When I think of Fashion week, cities like Milan, New York, Paris come to mind, but what about the city of brotherly love? Philadelphia celebrated fashion week with a series of runway shows on October 8th, 9th, and 10th. As an event series, Philadelphia Fashion Week (PFW) provides a forum for designers to showcase and market their designs to the greater Philadelphia area. This year marked PFW’s first ever runway series held at the 23rd Street Armory. I attended the October 9th show to see what Philadelphia had to offer in the way of runway fashion.

The producers of PFW did an amazing job with set up and placement. The actual runway, a gigantic circular shape, was placed towards the back of the armory while designers and boutique pop-up shops were placed in swanky tents towards the front of the Armory. Pop-up shops included Duke & Winston, Matthew Izzo, and S.Love, all of which were making a valid attempt to profiteer from the attendees. In the middle of the layout was a circle shaped open bar which provided a meeting place for Philadelphia professionals, artists, fashion designers, and journalists. Attendees got free drinks until 5:00 p.m., when the show began.

The theme for this year’s fashion show was development. The chandeliers were constructed with scraps of metal, wood, paper, and lights. TWO. ONE. FIVE. magazine and the Philadelphia Inquirer’s fashion edition were given out to the attendees in untreated plywood boxes, the bar was constructed from metal piping, and the back drop of the runway featured two urban murals that artists added to between each show. Overall, I was surprised at how the atmosphere of the event was seemed so rich in detail despite our lagging economy. Tickets were relatively expensive, ranged from $34 (student discount) to $75 dollars.

I was lucky enough to score front row press seats in the center circle of the runway. I talked to a few designers form Urban Outfitters as well as local bloggers and student designers. PFW even featured a VIP balcony which boasted couches, tables, and drink service. I even spotted a woman that looked like Philadelphia’s own version of Anna Wintour. She sat in a black dress and huge sunglasses with a blond bobbed haircut waiting for the show to start.

The runway shows and the designs were very impressive considering that Philadelphia isn’t a progressive fashion capitol; most designs were very current, with an urban flare. However, all of the designers that were featured on Friday, the 9^th, were not Philadelphia based designers (except for the student designers). This was a let down because I was anticipating Philly inspired designs.

My favorite aspect of the event was the student designers from Philadelphia University. PFW features student designers from local design schools who compete for the best design. Philadelphia University students ended up winning best design over the Art Institute of Philadelphia and Moore College of Art & Design.

I later found out that Drexel University’s fashion design program was approached by Philadelphia Fashion Week to participate in the show; however, according Geneviève Dion, program director of Drexel’s fashion design, they had prior commitment to planning and hosting the Arts of Fashion Symposium which featured the International Arts of Fashion Competition. Dion said that Drexel’s Fashion Design program is interested competing at next year’s Philadelphia Fashion Week.

I was very impressed by the Philadelphia University’s student designers; personally I felt they represented the most Philly-forward designs. My top picks were Thomas DeJesus, Nicole Macchio, and Lourdes Cisneros Madrigal. Thomas DeJesus’ designs were extremely detailed and well-made. Jesus channeled fall by making use of fur and unexpected splashes of green. Like DeJesus, Nicole Macchio presented mature and well-crafted designs. I got to talk to her after the show and was extremely impressed by the fact that she was wearing clothes that she had made herself. Quite frankly, I was a little jealous. Lourdes Cisneros Miadrigal also stood out by presenting Valentino-inspired dresses and buoyant evening wear that featured a dramatic black and red-wine pallet. These students represent the future of fashion and it was nice to see them get recognition for their passion and hard work.

The androgynous GAR-DE was by far the best brand on Friday. Their designs were edgy, contrasting leather and fabric with thoughtful details like zippers in unusual places. GAR-DE’s street wear was primarily earthy browns and oranges with organic greens. My favorite item was a grass green leather bomber jacket. S.Love was also a main highlight; their sportswear was very urban and playful. They contrasted slinky and slim silhouettes with chunky leg warmers and boots, making their outfits feel grounded or rooted. Unfortunately, S.Love’s designs were primarily black, so their color pallet didn’t pop.

The main corporate player on Friday night was Triple 5 Soul. They were the last brand to show and at that point I was tired of sitting. Their clothes were predictable and laughably ready-to-wear. I view Triple 5 Soul as another corporate casualty. I feel like their brand was so 2001, they are still featuring cheap-looking urban knit wear. Their show featured a forgettable performance by TU PHACE. At this point Triple 5 Soul needs to switch up their look before they slip even farther into obscurity.

As a whole, my major complaint was that the waiting period toward the end the show became very lengthy. I remember sitting at least a half an hour for Triple 5 Soul’s show. Next year, I hope that they keep up the momentum and evenly space out the time between each show.

Like the mural-in-progress at the show, PFW was right to have the theme of the first fashion week be one of development and construction. Philadelphia is kind of like a project and each decade brings new improvements. Philadelphia Fashion Week is a welcomed improvement to our city’s culture. Despite hard economic times, Philadelphia is persevering.

Jordan Schilling is a senior at Drexel University majoring in English. He is the editor-in-chief of Maya, Drexel’s literary magazine.

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