Austin Fashion Week is just days away, and besides being totally unprepared (um I need to go shopping, get things altered, and take a trip to the salon), I’m also really excited. There are several things to look forward to this year during Austin Fashion Week, and these are the top things I am happily anticipating…
1) The Weather
Austin Fashion Week was previously held in August, and we all know how hellish the weather can be in Austin during that month. Remember the 2nd Austin Fashion Week Kick off? It was held OUTSIDE and everyone was trying to maintain their stylish composure while melting in their seats. But not this year! I’m looking forward to getting to wear cute Spring outfits, and perhaps even getting to do a bit of layering (*gasp!*)
2) The Menu at Noir
This year Austin Fashion Week is being kicked off with a night of black and white fashion. The theme of the night is “Noir” and attendees will come dressed in all black, but witness an all white fashion show featuring looks from some of Austin’s top designers including Gail Chovan, Crowned Bird, and Megan Summerville.
But, besides the fashion, what I’m really looking forward to at Noir is the food! The feast at Noir will include an all black and white menu from the chefs behind Olive and June, Parkside, and Backspace. There will be a trio of appetizers including bass ceviche, tapioca caviar, and white chipotle with a main course of farm chicken with roasted white carrots, white soy, crispy garlic, arugula flowers, and black olive. Dessert will be coconut crema with black chocolate ganache, milk meringue, and poteet strawberries. Yum, right??
I’m just glad the attendees are supposed to wear all black, because black can more easily disguise food stains.
3) The Free Events
There will be tons of fashion events happening all over town during Austin Fashion Week that are totally free and open to the public. And if these events are anything like the ones in years past, they will all have plenty of free booze and probably cupcakes. You can find all of these events listed here (all the events without a “Buy Tickets” button are free!), and this list will be updated daily. I’ll also be adding as many as I can to my Upcoming Events page, so you can check that as well.
4) Priscilla Barroso and Daniel Esquivel’s Collections
The final day of runway shows at La Zona Rosa, Friday May 10th, will feature two of the week’s most anticipated collections. Austinites Priscilla Barroso of Crowned Bird and Daniel Esquivel were both featured on the 2 most popular fashion reality TV shows this year. Priscilla showed her quirky French retro inspired Crowned Bird pieces on Fashion Star, while Daniel showed his self-taught skills on Project Runway and just barely missed being in the final top 3.
Although neither Priscilla nor Daniel were the winners of their shows, they both made very memorable impressions and showed off their talent. I’m so excited to see what these 2 have been working on post-TV stardom.
photos via Mod Fox and Lifetime
5) The Street Style
One of my favorite things during any event of course, is to style watch. Austin Fashion Week should bring out some interesting fashion choices from those trying to show off their style. Last year I caused a bit of a stir when I wore this Gucci dress on the red carpet to the awards. I got a mixed bag of comments with some loving the look and others shaming me for showing too much skin. But, if there’s one time to make a statement, it’s Austin Fashion Week. And why not go all out for a red carpet? I’ll be snapping photos of the best looks throughout the week and I encourage everyone to be bold. Austin deserves red carpet fashion just as much as any other city.
6) Boudoir Queen
Her collection was my favorite at Austin Fashion Week last year, and this year Dawn Younger-Smith a.k.a. the Boudoir Queen’s new fall 2013 collection will close out the week by walking the runway at the Austin Fashion Week Awards. Dawn has a magical way of taking inspiration from antique fashion and making modern clothing that women of all ages want to wear because of its femininity and charm. I can’t wait to see what she has been working on these last few months! It should be a great ending to the week.
photo via Boudoir Queen
Click here to buy tickets for the Austin Fashion Week Kick Off “Noir”, the runway shows, or the Awards.
Joanna Wilkinson
keep austin stylish