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A Look Inside Portland's Biggest Fashion Show

By Lucas Chemotti

Intertwined look-book premier and fashion show Fade to Light is Portland's most forward-thinking fashion event. 

The fashion show happens twice a year, following the fashion world's Autumn/ Winter and Spring/ Summer cycles, in February and August. This is the fourth year since Fade to Light's conception and it's grown each year. 

Elizabeth Mollo, who heads the show, says her "multidimensional fashion event" is doing exactly what she intended. "I really wanted to put on a show that was more than a straightforward fashion show with models just walking down a runway. I wanted it to be a show where designers could be let off the leash and do whatever crazy thing they wanted. The fact that it has become a staple in the Portland fashion community tells me that people are responding positively to it, and I should keep doing what I'm doing and keep improving it."

Fade to Light Promo Video


With many of the same designers reappearing in each season's show, returning attendees can follow the progress of local labels. Though the show still looks more up-and-comer than New York fashion week, it's the best Portland has to offer by far.


This year’s event will showcase work from designer Bryce Black's new collection "Unconditional." As one of last year's favorite presentations and a contestant on the TV show Project Runway, Bryce Black is one of the most exciting Portland designers to watch.

 

 

From Bryce Black

"I am really excited to see what the designers bring to the show in terms of their collections and videos. There are always great surprises!" Mollo says.  

One of the things that makes Fade to Light special is its push for unique ways to showcase style. In the past, designer Rogue Minx created one-of-a-kind bags from stuffed animals and Studio SKB covered its models in black veils.

Inspired by Health Goth and the iconography of Mexican milagros, Sara Bergman's newest collection is expected to be the trendiest in the show. The latest photos showcase her designs like pieces of art, framed in Instagram-like squares with bright colors and textures to make the pieces stand out. With many Portland designers avoiding highly stylized images in favor of a natural look, it's interesting to see Bergman incorporate these elements into her aesthetic.

 

From Sara Bergman

Other designers this year will include Altar, Gunnar Deatherage of Project Runway Season 10, Rogue Minx, Stefanie Says, StudioSKB and WWJJD. "Fade to Light has evolved through the designers. I think for each installment they all push themselves further than they have gone before." Mollo says, "It keeps getting bigger and better every time." 


Rogue Minx's February 2015 Fade to Light Video


GO: Fade to Light: A Multidimensional Fashion Event is at the Crystal Ballroom, 1332 W Burnside St., 225-0047. Wednesday, August 26. 6:30 pm. $12 standing, $20 seated.


WWeek 2015

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