By Stephanie Audette
MNfashion Week: where artists, fashionistas, and . . . localistas(?) (localists?) convene for one action-packed week. Rest up, because you’ll be busy.
First up on the agenda (after a special happy hour at Seven) is ENVISION: Artopia Fall 2012, being held Friday, Sept. 21, at the 601 Graves Hotel. The celebration of fashion, art, and food (does it get any better?) will kick off at 8 p.m. for the VIPs, 9 p.m. for everyone else.
With the first spring show in 2008, the ENVISION show is now in its 11th season. Thanks to a 2010 collaboration with City Pages, the evening now showcases some of the state’s best up-and-coming RAW artists, in addition to fashion designers and boutiques. To accommodate the expected 1000+ attendees, organizers moved this fall’s event from the 50th floor of the IDS building to its current venue in the Graves’ ballroom.
If showing support for the local fashion scene isn’t your thing, then do it for the kids. Tickets start at $20 and sales will go to Free Arts Minnesota, a nonprofit organization that supports at-risk children and their families.
While you’re probably familiar with the main shows, highlighting the more established talent based in our little neck of the woods, here’s a roundup of some other gatherings about town:
- Go back in time and check out the Vintage Did It First runway show at Blacklist Vintage. Cost is $5 and doors open at 7 p.m. Shop after and get a 20 percent discount on that vintage skirt you were eyeing from the moment you walked in. 25 E. 26th St., Mpls., 612-872-8552, blacklistvintage.com
- Like The Shows, the Emerging Designer Showcase will be held at the Grain Belt Bottling House. With a suggested donation of $5, this is the more cost-conscious option (read: college students). Grain Belt Bottling House, 79 13th Ave. NE., Mpls., mnfashion.org/event/emerging-designer-showcase
- México Mágico Fashion Show –Injecting some cultural flavor into Minnesota, UTKU Fashion and the Mexican Consulate in St. Paul bring us a wide range of Mexican and world-renowned artists. General admission for the evening is $15 in advance and $25 at the door. Solera, 900 Hennepin Ave., Mpls., utkufashion.com/
For more information on all of these events and the Fall 2012 participants, visit mnfashion.org. Have something to say? Join the conversation in the comments below or tweet #MSPFW.
Can’t make it downtown this Friday? Check Style Parlor for photos and a recap of ENVISION.
