Who’s Who in Minneapolis

The sweltering heat didn’t stop Minneapolis’ fashion elite from attending Flourish, a Vitamin Water sponsored event. Vitamin Zero, which is Glaceau’s newest addition, and it’s seven flavors were the inspiration behind each artists designs. As I glance through the misty crowd, I noticed the age range from early 20’s to late 40’s all dressed to impress. Christian Straub was also in attendance, most of you will remember him from  Project Runway Season 6, crying to the camera about how harsh the judges were on his designs. The Dj was spinning house music while people arrived. VitaminZero cocktails were the only thing on the overpriced drink menu being served and everyone was buzzing in anticipation of the event about to unfold. The rooftop at the Plaza was also something to be impressed with. The feeling was cozy, nestled between  higher buildings, with a fantastic view of the Foshay Tower. The trend on this night seemed to be fedoras. People were sporting them in every color imaginable and in every unique way a hat could sit on someones head. Jane Belfry, a fashion writer from CityPages was walking around asking women fashion tips and questions. She states that she loves the women’s shoes sitting behind me and the woman replies with ‘ they’re utilitarian, I think it’s footwear you can always get away with’.
Like most fashion shows, this one didn’t start on time, in fact people didn’t take their seats until the show was already in progress. Each designer was given a flavor of vitamin water, and designed based on their inspiration from. There were two designers that really stood out to me. Ivan was the designer of the first, his flavor was lemonade. His design consisted of a burlap corset and gaucho pants that were bright yellow. ( See upper left image) The second was by Emma, her flavor was XXX. She drew inspiration from a picnic scene which is  very apparent in her oversized checkered picnic themed blanket. ( See lower right image)
As abruptly as the show started it ended the same way. People flooded to the stage to get a closer look at the designs, some people stood around sipping the last of their drinks, and I left as quietly as I came in, with a different outlook on the way Minnesotans act at fashion events.
For more information on this event please visit:
http://blogs.citypages.com/dressingroom/2010/08/vitamin_water_p.php

Tim Gunn Attracts Hundreds to the Mall of America

Tim Gunn of Bravo’s television show Project Runway graced us Minnesotans with his presence at the Mall of America while on his book tour. Gunn was out promoting his book Gunn’s Golden Rules: Life’s Little Lessons for Making it Work. His book not only covers fashion but also how to make it work in your career, life and relationships. His book also gives stories about fashion’s greatest divas and behind the scenes stories of Project Runway’s biggest drama queens. Gunn even gives some insight to readers about his personal life.

Before going to his book signing I really didn’t know all that much about Tim Gunn other than being a fashion guru from Project Runway so I made sure to look my best before going. As I reached the rotunda at the mall where he was doing his signing, I could feel the excitement in the people around me. The line was wrapped around and around with men, women, and teenagers. As I looked around I was rather surprised with what I saw. I had come there expecting to see people dressed, well, I guess you could say rather stylish.  Stylish was almost close to opposite of what I saw.

                The majority of the people standing in line were middle aged to older women. On an average day at the Mall of America women are dressed very casual in jeans, cotton tees and sweaters; this is exactly what people were wearing at the book signing. Nobody looked like the put in any extra effort on themselves before heading out the door to this event.  I was surprised by this and as I looked around at the lack of people there my age. I think I could have counted on two hands the twenty something year olds there among the other 500 people. 

                This was all a little shocking to me until I made my way into Barnes and Noble to check out his book.  This is where I realized that his book really didn’t have all that much to do with fashion but more of a self help book.  His book is a how to book to make yourself  successful and having a better for you and for others.  In his book he says “Living a well mannered life of integrity and character is hard work, but the rewards are many: being a good friend, being glamorous and attractive and being a success!”.  As I looked back into the rotunda at the hundreds of people still waiting in line, it all made sense of why these people were here to see Tim Gunn, it wasn’t about how to be more fashion savvy but rather he was teaching them how to be more successful inside and out.

Glamorama 2010

personal review.

On Friday, August 6th, I stood in the lobby of the Orpheum Theatre. I was among students at The Art Institutes International and Macy’s employees waiting, as one of the first in line, for the 2010, Glamorama dress rehearsal show. I am fortunate to say that this has been my third year attending the show, so I had a relatively sure idea of what to expect. As we all stood anxiously awaiting the go ahead from the doormen, finally, the clock struck 1pm and the doors opened. Within minutes, everyone scattered, as we were on the scout for the best seat. We positioned ourselves in the third row, right in the center and patiently waited for the show to start.
The main reason that Glamorama happens, yearly, is to help raise money for the fight against HIV/AIDS. Over the past 28 years, over $40 million has been raised in the markets of Minneapolis, Los Angeles, Chicago and San Francisco. The money benefits organizations like the Ronald McDonald House Charities, the AIDS Emergency Fund and the Children’s Cancer Research Fund. In my opinion, couture fashion, celebrities, music and choreography paired with raising money and awareness for organizations in need, is an impeccable combination. The show began, as it usually does, with a personal story of a young girl, named Emma, who had been diagnosed with cancer at a very young age. Her story was very touching and surely brought tears to my eyes. Musical guests were Eric Hutchinson and Macy Gray, who definitely brought down the house.

Tommy Hilfiger was the first collection to grace our presence. His classic fall looks were quite impressive and included vests, turtlenecks, plaid jumpers and trench coats. Of course, the infamous red color resounded throughout the entire collection. Mister Marc Jacobs never ceases to please. His collection was a cohesion of tweed, wool and silk, tailored pieces. As far as fall colors go, gray was the most dominant. For the finale look, Marc outdid himself with a lavish, ruffled dress that just screamed fairytale. Versacefor men delivered in full force, with the hottest, most classy looks for the male. Although parts of the segment were a little revealing, at least the men were good looking. Just Cavalli was one of my favorite collections featured in the show. To the tune of Strawberry Fields by Ben Harper, models strutted their stuff in ‘70s floral prints, fur, leather, floppy hats, fringe and maxi dresses.

Sportmax, which is MaxMara’s sister line, consisted of shades of gray and fur trim. The collection didn’t speak to me as much as the others and seemed a little uninspired. Sonia Rykiel’s line was very cohesive and fun to watch, with all of the sparkly disco balls. The collection included oversized menswear pieces and sleekly silhouetted dresses. The best look was the finale, complete with an extravagant feather coat and knee-high, tie up pumps, carefully adorned with dazzling jewels. Jean Paul Gaultier’sbold collection, took us around the world, as he showcased immaculately large, foreign inspired hats, paired with robust feathers - some being feet long. Also, knee-high boots with floral and paisley patterns sparked my interest.Philosophy di Alberta Feretti delivered on a more Victorian level. The dark ambiance made it a little hard to see all the miniscule details of the clothing. It was a little eerie, which added a little mystery. The draping of the fabrics remained consistent throughout the collection.

Issey Miyake’s interesting collaboration took us to a different universe. The futurist garments were composed of plastic-looking fabrics, metallics and bright, neon hues. Scarves, gathered pants and draping were other noticeable elements. Material Girl is a hip and trendy line, as it was shown in an upbeat, well-choreographed manner. Madonna’s daughter, Lola’s youthful line, is now exclusively sold at Macy’s. It seemed to be very cohesive and the performance, of the kid dancers, was a lot of fun to watch. Jessica Jacobson, a student at Ai volunteered to help with the show. She had this to say about what it was like behind-the-scenes, “Backstage is like a zoo. They have so much going on in the dark that it’s hard to see where you’re going, what’s coming towards you (stage pieces) and where not to stand so you don’t get run over. It was interesting that through the craziness, everyone seemed to know where they were supposed to be and what they needed to do.”

Jezebel/Felina and 2(x)ist, of course, featured lots and lots of skin. Viewing the collection almost made you feel like you were watching a theatrical performance and not a fashion show. Models were wearing angel wings and a heaven versus hell act provided for a dramatic effect. Ai student and Glamorama first-timer, Emma Lyons, had this to say after the show, “The show completely exceeded my expectations! I expected a runway show and what we got was practically a Broadway show! I would definitely pay to go see it again. My favorite part of the show was seeing the worldly designs of Jean Paul Gaultier and the sexy men in their underwear didn't hurt either! I would definitely recommend this to anyone, this is not your normal fashion show, the fashions combined with the themes, music, and dancing really made this a wonderful show open to many audiences.” 

As far as trends go, there was repetition involving the ‘nerdy’ look, complete with black-rimmed glasses. Also, socks with shoes, fur, feathers and lace made their appearance. In relation to Emma’s statement, I couldn’t agree more and, personally, I cannot wait to see what next year will bring! Jessica shared what she considered to be the most rewarding part about volunteering at Glamorama, “Just seeing how the show, as a whole, comes together and how many people it takes behind the stage to make it run. There are so many details that go into the show. It was really interesting to be a part of it.”


Posted By: Kelsey Durken
All photos taken by Emily Utne