Fashion Week Minnesota: Spring/Summer 2017 - Take Two

Since the FWMN calendar was first announced, so many more amazing events have been added.  

I wanted to take a minute to pick some favorites from round two! 

1) Queen Anna Boutique Opening

Image by Queen Anna

Sunday, April 23
http://fashionweekmn.com/event/queen-anna-grand-opening-party/

A new North Loop boutique from the founder of One Posh Closet, Queen Anna will carry contemporary brands like YFB of Young Fabulous and Broke, KES, LAMARQUE, and Chan Luu. The opening night party, “Enter the Scene” will include bites, bubbly, beverages, and insight on the vision behind the brand.  

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2) LaChouChou Presents: Live Fashion Gallery

Wednesday, April 26
http://fashionweekmn.com/event/la-chouchou-presents-live-fashion-gallery/

After the success of the first LaChouChou Live Fashion Gallery at Clockwerks Brewing, Jessica Jones and Mercedes Bergman are bringing the second installment to the Food Building during FWMN.  Live models will showcase clothing from Duchess of Whittier, Mercedes Bergman Designs, Abbie Kenyon, D8AGirl by Monica Lyon, Nine56 by Meg Floersch, and Coty Clothing Company.  

Photo by Becoming Photography

The idea, says Jones, is "to get close to the clothes and enjoy them as art.”  Too many times, a runway segment is not enough to really get a sense of the garment, find out who created it, and how to get one for yourself.  In addition to a four-look mini collection, each designer will be showcasing one unconventional material look, inspired by one of the Food Building makers - Red Table Meat Co, Baker's Field Flour & Bread, and The Beez Kneez.  

Photo by Becoming Photography

In addition to local food and fashion, local artist Rya DeMulder will be creating a look inspired by event partner, Friends of the Boundary Waters, supporting preservation of the natural beauty of Minnesota’s wilderness.  There will be passed appetizers and a cash bar to enjoy as you mingle with makers, models, and more.  Tickets to the Live Fashion Gallery are $25 and are available here.

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3) Raul Osorio Collection Presentation 

Thursday, April 27
http://fashionweekmn.com/event/raul-osorio-ss17-collection-presentation/ 

The only event this season solely featuring menswear, Raul Osorio’s latest collection will be presented in a "minimalist fashion presentation” at Jetset.  The free presentation will begin at 8pm, with doors at 7:30.  After the presentation, stick around to enjoy a live DJ and mingle with fellow fashion enthusiasts.

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Also, I am very, very excited about a dress I bought from Georgiedda/Goodiewealth that is being embroidered as I type.  I’ll be wearing it to Envision!  Stay tuned 🔌 🔌 🔌

Win Tickets to St Paul's Lowertown Pop Maker's Market

Minneapolis is definitely more my style than St. Paul, but the upcoming Lowertown Pop maker's market at St. Paul's historic Union Depot, filled with talented local artisans from all over Minnesota, will be worth visiting the Capitol city to enjoy.  

Thanks to MN Blogger Bash, I was able to preview some of the makers popping up at the event - from upcycled leather goods from Desdamona Doolittle, to cheeky sentiments from Muddy Mouth Cards, to a Bloody Mary enhancer with some heat from Fast Mary's, to cleverly designed clothing by Anywhere Apparel, and everything in between.  

Upcycled leather necklaces from Desdamona Doolittle: https://www.etsy.com/shop/DesdamonaDoolittle 

Obi belts made from repuposed ties by Foat: https://www.foatdesign.com/

The market on April 15 will also include live demonstrations including those for cocktail making, aromatherapy, and styling multi-functional clothing.  The schedule of demonstrations can be found on the Union Depot website: http://www.uniondepot.org/events/lowertownpop/.

Lowertown Pop gives back to the St. Paul community!  Tickets to the market are $10 in advance and $15 at the door, and half the proceeds will go to River's Edge Academy, and half will go to one of the makers featured.  

Perusing the market will be a great break from my PE studying and I am very looking forward to going.  Also thanks to MN Blogger Bash, I have a pair of tickets to give away!  

To win a pair of tickets to Lowertown Pop, tweet me (@UrbanOrchidBlog) with which maker you are most excited to check out, and don't forget to include the hashtag #lowertownpop.  Entries are due by 12 p.m. (Central Time) Saturday, April 8.

Tweet to @urbanorchidblog

The full list of featured Minnesota makers can be found here: http://www.uniondepot.org/lowertownpopmakers/ 

ICONS MN: Film. Fashion. Rock & Roll.

With a tagline like “Film. Fashion. Rock & Roll.”, how could I miss ICONS? 

Originally scheduled for a weekend I had other commitments, I was excited to find out that not only would the new date be on a night I was free, but also on a weekend I would already be heading down to the Cities.  

Designer inspiration sketches at ICONS.

Hosted by Cult Collective and held on August 9, 2014 at the St. Paul Athletic Club, ICONS was a really fun experience and reminded me how much I love Joan Jett, Black Flag, and rock in general.  

I was a little wary since this event came from a lot of the same team that threw the Black Hearts Ball, which I was really excited by but didn’t have the greatest experience with.  However, ICONS was fantastic.  

Entry at ICONS. Photo by Rick Corwine.

The show centered around 4 short films each showcasing a different style of rock from Glam Rock to Psychedelic Rock to Women in Rock to Punk Rock.  After the film, a runway show featuring looks by local designers rocked the room.

Glam Rock

Film: Kings of Glam
Inspiration: David Bowie, Marc Bolan
Designers:
Clare LaFond
Ariel Simone
TIM + THOM

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I love the leg harness.  I need one in my life.  Looks by Tim+Thom and ArielSimone.

Psychedelic Rock

Film: Feed Your Head: The Psychedelic Era
Designers:
Rachel Blomgren
DeLange Designs
Lindsey Hopkins

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Look by Rachel Blomgren.

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Look by Lindsey Hopkins.

Women in Rock

Film: A montage from Women in Rock History, originally presented by Girls Rock Boston
Inspiration: Joan Jett, Beth Ditto
Designers:
Tessa Louise
Danielle Everine
Kelly Keene

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Look by Tessa Louise.  It came down the runway to Joan Jett's "Do You Want To Touch Me".  Perfect.

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Looks by Kelly Keene and Danielle Everine.

Punk Rock

Film: The Art of Punk: Black Flag
Inspriation: Black Flag
Designers:
Emrys Mariel Stramer
Laura Fulk
Sarah M. Holm

Look by Emrys Mariel Stramer.

Look by Emrys Mariel Stramer

Look by Emrys Mariel Stramer.

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Looks by Laura Fulk and Emrys Mariel Stramer.

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Looks by Sarah M. Holm and Laura Fulk.

Due to a scheduling issue (mini-golf at the Walker took longer than anticipated), I didn’t have time to grab dinner before the show.  Which worked out completely fine, since my ticket included access to food by Chef Chris Gerster (head chef at Red Stag and formerly of Alma, both on my MSP restaurant bucket list).  I think I ate more than enough chicken florentine for myself and the rest of the crowd.  

The Step Rockets gave a private performance for attendees of ICONS after the film and fashion portion ended.  My phone ran out of battery before I had a chance to capture the magic, but they definitely kept the crowd going.

I keep finding excuses to wear this sparkly stunner I found in my ICONS gift bag from Realia by Jen. I don’t wear rings often, but when I do, they have to be bauble-y.

Ring by Realia by Jen.

ICONS was truly a fun night filled with film, fashion, and rock & roll.

MAGIC MARKET WEEK Recap

     Last month, I had the exciting opportunity to attend Magic Market Week in Las Vegas, NV thanks to Indigenous.  Actually comprised of 9 different apparel trade shows spread over two different locations, my day at MAGIC was really exhausting!  

http://instagram.com/p/V9h5cQFMJ3/

     I want to give a big thank you to Indigenous, who I worked with on their #worthwearing styling campaign, for inviting me to attend a panel they were hosting at WWDMagic about eco-branding and for extending a way for me to attend the show.  I learned a lot and had an interesting experience taking part in the panel - a story for another post.

     Each show brought a different focus of the apparel industry to light so I really wanted to hit them all, and glad I was able to spend at least a little time exploring each one.  If I had more notice, I would have taken time off work to experience more.

     WWD Magic was at the heart of the Las Vegas Convention Center and I loved seeing new collections from favorite brands as well as checking out up and coming designers.  The day was filled with panels, fashion shows, and seminars hosted by bloggers and brand representatives as well as trend forecasters and stylists.  

Kiara (Tobruck Ave), Stephanie (Honey & Silk), Tiara (The Dope Girl), and moderator Audrey talking about social media platforms and blogging.

Part of the WWD Magic floor

Super smart idea to have a universal charging station.

    Sourcing at MAGIC was all about the supply chain in the fashion industry.  Really interesting to see all the fabrics and findings behind favorite brands.  The floor was organized by country and there was also a lot of trend forecasting - posters boasting color palettes and inspirations for 2014 were all over the place!

Me at Sourcing...and yes, that is water.

     FN (Footwear News) Platform is a huge shoe show and definitely had me drooling.  There had to have been millions of beautiful shoes!  Expect a lot of beautiful bronze items from Elliott Lucca coming up in the fall - they definitely caught my attention.  Really excited for the fun sandals from dv dolce vita - especially if there's going to be a summer hit like last year's Archer.  

Also really loved the iridescent jewel tones from Rebecca Minkoff!

Kristin Cavallari stopped by to talk about her line with Chinese Laundry.

     The other part of the show was held at the Mandalay Convention Center and included PROJECT, PROJECT Menswear,  PROJECT MVMNT, POOLTRADESHOW, Tents at PROJECT, and ENK Vegas.

     I wish I could have grabbed more photos at PROJECT MVMNT!  The show featured urban culture brands and was really interactive and energetic.  I really appreciated how they incorporated art into fashion and each brand was almost like a lifestyle rather than just a business.  If I get a chance to go again, I'd love to spend more time there.

#ekocycle

   
     Interesting concept I saw at PROJECT - #ekocycle brought together by Will.I.Am and Coca Cola.  #ekocycle is an initiative to use recycled materials in products.  They showed phone cases and snapbacks made from recycled plastics and fibers.  

Phone cases made with recycled material from casemate/#ekocycle

     Didn't see a whole lot of PROJECT Menswear but definitely eye opening to see how many different aspects to the apparel industry are.  A lot of buyers, exhibitors, trend forecasters, consumer behavior analysts, media, marketers, business owners…so many people with different interests and focuses come together to make the fashion industry happen and it is really mind blowing.

   Tents @ PROJECT featured what seemed to me as being higher end independent brands like Ben Minkoff, J Brand, Billy Reid, Edun, and Vince.  ENK Vegas had a lot of popular, youthful brands like Wilfox, Unif, Nicole Miller, Splendid, CC Skye, and Rebecca Minkoff.  

Inside the ENK Vegas tent

     

     POOLTRADESHOW was really interesting too - a completely different vibe than the rest of the show featuring a lot of trendy boutique brands like Motel and Jeffrey Campbell.  They also had a cash & carry area and I wish I had more time to check out the vendors.  

Trying out sunglasses by Proof Eyewear made from recycled skateboards at POOLTRADESHOW.

     

     Took time after the show to check out the WWDMagic reception at the Wynn.  The food by Chef James Benson was really good - loved the sweet and spicy goat cheese stuffed peppers and the dessert!  The cheesecake macaroons were way better than any other macaron I've ever had.  

Off to the WWD Magic reception!

     Had a blast at the show and wish I had more time to really take it in.

So many totes!  And a tee by 213 apparel.

Super psyched about these nail polish strips.  Had great wear with the Sally Hansen and OPI ones, hope these are good too!

     I learned a lot about fashion, social media, branding, and have tons of inspiration for upcoming posts, so stay tuned!

Visiting the Ethel M Chocolate Factory and Cactus Garden

     The Ethel M chocolate factory has been located in Henderson, Nevada since the brand's start in 1981.  I remember being in elementary school and taking a field trip to check out their factory tour and bringing home some delicious goodies.  The current factory tour is self guided - giving the opportunity to read information and look inside the factory at a comfortable pace - complete with chocolate tasting at the end.

They even use some of the original equipment!

     The property that houses the factory and retail store also contains a cactus garden and solar power garden.  For the winter season, the cactus garden was decorated with LED holiday lights.  The solar power harvested during the day can support factory production.  

This looks crazier than it was.

     I was able to take the factory tour and visit the holiday cactus garden last month.  I was even able to meet Santa Claus!  

     While not certified Fair Trade, Ethel M chocolates place an importance on fair principles.  Ethel M is owned by Mars Inc. but remains committed to producing in small batches, not using preservatives, and using quality ingredients.  They also place importance on the source of those ingredients: 

     The store also sells "myCocoaPaper" items - paper products made partially from cocoa tree bark.  The myCocoaPaper brand closed it's doors but has been re-branded and can be found at the CocoaVia (also owned by Mars Inc.) website.

     I left with a custom picked box of some of my favorite treats. 

     The holiday light display has ended for the season but the cactus garden and factory tour are available daily.  For more information, check the Ethel M website.