The Project Runway Trunk Show under The Big White tent marks one of the top experiences at Saxony Group Fashion Week El Paseo. Designers Michelle Lesniak, Dom Streater, Patricia Michaels, and Daniel Esquivel were on hand to offers their fans individualized attention and dish about their own design aesthetics.
Patrons lined up to see garments fresh off the runway, feel the texture of the fabrics, and chat with the designers themselves, eagerly awaiting their turn to purchase their own piece of wearable art and enjoy personal consultations and fittings for custom-commissioned outfits. Popular Fashion Week runway model Camerone Parker was spotted perusing the racks, perhaps looking to acquire one of the spectacular gowns that she so expertly modeled on the catwalk.
Project Runway Season 11 winner Michelle Lesniak speaks with fans attending the trunk show.
Michaels could be heard sharing her philosophy honoring women: “I let myself open up. … The soul speaks to what it needs to,” she said, standing in front of a display of her hand-painted parasols. “It opens up and flows, and that’s what women are all about. We are really creative, nurturing souls. Every beautiful model (on the runway) with a parasol represents a prayer of grace to the female energy.”
Esqivel was deep in discussion with a guest to create the perfect raffia dress to highlight her best features and was thrilled to have his graffiti-inspired suit intrigue so many fashionistas.
Project Runway alumna Dom Streater shows some of her designs to a Trunk Show attendee.
Streater answered questions about the fabrics used in her line, including faux microsuede (it travels well and doesn’t wrinkle), and her pride in creating and manufacturing American-made clothing from her Philadelphia studio. Her silk crèpe de chine maxi dress, for example, is made in South Carolina using eco-friendly vegetable dye. The designer — who asked for a sewing machine when she was just 6 — has clearly found her calling on the fashion scene.
In addition to speaking to fans about how important fit and cut are to her collection, Lesniak offered T-shirts for sale to commemorate her themed collection, Falling Upwards, inspired “by the romance and magic of hot air ballooning.”
Patricia Michaels, who recently appeared on Project Runway All-stars, consults a Trunk Show shopper.
The ongoing pop-up shop at the front of the Big White Tent offers quintessential Palm Springs souvenirs from Just Fabulous and swag created just for Fashion Week by Destination PSP.
Saxony Group Fashion Week El Paseo, a Palm Springs Life event, continues through March 28 under The Big White Tent on Larkspur Lane between Shadow Mountain and El Paseo. Visit www.fashionweekelpaseo.com for specific shows and event details.
See related stories:
• Fashion Week El Paseo 2015: 10th Anniversary Celebration
• Fashion Week El Paseo 2015: Le Chien
• Fashion Week El Paseo 2015: El Paseo Rocks
• Fashion Week El Paseo: The Stars of Project Runway
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