10/17/14
Damn. Where to start? It's definitely been a busy week. For Fall 2014, Saint Louis Fashion Week underwent a complete re-branding and if I had to wager a guess, I would say the motto at Alive was "Go big or go home." From the kick-off party and fashion blog awards (where A Curated Man brought home five awards thanks to YOU) at the recently completed Public Media Commons at Grand Center to last night's runway show at Union Station, every event was bigger and better. The week was a great opportunity to connect with other bloggers as well as a number of gentlemen and ladies who support the blog. It was great seeing the number of guys who came out to the shows and events, proving that just because we're in St. Louis doesn't mean we don't care about our personal style and how it reflects on us. |
If you're in St. Louis.....or even if you're not, its probably not one of the first cities that comes to mind when you think about fashion and style. In light of recent events in the region, Fashion Week was a welcome way to showcase some great things coming out of the city.
One of the coolest things about this season were the names that came into town to support the week - Fern Mallis, the creator of New York Fashion Week, fashion financier Gary Wassner and Renowned Designer and Former CFDA President Stan Herman. While hanging out at the shows, they served as judges for the Emerging Designers Competition where six finalists got an opportunity to be in the spotlight for their innovative designs while competing for a $15,000 prize. The emerging designers cohort included Daniella Kallmeyer, Jessie Liu, Emily Koplar, and my hands down favorite, Charles Harbison. While Daniella Kallmeyer took home the grand prize, Harbison was so impressive that he recieved a second runner up prize not originally part of the competition. |
Another brilliant addition to the season was the STLFW BUTIK Market; a carefully curated market featuring 25 innovative makers. Goods ranged from apparel and jewelry to accessories and visual art. The BUTIK saw the return of my man, Neil Bardon of Saint Rita Parlor to St. Louis. Neil continues to blow my mind with his offering which now include a handmade leather backpack as well as some dope variations on his eyewear. Wish my pockets were deep enough to cop everything, but all good things in due time.
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Also discovered in the BUTIK was Richard Tao Neckwear. While some of the ties were a bit edgier than I personally would go for, I was drawn in by some of the textures displayed as well as the use of selvage to tell the story. I grabbed a couple of shots of my favorite ones. The display featured a quote from the creator that I think perfectly describes his ties - "Imagine if ties stepped from the sidelines of convention and embraced a more provocative and expressive vocabulary. I did." Brilliant.
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