Mix a pinch of toy dogs with a historic pie factory and a generous serving of beautiful vintage pieces. Stir in some local Phoenix designers and you have Saturday's Without Apologies fashion show.
Featured at Bragg's Pie Factory on Grand and 13th avenues, the Sept. 25 fashion show was the highlight of the Grand Avenue Festival and reminiscent of a First Fridays for fashion.
The show highlighted three aspects of the Phoenix fashion community: sustainable fashion, independent boutiques and up-and-coming designers. Preparation and execution of the event involved teams of hairstylists, make-up artists and designers to bring the looks to life. The crowd engaged in collective oohs and aahs for the toy Chihuahuas, whistled for the models and cheered for the designers.
First on the runway was the Reincarnated Rubbish Fashion Show, featuring artsy clothes made from repurposed, reclaimed and recycled junk.
“Making fashions from junk materials opens up your head to the possibilities of a thing, not just its labeled usage,” says Babs O’Matic, the orchestrator of the show. “When you begin to see the possible alternative uses for an item or material, you are no longer stuck in the consumer cycle of planned obsolescence.”
The stiff materials presented a challenge to the artists. One dress made out of videotape didn't make it to the runway.
“I started making a dress out of woven videotape that I planned on ironing together to melt only to find, three hours in, that videotape does not melt under an iron," O’Matic says.
Next to strut their stuff on the runway were models from various local boutiques.
Jessica Carroll, owner of Blueberry Deluxe boutique, started off the show with an introduction of the shop’s namesake, her pug Blueberry.
“My highlight was seeing it all come together,” she says. “The clothes, props, make-up, hair and attitudes. I loved how dramatic my ladies were on the runway."
One model strutted down the runway in a red dress with white bow-tie print, 1950s sunglasses and a Chihuahua tucked under one arm.
Butter Toast Boutique's show was the highlight of the evening. The boutique introduced a line of beautiful vintage clothing with plaid items that transitioned one outfit to the next brilliantly.
"The challenge with styling a runway show with vintage clothing is coming up with a way to have the show look cohesive," says Jasmine Jarrett, stylist and co-owner of Butter Toast. "Everything is one-of-a-kind, therefore it's hard to achieve a consistent color palette, silhouette, pattern or style when there are a number of looks to showcase. I came up with a concept of feminine accessories and lacy slips paired with '90s grunge inspired plaids, boots and socks."
Last in line were the local Phoenix designers, including Lisa Michelle Jacobs, Leonor Aispuro and Emilie Uriarte.
Jacobs was assisted by Ambur Gore, owner of Phoenix's Honeycomb Organic Hair Studio. Gore's hairstyles were designed to go along with the patterns on Jacobs’ fabrics.
“We’re excited to do the hair because we don’t get to do creative things like this every single day,” Gore says. “It’s fun to try new things.”
Set among a collection of modern and eclectic art by local artists, the fashion show was a glimpse into the underrated, up-and-coming Phoenix fashion community.
“Some college art and fashion students had their first showings and a handful of kids were introduced to the idea that they can make things that people enjoy more than the things they just buy,” Gore says. “These two aspects start the redefinition of a fashion community.”
Contact the reporter at: melissa.silva@asu.edu.
