Twin Cities Fashion Week Fall 2014 Recap
There were so many great events for Twin Cities Fashion Week, I wish I could have attended them all! It will be so much easier to coordinate when I finally live in Minneapolis. I enjoyed my time at the events I did attend and can’t wait til next season!
Fashionopolis
Hosted by MSP Magazine at Aria, Fashionopolis showcased items inspired by their September Style issue, all available at Twin Cities retailers. The show was separated into themed segments and presented in one of the more elaborate runways I’ve seen.
Fashionopolis at Aria.
Section 1 - Overexposed featured a lot of sequins, Section 2 - After Sunset featured a lot of leather, Section 3 - Winter Carnival showed a lot of bright outerwear, Section 4 - Dreamsicle showed how to wear pastel colors even in crisp fall and winter weather.
Platform model at Fashionopolis.
In the lobby, there were live models showcasing pieces from Scheherazade, Stephanie’s, House of 365, and more. The space was interesting, with whimsical sayings on the walls and cool chandeliers. Aria is also very conveniently located near the office, so I was able to rush back right after the show (and Glam Doll Donuts) to finish up a project.
Envision
Fall 2014 was the best production of Envision I have attended so far. Loved the signage from Minneapolis based Woodchuck, who I recognized from their storefront in Duluth during the holiday pop-ups.
Tricia Khutoretsky of Public Functionary hosts Envision.
The video introductions before each collection really helped focus on each designer or retailer, rather than the night being two segments of a smattering of shows. The live entertainment by DJ Adora Tokyo and breakdancers made intermission more than just grabbing another drink.
My favorite piece from the night was definitely this dress by Tessa Louise:
Finale dress by Tessa Louise.
Full review of Envision Fall 2014 to come!
North Loop Fall Crawl
The North Loop of Minneapolis is not only home to the office I’ll be working out of (and the brewery/restaurant below it), but also a lot of independent retailers. The North Loop Fall Crawl consisted of 11 featured retailers and a passport to get stamped at each one.
As soon as eight different stamps were collected (4 from the central zone and 4 from the more outer zone), the stub could be filled out and entered in a gift card raffle.
I got every single stamp by the end of the crawl.
Some of the highlights from the North Loop Fall Crawl include:
Roe Wolfe - I had heard a lot about Roe Wolfe via past seasons of Envision, but never had enough time to stop in until now. A great mix of local and boutique brands.
Lole - Women’s activewear. They have the running jackets with the thumbholes that I love so much. Some of their items can cross over from activewear to being casual wear.
Stephen Vincent Design - Absolutely beautiful fine jewelry. A lot of gorgeous pieces available (including the perfect diamond studs I need to save up for) and custom designs can be created.
martinpatrick3 - This is the place to shop for men. Lifestyle store from apparel to barware to coffee table books and more.
MN4MN
The inaugural season of this event was a great way to see parts of the Metro that aren’t in downtown Minneapolis or St. Paul. Held at the Shops at West End in St. Louis Park (which I’ve likened to Town Square in Las Vegas), the weekend involved two nights of different fashion shows from local retailers and designers, and a pop-up market including Minnesota based brands and stores.
Marc, Coco, Betsey, Karl, and Tom - Fashion icon Block Bots by Oh Dier.
The market was really fun. I loved seeing representatives Duluth Pack, Elixery, Oh Dier, Apricot Lane, and getting to know more about them. I even stopped by Sanborn Canoe booth where they were showing handcrafted canoe paddles...it made me nostalgic for my Concrete Canoe days in college.
At the market, I fell in love with jewelry designer Cheryl Shohet. Each of her pieces is unique, with a focus on creating art that you can wear.
Artist and jewelry designer Cheryl Shohet.
One of the more interesting things about MN4MN weekend was how Target showed both nights - the first night showcasing items from it’s house brands (Merona, Mossimo, etc) and the second night, looks from creatives on their design team (Lindsey Hopkins, Marissa Bridges, etc). Sometimes, I forget that a corporation as big as Target still consists of actual people.
Full review of MN4MN to come.