Attention all you trendsetters, fashionistas and stylephiles! Are you feeling a little burnt out on the Mall of America and its hordes of screaming children and camera-wielding tourists? Is Nicollet Mall beginning to bore you like a pair of bland and nondescript Gap khakis? Longing for something a little more local? Do you flip through the pages of Vogue wishing wistfully Minneapolis had a fabulous Fashion Week like those in New York, Milan and Paris?
Well, you might not spot the Olsen twins in the front row at any of the runway shows, but your designer dreams have come true. Mark September 19 through 23 in your Prada planner, don your most delectable ensemble and hop into a cab! This is definitely one instance where you don’t want to be fashionably late.
What: Minneapolis Fall Fashion Weekend
When: Sept. 19 through 23, more information and a complete list of events is available at mnfashion.org
Sponsored by MNFashion, a nonprofit organization dedicated to nurturing the burgeoning Twin Cities fashion scene, Minneapolis Fall Fashion Weekend is five days full of trunk shows, line launches, exhibits and runway extravaganzas.
“This is a community event as well as an outlet for designer development. The general public seeks out local designers, and we want to be a representative for them. Designers can build a clientele and you can buy what you saw on the runway,” says Anna Lee, who founded MNFashion several years ago and organizes its various events.
A sure highlight is Thursday’s Kjurek Couture Fall Fashion Show, which also features designs by Amanda Christine. For only $10, you’ll be whisked away to a design paradise (also known as the Suburban World Theatre.)
“The current collection has been so much fun to work with; I am using bright, bold colors with silver and gold lamé trim for holiday appeal. I like that the pieces are a little chic and feel wonderful on,” explains Jurek. And if your perfect dress just happens to parade down her runway and you must have it in your closet, Jurek’s line is sold all over Minneapolis.
You might not find Cartier in your swag bag, but you’re sure to score some glam goodies along the way. Local Motion, an Uptown boutique crammed with all sorts of lovely accoutrements, is offering 20 percent off the entire store during Thursday’s “Happy Hour.”
Rub elbows with designers, artists, DJs and models at events like Friday’s MPLSART-sponsored “Love’s Labourers: Art as Fashion, Fashion as Art 2.” One-of-a-kind garments by local designers like Annie Larson and Crystal Quinn will be both created and sold at the event.
Saturday offers a champagne-and-truffles brunch at Picky Girl on Grand Avenue, as well as Russell Bourrienne’s studio opening. The menswear designer creates for those gentlemen who “like to be a little different from the rest of the pack.” When night begins to fall, dress to the nines and take advantage of the perfect opportunity to kick up your well-shod heels with Eclecticoiffeur, a collection of hair, makeup and fashion stylists, and their Cotillion. It’s 21-plus and is one of the few Fashion Weekend events to charge admission ($10), but it’s guaranteed you’ll have a phenomenal time dancing, drinking and judging a Best Dressed contest as Minneapolis’ most chic strut their stuff.
Closing the weekend is Rectangle Designs’ trunk show, titled “Local Flora, Fashion and Food.” Designer Sarah Nassif employs the beauty of Midwestern flora to inspire her designs, and while you browse, you’re invited to sample local cuisine.
Did we mention this is for a good cause? A percentage of Rectangle’s sales go to the Land Stewardship Project, giving you all the more reason to feel great about that new T-shirt.
So check out those trunk shows, drop in on those boutiques, and don’t forget that credit card! Who knows, maybe the next Yves Saint Laurent or John Galliano is lurking right under our noses. And wouldn’t you love those bragging rights?
