By Meritte Dahl
Murphy News Service
Minnesota’s fashion mavens flocked to Orchestra Hall Sept. 12 to see this year’s fall runway looks from local designers and boutiques for Envision Fall 2014.
Attendees of all ages were dressed in styles ranging from cocktail-chic to arty hipster to laid-back glamour.
The designs varied greatly from chunky knits with a high-end flair to 1940s French girl-inspired looks to extra modern black and whites.
Idle Child’s models wore all-black ensembles with a tomboy edge perfect for a music festival.
Nineties girls rejoiced when the Michael Jordan-inspired looks from Cliché hit the catwalk. One look featured a cheeky beanie cap with “Cliché” emblazoned across the forehead.
Centennial High School student Amani Eason and her mother Melissa said they favored the looks from Idle Child and Cliché. “I like very simplistic styles,” Amani said. “I’m not much of a pattern person.”
Cali-girl style was at its best in the looks from Velvet Moon. Standout looks included the short-sleeve black maxi dress covered in oversize polka dots and the oversize sweater with black flares.
Samantha Rei’s runway featured models in 1940s French girl frilly dresses and skirts perfect for a date-night stroll along the Seine, or the Mississippi. Vintage-inspired hats by Apatico upped the romance factor.
Models clad in black and white basics by Ellie Hottinger showed a casual-cool edge, while black and white pieces from the Lindsey Hopkins Collection expressed a luxe, futuristic vibe.
Mary Pranica’s high-end knitwear designs took cold-weather dressing to the next level. Pranica’s knitted skirts and dresses were perfect for dinner or cocktails.
“I could see somebody wearing this in Minnesota,” Debra Koval said. Debra and her daughter Maria, a fashion merchandising senior at St. Catherine University, attended Envision to show support for designer and St. Kate’s alum Emily Trevor.
Trevor’s looks combined navy and black fabrics in varying textures to create edgy, figure-flattering looks including two knockout gowns.
Maria said she had the opportunity to see Trevor’s looks at St. Kate’s fashion show earlier this year.
Maria said she took sartorial inspiration from the looks at Envision, as well as lighting and music inspiration to use at school.
“I’ll for sure be coming back next year,” Maria said.