Phoenix Fashion Week 2018
So before I start this post, let me just say that it has been an exciting year of a lot of firsts and accomplishments that I could have never even imagined from myself. With that being said… when I was asked to be a Cox Media partner this year for Phoenix Fashion Week, I knew it was an opportunity that I just could not past up. I had heard of their fashion week before, but this was my first time going. Let me tell you Phoenix, Arizona has something really amazing going on!!! The way how their fashion industry is connected and how they work together is very exciting to see. They are so innovative and are continuing to grow because of the way how they support not only each other, but other brands all over the world. PHX Fashion was held on October 17th - 20th, but I was only able to attend 2 of the days this time a round. It’s good Arizona and California are close!!! I decided to fly (it’s a quick 1 hour flight) and stayed with one of my sisters. As soon as I landed in Phoenix I was on the ground running for the rest of the day.
photo courtesy of Phoenix Fashion Week
Look of the night
Button up and Skirt: H&M (top)
Leather Jacket: Macys Backstage
Boots: Thrifted
Earrings: JXL
Night 1 (which was actually night 2) of shows was pretty exciting!!! I was able to meet up with my friend Cy (@any2ndnow), who just so happens to live in AZ now!! So, it was good to have a friend who is a blogger and fellow Sandiegan to attend the shows with. Cy also was a Cox Media Partner as well, so it was fun to experience PHX Fashion Week together. The shows were held at the Talking Stick Resort, and pretty much all of their events were there as well through out the week, so it was easy for me to get around and not feel like I had to drive all over the place in a city that I’m not really familiar with.
I had the opportunity during that night to be on the red carpet be interviewed and also interview a designer as well. I was able to meet and talk to Quinlan, designer of Qmulative. He was one of the winning designers from last year. I asked him a few question about his brand and what he is working on currently. You have to check out his work >>> @Qmulative
Being on the red carpet is something that I am still getting use to, but I feel like I just have to jump on the opportunity and become more comfortable every time I am there. Moving on to the the runway…
My favorite designers who showed during my first night were…
Each night there were emerging designers that were competing to win a design competition, which helps to get their line started. Phoenix Fashion Week has a boot camp that teaches the competing designers about having an established brand and about having a thriving business in the fashion industry. There were also established lines that showed as well. The models on the runway were also part of a competition. There was a top 40 that went through a boot camp of their own, and learned about the ins and outs of becoming an established model. They were challenged in different shoots and on the runway. The winning models (1 male and 1 female) win the opportunity to be signed and start their modeling career. I think its seriously amazing how they help their designers and models to get a jump start in their career.
Here’s a peek at some of the looks on the runway from where I was sitting.
Top Photo: I loved the patterns and colors in Sisi Aduke’s line. Ankara with a modern twist!!
Below: Nouvelle Palm Beach had amazing light feminine details that I loved. The style of her girl is definitely the cool yet stylish one that you want to hang out and be friends with. Her shorts with the back pocket details are something that I want in my closet!!
Below: Design Me by Mashael Al-Mutawa is a designer from Kuwait and I loved the embellishments and details of this line. There was a mixture of everyday ready to wear and couture pieces.
Above: Being Dapper is a men’s line with well tailored suits, and some of the jackets I want for myself. I love mixing masculine and feminine pieces together. This is the line to shop from if you want to look well put together!!
Above and below: Svetik’s Haute Couture was the last designer to walk down the runway on my first night of shows and all of her pieces were beautiful! The attention to detail was breath taking. You could hear the Oooos and Ahhhhs in the crowd as each gown walked down the runway. Somebody invite me to an elegant ball, so I can wear one of these dresses ;).
That was the end of night 1 for me, and I was beyond tired after traveling the same day. I fell into bed and got up to do it all over again the next day.
During the day PHX Fashion Week held different seminars and I attended one on the Business of Blogging. Audree of Simply Audree Kate is a Fashion Stylist and a Blogger. She was the speaker and shared a lot of valuable information for people who want to get started as a blogger and how to grow and expand. It was great to hear her story and think about my journey as a blogger and what I need to do to keep it going.
After the seminar I had time to chill and hang out with my sister (Erica) and my niece and nephew for a little bit, then it was off to night 2!! My favorite designers of the night were…
My Look of the night… It was so windy outside by the way!!
Shirt Dress: Free People (Via Macys)
Boots: In The Style
Belt: Amazon
Above: Zelenco had really cool shapes and tailored pieces that I think would be fun to mix and match in different ways. It was a great mix of masculine with a feminine flare. She had ties in her line that were a definite stand out piece. It was interesting and something new that I haven’t really seen.
Yas Couture brought all the glitz and the glam!!! I was living for every look (y’all know I like a lil sparkle in my life right!) and it was cool to see this line in person. I know they just showed at LA Fashion Week as well, so it was exciting see this line in Phoenix.
My first experience at a fashion week outside of California went pretty well. I didn’t really go in with any specific expectations, which I think is a great way to go in to anything that is new and unfamiliar. I just wanted to go have fun and enjoy the event process. Next time when I go I would like to connect with more people. I did miss media day and I know that would have been a great opportunity, so I hope I can be there for that next time. Going to events like fashion week is always trial and error. I want to thank the Phoenix Fashion Week team for inviting me and for being so kind, welcoming and helpful. Hope we can work more together soon!!