Seven standouts from Provo Fashion Week

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BYU student Stafford Thomas does the catwalk in a Beckett & Robb custom suit at Provo Fashion Week Oct. 11. (Mike Johnson)
BYU student Stafford Thomas does the catwalk in a Beckett & Robb custom suit at Provo Fashion Week Oct. 11. (Mike Johnson)

Provo Fashion Week featured 21 area designers at three runway shows Oct. 11 at the Provo Library. The show Friday night was a VIP invite-only presentation from 12 established designers. Fashion bloggers, boutique and retail business owners, friends and family of the designers and press were extended invitations. The Saturday afternoon and evening shows were open to the public with the purchase of a ticket. Before and after the shows designers and local brands set up pop-up shops.

All of the designers at Provo Fashion Week had a distinct artistic vision. Here is a recap of some of the stand-outs:

Brandon Perry Design

Perry’s 10 models attacked the runway in fierce looks from his fall collection. He presented a variety of silhouettes, including a chic romper, an over-the-top evening gown and edgy separates. The inspiration for the line was Perry’s personal heritage, including Native American and Spanish roots. His pieces featured dip-dyed fringe and exaggerated ruffles.

“My design process starts with the fabric,” Perry said. “I find fabric that I want to use, and then I go from there.”

Perry’s designs were well constructed with quality materials, while some other designers fell short in this area. The night had its fair share of mismatched seams, puckering and cheap lace, but Perry was able to elevate his brand.

Beckett & Robb

Beckett & Robb is a custom suit company that launched out of Salt Lake City in 2009. Its presentation was the only one of the event that featured exclusively menswear. The looks were smart, impeccably well-tailored and gave personality to a look that can sometimes be boring.

“I think I might hold this suit for ransom,” said Stafford Thomas, a junior at BYU who modeled a custom Beckett & Robb suit on Friday.

Beckett & Robb have mastered the balance of quality and fit that amounts to the perfect suit.

Nephi Garcia

This collection was entirely dresses. Garcia used flower appliqué on his pieces as well as lace and striking damask prints. But the production and presentation of the clothes made the collection memorable.

When Garcia’s first model came onto the runway the audience’s distracted texting, tweeting and chatting went on hold. The model wore a sheer white cloak over a demure, knee-length white lace and chiffon dress. But the real kicker was on her feet. The model was wearing pointe shoes, and her procession down the runway was slow and deliberate. Many of Garcia’s models were in pointe shoes. Two children walked down the runway together, holding hands. Barefoot, they modeled extravagant ball gowns. The image was haunting and left an impression.

Haunted Head Fashion

Haunted Head Fashion is designed by Rebecca Fenton. Fenton describes the line as having a “post-apocalyptic” feel. Apparently her apocalypse will be followed by sequins and lace. The looks were mostly metallic, and the models had extreme, dark makeup and huge mohawk hair. The presentation evoked feelings of girl power.

ThreeTwoSevenSix

This line is designed by Lauren Mellor. All of Mellor’s pieces were black and white. The collection had mainly ready-to-wear items as well as a few formal gowns. The looks were all modest, and LDS influences were apparent. As the models walked down the runway, David Archuleta’s new single, “Glorious,” played. It was an uplifting presentation.

Chantel Lauren

Wedding dresses were a huge part of the event. They were shown by more than half of the designers at the Friday night show. Chantel Lauren is a label that focuses entirely on wedding gowns and dresses for other formal events. There was a variety of dress styles to choose from. Lace, crochet, flutter sleeves, a-line, fit ‘n’ flare, tulle, satin, mermaid style, beading, crystals, strapless and sleeves were all present and accounted for. There were also a few dresses that would be appropriate for a high school prom in the collection.

aBree Original

aBree Original, designed by Bree Wilkins, closed the show on Friday night and was an obvious crowd favorite. During most of the presentations there was a low hum of chatter, with polite applause when the models took a final walk. During the aBree show, people were cheering and clapping as each look came down the runway.

The designs were girly and sophisticated. The color story was black, gold and cream. The looks were not just ready-to-wear, they were actually wearable. Wilkins’ tasteful use of textures and accents made the line dynamic and interesting. There were looks with feathers, faux fur and sparkle.

Wilkins’ last look was a wedding dress entirely covered in sequins that swished together audibly as the model walked down the runway.

Bree attended the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City and is currently a student in the BYU business program.

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