FashionNXT Recap: Northwest Designers and Up/NXT Competition

Saturday, October 11, 2014

Kemea Smith, GoLocalPDX Contributor

Myriam Marcela designs

Northwest designers and Up/NXT contestants showed their collections on the second night of FashionNXT in the Pearl.

Wearable Technology Fashion Contest

A Global Brand Manager of Intel spoke of the Wearable Technology Fashion Contest and the three finalists.

James Kernan designed the QBracelet, a unisex bracelet that charges smartphones and other electronics. The 314, a black luxury handbag with TSA-approved power-source chargers, was designed by Theodora Koullias.

The winner of the contest, Dillon Chen, designed The Killers Suit, a light-emitting performance suit that translated sound into light and color, must-have attire for your next music festival.

The judging panel for the contest included Project Runway alums Michelle Lesniak and Seth Aaron, who sat front row with their significant others by their side.

Sonia Kasparian designs

Northwest Designer Showcase

Amy Sim-Grace Mariee

“That makes me want to get married,” said one attendee as a sea of white and cream dresses came down the runway. The collection, designed by 2013 Up/NXT award-winner Amy Sim, got applause from many of the women in the audience.

The first look was a big crowd favorite - a white quarter-bra corset underneath a quarter-sleeve blazer and paired with a flouncy, high-waisted white silk skirt.

Stephanie D- Stephanie D Couture

Frank Sinatra was crooning “The Way You Look Tonight” through the speakers as a floor-length, long-sleeved, bateau neck, lace dress made its way down the runway. A hot, red lace dress followed with a v-shaped neck. Essentially, each look was a different-colored take on the same dress.

Think technicolored lace and you've a good idea of what Stephanie D's presentation was all about.

Sonia Kasparian- Urchin ReDesign

Kasparian wowed audiences last week during Portland Fashion Week, and her collection was even cooler at FashionNXT. Models wearing black and gray bondage lingerie got the crowd grabbing for their cellphones.

“Is your husband ready for that?” asked one attendee. The collection also featured a stunning, one-shoulder mermaid dress with turquoise beading that looked like glittering fish scales. The whole collection was cohesive and inspiring.

Atiz-Swati Padmaraj

More color arrived in the form of a pink, green and blue-collared shirt dress. The collection as a whole was a little all over the place, with a mid-sleeve red dress going down the runway, followed by a shiny turquoise dress underneath a floral and floor-length hooded cape.

Up/NXT Emerging Designer Contest

Myriam Marcela

Marcela’s Spring 2015 ready-to-wear collection featured models wearing fluorescent yellow elastic bands over their eyes. The wearable pieces included a boxy mid- sleeve blouses with floral pattern in a coral red background and a black sweater with yellow side cutouts.

Wendy Ohlendorf - Magenta designs

Wendy Ohlendorf - Magenta

Ohlendorf showed her “Metropolis” collection (also shown at Portland Fashion Week) that included heavy winter coats, high-waisted skirts and delicate, exposed-back halter dresses. The models looked like characters in a dystopian fairy tale, probably down to their elaborate bronze headpieces.

Cyndi Koon- Olive Clothier

Cyndi Koon ended the second night of FashionNXT with a collection inspired by the stages of water.

“Cold Blue” featured lots of white scarves and vibrant blue eyeshadow. The first couple of looks were a little like a modernized version of vintage airline stewardess uniforms. The final look - a thick gray kimono with a dark blue vertical stripe going down the middle - was a cool and comfortable-looking garment.

Finally, something that we Northwesterners might even wear.

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