Monday, February 22, 2016

Philadelphia Fashion Week: The Runway I Show

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Hello! This past Friday, I had the opportunity to attend one of the shows of Philadelphia Fashion Week, The Runway I Show. I've been to shows throughout Philadelphia Fashion Week for the past few seasons and was excited to be in attendance again.

Unlike previous seasons that I've attended, this season the shows were held at 2300 Arena. The change of venue promoted the event as more important and more glamorous. The venue definitely made me feel as if the event was more high-fashion, more like other major fashion weeks such as NYFW.

I arrived around 7PM and mingled with fellow bloggers, photographers and fashionistas until the actual show started at 8:30PM. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to snag a front row seat this season as the show had sold out all their VIP seats/tickets. However, I was able to sit in the second row and was still very close to the action. I just wasn't able to get the photos that I had hoped I would be able to get. I'd still like to share my thoughts on the collections with you all, even though I can't share any photos.

Nine different designers showed their collections on the runway:

Ke Collection. This women's wear collection featured very feminine, lady-like styles. There was an emphasis on soft textures such as lace, light colors such as neutral yellow and feminine detailing such as ruffles, floral embellishment and bows. The models reminded me of sophisticated nature goddesses strutting down the runway. You can check out Mikhail Veter's images from the show here.

D Leaks Bowties. This gender-neutral collection featured elaborate bow ties for both men and women. All models strutted down the runway wearing quirky yet elegant bunny masks. The collection caught my eye amongst the others that night because it was so subtly sexy and modern. You can check out several images from the collection here.

Mah Jing Wong. This refreshing collection featured very cool-toned, light colors such as a variety of shades of aqua blues. It gave it a sort of summer-y mood. There were a variety of sexy details including plunging necklines and slits featured in the line as well.

Fairezt of Them All. This collection featured fashion for both men and women. Models strutted down the runway wearing burglar masks indicating an indifference to breaking the rules. There was sort of a dark, edgy mood to the collection. It featured primarily black colors, shredded detailing and dark lipstick. The collection screamed grunge chic.

Lavida Revere. This women's collection featured a rockstar-badass persona. Revere relied on primarily black and white colors and played around with the contrast of light with dark. Additionally, the textures of her designs made quite a splash. She experimented with a variety of fabrics such as sheer, tulle and mesh fabrics which added an edgy sex appeal to the looks. The entire collection had a sort of "too cool" mood to it that I loved immensely. You can check out Mikhail Veter's images from the show here.

Kevyn Michaels. The second that the first Kevyn Michaels look strutted down the runway, I knew that this would be my favorite collection of the entire night. The first look was a men's denim suit covered in pins and other glimmering embellishment paired with metallic loafers. It felt like a definite 90's throwback but also so fresh, so now. Michaels relied on glitzy detailing in several more of his designs. His collection felt very cultured and gentlemanly. The collection also featured an emphasis on large bags and plaid prints.

Todd Anthony. Anthony took metallics to a new level in this collection. He also relied on the use of black and red colors. His combination of colors was very bold, very striking. The designs had a definite sex appeal to them.

Moses King. Moses King had showed his androgynous designs a previous night of Philadelphia Fashion Week and when the announcer announced Moses King's line, I could sense the excitement of the crowd to see his designs again. It was definitely the crowd favorite. This collection was athletic-inspired but nothing like the dull athleisure that won't seem to go away. Instead, King took basic athletic pieces such as sweatpants and embellished them with glitz and glamour to create a striking new aesthetic. There was a definite contrast of low ("gym" wear typically reserved for the couch) and high (glitzy embellishment and breathtaking jewels.) The contrast created a super luxe feel as the glitz of the detailing felt even more high-class when paired with something so mundane as a pair of sweatpants.

Harx Four. The male and female models strutted the Harx Four designs down the runway to Beyonce's latest hit, Formation, playing in the background. Immediately, the song choice portrayed a sort of power or strength to the designs. There were strong silhouettes and lines in this collection. The color black was primarily used, creating sort of an edge. The designs were relatively basic but in a cool way.

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