Phoenix Fashion Week at Talking Stick Resort 2013 wrapped up on Saturday night. The energy was infectious as we walked down the stairs and outside to the long runway for one final time this year (oh, of course there will be other fashion shows, but there’s just something about everyone coming together several nights in a row for multiple shows that becomes infectious. If you were there, we bet you know what we’re talking about!)
Enzoani begun Saturday night’s shows with a collection of gowns that ranged from wedding dresses to more formal looks. There were several looks with beautiful draping and interesting beading, and reminded us of a high school girl’s dream prom dress. We wouldn’t have minded being transported back in time to our younger selves searching for THE right dress for the “best night of our lives” (our team is too young to think about marriage, so we are going back to prom instead).
The Silvia Bours show was up next. This designer was one of our favorites from Phoenix Fashion Week 2012, and was again this year as well. She truly understands what girls want in a dress and delivers it in a way that’s playful and young, while managing to stay absolutely classy. And let us just say, that is no easy task.
We absolutely adored the Phantom of the Opera theme, complete with dramatic music and the signature masks. And, of course, the styling was perfect with big sparkly bows wrapped around the ankles, platform glittery heels, and messy updos.
Elevee continued the show with a collection of menswear that was absolutely on point. We loved their show last year (see photos here), and thought this year was just as awesome. As much as we loved the clothes (and the male models!), the best part of the show was without a doubt Percy Knox’s adorable son opening the runway, strutting his stuff, and joining dad at the end of the show with just as much attitude and swagger as the designer.
We wanted to talk to someone who really understands and loves men’s fashion to find out what they thought of the collection, so we caught up with Dustin Hoyman from IndieStitch.com after the show.
“I am consistently impressed with Elevee and their take on a man’s classic wardrobe. The use of textures elevates a simple sport coat to a modern style piece. The impeccable attention to fit even shows in a restyled baseball jacket, adding a layer of sartorial impression to an old standard. Percy and Elevee really set the standard for what a man’s closet should strive to be.”
Doux Belle started off the emerging designer shows on Saturday night, and did she start it off strong! We were so impressed by how far this designer has come since we first saw her at the Emerging Designer Announcement. Her pieces really do showcase the vintage elegance she strives for while managing to stay relevant and modern through the textures and silhouettes. The styling was perfect with the hats and gloves, and really made for a fun show to watch. It’s amazing to think that Rachel Wagner is an emerging designer! We are so happy that this Arizona designer was able to showcase her collection on the runway and are looking forward to seeing more from her in the future.
Ja’ire continued the emerging designer portion of the show. This sisterly duo started off their show with a musical performance by one of the designers, and then unleashed their models onto the runway. This show had… a lot going on, to say the least. There was bright colors, numerous accessories, and slits everywhere. There was some uniqueness to the designs, but unfortunately, the poor fabric choice and over styling kept this show from being at the taste level we would have liked to see. The sisters could improve tremendously by learning how to simplify and choose the correct fabrics for their designs.
Michelle Hébert was on the runway next. This designer had been our favorite for quite some time. We felt that she understood dramatic fashion and new how to strike a balance between feminine, sexy, and edgy.
Although we did love some pieces like the stick dress and the red burned dress, as a whole we were underwhelmed. Everything in the show looked fantastic, but we just expected a little bit more from a designer we had raved so much about. We think that in the future, Michelle should stick to avant garde looks for editorial fashion shoots rather than trying to be commercial and ready to wear.
Trang Nguyen finished the emerging designer shows of Phoenix Fashion Week 2013. This designer played with pink, white and red in fun feminine shapes. We were pleasantly surprised by how easily we could see this collection moving from the runway to the streets without missing a beat. You better keep your eye on Trang Nguyen ladies and gentlemen, because this designer is just getting started.
After the emerging designer shows finished, Brian Hill called all those who competed in the Emerging Designer Contest to the stage to announce the winner. The Phoenix Fashion Week team chooses the winner based on several categories including how they reach out to media, how many stores to pick up their collection and, of course, how the audience reacts to their collections.
The top 4 emerging designers were Stephanie Gentry, Dolcessa Swimwear, Medium Apparel, and Ja’ire. A huge congratulations to Dolcessa, the winner of the 2013 Emerging Designer contest. We think you absolutely deserve it!
To find out more about this brand, check out the story where we originally announced that this nationally publicized brand would be showcasing at Phoenix Fashion Week 2013. Read the story here.
There were 2 more winners announced Saturday evening. Denis Danicic and Madison Farrell were announced as the No7 cosmetics Model of the Year and will be signed with one of Arizona’s top modeling agencies, The Agency Arizona. Congratulations guys!
Rocky Gathercole closed out Phoenix Fashion Week 2013 with an awesome show full of glitz, glamour and drama. We loved the way this Philippino designer transitioned from intricate whites to bold beautiful color, to dark gothic drama (with the gothic drama being our FAVORITE). The hair and makeup was absolutely epic and helped make the whole collection totally showstopping. Bravo Gathercole!
As Phoenix Fashion Week comes to a close, we want to say congratulations to everyone who showed a collection one more time. It’s certainly not easy to put your work on display for people to view and comment on. We applaud you all for putting yourselves out there.
A huge thank you as well to the Phoenix Fashion Week team for allowing us to participate in the whole experience, and for supporting our blog as we all continue to be a part of the scene to help push Arizona fashion forward.
If you missed the other nights of Phoenix Fashion Week, recap with our stories on Fashionably Pink, Day 2, and Day 3.
Story: Lindsay Viker
Photos: James Almanza of Almanza Photography
(James, working together this week has been incredible! We are more than thrilled with every single picture you sent us. Thank you for helping make Couture in the Suburbs’ stories extra special this year with your awesome photos! We look forward to seeing more of your fashion photography in the future)
