Fabric choice is something that is normally left up to a designer, but for Friday night’s Austin Fashion Week show at Haven, that choice was made by the “Black and Tan” fashion show producer Megan Summerville. The local lingerie designer said she wanted to create an event that would bring together designers and challenge them to design based off of a given fabric instead of fabric of their own choosing. Twenty five designers were each given 15 yards of black fabric and tan lace to create one look for the runway. While the designers were allowed to add additional fabric such as lining, trim, or embellishments, Megan required that 90% of the final look would be made from the black and tan material.
Since the Black and Tan fashion show was centered all around the fabric, I was hoping the material would be a little more inspirational for the designers. There’s really only so much you can do with tan lace, right? But the designers, who ranged from veteran designers to first timers, tackled the challenge and put on an entertaining show. It was interesting to see such varying aesthetics from Victorian inspired gowns to modern day party dresses all derived from the same fabric.
Megan says she believes all the participators grew as designers, and her next fashion challenge is already in the planning stages. I was one of the judges of the Black and Tan show, and although there were a few pieces that stood out to me, picking the winner was an easy decision for me. Amanda Yilmaz dyed her tan lace black to create an all black romantic and slightly goth gown that was glamorous and completely wearable. The winner will be announced later this week, but scroll down to see my winning pick for the night, as well as all the “Black and Tan” looks.
Who do you think should be the winner of the “Black and Tan” fashion challenge?
Joanna Wilkinson
keep austin stylish