Nashville Fashion Week 2016

Right on Union Street at the Legislative Plaza, the city lights illuminated the runway for the City Lights: Ready-To-Wear fashion show, as part of the Nashville Fashion Week. Fashion Week started April 5th and lasted till Saturday April 9th. However, the show on Friday the 9th truly did a great job of combining the beauty of the city—capturing its essence and showcasing the best and latest trends for summer and fall. An outside fashion show is always unpredictable.

The runway glowed while the sidelines were packed with people. Some people were seated, but many were struggling to get a glance of the runway, standing shoulder to shoulder. Only a few feet from the runway was a beautiful, lighted fountain. In the background was the lit up state capital and War Memorial, which stood as a beautiful backdrop for the fashion show. The city was simple, but yet just beautiful enough to enhance the fashion runway.

One of the favorite designers at the show on Friday, was Eleventy. Eleventy was launched by CEO Marco Baldassari, Paolo Zuntini and Andrea Scuderi in Milan, Italy. Baldassari made it out to Fashion Week this year, showcasing a brand that is “high-quality, wide-ranging and well-defined men’s and woman’s collections…that is about lifestyle rather than status.” Julianna Bass was also another designer of the City Lights Fashion Show, from NYC, but originally from Tennessee. She debuted her “eponymous womenswear collection” during New York Fashion with a AW15 runway presentation. She has been featured in Vogue (Germany and U.S.), Women’s Wear Daily, and New York Magazine. Her designs could be described as geographic, bold, and black&white. Lagi Nadeau showcased her collection that “blends high-end sophistication with feminine styling.” Her fall collection features warm and earthy colors, with apparent texture.

The most interesting designer of the night was Oberima Afriyie, who had his “Kabukimono” collections inspired by the Edo Period of Japan. “These individuals were ronin warriors from the Edo period of Japan who strayed away from cultural norms of their time; representing their sense of individuality through various mediums-attire being one of them.” Afriyie Poku, originally from Atlanta, Georgia, started Oberima Afriyie with the main goal of celebrating fashion.

The whole week was a celebration of fashion, with many successful fashion shows, which was a perfect lead up to the big Fashion Forward Fund Gala on Saturday. It was held at the Oz Arts Nashville and then an after party filled with local designers and designers from all around the world. The town did a great job of showing off the love we all have for the city of Nashville and bringing in magnificent people with different ideas and outlooks, uniting everyone for the love of fashion.