With 10 scenes and nearly 100 looks shown on the runway, it should come as no surprise that there was not a unifying look to Saturday’s Art Institute of California United Streets of Fashion show. Instead, the sheer diversity of items shown was part of the show’s intrigue and drama. From Rachel Richardson’s military-inspired trench, shown above, to the Autie Carlisle’s convertible dress (see below for a photo recap of its on-runway transformation), the looks ran the gamut from ultra-wearable to inventively experimental and everywhere in between.
The well-produced show was not without its own drama, as a quickly-remedied mishap early on with one of the large scale set’s curtains sent gasps up from the VIP audience (who would have been blanketed in a dark drape had it come completely down) and the presence of Project Runway Season 7 contestant Amy Sarabi added a dash of celebrity to the evening. On the runway itself, short (and occasionally scandalously so) hemlines got their fair share of attention, while other reoccurring elements included thick, exposed zippers, corseted tops and pants with either dropped crotches, a harem silhouette or something in between the two. Vampy lingerie by Tia Young, a peacock feather-adorned dance costume designed by Danielle Tilford and donned by a model on point, Cameron Stewart’s bat-wielding male models and a convertible dress that went from basic black to a whirl of orange, red and white in front of the audience added a theatrical element to the show.
Award winners from the evening were Dallas Coulter for first place in the Museum of Performance and Design’s special rock ‘n roll segment, Cameron Stewart for best construction, Leanna Liu for best creativity and design and Justyna Fiuk for best overall impact.
Cocktail gown by Jessica Cabrera
Faux fur wrap by Leslie Fong
Asymmetrical leather biker jacket by Alisha Wilson
Menswear by Cameron Stewart
A model begins to transform Autie Carlisle’s two-in-one dress on the runway
Originally a black dress, the garment slowly changes as the model lifts the top half over her head
The black dress seen first becomes a large collar that drapes down the back
The resulting gown looks dramatically different leaving the runway than it did when it first appeared in front of the audience.
Photos: first five images courtesy of John Agcaoili; convertible dress images courtesy of Kevin Barnard. For more images from the Art Institute fashion show, view the complete fashion show and pre-show sets from Agcaoili and the fashion show set from Barnard.
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