The 5 must-sees during Style Week Pittsburgh
Style Week Pittsburgh
Style Week Pittsburgh celebrates its fifth anniversary Aug. 17-20
Happy 5th anniversary Style Week Pittsburgh!
The chic event which offers four days of stylish runway looks, talented designers, successful boutiques and fashionable individuals held in interesting venues will celebrate its fifth year Aug. 17 to 20.
It kicks off with the Metamorphosis Fashion Show at 6 p.m. Aug. 17 at Coterie, Pittsburgh. Up next, the style awards to recognize the city's most fashionable at 6 p.m. Aug. 18 at Alloy 26 in Pittsburgh's North Side. There will be a pop-up market of vendors at noon Aug. 19 at the Ace Hotel Pittsburgh in East Liberty, followed by Fashion's Night Out there at 8 p.m. The weekend wraps up with an Industry Brunch from noon to 3 p.m. at the Frick Museum in Point Breeze, where entrepreneurs will share their stories.
"I am so excited for year five," says Wadria Taylor, founder of Style Week Pittsburgh. "Over the years, I have tried to choose great locations to showcase and am continuing that this year, for our fifth anniversary. ... The venues are all part of the big picture of exposing guests to new places, because sometimes people tend to congregate in the area they live in and not explore a new venue."
Here are five things to watch at this year's event:
It's magic
The leftover product at the bottom of the lip gloss became the inspiration for Nicole Narvaez Manns of Wilkinsburg.
"I was pretty frustrated having to toss the lip gloss even though it wasn't empty," says Narvaez Manns, who designed Nikki's Magic Wand, which features a sleek, smooth and flexible tip to allow you to reach where your normal makeup applicators cannot.
She will be one of the individuals at the Industry Brunch on Aug. 20 at the Frick Museum sharing her story of being an entrepreneur. She has been involved in Style Week for many years.
Nicole Narvaez Manns of Wilkinsburg designed Nikki's Magic Wand, which features a sleek, smooth and flexible tip to allow you to reach where your normal applicators cannot.
Photo by Barbara Taylor
"I never would have gone to half the venues on my own that Wadria has chosen if it weren't for Style Week Pittsburgh. She has introduced me to many cool spots in this city," Narvaez Manns says.
Narvaez Manns says her message will be about how her product sprang from necessity.
"I was feeling annoyed because there was plenty of product in there," she says. "My friend said, 'Why don't you invent something?' and I thought, maybe I should.
"I was not an entrepreneur, but this moment fueled my business," says Narvaez Manns. "I am not an artist, but I sketched what I thought the wand should look like and went to work getting the product launched."
It took from 2009 to 2012 to launch the product. She debuted a makeup line in 2015 and is considering a larger wand for shampoo bottles and lotions.
Details: nikkismagicwand.com
Sparkle and shine
Designer Gerry Florida of Braddock Hills creates necklaces you can't miss.
Her line will be showcased on opening night at the Metamorphosis fashion show. She will have the pieces on display as well as two models will be walking around wearing the baubles.
Designer Gerry Florida of Braddock Hills creates statement necklaces you can't miss seeing like this one.
Photo by John Oravik/Grant Taylor
Florida got involved in jewelry making while being home bound after a chemical exposure work accident. She has always had a passion for making things. She began the process taking recycled items and turning them into necklaces in the 1990s before it was cool to do that. Her love of art comes from being part of a family of creative types.
Her work has appeared at Gallerie Chiz in Shadyside and the Westmoreland Museum of American Art in Greensburg. She also teaches a federal summer art program the Shuman Juvenile Detention Center.
Details: floridarecycled.com
Cool venue
Opening night of Style Week Pittsburgh will be at Coterie Company in Pittsburgh. This space on the 20th floor of the historic Frick building will offer a new twist on a runway show.
Coterie founder and owner Joanna Bailey says this will be the first fashion show held there, but the space has been used for private parties and other events and will be used for pop-up weddings in November and December.
The Coterie office space on the top floor of the Frick Building in downtown Pittsburgh.
Photo by Nate Smallwood
"I just think it's a cool choice because of the juxtaposition of something modern and sophisticated with the museum quality of the penthouse where the show will be," Bailey says.
Part of the business model of Coterie is to invite the public into a space they may never have seen before, Bailey says. The space, which opened about eight months ago, is 13,500 square feet. Coterie is a women-focused co-working space that also offers resources, opportunities and a vast network of talent and heart.
Details: coteriecompany.com
Be a rebel
You will know this brand the minute you see its logo — an eagle with a bandana around its head. Rebel Bred Clothing was created by Nathan Brooks of Clairton. It's an African-American inspired online clothing line launched at the end of May. He will be one of the vendors at the Pop-Up Market on Aug. 19 at the Ace Hotel Pittsburgh in East Liberty.
Rebel Bred Clothing created by Nathan Brooks, of Clairton, features an eagle with a bandana around its head.
Photo by DiggsPhotography and Original Telegenic Productions
The line is available online but Brooks is talking with retailers about selling in their stores. He came up with the idea about a year ago when he was doing research on black history. What he found was eye-opening and he wanted to devise a way he could get the message across to others. So he chose a clothing line. The collection currently consists of T-shirts, hats and women's dresses; he plans to expand to polo shirts, sweaters and joggers this fall.
"I hope to inspire everyone who has been through adversity and struggle, which everyone has experienced, regardless of color," Brooks says.
He chose the eagle as a logo because it stands for freedom and always has a serious look.
"I wanted the eagle to represent the brand and see we mean business," Brooks says. "So when you see it you know that it's Rebel Bred Clothing. Style Week Pittsburgh will give the brand more exposure. When I met Wadria I knew this would be a great venue for my brand."
Details: rebelbredclothing.com
Meet the designer
Elaine Healy of Friendship has been working for months on this latest collection. The fashion designer wants it to be perfect since it will be one of the featured lines at opening night of Style Week Pittsburgh.
"It's pretty exciting to be part of opening night," says Healy, a graduate of the Art Institute of Pittsburgh in fashion design, where she teaches part time.
Elaine Healy, of Friendship, is wearing a look she designed which will be featured at the Metamorphosis Fashion Show on opening night Aug. 17 at the fifth annual Style Week Pittsburgh.
Photo by Sara LaCroix
Healy will have 13 models showcasing her designs, which include many fabrics such as faux fur, textured materials, neoprene and mesh. Her fashion career has taken her to companies such as Modcloth, Clockwise and her current full-time job at Jacob Ash Holdings, a vendor that develops its own and private label brands for other companies.
Last year, she participated in Style Week Pittsburgh as one of the pop-up vendors. "Coterie is the perfect space for this show," she says at recent rehearsal. "Look at this space. The guests will see a one-of-a-kind show here. It's an amazing location."
Details: elainehealy.com
JoAnne Klimovich Harrop is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach her at 724-853-5062 or jharrop@tribweb.com or via Twitter @Jharrop_Trib.
