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Detroit Fashion Week's Detroit Yacht Club Showcases

By: Raquel Parks

Detroit Fashion Week 2012 launched on, at the Detroit Yacht Club, last Wednesday in fashionable style. The candle-bulb chandeliers, the spacious room, the arched-doorways, and wooden floors provided a very elegant backdrop for the Detroit fashion event. "This venue is a venue we've wanted for a long time [for Detroit Fashion Week]," says Brian Heath.

Music blared from the speakers, courtesy of a live DJ as guests sipped on drinks, nibbled on light hors d' oeveres, and sat in anticipation of the runway shows. Brian Heath introduced the evening's showcases with an appreciation for those in attendance and explained the progress of DFW since its first year.

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Heath also expressed excitement over this year's showcases which were exclusive to advance seating without tickets being sold at the door. "Every sit has been paid for [at this event] by someone seriously interested in fashion."

Heath listed 18 designers that were set to display their collections on the runway for during DFW. BrianneFaye, Temiki Designs, and The Posh'mina were the three designer accessory shows. The student showcase designers for the night included: Shanesha Taylor, Mandy Mikolajczk, Joyce Houston, and Shawniqua Smith.

The couture designer collections were by Maria Luna, Deborah Edgar, Odie King, and Lyudviga Shneyders. Heath summed up the lineup of designers by saying, "It's going to be a very interesting show." The accessory showcases lead opened the runway by offering stylish and unique accessories for everyday.

Posh' mina utilized a mixture of colorful prints and fabrics to create a line of beautiful scarves that could easily be paired with any attire. Temiki Designs focused on jewelry pieces that ranged from causal to dressy while BrianneFaye offered a mixture of jewelry, scarves, hats, and gloves. BrianneFaye's scarf designs are hand screen printed and hand dyed.

The most impressive designs were the handmade cotton, crocheted pieces. Each piece was feminine, very soft, and a beautiful way to accent any look during the Michigan winter months. After the accessory showcases, were the student showcases.

The student showcases brought splashes of color and playful designs to the runaway.

Shanesha Taylor's collection emphasized neon colors, peplum, and cutouts. Mandy Mikolajczk collection implemented pastels and created girly day and evening looks. Joyce Houston's collection was all about bright colors and prints that catered to curvy women.

Her pieces were not only flattering but flowed nicely on the runway. Shawniqua Smith took a more subtle and sleeker approach. Smith used shades of gray, beige, and black with fabrics of sheer, silk, and floral embroidery to provide a chic look for a fashion-forward woman.

The couture designer showcases from Maria Luna, Deborah Edgar, Odie King, and Lyudviga Shneyders ended the night with highlights of glamour, sophistication, earthy colors, and colorful prints in distinctive designs. In entirety, the DFW 2012 Yacht Club showcases presented noteworthy looks and items for the fall while displaying the promise of upcoming designers in the area.

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