Fashion Focus Wrap Up: Macy's, Dress Code + Fresh Faces…

Fashion Focus, the city-sponsored fashion week returned for its fourth year last weekend. This time around, the week was shorter by a day, down to four, and the number of events was up by a handful. Daytime shopping events, off site presentations, and seminars for aspiring fashion entrepreneurs were added to the standard string of nightly runway shows.
While we were not able to attend each event, we made it to the Millennium Park night shows Thursday through Saturday, as well as, the Abigail Glaum-Lathbury and Elise Bergman presentations.

Thursday night’s Designers of Chicago show went head to head with the rain and cold. Fashionistas bared the wet weather to view collections from Lara Miller, Jermikko, Lee Allison, the Chicago Fashion Incubator crew, and others. Even with the rain drizzling from the rooftop and flooding backstage, the models, some of our ShopBop favs, worked it on the runway to present the designer’s Spring 2010 collections.
Since many of the labels are sold at Macy’s, or will be sold there in the future, collections seemed pretty safe but provided bright palettes and interesting cuts. From Lee Allison’s male models in their Chaplin caps and underwear to Blake Standard’s sparkling berets, accessories gave collections character and presence making for a fun contemporary showcase.
Innovation and experimentation were the name of the game Friday night at Dress Code, a fashion show featuring Chicago’s four major design schools, including: Columbia College, The Illinois Institute of Art, International Academy of Design & Technology, and the School of the Art Institute.
Students showed off their distinctive designs to a crowd of intrigued onlookers hoping to catch a glimpse of the “next big thing”. Playing out like an episode of project runway, the crowd was treated to a range of textures, colors, and silhouettes. In the same vain of any reality program there were a few looks we considered a little rough around the edges, which is to be expected at a student exhibit. Though, in sum, each designer projected a sense of skill and talent that will likely get better with cultivation and experience.
Wrapping up Fashion Focus on Saturday was Gen Art’s Fresh Faces in Fashion show. An always grand affair, Fresh Faces promises the finest emerging talent in the city. This year was no different, despite the lack of alcohol and apps, the dry fete was abuzz with the city’s most glamorous and fashion-forward residents waiting in anticipation of this year’s picks.
The evening’s chosen designers were all wonderfully wearable for every brand of Chicagoan, though three collections in particular suited our taste best. We adored C/FAN for her unique use of silk and delightful color palate, loved Dorsia for his modern twist on classic menswear, and became smitten with Kristin Hassan for the gleam her youthful collection bought to the runway.
All in all, we were excited to see how far the city’s initiatives have progressed since the week’s inception in September 2005. Like many other fashion-forward residents, we have been skeptical about the direction of the Chicago fashion industry. It took awhile to get over but we finally dismissed the New York comparisons from our brains. We understand that Chicago is not an avant garde-kinda-town and that Fashion Focus is not looking to be the next New York Fashion Week. With that acceptance, we are able to appreciate the creativity that surrounds us and applaud the ambition to thrive in our city’s fashion community. A sense that Fashion Focus skillfully conveyed.
Photos Via FigPhoto.net