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.

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.

Kristin Berwald named one of City Pages' 100 Creatives

Today, City Pages named one of my favorite local jewelry designers, Kristin Berwald of Bionic Unicorn, one of its 100 Creatives. Bionic Unicorn will be one of the featured accessories designers for Voltage 2011 in April, to be shown with Max Lohrbach's line in the show's finale.

[Images via CityPages.com]

I've had a blast working with Kristin on a variety of shows and shoots over the past year, including the MNfashion-sponsored MIA Third Thursday show with Blasphemina's Closet and a forthcoming Minnesota Bride spread. I also included one of her necklaces in my Lady Gaga fashion spread for Vita.mn last summer. Look for her designs coming up at Cliché's Avoid the Grey show next Saturday and an Oscar preview for the Aegis Foundation next Tuesday (which I'm also styling). Read more of City Pages' 100 Creatives series here.