Fashion Focus: Chicago’s Fashion Week 2013
During the week of October 15th – 20th, Chicago Fashion Week, I ventured into the world of fashion shows and exhibits to see what I could find for my Tallista’s (tall females) and Mr. Tall’s (tall males). I paid close attention to the garments displayed on the runway in hopes of identifying items that were long enough for you. I also wanted to know what was trending in the Chicago Fashion market. I should note that many designers ‘sample’ garments are long enough for us because they are made for tall models. The follow-up question I always ask is can we find those lengths in store?
I found a few designers that cater to our height and they include Maison De LaCour, Swabby, J. Tour, Archer Townsend, and 4 Tamara Nicole.
I also found that Chicago’s Fashion Week is quite the fashion designer incubator. They ranged from newcomers to seasoned designers.
Onto the best part. Here’s a list of my “favorite things.”
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Queue the music…Sound of Music Fashion
“My Favorite Things”
Models in high heels
and eye-make up like kittens.
Bright prints and fabrics,
and sharp suits and dresses.
Blue paper packages
filled up with freebies.
These are a few of my favorite things….
When the lights dim,
when the curtains close,
when I’m feeling sad,
I simply remember I took pictures annnnd
then I don’t feel soooooo sad.
Did you sing along?
Interested in seeing some of my favorite things from the Fashion show?
Follow me through Scenes 1-4.
Day 1: Scene 1
Maison De LaCour Fashion Presentation.
What did I love from the Maison (pronounced “Maze-on”) De LaCour Spring 2014 collection? The fabrics, the prints, the textures, the length of the dresses and suits, and the vibrant bold colors. The use of color is different from the designers prior collections, but is in line with the designers combined inspiration of Moroccan culture and discotheque clothing by American designer Halston who was known as the King of the 1970’s. A fitting source of inspiration given Halston and LaCour both got their start right here in Chicago. Check back for an upcoming post where I chat, one-on-one, with designer Julius LaCour.
Favorite Piece from the Spring 2014 Collection: The “Diana Dress”
Spring 2014 Look Book & Maison De LaCour’s website:
-http://www.maisondelacour.com/#!spring2014/c7qg
-http://www.maisondelacour.com/#!home-english/mainPage
Day 1: Scene 2
Fashion Focus: Take It To The Streets
Designers (Mostly Chicago Designers): Agnes Hamerlik, Randall Hill, Lagi Nadeau, Christine Phung (Atelier de Paris), Chicago Playground, Nicole Puszynski, Shelby Steiner, Sarah Stevenson (Toronto Fashion Incubator), Laura Takataka, and J. Toor.
Taking it To The Streets fashion show displayed a mixed vision of Spring 2014 collections and what appeared to be ready-to-wear fall collections. There were Spring 2014 collections such as Christine Phung’s that channeled fall colors with hues of a bluestar flower but had the silhouettes, cuts, and lengths of garments indicative of spring; with the exception of a jacket or two. Another good example of this was Agnes Hamerlick’s pleated black skirt and Chicago Playgrounds varsity lifestyle collection. At first glimpse of the Agnes Hamerlick collection Fall 2014 is notably the theme, however, when the pleated black skirt came down the runway I could envision its use throughout the seasons. It was a heavier weighted skirt that flowed beautifully but it also had qualities of a transitional garment. Remove the leggings, faux fur and long-sleeved shirt, replace it with a white chic and fitted top, open toe sandals or heels and you’re ready for a Spring or Summer Soiree.
Chicago Playground by designer Rodnell Harris’ Spring 2014 collection was also one that seemed more fitting for fall with the exception of the sleeveless male black and white varsity jacket and sequence capri’s. Chicago Playground’s niche is centered around the varsity lifestyle with lettermen jackets of varying colors and cuts as well as preppy sweaters, etc. My High School Teen Tall’s and Collegiate Tall’s will love this line. Tallista’s check out the sequence capri’s.
http://www.cpg1963.com
My favorites of the night: Randall Hill & J. Toor
These two pictured items below deserve a post per piece but I will start with a brief synopsis of each starting with why I loved a skirt by Randall Hill.
Randall Hill:
The skirt…dreamy, layered, textured, pencil skirt with a green lining. I mean seriously people. This skirt is so fab that it has been crowned my favorite piece from the entire Chicago Fashion Week. The skirt is much like Randall Hill, artistic, courageously creative, spunky, full of energy and life. I can’t wait to pick this skirt up. I love his fearless approach to clothing. He mixes and matches skillfully, pairing classic with modern and then adds a twist. Did I mention the length on this skirt is great for my Tallista’s. I have a crush on a skirt folks! 🙂
FB: https://www.facebook.com/randallhilldesigns
Twitter: https://twitter.com/RandallHDesigns
J.Toor
There is nothing like a man in a well-tailored suit. Add texture, color, prints, and layer properly with accessories and you have what J. Toor assembled for the runway and what they assemble in store. J. Toor’s specialty is fashion forward bespoke menswear. Mr. Tall’s if you like classic and/or modern styles, a well-tailored suit, a customized shirt, like being described as ‘dapper’, want to walk in the room and for people’s first thought to be man that’s a nice suit versus man he’s talllllll, receive a glass of free scotch that you will receive during your consultation, then I think you should make an appointment with J. Toor. It’s an old school way of care and customization with classic designs and modern cuts. Enjoy Mr. Tall’s. If you have questions about appointments or pricing go to the following link. http://jtoor.com/faq.
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Day 2: Scene 3
URBAN SHAPESHIFTERS – Spring/Summer 2014 Collection
An entire fashion show dedicated to men’s fashion wear.
Designers of Jack Cave, Michelle Tan, B:Scott, J. Cheikah, Street Sprung, Rana Rojo, and Gallery Aesthete presented their menswear Spring/Summer 2014 Collection. Many of the collections were what I would call ‘Chicago Spring 2014’. The materials were lighter in weight, more gray/tan/white/black and the models often wore layered looks. After living in Chicago for 9.5 years I certainly have an appreciation for Spring layering given Chicago’s Spring is more like fall with more sunlight but I still like to brighten up my wardrobe. A good example of the layered Spring looks can be seen from one or two of Michelle Tan’s models who wore cropped shorts with jackets and boots, or khaki cropped shorts for men with sleeveless shirts. Another good example is by designer Brandon Scott of B:Scott’s collection which showcased casual shorts with long sleeve shirts rolled up to 3/4’s length, or vest layered on top of t-shirts.
There was one designer, Gallery Aesthete, in particular that displayed a more ‘Fall 2014’ collection. Two of their jackets were on my list of favorite things.
There were two designers that definitely brought Spring/Summer 2014 to the catwalk. J. Cheikh and Street Sprung. Street Sprung was full of vibrant colors, large prints, mixed prints, sheer and shiny materials. It was Miami with flair. J. Cheikh brought spring with their yellow, pink, and blue sports coats. They also showcased sharp metallicish material suits. Again, a man in a tailored suit is eye candy for the soul!
My Favorite “Urban Shapeshifters” Things
Day 3: Scene 4
Style Chicago’s ‘The Art of Fashion 2013‘
Seasoned designers were on full display. The show kicked off with Maria Pinto, a designer who has dressed the likes of Michelle Obama and Boris Powell who won the 2011 Oscars’ Designer Challenge in LA. Maria Pinto debuted her new line called M2057. The working woman who wants classic chic yet modern dresses that are good for work and after work and travels well can find it all in Maria Pinto’s M2057 collection. M2057 is also a fabulous clothing line for my Tallista’s. Support her campaign.
Shernett Swaby is a Tallista and a designer whose clothes are made with us in mind. I loved her modern designs with strong yet flirty and feminine quality. My favorite piece was the evening gown with a sheer back and a black center panel running down the middle of the models back. I also liked the leggings with faux leather panels in the front and white lower panels in the back. Boris Powell also had floor length gowns that I wanted to take right off of the runway. The one shoulder evening gown has my name written all over it.
Note: Designers of Calvin Tran, Eva Pazola, Lily & Migs, Mark Roscoe, Monarrez, and Shalini also presented their Spring/Summer 2014 collections during the Style Chicago fashion show.
For a video of the entire Style Chicago fashion show click the link below or insert the link into your web browser. https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10151678196865976
My Favorite Things:
That concludes the post. I hope you enjoyed it!!
P.S. Please forgive the quality of some of the pictures as I used my handy iPhone to capture the photographs and I was in the back center row.
Tall Blessings,
J. Enovy
