Phoenix Fashion Week 2014 came to a close on Saturday night at Talking Stick Resort. The largest crowd we have ever seen at Phoenix Fashion Week surrounded the stage and was ready for a night promised to be one of the best ever in PHXFW history.

The  excitement was contagious as the most attractive crowd in AZ snapped selfies, sipped on cocktails and gathered around the runway, anxiously waiting for the show to begin.

Emerging Designers

Adoire by Saba

Adoire by Saba opened the show with a collection of gowns inspired by the cross between traditional Indian fashion and modern American fashion. Designer Saba Iqbal wants to take a step back from the fast fashion that has become the norm of today and give consumers garments that are made with care and attention to detail.

Our favorite show from the Shop Garment District event, Adoire by Saba did not disappoint on Saturday night with her embellished gowns that were fresh and wearable. Some of our favorite looks were the ones layered with pants underneath as it gave the look extra movement and added intrigue.

Hues of Ego with Clutch Jewelry and Tom Horn Collection

By far our favorite collection of Phoenix Fashion Week from both the emerging AND established designers, Hues of Ego stunned the crowd with a collection that was modern, fashion forward and had the necessary drama for the runway.

The collaboration with Clutch Jewelry could not have been any more perfect and we are so proud of accessory designer Stacy Eden for pushing the envelope even further this year. She is a true visionary and this collaboration with Natasha Duran-Lynch of Hues of Ego proves that Eden is a powerhouse in the world of high fashion.

“I wanted to wear every look in that collection. And that never happens,” said fellow blogger Tiffany Tank. We couldn’t agree more. We were huge fans of the coat from the Emerging Designer Announcement and Shop Garment District events (even modeling the look in the Possibility Jewelry look book photo shoot), and were thrilled to see another coat on the runway Saturday night.

Natasha puts thought into every detail of her garments, from the buttons to the lining of the coats, and this level of quality is apparent both up close and personal and at a distance. We also appreciated the level of production the show possessed. The music was spot on and the masks that complemented the gowns gave the audience the drama they crave from runway shows.

Natasha Duran-Lynch and Stacy Eden have both proved that they are designers worth paying attention to and we are sure we will be seeing more of them in the future.

Jacqueline Nicole with Possibility Jewelry

Jacqueline Nicole continued the show with her fun and feminine collection of ready to wear dresses and separates as well as some more dramatic gowns. Although happy to see the designer experiment with a different color palette towards the end of the show, we were still most drawn to the pinks and whites we saw at Shop Garment District.  We loved seeing these fabrics in a modern silhouette and we know several girls who would love to wear these.

This young designer has so much talent and we know she will do amazing things in the future. As she continues to develop her aesthetic and voice, designer Jacqueline Madey will attract young girls who are looking for a way to express their femininity through their clothing.

Lillienne Lang with Possibility Jewelry and Tom Horn Collection

Lillienne Lang blew us out of the water with her runway show on Saturday night. The collection finally found its voice and we loved what it had to say. Our fashion friends made comparisons that ranged from military wives of the past sending off their husbands to fight for their country to business women of the future.

The collection was cohesive and clearly identified the Lillienne Lang customer as a woman who cares about quality, design and standing out from the crowd. We loved the fabrics used in this collection and felt they were better showcased during this runway show. One thing we definitely discovered with Lillienne Lang is that fit is everything. When the looks fit the models as they were intended to, the garment looked flawless. However if the garment was just a tad too big, it turned the look from fab to frumpy very quickly.

We would love to see this designer work with celebrities to create custom looks. Designer Lillian Langford has a unique aesthetic that has the opportunity to really push design forward if she can find the right canvas to showcase her innovative work.

Rayan

This brand has come a long ways during their journey through Phoenix Fashion Week. Although not particularly show stopping or innovative, the designer duo presented a well thought out collection that was cohesive, pretty and very marketable. For boutiques looking to increase their selection of evening wear, Rayan is the perfect choice. They understand today’s woman and what she wants to look like when she dresses up.

What’s particularly impressive about this brand is that they have been able to create sexy evening wear without showing off a ton of cleavage, leg, or back. This is a major accomplishment and one that the designers should be very proud of.

Phoenix Fashion Week 2014 Winners

As Phoenix Fashion Week comes to a close, so do the competitions for designer of the year and model of the year. A huge congratulations to this years winners. We wish you the best of luck

Emerging Accessory Designer of the Year *

Verbena Designs Jewelry

Emerging Designer of the Year *

Misha Mendicino Designs

Top 4 Finalists: State 48, Woman’s Touch Apparel, Blackberry Maverick and Misha Mendicino Designs

Congrats Misha! We are so happy for you to be selected as the winner and are excited to see where you take your brand in the future.

Emerging Model of the Year

Bianca Mead and Nick Koester

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* Designer of the Year is a misleading title since the award has nothing to do with the actual designs and everything to do with the business behind the brand. Phoenix Fashion Week decides the winner based on a series of homework assignments that are a part of their emerging designer boot camp program.

We recommend that Phoenix Fashion Week changes the name of these awards to Emerging Brand of the Year going forward because the top contenders this year and in years past are not the best fashion designers but, instead, are the brands who have the most likely chance of being a profitable, sustainable business in the future.

This title change would clarify to the audience why the contestants being selected for the top spots are not necessarily the best representation of fashion that has been seen on the runway, but instead are the brands who have nailed down marketing, production, and sales.

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Established Designers

Kenneth Harion Couture

A series of sparkly designs came down the runway from this couture brand. The glitz and glamour is always a crowd-pleaser and this show was no exception. We have seen a lot of this aesthetic on Thursday and Friday night of Phoenix Fashion Week. We believe that For the Stars Fashion House is the one bringing all the couture designers, so this must be the type of fashion they go for when choosing designers to work with.

Yen

This show was our favorite from the established designer portion show Saturday night. The layered textures of these designs were unlike anything we had seen before and translated as garments that were complex and intricate, causing the audience to be engaged with the look the whole time it walked down the runway. The white body con dresses were so multi dimensional they looked futuristic and when shown after the feminine pieces that opened the show, felt like Star Wars bridesmaid dresses. J’adore.

Rocky Gathercole

We had the chance to see this Filipino designer last year at Phoenix Fashion Week, and were impressed by the show. We felt that at times it was a bit too costumey, but overall it was great fashion.

This year, Gathercole went over the top with the extravagance. The whole show was very Gaga, but entertaining for the crowd. We chose to look at the pieces of works of art instead of fashion and were able to find an appreciation for the production. There were a few pieces, like the half naked dress and the white dresses at the end of the show, that struck us as couture fashion and ended up being our favorite pieces of the show.

Although we preferred Gathercole’s fashion last year, the designer showed this year that he can get out and wild with the best of them. So while we don’t think we’ll see the designer at any major fashion weeks, we do think that the likes of Katy Perry and Lady Gaga should give him a call for their upcoming tours.

 

Well darlings, that concludes Phoenix Fashion Week 2014. We can’t thank you enough for checking out our reviews and photos and for being a part of growing the fashion scene in Phoenix. Yes, dear reader, by taking the time to read our posts and share your opinion of what we wrote, you are helping to grow the fashion scene because you are educating yourself and raising awareness among your family and friends. Give yourself a pat on the back!

We’d like to thank our sponsors one last time for helping our whole team look incredible this week. Divaz Grand Central Boutique and Saskia Salon are the spots to go if you have any occasions where you need to look your best (and yes, we consider life an occasion. Treat yourself every now and then!)