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“font-family: Verdana;”>Fashion in the City organizers promised guests an evening of diversity and style two Sundays ago at the City Museum. And even before the catwalk struts commenced, the promise was delivered.
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“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>Street signs with avenues bearing the name of designers featured models mimicking a still frame in some of their most striking garments. Models of varying shapes, colors and heights lined the entrance and set the tone for a particularly interesting blend of style from space age to classic couture.
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“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>“I kept meeting designers who were leaving St. Louis because they didn’t have an outlet to share their collection to the public or to potential buyers,” event co-creator Felicia Mosley said.
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“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>“I wanted to create something for those designers who go unnoticed despite creating exemplary clothes.”
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“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>She teamed up with her friend (and emerging designer) Shellie Blacknell to create Fashion in the City, which showcased the rising stars of St. Louis fashion to a sold-out house at the City Museum.
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“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana; mso-fareast-font-family:”>Ola’s Design, VuVu Stone, Blacknell’s Naute’ Empress collection, Haus Designs, LAHA, Alex Carter, Dwight Overton, J. Marie, Shukuru 2, Elizabeth Smith and Z. Bailey set the runway on fire with their varying styles that managed to compliment the show as a whole with the contrasts that could be found within each collection.
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“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>The creativity and diversity bucked the stereotypes of “black fashion” being little more than gaudy club attire and urban street wear.
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“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>“It was a beautiful quilt,” VuVu Stone creator Betty Phiri said about the show. “And with each of us we brought our own patch of creativity and fashion as we see it based on our influences.”
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“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>“My intention was to show the diversity within fashion, especially African Fashion,” said Phiri, a native of Zambia.
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“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>“Most people think of the West African tribes, animal skins and prints but there is so much to African fashion … just like Africa itself. There are other ways to put an African touch on things. There are styles that anyone, white people too, can wear and feel comfortable and confident.”
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“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>Phiri presented the flowing lines and patterns often identified with African flair intersected with Eurocentric sensibilities to create a balance of style.
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“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>Fellow Designer Shukuru Bilal was thrilled by the opportunity and motivated by the designers she shared the runway with.
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“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>“I really loved what Betty was doing. There is so much to offer in Africa anyway, it’s not the commercials we’ve been shown and it’s not just one type of clothing. I loved her for that,” Bilal said.
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“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>“And I loved what Dwight brought to the show as well. He helped give us some of that over-the-top fashion show drama that you typically only see in New York in Los Angeles. I loved J. Marie … I just loved everybody. We definitely made connections because of our love for what we do.”
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“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>The camaraderie of Bilal, Phiri and the rest of the designers fell in line with the intentions of the organizers as they used Fashion in the City to build a network of black fashion that would be beneficial to creators and connoisseurs.
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“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>The show also raised funds for the St. Louis Gateway Classic Sports Foundation and gave beloved area physicians an opportunity in the spotlight as they ripped the runway in a special segment – serving fierce faces and mean walks to resounding applause.
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“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>“This was huge for St. Louis,” Bilal said.
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“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>“From the huge crowd, to the professional runway show, to the look of the models and designs, I think we gave guests so much to choose from visually. I was watching their faces as they watched the show, and they were all smiles with awe in their eyes. I think this should be something offered annually.”
