In review: "Envision: Artopia" Spring 2012

Every six months, an avalanche of fashion descends upon Minneapolis in the form of "Envision: Artopia." The annual two-part fashion show jams together 15 individual runway segments (eight local designers, six local boutiques), a bass-thumping soundtrack, and art on display from nine local artists spread throughout three hours within the glitzy, club-like atmosphere of the Graves 601 Hotel fifth floor ballroom.

The design team of Sara Lopez and Lizzie Hillmann, both standouts in February's University of Minnesota senior show, were the most forward-thinking, showing a feminine yet futuristic collection of cream and pastel-colored looks expertly-rendered in pleather and stiff cotton. It may not have been the most wearable collection, but it certainly showed perspective and experimentation - something all young designers should be exhibition.



Caroline Hayden and Gina Marie Vintage, both of whom debuted at last fall's "Envision," also earned points, Hayden with her glitzy, sophisticated collection that evoked modern-day Studio 54 and Gina Marie, whose sheer ponchos and drawstring silk shorts would appeal to the Urban Outfitters hipster and jet-setting sophisticate alike.

Caroline Hayden

Gina Marie Vintage

Another surprise was longtime menswear designer Russell Bourrienne's first foray into womenswear, and his adept tailoring skills were perfectly translated to the female form. His ivory cape-yoked trench coat and green cape-trench were simply to-die.



Local shop Cliché's segment, as always, featured the most inventive styling of the evening. The theme, which I would liken to "acid-boho," consisted of layers-upon-layers, zany legwear and contrasting patterns, accented with custom shoes decorated with Good and Plentys, comically big neon sunglasses and extra-large lollipops.



And while the sensory onslaught is clearly a big draw for the nearly-sold-out event, it's unavoidable that some of the finer details would get lost amongst the shouting. The art was all but invisible in the crowded hall. And with a couple of exceptions, much of the styling looked like an afterthought - clearly the result of one team of stylists of being spread too thin having to style nearly 150 looks in one night. A look from Karma that included a boho top and a scarf tied around the model's head, Hendrix-style, was particularly costumey, and local designer Amanda Christine's chic, sophisticated collection was inexplicably topped with Jackie O-esque headscarves and oversized sunglasses. Meanwhile, local designer Kathryn V's breezy but plain collection was shown with literal Crowns of Thorns - surely an unfortunate but unintentional correlation.

Kathryn V

Amanda Christine

Another side product of showcasing emerging designers are the occasional missteps. Autumn Kirchman's collection of bridal-y, Victorian-inspired looks were poorly constructed and fitted, rendered in cheap-looking, too-shiny polyester fabric, and showed poor taste on all fronts. Though no newcomers to the game, CounterCouture also showed poor judgment with their use of shiny, shiny fabric, which only serves to exaggerate every puckered seam and was not well-fitted on their models. It should be said that the line uses fabric recycled from bridesmaid dresses, and while admirable in intention, there is a reason people get rid of their bridesmaid dresses.

Autumn Kirchman

CounterCouture

Despite its relative shortcomings, "Envision" is the rare show that provides emerging designers with an audience for their work, as well as a platform for most established designers and retailers to maintain a presence - and hopefully make some new customers in the process.

Photos by Corey Tenold Photography
Originally posted at Vita.mn

In review: "Fashion Ball"

What would theater be without costumes, and fashion without theatricality? For local dance company Ballet of the Dolls, a separation of the two would be unthinkable. Their costume designer Grant Whittaker (also a dancer in the company) is, after all, a noted local fashion stylist, known equally for his high-fashion looks gracing Macy's Glamorama year after year as he is for his '90s club culture-referencing costume work for the Dolls. The combination of fashion and dance is never more apparent than at the dance company's third annual "Fashion Ball" benefit, which combines dance interludes imaginatively choreographed by Myron Johnson with runway fashion segments.

The two-part show kicked off with - what else? - an early '90s club scene, also in a nod to the current neon trend in fashion. Dance performances alternated with runway segments, each taking us to a different corner of the earth - a Far East opium den, the Arabian desert, ancient Egypt - mashing up historical and fairy tale characters with pop culture references ("Cleopatra Meets the Hip Hop Divas," "Rapunzel at the Toddlers & Tiaras Pageant"), set to a booming club soundtrack. The show is a clear labor of love by Whittaker, who not only created six different sets of elaborate themed costumes for the Ballet of the Dolls dancers, but also styled six segments of ten looks each (not to mention the ridiculously over-the-top wigs) - which, let me tell you, is no easy feat. It's a full-on fashion marathon, featuring looks from Fashion Avenue, Ragstock, Grethen House, and local designer Joynoelle.



As much as "Fashion Ball" is about the fashion, dance also plays a key role in the show. The sure highlight of the performance was a hilariously cheeky riff centering around an incestuous Hansel and Gretel, a down-and-dirty soundtrack of songs like Vanity 6's "Nasty Girl" and Kelis' "Milkshake," and glittery, gaudy costumes in a Christmas-y palette of red and green. In this case in particular, it was all about the energy and personality of the company's excellent, charismatic dancers - most memorably John Paul, a beautiful black man who makes dancing in heels look effortless and pulled off a mean Azaelia Banks impression in a blue wig, walking the runway as he lip-synced to the words "I'm fierce, goddamn it!" The clear takeaway of the night: fashion shouldn't take itself too seriously. It should be fun, goddamn it.

"Fashion Ball" continues tonight with an 8 p.m. show (7 p.m. doors, $35) and a VIP night tomorrow evening that includes a cocktail reception, silent auction, and dessert post-reception at 8 p.m. (6:30 p.m. reception, $75). Visit www.fashionball.org for details and tickets.








[Originally posted at Vita.mn]

Madame Butterfy-inspired fashions at Minnesota Opera kickoff

For most, the opera conjures ideas of old, white-haired rich folks tottering around with noses in air, and performers singing in Italian for hours about who-knows-what. Not exactly the most glamorous, exciting to-do in the world. But with last night's splashy fashion and art-infused kickoff event for the Minnesota Opera's upcoming eight-night run of Madame Butterfly hosted by the opera's young patrons membership group Tempo, held downtown Minneapolis at Seven Sushi Ultralounge, it was clear that this wasn't your grandma's opera. Puccini's classic tragedy clearly offered a depth of inspiration for local designers, who crafted impressively constructed looks in rich, sumptuous fabrics in a runway show impeccably styled by Grant Whittaker, who himself is known for a penchant for the theatrical. (His credits include costuming Ballet of the Dolls and styling fresh-from-New-York-Fashion-Week looks at the annual Macy's Glamorama blowout). As guests sipped on complimentary TEMPO-tinis, singers from the upcoming production previewed songs from the opera. Perfectly poised models provided by Vision Management Group walked in looks by Emma Berg, Russell Bourrienne, Samantha Rei Crossland (Blasphemina's Closet), Anna Lee (Ruby3), Kerry Riley (Needle & Black), and Jared Zachary (Freedom from Doubt), alongside newcomers Caroline Hayden, Tony Eliason, Lauren Mayhew, Sina Yi, and Hitomi K. It was an incredibly well-executed and realized showcase, only marred by the difficulty in seeing the looks as they whipped past at eye level. (At one point, I mistakenly thought the opera singers were a recording.) An elevated runway, or seating, could have helped. But the event was a beautifully executed one that made the point clear - that the opera could be not only stylish, but - dare we say - sexy.

Look by Emma Berg

Look by Anna Lee

Look by Jared Zachary

Look by Kerry Riley
Look by Samantha Rei Crossland

Look by Sina YiLook by Sina Yi

For tickets to the upcoming run of Madame Butterfly, visit the Minnesota Opera's site.

[Originally posted at Vita.mn.

MSP Fashion Week in review: "Resurgent"

Despite only being Thursday, last night officially wrapped up the final night of Minneapolis-St. Paul Fashion Week with "Resurgent: A Winter Rock Fashion Show." Though it seemed to take a page out of the handbook from the late, great Voltage: Fashion Amplified (which is officially on hiatus indefinitely) with its mix of rock 'n roll and runway fashion, the show put on by Uptown designer-run boutique You And Me seemed to harken back to a time in the Twin Cities, circa 2005, when DIY fashion was au courant and techno reigned. Take a look back at photos from the first two Voltage fashion shows, and you'll see what I mean. Back then, fashion had a punk rock, we-don't-give-a-fuck attitude: Yes, we MEANT to leave that hem undone. Yes, the hair is SUPPOSED to look like that. No, it's not SUPPOSED to be wearable. And you know what? It was a pretty fun, theatrical, and over-the-top time. It was entertainment.

But things have evolved in local fashion over the past five or six years. Voltage went from a flipping-the-bird-to-the-Man, rock 'n roll-centric event some zany fashions to a cleaned-up, professional runway fashion event with some live bands. Designers started moving out of the nightclub circuit to host their own polished runway shows in art galleries, raw studio spaces, and posh hotel ballrooms. They've begun creating size runs (as opposed to simply one-of-a-kind garments in a model size 2), manufacturing their lines, learning how to sew a proper hem, promoting themselves, creating lookbooks, selling their lines in stores across the country, and learning how to sew a proper hem. It may not be cool or punk rock, but it's the start to making a successful living as an independent designer.

Enough backstory - let's get to the review of last night's show. As I said, "Resurgent" was produced by designer-run store You And Me, home to brother clothing designers Tim and Thom Navarro, clothing designer Deborah Block, and jewelry designer Katy Vereide. The 27 looks shown under the collective You And Me label had a sort of post-apocalyptic, survivalist bent to them, most literally in a look that included a floor-length duster, gas mask and combat boots. By committing to showing so many looks, it appears the designers spread themselves a little thin. Hems were badly sewn (or left unhemmed for that purposeful "distressed" look), zippers were ham-handedly inserted, and garments were oddly fitted and proportioned on the whole. Many of the men's pants, for instance, were too-tight in the crotch and butt, but loose everywhere else.


Many of the looks were not only unwearable - which isn't always a detriment in my eyes - but plain odd, nonsensical and ugly, like a men's cropped suit jacket, an extremely weird men's poncho paired with inexplicable fingerless gloves, and a plaid women's cape in which the arms poked out of scarf-like sleeves. For all this talk about utilitarian, survivalist fashion, much of what was shown was just plain unwearable.








There were a few pieces that stood out as genuinely well-designed and intriguing, such as an extremely well-cut leather motorcycle jacket and denim-and-leather pants, as well as a structured, blazer-like cape - what an extremely chic, clean, and unique piece! They served as testaments to the potential of these designers if they could only edit and fine-tune.

It must be said they do not lack of ambition, ideas or vision - things many aspiring designers are sorely without. The worst thing is to be boring, and the show was anything but - complete with theatrical hair, makeup and staging. But as Twin Cities fashion works to become a sustainable industry and local designers begin expanding in markets beyond Minnesota, shows that focus on concept over execution are becoming increasingly irrelevant.



Handout photos by Nic Abrego

In review: Joynoelle's "The Caged Bird" Spring 2012 Collection

The Grand Cafe was the site of the Joynoelle fashion show on Monday night, having been transformed into a turn-of-the-century parlor, its wood floors serving as an unusual runway for the debut of the local line's Spring 2012 collection. But that's Joy Teiken for you - a bit quirky, yet timeless and sophisticated, like the charming South Minneapolis cafe itself. The longtime Twin Cities designer isn't about making a big bang or having mainstream commercial appeal, which is precisely why the show was invite-only and unticketed. This is evident in her custom, handmade ready-to-wear and bridal collections, which are all crafted in the designer's nearby studio and atelier. For her latest collection, Teiken took inspiration from "the caged bird," incorporating criss-cross shapes, stripes, feathers, and a rich palette of red, brown and cream. Each piece offered thoughtful details, delicate fabrics, and inventive fabric manipulation, staying true to the designer's confectionary, vintage-inspired aesthetic that has made the line a local treasure. Why fix what ain't broke, after all?

[Photos by Jahna Peloquin]