Another year, another step in the right direction for Pittsburgh Fashion Week.
This year's festivities, which wrapped over the weekend, marked the fourth time the annual event has been under the direction of the Downtown Community Development Corp. Previously, it was spearheaded by veteran model Miyoshi Anderson.
The designer fashion show — arguably the highlight of the week — was strong again, with another sold-out crowd. It's clear the DCDC and its team of fashion week ambassadors have found their footing.
The Wintergarden at PPG Place in Downtown is a striking setting for a runway show. Although the event took place there last year, too, this venue is rarely used for fashion shows, so it's a treat to see the space dressed up for the occasion.
Upgrades inside the Wintergarden prompted the catwalk and seating to be set up in a different direction this year, and although you wouldn't think that would make much of a difference, it did. Black curtains draped the area near the entrance, so you didn't get a full glimpse of the runway until you got deeper inside — creating a grand reveal.
It was loud and crowded, but in a good way. The bustle of people socializing and scurrying to find a seat was like the rush before a show at New York Fashion Week. A tip for next year: Line the back couple of rows with taller chairs or benches so people seated there can still see the action. The same goes for the media section.
The fashions were strong, and the production value of the overall show was slick. Creative director Katherine DelGrande and the team who selected the 10 designers chose a mix of styles. We saw glitzy evening gowns, embellished swimwear, several gender-fluid pieces and lots more. Among the standout collections were Yetunde Olukoya's flowing dresses in vibrant Ankara prints, eclectic activewear by Teresa Reynolds and sleek women's wear by Amber Adda. There were a couple of lines that could have benefited from a little more TLC.
Kudos to the model selection; black, Asian, white, transgender and curvy models were a beautiful reflection of diversity. Some models were polished, while others seemed overly animated. Remember this: Less is more.
One of the best parts of the night was learning about designers I didn't know. I look forward to following their careers via social media and connecting with some of them for future fashion stories. That's ultimately what a fashion week is supposed to do — bring people together to create new opportunities.
With that in mind, event organizers should take a moment to soak in their accomplishments. Then they should ask: Where do we go from here, particularly when it comes to the rest of the week's events?
The kickoff party on Monday is always a casual, fun way to start the week. This year's lineup included "The Fashion of Flesh" runway show, a celebration of tattoo artistry on Wednesday at HIP at the Flashlight Factory on the North Side. There was also a South Side fashion show on Saturday highlighting retailers from the neighborhood. The latter two events were organized by T.J. Harris and Claire Pro, respectively.
It's efficient to include under the Pittsburgh Fashion Week umbrella events produced by people beyond Downtown Community Development Corp. It's something it's done in past years, too. But not all fashion shows are created equally. These collaborations make it tougher to present a week of events that feel consistent in brand and mission.
Producing a fashion week is like climbing a mountain backward in stilettos. Pittsburgh is fortunate to have people willing to take on that challenge. For as many familiar faces I saw in the audience last week, there were many others with influence and interest in fashion, beauty and retail I didn't see. These events can only continue to grow if people do their part to support them.
Sara Bauknecht: sbauknecht@post-gazette.com or SaraB_PG on Twitter and Instagram.
First Published: October 7, 2019, 12:00 p.m.