys Stramer

Look by Lindsay Rhyner

Look by Carly Schoen

Look by Rachel Blomgren

Head over to City Pages' Dressing Room blog for a Q&A with designer Rachel Blomgren.

Photos via sashayshantay.wordpress.com

Just announced: Cliche presents "Avoid the Grey"

Local boutique Cliché's annual late-winter fashion show, "Avoid the Grey," returns for its seventh year on February 4. The show highlights the ready-to-wear collections of the Uptown shop's talented roster of local designers. This year's "voyeurism" theme offers a look into inspiration of ten of the store's designers, including Rachel Blomgren, Kathryn V, Needle & Black, Carmichael Claith, Danielle Everine, K.Jurek Couture, Sarah M. Holm, Amanda Christine, Gina Marie Vintage, and ArielSimone. Each collection will be accented by jewelry and accessories from Cocoquette, KR Designs, Sweet T, Lefthand Originals, Realia, and Chrysopoeia. Visit the Facebook event for more details.

[A shot from last year's "Avoid the Grey." Photo by Jahna Peloquin]

Danielle Everine releases one-of-a-kind pieces online

Local fashion darling Danielle Everine is the latest local designer to be added to One-offs Yippee!, an e-retailer that offers one-of-a-kind pieces from Christopher Straub, ArielSimone, Sarah M. Holme and many other locals. The seven pieces look to be a mish-mash of items from past collections and new, never-before-seen pieces, available in sample sizes fitting a 0-4 (though Everine does custom orders). The bouses and dresses are cute and easy-to-wear, but the real standouts are the outerwear - Everine's specialty. Prices range from $88 for a blouse to $290 for the fur-sleeved coat. View the full collection here; you can find more Everine at her Etsy shop and in-store at Cliché.

Hand-dyed floral sheer cropped blouse (pictured at right at l'etoile's "Bright Society," September 2011. Photo: Peter Jamus)

 

 White sheep fur & leather vest (pictured on right at "Pale Rider," September 2010. Photo: Digital Crush)

 

Fur sleeve and leather coat with embroidered yoke (pictured on right at "Pale Rider," September 2010. Photo: Digital Crush)

 

 Windowpane cotton waistcoat

Hand-printed rose linen dress

Woven hand-printed "brick" dress

Sheer striped organza blouse

Just announced: "The Wardrobe of Wonder," a fashionable Art Shanty

One of the Twin Cities' great winter traditions is the annual Art Shanty Projects, a series of themed ice houses for the artistically inclined taking place during the months of January and February. After a one year hiatus, it's back and bigger than ever. One new addition will be a fashion-themed shanty helmed by local designers Danielle Everine, Rachel Blomgren, Lela Horst Baumann and others. Everine tells me that shanty guests will have the chance to try on hardy knits and coats by the designers and take a photo in a photobooth. It will all culminate at the end of the run of the shanties with a full runway show with real models. The Art Shanty Project runs January 14 through February 5, 2012. Designers interested in participating can enter via an open call until December 20. Get a submission form via theesashayshantay@gmail.com; more info is posted below. Visit www.artshantyprojects.org for more information on Art Shanty Projects.

Fashion link roundup

A smattering of local fashion news from the Twin Cities and beyond.

[Photo: Mary O'Regan/Art of Wore]

Mary O'Regan does a studio visit with local knitwear designer Kevin Kramp, and it includes a really cool video of the designer in action with his knitting machine.

Local line K.Jurek Couture's "The Galaxy Next Door" skirt is now available on ModCloth.com.

Elizabeth Dehn of Beauty Bets gets interviewed by (and lands the cover of) Twin Cities-based publication HerLife.

Minnesota-based knitwear designer Kevin Kramp has been featured in Spain's We Are Selecters.

BRAVE Magazine does a Q&A with eyewear designers Coco & Breezy.

Plymouth Magazine interviews local designer Adrienne Yancy of ArielSimone.

Amy Gee shoots Monday night's Joynoelle fashion show. Beth Hammarlund of l'étoile reviews the Joynoelle fashion show, as does Mary O'Regan of METRO and Allison Kaplan of Mpls.St.Paul Magazine. Check out my review for Vita.mn here.

Beth Hammarlund of l'étoile reviews the Christopher Straub show, and so does METRO's Mary O'Regan. I review the show for Vita.mn. Good Morning Northland interviews Straub on his new collection for maurices.

Nancy Ngo of Pioneer Press catches up with Project Runway designers Christopher Straub and Danielle Everine.

Arts and style writer Joan Erakit interviews METRO Magazine's Mary O'Regan.

E-retailer Of a Kind does a studio tour of former Minneapolis designer Annie Larson's new Brooklyn pad and talks to her about the creative process leading up to her recent Jerome grant project, and Birchbox blog asks Annie how she keeps her super-long hair in check.

Gregory J. Scott's Q&A with fashion designer and arts curator Emma Berg for last week's Vita.mn cover stories on the Twin Cities' most influential people from the past five years.

Check out a new interview with ROX Jewelry designer Robyne Robinson by Harlem's Fashion Row.

"Carnival Chic": Photos from Vita.mn Vth Anniversary fashion shows

Last Friday, I styled two mini fashion shows for the Vita.mn Vth Anniversary Fashion Show. The event itself had a "carnival chic" theme, so taking a cue from that, I styled Vision models in circus and carnival-inspired looks using some of the Twin Cities top local designers including Danielle Everine, Joynoelle, Max Lohrbach, Ivan Idland, and Kevin Kramp, with Vita.mn honoree Emma Berg getting her own segment of looks. Accessories were provided by local designers Stephanie Lake Design (jewelry) and Ruby3 (hats), plus Lula Vintage Wear and Twin Cities Magic & Costume. Emcee Nadine DuBois of Lili's Burlesque wore a dress and bolero by local line Blasphemina's Closet.

"Harlequin, Jesters & Mimes"
Photo: John Behm for Vita.mn
Fashions by Max Lohrbach, Kevin Kramp, Joynoelle (L-R), accessories from Twin Cities Magic & Costume, Ruby3, Lula Vintage Wear.
Models from Vision Management Group.
Hair & makeup: Jungle Red Salon.

"Lion Tamer & Lion, Mimes, Harlequin & Jesters"
Photo: Peter Holme Photography
Fashions by Ivan Idland, Joynoelle, Kevin Kramp & Max Lohrbach; accessories from Ruby3, Lula Vintage Wear, Twin Cities Magic & Costume, Stephanie Lake Design.

"Tightrope Walker, Lion Tamer & Lion with Mimes"
Photo: Peter Holme Photography
Fashions by Danielle Everine (foreground), Ivan Idland, Joynoelle, Kevin Kramp & Max Lohrbach; accessories from Ruby3, Lula Vintage Wear, Twin Cities Magic & Costume, Stephanie Lake Design.

"Mime #2"
Photo: John Behm for Vita.mn
Fashions by Joynoelle, hat from Lula Vintage Wear, gloves from Twin Cities Magic & Costume.
Model: Ladonna for Vision Management Group.

"Mime #2"
Photo: John Behm for Vita.mn
Fashions by Joynoelle, gloves by Max Lohrbach, hat from Lula Vintage Wear.
Model: Carol for Vision Management Group.

"The Circus Lion"
Photo: John Behm for Vita.mn
Fashion by Joynoelle, accessories from Lula Vintage Wear & Twin Cities Magic & Costume.
Model: Ash for Vision Management Group.

"The Circus Lion"
Photo: Meredith Westin for Twin Cities Daily Planet
Fashion by Joynoelle, accessories from Lula Vintage Wear & Twin Cities Magic & Costume.
Model: Ash for Vision Management Group.

"The Court Jester"
Photo: Meredith Westin for Twin Cities Daily Planet
Fashion by Kevin Kramp, hat by Ruby3.
Model: Kyndra for Vision Management Group.

"Trapeze Girl"
Photo: John Behm for Vita.mn
Skirt & heart bra top by Max Lohrbach, headpiece by Ruby3.
Model: Elle for Vision Management Group.

"The Showgirl Descends"
Photo: Peter Holme Photography
Dress by Emma Berg, headpiece by Ruby3, jewelry by Stephanie Lake Design.
Model: Elle for Vision Management Group.

"The Showgirl"
Photo: John Behm for Vita.mn
Dress by Emma Berg, headpiece by Ruby3, necklace by Stephanie Lake Design.
Model: Elle for Vision Management Group

"Showgirls"
Photo: John Behm for Vita.mn
Fashions by Emma Berg, headpieces by Ruby3, jewelry by Stephanie Lake Design
Models: Elle & Ladonna for Vision Management Group.

"The Court Jester"
Photo: John Behm for Vita.mn
Fashion by Emma Berg, jewelry by Stephanie Lake Design, mask from Twin Cities Magic & Costume.
Model: Carol for Vision Management Group.

"The Ringleader"
Photo: John Behm for Vita.mn
Host Nadine DuBois dressed in fashions by Blasphemina's Closet and her own accessories.

Video by Corey Tenold

Photography: Peter Holme Photography, John Behm for Vita.mn & Meredith Westin for Twin Cities Daily Planet; Danielle Morris.
Models: Vision Management Group
Hair & Makeup: Jungle Red Salon
All fashion styling by Jahna Peloquin. Assistant: Danielle Morris.