Philadelphia Fashion Week, Day 1, Part 3

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Philadelphia Fashion Week, Day 1, Part 3

POSTED: Friday, October 9, 2009, 10:31 PM

Filed Under: Shopping Fashion

Inspired by the need to promote local boutiques and designers during the economic crisis, Michael Anderer, co-owner of Matthew Izzo, founded the first-ever Philadelphia Fashion Week (which we covered in this week's Agenda section). It's going down Thu.-Sat., Oct. 8-10 at the 23rd Street Armory (22 S. 23rd St., 215-783-3434), and Critical Mass sent Agenda editor Holly Otterbein and startern Julia West to report on the highfalutin scene.

This is technically out of order, since the locally owned boutique Delicious went last, but we were both so psyched about its clothing that we're focusing on it first:

Julia West: The headliner of the runway show did not disappoint, with plenty of "oohs" and "ahhs" coming from the crowd that were mostly for the clothes (but a little influenced by the free booze). Delicious showed that it can make one hell of a leather dress, but can also do a decent job of creating women's and men's clothing that's more suited for the everyday. The men's clothes were supremely tailored with boxy jackets, tight pants and clunky boots. The women's clothing flip-flopped from sexy cocktail wear to more extreme leather couture. Someone made a right move when they decided to feature this local designer as the opening night's headliner, even if we did have to suffer through endless DJ sets to see it.

Holly Otterbein: I'm usually a big critic of Gothic styles, but Delicious' set really did it for me. The designers managed to crossbreed Hot Topic, steampunk, Heath Ledger as the Joker in a nurse's outfit, and Marilyn Manson on his best day, and wind up with something that even non-Goths can get down with. The most beautiful dress looked like it was splattered with black and white paint, and laced up with a classy corset in the back. Kinda simple, really. Another upside of Delicious' clothing: It conveys a great sense and love of the female body.

Next up is Brooklyn Royalty:

JW: At first I thought Brooklyn Royalty was playing it safe by using barely any color in its clothing. Then I took a closer look and realized the intricate detail of some of the garments, especially the skirts. I also saw upon second glance that subtle hues were used to liven up the outfits, but only slightly. It was like an appetizer ' it was meant to tempt the palette, to make you want more. The few pieces that were textured ' white waffle weave pants and a scarf on him, waffle weave skirt with a leather corset on her ' were by far the most interesting and daring.

HO: I didn't dig the white pant/white sneaker combo (always bad), nor the monochromatic green outfits. Brooklyn Royalty got a lotta hype before the show, so I'd be lying if I said I wasn't dissapointed. But the ruffle dresses were pretty and gentle, and the muted color palette was subtle and smart.

Click the jump to read our thoughts on Love Brigade.

Unfortunately, both of our cameras malfunctioned while Love Brigade was up, so we don't have a slideshow for this one. You can see its line here, though.

JW: I hate to use the word "flirty," I really do. But there's no other way to describe Love Brigade. With a fierce hipster attitude and a bit of playfulness, its clothing was something sweet to behold. And the models looked like they were really having fun with this one ' holding mirrors, dancing and goofing off.

HO: Who knew I liked props? With models waving around giant mirrors, wands and fans, along with Love Brigade's dreamy, airy dresses and tees, the whole production had a distinct Alice in Wonderland feel to it. I'm pissed our cameras were out of commission for this one.

Check back on Monday to see our coverage from this weekend's Fashion Week.

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Featuring everything from event roundups to concert reviews and sex talk, City Paper's Critical Mass is a space for off-the-wall coverage of Philly's A&E scene.

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