Prêt-Á-Porter 2011 Backstage
So last Thursday, I got all facified and headed to the Mission. I wasn’t really expecting this to be anything but an average fashion show; you know, fast music, a few hors d’oeuvres, and some models thrown down a runway, the usual… But, in reality, it was much more than that. The models were great, the designers even greater. Not to mention there were some fun people in attendance which always makes for a better show. SFFAMA definitely out-did themselves on this one. Pret-A-Porter is sort of like a precursor to SF Fashion Week; a preview if you will. In short, if Fashion Week is anything like this, count me in!
I hung out backstage for a while before the show and captured some of the excitement for all of you unlucky souls who weren’t there to grovel at the sexiness of it all. And I covered the runway so that’ll be in another post. Pictures are after the break…
Explode La Mode!
Ok everyone, Explode La Mode is in… 2 DAYS!! You should be excited. Andrea Igreja produces the show and recently, we sat down and had a chat about what’s going on with her, and the show.
So on Saturday, April 30th, after three shows in Portland, ELM will premiere in San Francisco with nine local Designers.
Here’s how the night is going to go:
Pre-party 9-10:30
Fashion Show 10:45-11:30
After Party!! 11:30-2
Also, ELM sponsors one charity per show and this year, the charity is A Home Within. A Home Within is a great organization which promotes the emotional health of foster youth, and those who care for them, by creating and supporting lasting, caring relationships. So a $10 donation at the door isn’t a lot and goes to a great cause!
Like I said, Andrea is producing the show and she definitely knows what she’s doing. She moved here from Brazil a short time ago. She’s worked Sao Paulo Fashion Week and was show producer for Berlin Fashion Week and has been a freelance stylist in Brazil for three years. So I’m definitely looking forward to seeing what she’s put together for ELM.
Ok, so I bet now you’re asking, where is it!? Good Question! Som Bar is the venue and it’s located at 2925 16th Street, close to BART as you can see:
Oh, and the list of designers that are showing on Saturday night:
Eloisa Serrano and Myrda Monasterial
Frida Larios
Liddy Parlato
Sarah Liller
Francisco Castro
Kelly Pantecost
Mary Yanez-Kennison
Fiat Lux
On Thursday I visited Alexei Angelides at his boutique, Fiat Lux. Fiat Lux is, well, it’s very different. In the good way. The boutiques main goal is to promote the certain type of indie scene and DIY aesthetic San Francisco is known to have while promoting the cities best designers. Take a look at the details of this fantastic boutique after the break.
BobbePIN Spring 2011 Lookbook
I’ve recently had the wonderful opportunity to work with Oakland-based online store, BobbePIN. I did a lookbook and some shots for the BobbePIN site. We shot at an awesome neighborhood in Oakland, really industrial, it was pretty cool. It was mid-afternoon so the light was really harsh but I did my best to control it and I think the shots turned out pretty well. Check them out after the break.
Backstage at En Vogue
Ok, I’ll admit, I had no idea what the En Vogue Gala or Camp Okizu were until about five days before the event but try not to hold that against me. So En Vogue is an annual black-tie charity gala put on to fund Okizu. The camp provides support, respite, mentoring, and recreation for children and families affected by childhood cancer. In addition to the silent auction, hors d’oeuvres, and great drinks, there was a fashion show featuring a few local designers… more on that in my next post. But I went, hung out backstage, and snapped a few pictures.
Fashion Feud Round 3 Recap
So of course, just like the previous two rounds of Fashion Feud, the third round was great. I love competition so that coupled with fashion just can’t be a bad time. I actually had more fun this time than the last two for some reason. And of course, we all all know the gist of what Fashion Feud is:
Fashion Feud is a live fashion design competition. Designers are given a mystery bag of Mood Fabrics material, a live model, a hair and makeup team, and an hour to create a design. The finished designs are presented by the models to a live audience and then voted on by both the audience and our panel of local industry judges. The winner from each round advances to the Finals in each city to compete for the title of best designer in their city.
I think of all 6 of the designs so far, these two were the best. They creative, well-conceived and, of course, most importantly, dramatic. These two pieces made a statement, much more so than the previous four designs of the past two Fashion Feuds which tended more toward the bland side.
Lori Dawn created a skirt and top from the black and not-very-appealing orange & white fabrics. I very much liked the skirt even though the fabric wasn’t the greatest. The top was interesting. The asymmetrical collar thing was really appealing and tied around the back which extended past the skirt. The back had this weird patch of fabric though which I didn’t really get and didn’t think needed to be there. Other than that, it wasn’t bad and I really liked the idea of the design.
Sally Marie Hahn went in a whole other direction with her look. The hood is obviously the most interesting element of the design and (I think) the reason she won. Oh, she was the winner by the way, I kind of left that piece of information out. But, the hood actually extends and wraps around the body and ties in the back. The only issue I have with the hood is that it’s too long/big in the back. Otherwise, the dress was simple but worked well with the hood. In the end, the judges, Zoe Brock and Lauren Crawford (and crowd) chose Sally’s design which I totally agree with. So Sally Marie Hahn will be moving on to the final round on April 12th which I’m definitely excited for!
Fashion Feud Round 3–Tuesday!
This Tuesday, the 27th, I will be attending the third round of Fashion Feud. The event is put together by Scion in association with SFFAMA. Think of it as Project Runway but in your face and live. Seriously, it’s a good time. Here’s the basic concept: Two designers, Lorie Dawn and Sally Marie Hahn in this round, have one hour to design and create one look. That look is then shown and judged by the audience and official judges.
It’s held at Rickshaw Stop, a cool bar/club/event space in SOMA on Fell St. between Van Ness & Franklin. Doors open at 7, free admission, 18+. It’s a great idea and the first two rounds were fun so, if you’re around and looking for something to do, stop by.
Project San Francisco
Fashion, friends, sushi, free alcohol, and little cakey things on a stick. Yupp, that pretty much sums up it up. Project SF was, in every sense of the word, fun. What is it? Project San Francisco is an annual fashion show/party featuring local San Francisco designers. The event is put together by the great organization SFFAMA which also hosts San Francisco Fashion Week.
Project san Francisco is an annual runway event that serves as a platform for recent graduates and alumni from fashion schools and universities. This event will showcase their collection as recent graduates embarking in their prospective career in the fashion industry.
So five collections, Elizabeth Kay, Karina Castrejon, NNEKA by Penelope Adibe, Revelation by M.E., and Zoe Hong, were shown. Overall, the collections were really quite good. Now, I tend to lean towards more dramatic fashions so Revelation and Zoe’s collections really impressed me. The end of the Karina Castrejon collection also wasn’t bad and started to tend more toward the dramatic side. I’m not a fashion snob. I’ll just clear that up. I understand the appeal of a simple skirt or pant however, for me at least, a design is always better when a designer infuses a bit of their personality into it.
Now, Elizabeth Kay and Karina Castrejon, along with Penelope Adibe, had cohesive, consistent, and well-made collections. The quality in construction was there and the three designers have distinct and unique styles that we all know are important for designers to have. I completely fell in love with Kay’s last look (seen below) and Castrejon had some amazing pieces in her collection. While watching the NNEKA collection, I had one of those “if only I were a woman” moments. Some of her dresses were kind of amazing. I totally recommend, if you are a woman or wearer of women’s clothing, to check out her site and/or some of the shops in the city that sell her stuff.
Elizabeth Kay
So the work, especially that of Zoe Hong, was actually really good. I will admit, I was a bit surprised. I mean, I wasn’t expecting the level of quality that the designers delivered. We all know that good fashion is hard to pull off, but they, along with most of the models, definitely surpassed my expectations and made a great show. If this is what san Francisco’s future holds, well then, I’m definitely excited.
About me and Mayhem
Okay, I’ve never blogged or written professionally before so when people started suggesting I do it, I just blew the whole idea of it off. I’ve had people say that I would be great at it and that there really isn’t a reason for me not to have a blog. So, when the idea of blogging was brought to my attention again last week, I started considering it and came to the conclusion that it would be a good tool to have at my disposal.
I don’t want to make this first post too long because it’s about 11pm and I still have an essay to write and at least a few hours of sleep to get before I head to class at 7:30 so I’ll just give a brief intro to me and what I want this blog to be (excuse the rhyme). So my name is Mark, I’m 18, and I moved to San Francisco from Boston about 4 months ago. I’ve always been sort of fascinated with fashion not only as an art form and a personal statement of expression, but as a business. The industry of fashion is unique, full of talent, and exactly the industry I am sure I will fit perfectly into. I’m a photographer and I shoot mostly fine art stuff but I do, eventually, want to shoot mostly fashion. Eventually meaning years and years down the road of course.
So this blog, Mayhem, will follow my journey through the industry as well as the fashion culture in San Francisco. I’ll cover events, fashion shows, boutique openings, and whatever other fun things I find. So this should be interesting; enjoy. 
