This season, the Crane Arts Building will once again host Philly Fashion Week. You can expect it to get real glitzy up in there, too. We’re talking feathery shoes at tonight’s accessory party, student designers struttin’ their stuff on Friday and super-lush couture on Saturday. If you can’t make it to the runway, you can check out the highlights at boutiques like Kembrel and Adresse. Both will have buyers at the event, plucking what they see fit for their shops.
This is its seventh year — the ninth season, for those keeping track — so you’d think founders and producers Kevin Parker and Kerry Scott would be feeling like they have had enough. “Every year it gets easier,” says the obviously-not-burned-out Parker. “The Philadelphia fashion scene is definitely growing.” And with that growth, Parker says it becomes more exciting to find designers and buyers to engage with. “It’s so much easier to get people involved now. We have people coming in from New York and L.A.”
I asked Parker which designers he will keep an eye on this year. “I always wonder what Dramatik Fanatic is going to do. The way he puts things together is so exciting,” says Parker. “And then there’s LAS Swimwear, which is always so elegant.” Don’t miss the bold colorblocking from Philly native Closet by Christobal. Then there’s Walish Gooshe’s classy duds. Gooshe may be in D.C. now, but he used to be a Philly guy, so we have a soft spot for him.
It wouldn’t be a real fashion week if it didn’t end with a sparkly afterparty, which will be held at SugarHouse Casino. With all this unapologetic glamour, it begs the question: Is Philly stepping out of the sweatpants-and-ball-cap uniform and donning something sharper?
Thu.-Sat., Feb. 21-23, $40-$150, Crane Arts, 1400 N. American St., 215-626-7116, phillyfashionweek.org.
