Photos by Chris McDuffie
Move over, little black dress - in February, it's all about the little red dress. Already a fixture at New York Fashion Week, the Red Dress Collection made its way to downtown Minneapolis for the first time on Monday night with an all-local cast of designers and celebrity models. Carly Aplin of CW Twin Cities, MNfashion and the Heart Truth campaign, which promotes the little red dress to raise awareness of heart disease in women, presented a collection of 11 crimson gowns by some of the top local designers in the plush lounge of Seven. Throughout the evening, well-heeled crowd sipped on $18 Red Dress Cocktails (it's for a good cause, you guys) and perused a chic selection of items and packages for silent auction, with all proceeds from the silent auction and ticket sales going to The Women's Heart Clinic at the University of Minnesota.
Dresses were modeled by a variety of local luminaries - medical professionals, style editors, and philanthropists were paired with designers to create looks that married their personal styles with the designer's aesthetic. ROX Jewelry designer and former Fox 9 news anchor Robyne Robinson was the first to walk the runway in a layered gown by Rachel Blomgren.
Dress by Rachel Blomgren
Max Lohrbach gave one of his signature silhouettes an extra Valentine's Day punch in lipstick red. The result was sweet and flirty, and it was fun to see Lohrbach working with such a bright color.
Dress by Max Lohrbach
Sandy Simmons was poured into a floor-length gown by Adrienne Yancy of ArielSimone. Simmons was even more statuesque than usual, a testament to Yancy's tailoring ability. It fit like a sexy glove.
Dress by ArielSimone
Danielle Everine dressed Kaela Humphries (that's Kris' plus-size model sister) in a floaty red dress that could've gone a bit too conservative, but a racy thigh-high slit gave it just the right amount of sauciness. Everine hasn't done much plus-size design, but it couldn't have been much of a challenge to design for the stunning Humphries.
Dress by Danielle Everine
Landyn Hutchinson closed the show wearing the finale gown by Emma Berg. The show-stopping number was, without question, the highlight of the event. It was bold and romantic, and guests could barely take their eyes off of Hutchinson.
Dress by Emma Berg
Kudos to the organizers, designers, models, and volunteers for putting forth so much effort for a good cause. The Red Dress Collection's introduction to Minneapolis went off without a hitch, and hopefully we'll be able to attend this event again in the years to come.
Dress by Laura Fulk
Look by Christopher Straub
Dress by Sarah M. Holm
Dress by Tim Navarro
The collection itself contained a healthy balance of dresses and separates that ranged from office appropriate to cocktail ready. Plenty of the dresses featured conservative cuts with high collars and knee-length skirts, though many included daring slits that allowed peeks of the contrast lining within. Very little skin was shown, but the strong shoulders and chain details gave the collection a hard edge.
During a model's first pass, a simple black number appeared to be a slightly updated version of a basic kimono dress. But as the model marched back down the aisle that served as the runway, a beautifully constructed row of pleats was revealed across the back. The delicate pleating was seen throughout the collection, a hallmark of how far Fulk has come with her tailoring.
Fulk also played with separates and knits in this collection far more than her previous show. Sweaters with bulbous over-sized sleeves were unconventional, but wearable. Blouses and trousers were true to the designer's vision, while being perfectly appropriate for both the office and happy hour. Though Fulk's major strength still lies in her dresses and coats, it will be exciting for consumers to have more Fulk pieces that they can mix and match into their own wardrobes this fall.
Considering that she has such a singular vision, Fulk is a designer who regularly reaches out to others artists to collaborate. This collection featured prints created by MCAD alumnae Melissa Breitenfelt and Laura Weber. The prints referenced delicate nebulas as well as colors that reached dark oceanic depths., The greens and blues were a pleasing compliment to the science fiction-inspired elements that Fulk often touches upon in her work.
The closing looks echoed a theatrical element used at Fulk's last show at The Lab Theater. Two models walked the runway dressed as mirror images of one another, a rare point of symmetry in a show overflowing with imbalance. Though one model's look echoed the cool shades of the previous looks, the other model wore a dress accented with fiery touches of yellow and red, keeping the collection connected to the designer's outer space inspiration. Both dresses featured scattered LED lights, a favorite of technologically-savvy designers such as Hussein Chalayan. The blue pricks of light also adorned the train of the finale gown, along with a thread painting of hand-dyed raw wools and organic silks. According to the designer, the thread painting was a technique she experimented with in her earlier work. Its use in this collection was a glorious re-birth.
Posts
