doll

The Shows Sept. 27^th 2012

Featuring Emma Berg & Samantha Rei

      After going to the Atrium at the Grain Belt Bottling Company for three days, you’d think it would get repetitive and boring, but oh no! MNFashion continually brought in a generous sized crowd, but tonight was even more packed, and fellow fashion lovers were dressed to the nines. People watching alone would have made this night spectacular, which we did on our little breaks in-between collections. We each took turns giving stories to the elite and fashionable members of the audience, from their prestigious day jobs to glamorous night lives and how they might be connected with the designers.

Samantha Rei was first to hit the runway. Her collection consisted of pastel colored baby doll dresses in yellow, mint, violet, and classic white. There were ruffles and lace galore that made everything feel very youthful and innocent. It made you reminisce about dressing your favorite doll as girl. None of the models wore heels and had ribbons tied around their ankles; this small detail really helped create a dreamy carefree vibe. One thing we love about Rei’s designs is that they seem to be channeling the early 19^th century era, but their hair was futuristic and big, with bright colors. Feather headbands and clips will definitely will be making their second debut this spring and summer, put to use in a more tame and classic way.

      When Emma Berg’s first model stepped out onto the runway you could tell she was nervous and it was her first time on the catwalk; within 10 seconds the crowd stood and applauded her. This was the cutest little girl you have ever seen and a pretty fierce model, with a little flowing white dress, and black biker boots. Berg’s looks are edgy, empowering, and expensive looking. She brings a fresh insight on how women should dress, with bold asymmetrical lines that would flatter any body shape; which makes each piece look one-of-a-kind. She kept all of her pieces very modern and contemporary with the lines and fabrics she used, which consists of silk and two key leather pieces. The end of this show was by far one of the most inspiring and exceptional things that took place this whole week: two men were walking and met in the middle of the runway where they locked in a passionate and oh-so-sexy kiss. Then a tall African amazon princess of a

woman glided down the stage wearing a black “Vote No” sequin top with a long cascading high-low white skirt. Since most of you don’t know her that well, Jordan is very sentimental and she was fighting back the tears. What a strong message.

      Overall, the two collections were on the polar opposites on the spectrum of femininity; Emma Berg presented more hard and calculated ensembles, while Samantha Rei’s designs created a spirited and carefree ambiance. We wanted to express how appreciative we are of the MNFashion staff for welcoming us in such a way that made us feel like we belonged and were a part of the experience. It was our first time in attendance at MN Fashion Week and we were so impressed by what our local fashion community can create. Minneapolis is an up and coming area for the fashion industry and MNFashion made that point hard to ignore.

Authors and Editors

Gabby Navarro & Jordan Nentl   A special thanks to Russell Heeter for the amazing photos from the Emma Berg website: http://www.emmaberg.com/

Also the City Pages:  http://www.citypages.com/