Friday night we headed out to the gorgeous Hotel Valley Ho in Scottsdale for PHXFW’s 2014 Shop Garment District event. This is a particularly interesting event during the Emerging Designer Competition because it’s the first time we get a real sense of who the designers are and what their collections are going to look like come October.

Although in years past many designers have turned their collections around and surprised us (or gave it all away up front and let us down on the runway at Talking Stick Resort), Shop Garment District allows the audience to pick their favorites and make guesses on who will win the coveted Designer of the Year title.

We had several favorites of the night, as well as a few that we think could improve a bit. The more we thought through this event, the more we wanted to provide feedback for designers to refine their collections and blow us away on the runway when October rolls around.

First, we should start off with criteria we look for during a fashion show.
#1 is first and foremost the taste level.
If you’re tacky, we hate you. (Hopefully some out there get this School of Rock reference!)

#2 is the unique factor.
We absolutely love seeing something we haven’t seen before. Fashion should cause the audience to have a reaction. Not everyone will love it, but they will pay attention to it.

#3 is cohesiveness and styling.
Does it look like the same girl would wear all the pieces in a collection? We really hate leaving confused about who the girl actually wearing these clothes is.

Adoire by Saba
Taste Level – 9
Unique – 10
Cohesion – 10

By far our favorite collection of the night, Adoire by Saba had all the elements we were looking for. Her pieces were a unique cross between traditional Indian fashion and modern American fashion.  The collection was well-made and the styling was spot on. We know who the this designer’s customer is, and we kind of want to be friends with her.

Atiz – Accessories by Olga M Designs and Tom Horn Collection
Taste Level – 5
Unique – 4
Cohesion – 2

The jumpsuit by Atiz was absolutely to die for! However, the rest of the collection lacked the runway presence that one piece possessed. Everything the jumpsuit was, the rest of the collection, unfortunately, was not. The jumpsuit was high quality, had surprising details like the slits on the side from the knee down, and fit the model perfectly. The rest of the collection left us a little confused as it jumped from stripes to a bright print to a black cocktail dress. We can see that the potential is there for this Emerging Designer, but we would like to see a more focused direction and for her to keep one type of girl in mind when designing her collection.

Blackberry Maverick – Accessories by Tom Horn Collection
Taste Level – 1
Unique – 1
Cohesion – 5

As individuals, we love these girls. They have spunk and attitude and don’t care what anyone thinks of them. However, as designers we were disappointed with the construction quality of the garments and the level of design that was put into each piece. The only dress that was at all somewhat memorable was the grey dress with the purple pockets on the sides, but the poor construction of the garment ruined the execution of the look. We would love to see more of the designers’ personal style in the looks, but with a refined eye that would take this aesthetic from costume to fashion. This duo has a lot of work ahead of them if they want to seriously compete with the other designers come Phoenix Fashion Week.

 Charmosa Swimwear – Accessories by Possibility Jewelry
Taste Level – 6
Unique – 5
Cohesion – 5

The swim coverups in this collection were incredible. The black crochet top was one of the most beautiful, delicate pieces we have ever seen, and we wouldn’t mind one bit to have it hanging in our own closets. The actual swimsuits were somewhat forgettable, but we can understand what the designer is trying to do with the pieces that can be worn more than one way (scroll back up the orange suit to see what we mean). We would like to see this designer focus on finding cuts and patterns for her suits that are more reflective of her Brazilian heritage and then execute them with the same level of quality that the coverups in this collection had.

 Hues of Ego – Accessories by Tom Horn Collection and Clutch Jewelry
Taste Level – 10
Unique – 9
Cohesion – 10

Without a doubt, our other favorite collection from the night. Hues of Ego understands what women want and how to give it to them. We cannot stop freaking out over that coat, and with good reason. A fashion friend of ours, Dustin Hoyman from Indie Stitch, put it best by saying “Put that coat in New York Fashion Week and people will flip.” This designer would have gotten all 10’s if we hadn’t already seen the coat and jumpsuit at the Emerging Designer Announcement (see the story here).  All we want is to see MORE from this designer. We are ready to see what else Hues of Ego has up their fabulous buckled sleeves.

Jacqueline Nicole – Accessories by Tom Horn Collection and Possibility Jewelry
Taste Level – 10
Unique – 7
Cohesion – 10

If Elle Woods designed a fashion collection, this would be it. Flirty, Feminine and Fun. We couldn’t get enough of Jacqueline Nicole’s pretty in pink runway debut. The construction of every piece was so incredible, we could have easily seen it hanging on the racks of our favorite department store. Jacqueline Nicole dressed her girl from Sunday brunch with the in laws to Saturday night with the girls and we were loving it. This aesthetic is very different from what we originally saw at the Emerging Designer Announcement and we are very intrigued about what this designer will put on the runway in October.

Kismit
Taste Level – 7
Unique – 8
Cohesion – 9

Kismit has always been one of our favorite designers and we were excited to see some new pieces from her. We really loved the first dress she sent down the runway. “That’s a dress every girl would want to have in her closet,” commented the fabulous Lino Martinez, expert hair and makeup artist and dear friend. The pieces that followed were well-designed and unique, but didn’t blow us away like some of the other looks we have seen from this designer. We would love to see Kismit work with some higher quality fabrics that allow her work to cross over from casual to couture. Chatting with the designer before the show, she told us that she wants her pieces to be affordable so that people can actually wear them. Of course, this limits the fabric choices she has available, but we would suggest having a couture line and a ready to wear line in order to execute her visions of interesting designs and accessible fashion.

Lilienne Lang – Accessories by Possibility Jewelry
Taste Level – 3
Unique – 6
Cohesion – 5

This was a very interesting show… we really wanted to love every piece because there was so much we hadn’t seen before, but the execution of the garments prevented us from giving this designer higher scores. It’s very clear that she is a newer designer who is working to find her voice. The pieces were definitely overworked but with an eye for editing and better construction, we think Miss Lang could seriously impress us one day.

Misha Mendicino Designs – Accessories by Clutch Jewelery
Taste Level – 9
Unique – 6
Cohesion – 9

We absolutely adore Misha Mendicino (if you couldn’t tell from the feature story we did with the designer. Check it out here). We have seen her entire collection in her showroom (and tried it all on as well!) and love the way the clothes feel against the skin. What we would like to see on the runway however, is some serious styling to take these pieces from poolside to catwalk. Styling team, show us what you got come October. In our opinion, that’s all that was missing. The clothes were fantastic, the models were stunning, but we just needed a bit more to make it a show.

Rayan
Taste Level – 6
Unique – 3
Cohesion – 1

What we have here is a classic case of an identity crisis. There are so many ideas, but no clear direction of who the customer is and what she wants in her closet. The brand’s purpose is to make long sleeve evening wear fashionable, but in our opinion, there needs to be a stronger brand message than that. We ADORE the printed dress and would love to see more of that style from the designer duo. Ditch the peplum and the chevron and play to your strengths of draping and cinched in waists. We would steal that piece right from the runway and make it a staple in our everyday wardrobe.

Schuylark – Accessories by Tom Horn Collection
Taste Level – 4
Unique – 2
Cohesion – 6

This designer was one of our favorites from the Emerging Designer Announcement with her stunning striped jacket. However, the collection debuted at this event reminded us more of a #tbt to the 90’s than a modern fashion collection. We recommend the designer ditch the flowy fabrics and do more constructed pieces that show off her edgy aesthetic.

State 48 – Accessories by Tom Horn Collection and Clutch Jewelry
Taste Level – 6
Unique – 3
Cohesion – 8

State 48 has become an insanely popular local brand with a huge following. They are t-shirt line who knows exactly who their audience is and how to reach them. It’s a brand we personally love and will continue to support after Phoenix Fashion Week comes to a close. What we would like to see from them is more of the owners’ personal style reflected in the t-shirts. Most designs have mass appeal, but we would like to see them start narrowing down some shirts to fit a selected audience. We love the idea of their being 3 different State 48 aesthetics to reflect the taste of the 3 different guys who run the operation.

Woman’s Touch Apparel
Taste Level – 4
Unique – 4
Cohesion – 7

We adore this designer and her brand. We are fanatics for the dramatic, bold and in your face. But, what we’re missing is growth. We have been seeing the same styles and designs from Woman’s Touch for years and we are CRAVING more. There have been slight changes like new phrases, cuts, and fabrics but we know that if this designer could really push herself to the next level she would be unstoppable.

Emerging Accessory Designers

Phoenix Fashion Week has found an interesting, diverse group of Emerging Designers and we are so excited to see how they grow and improve for the fashion week runway in October. We love seeing new, talented individuals refine their craft and build their brand and that is exactly what is happening in this competition. This year, we want these designers to be pushed further and further outside of their comfort zone in order to become the best version of themselves and their brand that they can possibly be.

Want a chance to go to Phoenix Fashion Week 2014? Save 15% on Tickets when you use code EDUCATE here.

Photos by: James Almanza of Almanza Photography
Story by: Lindsay Viker