Pops of color and sparkle were all the rage on the runway for Tuesday night’s Ready To Wear showcase, and we’re not just talking about the lovely Brandi Peterson as emcee! We started off our showcase with designs by Vessela Zarankova for her line ZARANKOVA. Her collection was titled, “Games of the Human Brain” and each look represented an emotion. We saw lots of reds and yellows to represent different emotions. Each dress also had printed silk details to represent brain waves.
Samone Davis and Britney Rose for Legalized Rebellion named their collection “Royal Blood” and it was inspired by the African Military. Most of the designs were accessorized with a small piece of fringe covering the eyes, which added to the military feel of the collection. Legalized Rebellion featured golds, blacks, reds and olive greens with pops of metallic. The duo designed for both men and women and most designs had a structured, sleek silhouette.
Hannah Olsen for Hannah Caroline Couture had Chicago on her brain when she designed her line, “Midnight City.” We saw flattering silhouettes, sparkle and pops of bright color on black. Olsen also added fun, body positive bags to her collection.
KT Thomspon, designed by FIM Grant Recipient Katie Thompson, called her line “Sea, Sand and Sun.” She was inspired by the waves of the sea crashing into the shore. Each print on the dresses were hand printed by Katie based on photographs she took in Myrtle Beach. We saw lots of scallops and ocean themed colors like corals and blues.
Tamara Newson for Iconic by Tamu is another FIM Grant Recipient. Her line was inspired by the Swahili language and featured pops of bright colors and a subtle sexiness. We saw lots of unique cut outs and asymmetrical lines.
Denise Ervin Designs pleased the crowed with tons of sparkle on her western themed clothes. She featured neutral colors, whites and denim. She designed skirts, pants and shorts but her fringe chaps really wowed the crowd. From Denise we saw structured button ups, suede and laser cut out details.
Both Denise Ervin Designs and ZARANKOVA were chosen to show their collections on Saturday night during the finale and vie for the Fashion Cup and $10,000.