For the first time ever, Phoenix Fashion Week will be hosting it’s media-friendly Login Lounge installation at the 4th Annual MIM Rocks Fashion event. This lounge area, as seen at fashion week in the fall, is meant to be inviting, stylish and fashion-forward, and these characteristics are clearly evident in the Login Lounge Official Sponsor, Cabana modern apartment homes, connected with Scottsdale based investment and development company, Deco Communities.
“Both the MIM and Phoenix Fashion Week embody the vibrancy and spirit of Phoenix style, art, music and design,” said Dec0 Communities President Rob Lyles.
Founded by Robert Lyles, Patricia Watts and Dan Richards in late 2010, Deco Communities currently owns and operates four apartment complexes in Phoenix, Arizona under the “Cabana” brand and has recently expanded into the Las Vegas market.
The Cabana brand was established to provide stylish apartments at affordable prices that deliver “pride of rentership”. Not satisfied with the current market offerings of brown apartment complexes and boring interiors, Deco worked with a team of designers and consultants to develop a product suited for the Arizona urban environment. Infused with color and energy, Cabana is about providing great amenities and great apartments in urban locations. Detailed research on renter needs resulted in Cabana standard features like secure bike storage rooms, recycling facilities, BLINK electric car charging stations, WIFI common areas and on-site art installations.
When walking into any of Deco’s Cabana locations, it’s obvious how fashion is seamlessly infused into their design, from bright pops of color to quirky vintage touches.
“The evolution of the Cabana brand design features are strongly influenced by international fashion trends, not fads, and national and local art and design. Such diverse influences as runway shows in New York and Milan, art installations in Phoenix and San Francisco, graphic novels, t-shirt design, and international landscape awards have worked their way into the Cabana design aesthetic. Taking international influences and marrying them to local inspirations, such as the Calle 16 mural project, the historic Borden neighborhood mosaics and Willo home renovations, resulted in the unique Cabana look.”
For the Cabana Login Lounge at MIM Rocks Fashion March 29th, expect a peek at Cabana’s lifestyle and personality, including soft seating, side tables and more to “provide a colorful, comfortable and stylish back-drop for blogging and chatting at the event.”
Article by Lauren Pfingstag for Phoenix Fashion Week, Image Courtesy of Deco Communities
There’s nothing more fashionable than beautifully designed clothing and beautifully designed luxury vehicles coming together for a large-scale fashion event. This year, Phoenix Fashion Week was thrilled to introduce national car retailer Scion and specifically their new sports model, the 2013 FR-S, as the Official Car of Phoenix Fashion Week 2012 at Talking Stick Resort!
Started in a warehouse in their parent company, Toyota’s campus, Scion is determined to bring out the fun-loving, creative side in all of us, a perfect fit for Phoenix Fashion Week. In fact, Scion is “a car company that actively supports and collaborates with people who are driven to follow their own passions. We have helped emerging talent in the arts, music, design and auto enthusiast realms for nearly ten years.” Phoenix Fashion Week Executive Director Brian Hill feels this partnership is a no-brainer for both brands. “We are proud to partner with such a reputable and recognizable brand like Scion to feature their new FR-S as the
The Scion team
Official Car of Phoenix Fashion Week!”
Known as “bringing the sport back into the car,” this chic model was featured at the end of the 70 foot runway each night during fashion week at Talking Stick Resort, as a dramatic edition to the excitement of the evening. Guests were welcomed to take a first glimpse at the car, in a variety of stunning colors. For more information about the 2013 FR-S, visit their website!
Article by Lauren Pfingstag for Phoenix Fashion Week
Miss Teen AZ USA 2012 Alexa Zellers in Silvia Bours
While fashion week may be over, Phoenix Fashion Week’s fashion calendar continues into the new year. After guest judging at the Miss AZ USA Pageant, we are thrilled to announce PHXFW’s own Executive Director, Brian Hill, was asked to return as a pageant judge, this time for the Miss Utah USA Pageant taking place October 25-27, 2012 in Ogden, Utah.
Phoenix Fashion Week and the Miss USA brand have created a partnership that has continued to support new talent and provide a springboard for pageant contestants, as well as emerging designers, to benefit from. Britt Boyse of Casting Crown Productions, is the Executive Producer of this year’s pageants, as well as the licensed agent for MISS USA® Pageant of NBC Universal and Donald Trump. Boyse and her team have been PHXFW supporters for years, and we cannot wait to see what new opportunities this next pageant holds. You can consistently spot Boyse and her pageant girls at many PHXFW events, especially Erika Frantzve, Miss AZ USA 2012 and Alexa Zellers, Miss AZ Teen USA, who were most recently seen walking the runway in their pink ensembles in support of our Fashionably Pink charity event. Perhaps the most recognizable pageant face is Miss AZ USA 2011 Brittany Brannon, who currently is the Fashion Host of PHXFW TV.
If you didn’t know, PHXFW 2011 Emerging Designer and one of this year’s Established Designers, Silvia Bours, provided the Official Dress for last year’s Miss AZ USA Pageants, dressing the winning contestants in her fun, feminine garments. “We now know this partnership is a great platform for our emerging designers to provide their designs for the pageant contestants. One of our emerging designers, Silvia Bours, was bought by global retail giant Zappos.com, and it just made sense to me that her style would work with pageant girls, thus opening up the opportunity up for Silvia to be the official dress of the pageant,” said PHXFW Executive Director Brian Hill.
PHXFW’s own Operations Director, Brenna Moses, also helped assist Bours in the implementation of her designs into the pageant. “It was a fantastic experience helping to design the dress Miss Teen AZ USA Alexa Zellers wore with Silvia and Britt Boyse. It was actually Alexa’s idea to go against the grain and go with a designer unknown in the pageant industry. This further solidified the role PHXFW and Silvia Bours have played in the Miss USA partnership.”
It’s no surprise with all the great buzz over her memorable PHXFW show just a few weeks ago that Silvia Bours will continue her role as the Official Dress in the next Miss AZ USA pageant, in which she will provide dresses to the winners once again.
Be sure to stay tuned for live updates and pictures from Brian during his time at the Miss Utah USA pageant by following PHXFW on Twitter and “liking” us on Facebook!
Article by Lauren Pfingstag for Phoenix Fashion Week
Who ever says fashion and polo don’t mix clearly hasn’t been to an event by the Polo Party.
Happening this Saturday, October 20th, Phoenix Fashion Week is an official partner of the Scottsdale Polo Championships: Horses + Horsepower, the second annual polo event taking place at Westworld of Scottsdale’s Polo Field.
This year, over 5,000 people are expected to attend the Polo Party and enjoy great polo, collector and exotic cars, Arabian horses, cigars, cocktails and DJs. For attendees craving a dose of fashion, The Polo Party and Phoenix Fashion Week have teamed up to create The Lounge: Presented by Phoenix Fashion Week, an exclusive fashion-themed covered tent seating area with models, food and beverages located at mid-field. ”We are thrilled to have The Lounge : Presented by Phoenix Fashion Week featured at our 2nd Annual Scottsdale Polo Championships and look forward to seeing the equestrian inspired fashions featured in the lounge!” said Event Producer Jason Rose.
Fashion Rocks MIM stylist and local talent, Fawn Cheng, has partnered with Phoenix Fashion Week to bring the equestrian and preppy vibe to life in The Lounge during the event. Cheng will be styling 25 different looks inspired by equestrian and preppy fashion trends, with pieces carefully selected from Dillards of Scottsdale. “We will be featuring looks from Dillards to enhance the overall feeling of the event. Not only is this retailer committed to providing on-trend pieces at a variety of price points, they also offer a versatility in their clothing and accessories perfect for this event,” Cheng said. From riding pants and blazers to an array of hats and boots, The Lounge is sure to appeal to the fashion taste of anyone attending.
Equestrian trend seen at Dior
“In order to evoke the vibe, I am looking at traditional pieces like riding pants and boots, as well as looking at textural pieces like leather, corduroy, and velvet to pull in fall season trends and accents of brocade. Trend setting colors will be seen throughout, including oxwood red, peacock blue, and emerald green,” Cheng said.
With our PHXFW Top 40 models changing looks every hour atop pedestals live in The Lounge, mini manicures by Joya Spa and hair and makeup executed by Rolf’s Salon, guests should expect an array of exciting additions to enhance their experience.
To catch a glimpse of the trendy hair styles created specifically for the Polo Party to compliment the equestrian theme, take a look at the videos below:
What’s more, Polo champion and fashion icon Nic Roldan will be stopping for a
Polo champ Nic Roldan
special meet and greet with The Lounge guests at 1pm on Saturday, where you can grab a picture (or two!) with Nic and gain some insight into his polo and fashion background.
“When you gather for a polo event, fashion is always involved. Fashion has always played a major role in anything polo. It’s not just about the match, but about the festivities around it, which is looking the part and feeling great. The Lounge: Presented by Phoenix Fashion Week will inspire feelings of fashion and will definitely add a sense of inspiration to the event,” Cheng said.
Grab your tickets before they sell out! Visit the Polo Party website for more details!
Borrowed from last year’s fashion blogger, Thuy An Bui
Phoenix Fashion Week is incredibly appreciative of our local blogging community. Arizona fashion bloggers are talented, chic and know what’s fashionable. That’s why last year, for the first time, PHXFW debuted our Login Lounge, presented by YELP, to provide local bloggers and media a hub for all their ferocious blogging and interviewing activity to take place. This year, the Login Lounge is back and it’s bigger and better than ever, literally!
Phoenix Fashion Week Media Director has been hard at work this year making the lounge as “blogger heaven” esque as possible. Of course, working with a wonderful partner helps too. Yelp has believed in PHXFW’s vision from day one and is collaborating ideas to make the Login Lounge a go-to spot for bloggers during fashion week. Whether you want to interview a designer, catch up on some networking, snag some swag, primp your nails or recharge your important blogging devices, the Yelp Login Lounge is sure to pleasantly surprise you. In fact, it’s new location at the end of the runway ensures a great view and photo opportunities for any bloggers wanting to stay in the chic destination. “Yelp is so excited to be a part of the 2012 Phoenix Fashion Week by hosting Yelp’s Log-In Lounge! We encourage attending fashionistas to check into Phoenix Fashion Week using their Yelp mobile app to enjoy yelpy benefits including a charging station, hand massages by Massage Envy and express manicures by Teres!” said Yelp Senior Community Manager Lindsey Fosse.
PHXFW is only days away, and we cannot be more thrilled to reveal the revamped and chic-ified Yelp Login Lounge! If you are a fashion blogger or media professional, make sure to stop by and get your blog on! Remember to tweet it out on Twitter using hashtags: #phxfashionweek #phxfw and #loginlounge.
Article by Lauren Pfingstag for Phoenix Fashion Week
Left to right: 104.7′s Kyle Unfug, Mexico’s Top Model Jo Lance and GoDaddy girl Leeann Dearing
The Fashionably Pink Celebrity Show benefiting Susan G. Komen for the Cure ® Phoenix kicks off Phoenix Fashion Week for the fourth consecutive year on Wednesday, October 3rd. To emphasize the importance of this show, Phoenix Fashion Week has added another day to their calendar, with the show taking place at the Musical Instrument Museum, and the three days following will be hosted at Talking Stick Resort. “This is the fourth year we are raising much needed awareness and funds for Susan G. Komen. “I am very proud of the work Phoenix Fashion Week is doing for the breast cancer survivors in making them the stars of the runway,” Executive Director Brian Hill said.
For the first time ever, Phoenix Fashion Week is thrilled to welcome Susan G. Komen for the Cure ® Founder and CEO, Nancy Brinker, as the evening’s honored guest! The night’s supporting sponsors also include Bank of America, Mastercard, MIM and Mayo Clinic.“Mayo Clinic in Arizona’s Cancer Center team is comprised of nearly 200 specialized physicians and scientists dedicated to guiding those with breast cancer through their journey through expert care, state-of-the-art technology and cutting-edge clinical trials.Mayo Clinic’s mission also includes education. It’s important to our team to be out in our local communities supporting events aimed at helping men and women learn about breast cancer awareness,” says Donald Northfelt, M.D., Associate Medical Director of the Breast Clinic at Mayo Clinic.
104.7′s JohnJay Van Es
Bank of America is another returning sponsor this year and is thrilled to continue their support of breast cancer awareness and Fashionably Pink. “Breast cancer has touched all of us in some way – family members, co-workers, and friends – and Bank of America is proud to be able to help promote the Susan G. Komen® cause through the availability of Pink Ribbon Banking products,”said Harlan Clark, a Bank of America Senior Vice President for the Susan G. Komen Partnership. “In addition to our product suite, we are pleased to serve as a Race for the CureSurvivor Program Co-Sponsor and the Presenting Sponsor of the Susan G. Komen 3Day Series. The Phoenix Fashion Week’s Fashionably Pink event creates an avenue for us to extend our reach and bring awareness of the partnership to a new audience and we are extremely proud to be associated with the event”.
The evening will begin with a glamorous cocktail party at 7pm, featuring a red carpet entrance for photo opportunities, mingling with local tastemakers, live music and a charitable silent auction featuring fabulous vacations to New York City, the Grammys and more, all provided by Charity Fundraising Packages.
FOX 10 morning host Kristin Anderson
The “Pinked Out” fashion show will begin at 8pm, where an amazing lineup of celebrities, including 104.7 radio hosts JohnJay and Rich and Kyle, America’s Next Top Model Brittany Brown, and survivors alike will grace the runway in their pink-inspired ensembles, created by many of Phoenix Fashion Week’s emerging and established designers. ”People think life on the runway is easy. I’m here to tell you, it’s not easy! Being a fashion icon is tough, but I do it! The cause is why I do it…I look good in pink, for the people!” said JohnJay Van Es. Being a Fashionably Pink veteran, 104.7′s Kyle Unfug looks forward to working her runway walk every year. ”I was so honored to be a part of such a positive event for such an incredible cause that affects women everywhere.”
We are also excited to welcome back Fox 10 morning host Kristin Anderson, who had some serious runway moves last year for Fashionably Pink, and we can’t wait to see what she’ll do this year! “The ‘Fashionably Pink’ show is the event I wait for every year… I am hardly a model, but I LOVE walking in the show because the energy is off the charts! The survivors who strut the runway are so inspiring – every year it gets better and better. I’m honored to walk beside them, and I wouldn’t miss this show!”
Phoenix Fashion Week works hard year after year to help our local breast cancer
22-year survivor Sharon Carlson
survivors to feel like true heroes of the runway. Pamela McCall of Mayo Clinic is thankful for the opportunity to be a part of the show again this year and offers up some words of wisdom for other surivors. “As far as we know, you are the only one you ever made or that will ever be made, the only you who will pass this way in the Universe. So live life, love God, and do you! Be happy!” Another of our Fashionably Pink veteran favorites is 22-year breast cancer survivor Sharon Carlson. “By putting on this event, Fashionably Pink is showing everyone how important breast cancer awareness is to the fashion community. By raising funds for research and prevention, they are helping to find an end to breast cancer and to give woman all over the state a chance to live.”
Perhaps one of the most anticipated looks of the evening is a show stopping pink gown that will close the show by one of the most exciting designers on the global fashion stage, Dubai-based Furne One, whose creations have been seen on Heidi Klum, Katy Perry, and Jennifer Lopez.
The evening’s glamorous after party will commence immediately following the fashion show.
Don’t miss out on the chicest PINK’D OUT party of the year! To purchase your tickets before we SELL OUT, visit our Eventbrite page!
Article by Lauren Pfingstag for Phoenix Fashion Week
In support of the next “IT” designers, Phoenix Fashion Week has launched the brand new People’s Choice in Social Media Contest as a part of the Emerging Designer Contest. Presented by The Art Institute of Phoenix and launched at the ‘Shop Garment District Show & Trunk Sale Aug 11, 2012, guests were encouraged to preview the (12) talented emerging designers and select their favorite runway show, and trunk sale, while getting a chance to meet and greet each designer in person. The Art Institute of Phoenix has always been a big support system to local students hoping to make it in the fashion industry. Recently, it was announced that AIPX will now be offering a Bachelor of Science in Fashion Design, for the first time ever! What’s more, the college is offering new students who start classes on or before Oct. 1, 2012, an opportunity to earn one of two $5,000 scholarships. For more information about this exciting opportunity, read the official press release.
The People’s Choice in Social Media Contest evolved from the necessity to support emerging designers during their launch at Phoenix Fashion Week, and it will be up to THE PUBLIC and our readers to vote for their favorite designer leading up to fashion week in October! The winner will be announced at Phoenix Fashion Week, Friday Oct. 5th at 7:00pm at The Art Institute of Phoenix booth, inside the Style Villa Marketplace.
To get to know our Emerging Designers by visiting The Art Institute of Phoenix booth every night during fashion week!
To purchase tickets to Phoenix Fashion Week and watch these designers’ lines live on the runway, click HERE.
How can you vote? Vote for your favorite emerging designer below!
Presented by:
Get to know these talented designers better and let us know which one you think should win Designer of the Year 2012 by voting above!
Bri Seeley is uniquely feminine fashion for the inspired woman. Established in 2006, this brand based out of Lacey, Washington was created to enhance the female figure and allow the wearers inner beauty to shine. The styles are contemporary, simple, and classic with intriguing details and high quality fabric. Guests should expect to see designs embodying the designer, Bri Seeley’s contemporary vintage aesthetic. ”I typically draw upon nature and history for my design inspiration.The Escape collection showing at PHXFW was specifically designed with a playful spirit and a touch of impulsivity,” Seeley said.
On trend for the season, Envy by Khanh features bold lines, colors and geometric shapes that make the line immediately recognizable. The line is all about simplicity and elegance, and designer Khanh Nguyen’s goal is to design dresses that make women feel confident, attractive, and sexy. This vision will take effect at PHXFW in October, where Khanh’s 12 piece 2013 collection will walk the runway. “My irresistible pieces for women create lust in the opposite sex and envy in the same sex. ‘Make them feel it’ is the tagline for ENVY by Khanh, since the goal is to make other women feel envious of you when you’re wearing one of my dresses.”
Based out of Los Angeles, California, EYE Thread is a luxury designer brand on a mission to give back. Their hopes are to inspire the consumer to think about buying a quality product with a genuine foundation in giving back. “By focusing on the highest quality product possible we thought it only made sense to go by an equally high standard for our practices. We believe that if we can make a positive impact, no matter how small, then weʼve accomplished our goal as a brand. Titled Keepsakes & Heirlooms, we provide products made with handselected materials, and assure each piece is made with integrity, craftsmanship and most importantly, heart.” – Designer Ashleigh Kaspszak
Local designer Natalia Acosta of Phoenix is originally from Mexico and after earning two Fashion Design degrees from Phoenix College, has focused her designing vision on creating unique, one-of-a-kind evening gowns that are all individually designed and hand-sewn. With avant-garde, dramatic runway pieces showing at Phoenix Fashion Week, guests should except to take in red carpet gowns meant to see and be seen in. “The the biggest stage for fashion is in the state of Arizona. The Italia Rocks Couture customer is a very confident, elegant and sexy woman. My inspiration when designing this collection is the female figure, and vibrant colors that complement this.”
Los Angeles, California based JHaus is an American made premium denim line inspired by designer Jlynn Hausman’s American-Midwest roots. Being a farmer’s daughter and a small town girl, Jlynn wanted to bring a piece of the country into the city. Creating a high quality product that incorporates her strong roots into the aesthetic was her goal. Great denim should be a staple in any fashionista’s wardrobe, but it can be difficult to find the perfect fit. That is, until JHaus. “Denim is difficult and a very tough business. We have a less is more concept so there is not a lot of embellishment on our jeans. We spent a year perfecting the fits and washes to ensure a premium product. JHaus is the only emerging designer that will be showcasing denim.”
Living Dreams is a lifestyle streetwear clothing brand “inspired by those who follow and live out their dreams”. They offer bold colors on relaxing designs to t-shirts, tank tops, and other fine products for both men and women. Living Dreams believes we all have a dream inside ourselves and when that dream becomes a reality through passion, hard work, and belief in ourselves, that dream turns into a reality, hence the name Living Dreams! The mission of Living Dreams is to spread this message of encouraging others to be “living dreams” through clothing as the canvas to tell the story. “I wanted to ultimately try to create a brand that lets people “escape” and let themselves dream again about what moves them. I am not just trying to create a trendy brand, but one that last decades,” said designer Michael Poulos.
Ofra traveled throughout Europe and Latin America and her broad experiences are the culmination of what we see in her collections. OfraStyle’s latest collection is convertible clothing for women, casual by day, contemporary by night. The collection includes pieces that can be worn 2-3 different ways. They are very versatile and with a few adjustments can be worn as poolside wear, comfortable casual wear, yoga pants, or elegant evening wear. These versatile garments are extremely soft, complimentary to the body and made from beautiful custom made fabrics with a contemporary style.
This St. Louis designer was born with a creative vision and has been designing for nearly all his life. This menswear designer is unique in that he views menswear in a completely new way. He loves mixing colors and prints that are unconventional, but believes that at the end of the day its all about individualism – so the customer can separate the prints and wear them as conservatively as they would like. “Paulie Gibson is inspired by the juxtaposition between masculine and feminine. I’m really inspired by womens fashion. I’m also inspired by people. I’m a very social person and as I meet new people something clicks and I start to create clothing for them in my head – what I’d like to see them in.”
Samantha Patterson creates fashionable modestwear for women, appropriate for any professional, religious, or everyday setting, and no one should have to forgo style to dress this way. Despite the assumptions that some may make about modestwear, Flagstaff-based Patterson has proven that with extra design elements, these subtle statement pieces are taken to the next level. “I love putting creativity in a box. I believe that when an artist applies parameters to his/her work–modest guidelines in my case–it yields even more innovative ideas. I use construction techniques, fabric embellishments, and other accents to compose truly original designs with classic silhouettes.”
As another local designer based out of Tucson, Brooke Reyes is a self-taught designer, who has created a standout line for “women with remarkable taste.” With the drama of many of her runway garments, it’s no surprise that Reyes’ inspiration is the theater and everything that entails. “The woman who wears my clothes desires notoriety. Like in theater, costumes have a way of evoking an era and feeling into the actor. I want my clothes to inject a feeling of confidence, strength, and sex appeal, into my ideal client. My inspiration derives from my days as a thespian. I often take inspiration from theatric, historic and literary characters and bring them into the modern world with my design.”
Co-founders and designers Julie Cruz and Roshena Chadha have created a unique line of versatile shawls and cover-ups meant for the everyday woman, with a convertible shawl that can be worn 15+ ways. They offer practical fashion without compromising on style, with fashionable formulas for multiple looks that can transform an outfit from casual to dressy, from day to night. “We are largely inspired by the fabrics that we find and by elements of other styles and trends that we see. Our inspiration also comes from our fans, who love to get creative with their Shawls and come up with amazing new ways to style them! The possibilities are endless!”
Every since this St. Louis-based designer debuted her first line in the spring of 2009, the brand has been consistently growing since. Her design aesthetic is clear as soon as you see one of her garments, with a bold, strong look that is still sophisticated and chic. It really is about creating a lifestyle. ”My number one inspiration is music, which was my first love. From there, it’s about location and building our visual of who our woman is each season. Location plays a big part as well, traveling and adventure. Where would she go?, what would she do?, what would she take with her?…these are all questions we ask ourselves each season to create our story,” said designer Suzanne Lay.
Article by Lauren Pfingstag for Phoenix Fashion Week
Fashion’s Night Out is the biggest fashion and shopping party in the world. It officially turns four this September 6th and Phoenix Fashion Week is thrilled to celebrate this by partnering with the valley’s chicest shopping destination, Neiman Marcus Scottsdale!
As an official partner, Neiman Marcus has been supporting Fashion’s Night Out in every one of their stores nationally since it’s inception in 2009. “From the beginning, the goal for the Scottsdale store was to provide a fun celebration of the best in fall fashion, as well as create a lively night featuring local musicians, artists and arts organizations, schools, fashion organizations and charities,” said Public Relations Manager Lisa Pagel.
For the first time, Phoenix Fashion Week is partnering with Neiman Marcus for Fashion’s Night Out to officially launch our Little Black Dress Challenge to the general public. This challenge is meant to support the creativity of our past Emerging Designers from fashion week, as they are asked to create their best little black dress sketches true to their design aesthetic. Make sure to visit the Phoenix Fashion Week booth on Level 2, Dress Department, where you can vote for your favorite sketches, as well as meet and greet these talented designers! For more information about the LBD Challenge, read the official press release. Be sure to dress in your little black dress, as the best dressed guest will win a VIP Package for 2 to fashion week in October!
Beginning at 5pm, Neiman Marcus will have loads of exciting events during their Fashion’s Night Out event, including a Fall Trends Fashion Show and trunk show by celeb favorite Oday Shakar (who showed his line at PHXFW 2010!).
Keep the fashion party going and follow us to The Saguaro Scottsdale, where the Official Fashion’s Night Out After party will be taking place. Sip champagne, get a complimentary mini-mani, and network with local fashionistas and industry professionals.
Hope to see you there fashionistas, in your best LBD of course!
Article by Lauren Pfingstag for Phoenix Fashion Week
Every fashionista has an item in their wardrobe that is a go-to garment for any place, any occasion. And for most, this is the little black dress. Originally iconicized by Coco Chanel in 1926 with her modest “Ford” dress and followed with such memorable LBD moments as Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany’s, the LBD is perhaps one of the chicest and most wearable garments a woman can own. With that being said, Phoenix Fashion Week is thrilled to announce a collaboration with Little Black Dress Wines for our new (you guessed it!) Little Black Dress Challenge!
In this challenge, Phoenix Fashion Week has invited past emerging designers to submit their best original LBD sketches that speaks to them as a designer, as well as features a truly unique style. In the mean time, these emerging designers’ challenge journey begins September 6th at Fashion’s Night Out with Neiman Marcus, where Phoenix Fashion Week will officially be debuting the Little Black Dress Challenge to the public, with the help of Little Black Dress Wines. Attendees can visit the LBD Challenge booth, where they can view the top three sketches on iPads and vote on their favorite! The winning sketch will be produced and placed on-display in the Style Villa shopping area during fashion week in October!
I had the opportunity to catch up with Little Black Dress Wines’ VP of Marketing, Kari Sumney, and find out more about their fashionable brand and it’s partnership with Phoenix Fashion Week this year!
Tell me more about your fashionably named brand!
“Little Black Dress Wines are the Perfect Fit for Every Palate. Like their namesake, the iconic little black dress, Little Black Dress Wines are versatile, trustworthy, reliable and perfect for any occasion. Classic and timeless, these wines are designed in a fruit-forward style with the female palate in mind.”
How would you describe the fashionable customer of Little Black Dress Wines?
“Classic. Fashion trends come and go, but one item in women’s closets undeniably never goes out of style: the classic little black dress. Little black dresses can transcend day to evening with just the addition of simple accessories or bold accents. As the “Official Wine of Awards Season,” Little Black Dress Wines fit everyone’s style and are the perfect “accessory” for any occasion.”
Describe your involvement in our Little Black Dress Challenge and why Little Black Dress Wines wanted to support emerging designers.
“We created the Little Black Dress Challenge as a way to for Little Black Dress Wines to support local “emerging designers” in Phoenix and during Fashion Week. Emerging designers will apply to enter the LBD Challenge by submitting a sketch of their version of a Little Black Dress. Three sketches will be selected and those designers will compete for the title of “Little Black Dress Design Winner”. The three designs will be featured in Phoenix Fashion Week’s social media and they will also be on display at the event. Consumers will be able to vote for their favorite dress online as well as at the event at the LBD contest booth, which will be located in the Style Villa. The winner will be selected by both a panel of industry professionals and social media votes and awarded the title at the event on Saturday evening.”
Like Phoenix Fashion Week, your brand has also aligned yourself with charitable organizations, including Dress for Success and Clothes Off Our Back. Why do you feel this charitable aspect is so crucial to your brand?
“Little Black Dress Wines bring women together to celebrate occasions, events, friendships, fashion and what we have discovered is bringing women together to “give back”. The number of charitable organizations that Little Black Dress Wine has aligned with is growing rapidly every day. In October, for Breast Cancer awareness Month, the Little Black Dress Wines are a proud sponsor of the National Breast Cancer Foundation among numerous other charitable organizations.”
Tell us more about how you have partnered with a celebrity stylist and color specialists to feature style tips on your website.
“Joey Tierney is a great fit with Little Black Dress wines as she is known for bringing “Rocker chic- to the dinner party”. Like Little Black Dress Wines she is also American born. She launched her ready-to-wear collection in 2007 and also has dressed A-List Celebrities.
As Little Black Dress has a perfect wine varietal for every female personality, Three Custom Color Specialists create cosmetic shades that fit every woman’s type. Training Director, Co-Founder of Three Custom Color Specialists, Chad Hayduk has almost 20 years of retail experience in the cosmetics industry.”
What do you have coming up?
“Little Black Dress will soon be refreshing our packaging with a fresh take a timeless style. Additionally, we have two new supercilious wines coming to market by the end of this year.”
Thanks so much Kari! We can’t wait to see Little Black Dress Wines debut at Fashion’s Night Out and during fashion week in October!
Article by Lauren Pfingstag for Phoenix Fashion Week
Phoenix Fashion Week was established in 2005 by a team of Arizona based industry professionals.
We are based in the fastest growing metropolitan area in the United States, Phoenix.
Our mission is simple but powerful: To market established and emerging fashion designers from around the globe to top retailers, buyers, media and fashionistas.
