Monday, April 18, 2011

DenverbyDesign Fashion Show

I have no good excuse for my long absence. I have a lot of good REASONS, but none of them are really that good of an excuse. I moved twice (with no help), had mouth surgery, became addicted to Netflix online, and did a few fashion projects/custom orders, but none of those are what I would consider good excuses for not spending a few hours every couple of days online.

But with that said, let's move on.

At the end of February I was asked to do a fashion show for Mod Livin's DenverbyDesign event on March 12th. Despite my obvious time crunch, I decided to create a new mini collection for the show. I immediately knew I wanted to do a collection inspired by the space itself. I felt inspired by the idea of modern accessorizing but with slightly mod/retro silhouettes, all inspired by furniture. I used silhouettes and details used for couches and chairs, such as tufting, couch buttons, zippers, and piping.

I wanted some of the pieces to be very wearable with a fun little nod to the theme, but then have others that were a more high end interpretation of the furniture. I used faux leather, shiny vinyl, upholstery fabric, and plain satins that could be built on to. I knew I wanted some hats to add a modern touch, so I had a friend knit/crochet some hats inspired by furniture coverings/details. I only ended up using two of the hats, but I had multiple to choose from.

Because of the time limit, I ended up having to simplify many of my designs. In my original designs, many of the skirts were to be paired with long sleeve shirts with cuffs and collars. I ended up switching these out with decorated t-shirts and tanks so that I could spend more time focusing on quality and craftsmanship, rather than just throwing things together. Another thing I had to settle a bit on was fabric choice. Money was tight (when is it not?) so I tried to use fabric I already had around and cheaper versions of the fabrics I wanted.

All of the pieces I created were inspired by furniture in some way, but some pieces were less obvious than others. One example is a red dress with piping and lace down the front. When inspected closely, you see that the lace is in the shape of couches. I tried to make the collection like a great guessing game for the audience.

Hair and makeup was a challenge for me. I knew I wanted each model to have a different version of a braided updo, but was not completely sure on what kind of makeup I wanted. I ended up giving Rebelle Salon creative control. The result was a great mixture of Renaissance, Victorian, and modern inspired braids, with the makeup being an all nude face, to give the models a slightly creepy look.

For the show itself I had the models walk down the runway and then pose next to a chair that the outfit was inspired by, or looked a lot like. The chairs ranged from shiny plastic chairs to a faux leather chair that reminded me of bondage gear. Though it was very difficult to get the show together in such a short period of time, I was very happy with the outcome, and the audience really seemed to enjoy the collection. Check out all the pictures below!

Poster Design



Hair Inspiration Pictures




The Runway Show





Zoe wears a faux leather tent dress with front piping and covered buttons. Full metal side zipper.


Kailee wears a decorated tank and double layered skirt with furniture silhouettes and braided tassel trim.


Erin wears a decorated tee and satin skirt with furniture silhouettes, removable bow, and ric-rac. Crochet hat.


Alyssa wears a satin shift dress with faux collar, piping, covered buttons, and couch lace.


Jordan wears a cracked faux leather shift with side piping and couch nails and a full back metal zipper. Knitted hat.


Kinsey wears an hourglass detailed dress with piping, faux quilting, upholstery fabric, and removable bow.


Taylor wears a silk dupioni dress with puff sleeve, piping, and couch nails around hem and down bottom half of sleeve.


Dana wears a satin dress with hundreds of shiny vinyl chairs positioned to look like lace.


Bryce wears a decorated tee with a couch collar and a faux leather skirt with piping and skinny belt.



Group Shots






Pictures all by Meghan Savage Photography

-Melissa