Art Wear Fashion Show at Lincoln Center, Fort Collins, CO

Coat designed by Lee Anderson- ArtWear Fashion Show

For 16 years I've seen the Art Wear Fashion Show advertised annually in our local paper. On the 17th October of this year, I finally went. What took me so long?!!  I cringe to think about all the lovely creative garments I missed seeing all those years.  

Fifty-four artists from around the country participated in the 2015 presentation. The one-of-a-kind hand-made wearable garments and accessories proudly strutted down the catwalk at the Lincoln Center here in my own backyard of Fort Collins, Colorado.

Coat designed by Mary Hertert- ArtWear Fashion Show

It was refreshing to see the models were "everyday" women; giving the audience a visual view to easily imagine themselves wearing these exquisite creations.

The stage was carefully designed with over-sized sails of fabric that gently moved but did not distract from the elegant creations. Soft reflective colored lights, a gentle mist, and upbeat music added to the ambiance of the fashion event.

Shown were embellished coats, jackets, dresses, pants, along with flowing wraps, fluid shawls and neck scarves. Some were reversible, buttoned, or the hemlines swooped dramatically in the back.Various fabric and textile techniques were used such as embroidery, silk-screening, weaving, and even digital-printing. Pushing the potential of fabrics, silk, felt, cotton, wool and chiffons were the "canvases" for the textile artists.

I went back to the Lincoln Center the next afternoon to get a better close-up  of the hand-work on the garments. The sales boutique was neatly arranged with the clothing modeled the previous night and available for purchase. A young pretty CSU fashion student, Taylor, graciously pointed out some 

garments with unique details that I would have missed.

Jacket and dress designed by Kevin Kessel- ArtWear Fashion Show

I asked her what area of fashion she wanted to pursue.She said that she was interested in designing lingerie and among her dreams was to live in Paris. I had just finished reading, "My Paris Dream" by Kate Betts, a memoir about a student involved in the fashion world. (note: Taylor, save your school cash and borrow the book from the library!)

The Artistic Director, Gary Hixon, said,"Clothes should be fun and hopefully we added some color to Fort Collins!" Not only was there lots of color but this year's Art Wear fashion show was entertaining and could easily rival any Paris catwalk. I'm already anticipating next year's presentation!