Lights dimmed, cameras flashed, drinks were poured and music filled the room as the words “Park City Fashion Week” were plastered on the stage.
On Jan. 26, Kim Kienow transformed The Marquis on Main Street into a couture worthy runway for talented local designers with her motto of “bringing runway to the Rockies.” This year celebrates five years of Park City Fashion Week, (PCFW) and the event hosted on the first weekend of the Sundance Film Festival, attracted an esteemed guest list including Miss Utah USA, Alyssa Chandler.
“It is an honor to be able to hold this event during Sundance,” Kienow said. “We just wanted to give Sundance a little taste of us.”
It’s All About the Locals
Local designer, Hannah Gordon, kicked off the show with her avant garde collection inspired by light and shadow. She sees a world where a single garment can tell many different stories.
“This collection shows what can happen when light, shadow and technology merge,” she said.
Following Gordon, TJ Holdman partnered with The Collective, a local boutique to feature his new line of bags. The bags are made to interact with light and are made of glass and leather.
“These bags truly become alive when they are seen through the light,” Holdman said.
Next on the runway was Soul by Amè and We Norwegians. They showed unapologetically fresh collections that blend sports and outerwear with cultural influence. Panache and Chammomile, both Park City luxury womenswear boutiques, showed collections of new arrivals that had the audience drooling.
Salt Lake City based influencer and designer, Hannah Ruth Zander, created a collection of reimagined vintage bridal wear that seamlessly blends the lines of femininity and romanticism. Model, Anna Nye, strutted down the runway in a remastered gown and a sweater featuring a heart cutout on the décolletage.
“I wanted to take these old wedding dresses and give them new life so that someone else can wear them and fall in love with them the way I have,” Zander said.
Davis Hong elevated an array of technically sound garments by imagining what something flat might look like on a 3-D body. His collection features avant-garde silhouettes mirroring two-dimensional shapes.
Cameos from Catwalk Legends
Irina Shabayeva, renowned fashion designer and winner of Project Runway season 6, showed a collection of avian dresses adorned with feathers. The final look in the collection, worn by model Emma Lamb, featured wing-like epaulettes, and was nothing if not a soaring showstopper.
Shabayeva has shown at both New York and Paris Fashion Weeks, recently dressed Carrie Underwood for the OPRY 100 country music event, and still found a way to send her collection to be a part of PCFW.
The final collection of the show, imagined by Utah-based designer Heggy Gonzales, features organic draping inspired by movement and texture. As a self-taught designer, Gonzales rarely uses patterns which allows each of her garments to take a more organic form.
“When I design, I think more about how the clothes will look when they’re in motion versus when they’re standing still,” Gonzales said. She has presented collections at both New York and London Fashion Weeks, but still spearheads her brand from right here in Utah.
Extra Extra, Read All About it
PCFW is not just about the clothes. Kienow prides herself in creating a space for young creative voices to be heard.
“I teach at the local college, so I have a soft spot for finding new talent,” she said at the show.
This ideology was evident as the venue’s walls became a gallery, adorned with the artistic works of Eddy Ekpo.
Tunisha C. Brown, curator of “Impact Magazine” announced the debut of her new fashion magazine “Eleve.” The magazine’s inaugural cover was featured on the PCFW stage and Brown made a statement about its mission that coincides perfectly with the mantra of PCFW.
“’Eleve’ is all about inspiring you to live with purpose, love with passion and to elevate every aspect of your life,” Brown said.
