Fashion Week MN in Review: LARK

Over the past two years, the brother duo of Tim and Thom Navarro—collectively known as TIM+THOM—has ventured into the realm of event production with their annual Valentine’s Day soirée Black Hearts Ball. But despite the seemingly new turn of events, the pair have long exercised entrepreneurial spirits, helping to organize events such as the annual Tweed Ride, owning their own boutique (which closed last year), and producing their own shows since 2013.

Held during the recent Fashion Week Minnesota at the historic Minneapolis Club, their newest production, LARK, worked to both showcase their latest collection under the TIM+THOM label as well as the designs of two others: long-established Twin Cities designer Samantha Rei and aspiring designer Shiader Vue. The presentation was simple yet elegant, and infused with TIM+THOM’s entrepreneurial energy.

Shiader Vue

The Navarros plucked aspiring young designer Shaider Vue out of relative obscurity after attending the NOTCH fashion show over the summer, which highlighted student collections from the Art Institutes International Minnesota. The designer’s inspirations—chiefly nature, texture, and art—were apparent in her six-piece line that previewed her fall/winter 2016 collection dubbed “Travertine”—a form of limestone deposited by hot springs and that produces colors of white, grey, tan, rust, and gold. While her previous work has revolved around princess-seamed sheath gown silhouettes, the first three looks shown were separates, illustrating a more textural, layered quality. Standout pieces included a rust-colored top featured jeweled shoulders and intricate yet organic seaming, and a pair of high-waisted pencil-leg pants in a textured bronze. I was less in love of the sheer fabric she layered within those looks, which puckered at the seams, as did the satin in some of her gowns. Construction flaws aside, I’m looking forward to seeing what this young designer does next. 

Caroline Royce

A.J. OLMSCHEID

A.J. OLMSCHEID

Caroline Royce

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Caroline Royce

Caroline Royce

Samantha Rei

While some designers make clothes designed to sell off the rack to trendy fashionistas, Samantha Rei is cut from a different cloth. The designer began her design career with her alternative fashion label Blasphemina’s Closet in 2000, building a reputation for for meticulous construction and details. In 2013, she shuttered the label in favor of opening herself up to the more broader world of fashion, outside of the rules and regulations of Lolita, steampunk, and Japanese street styles. For her spring/summer 2016 collection shown at LARK, she embraced her sweet, slightly vintage-inspired femininity, coupled with inspiration from the 1930s and her family heritage, in which she found connections to the South dubbed “Ruby, Opal, Pearl” (named for her ancestors including her great-grandmother Ruby). There were ruffled dresses, a seersucker-striped dress with a Peter Pan collar, and a lovely ivory Swiss-dot frock with a broad-pleated skirt, whimsically decorated with floral head wreaths. Also of note: The introduction of menswear to the Samantha Rei label in a series of loose-fitting, pleated pants and tailored vests. The thoughtfulness of the collection came all the way through to the casting of the models, most of which were, like Rei herself, of mixed black and white heritage. Though infused with a genuine weight of meaning, the collection was lightened with a sense of sunny optimism.

a.j.  olmscheid

a.j.  olmscheid

a.j.  olmscheid

a.j.  olmscheid

a.j.  olmscheid

a.j.  olmscheid

a.j.  olmscheid

a.j.  olmscheid

TIM+THOM

Appropriately, TIM+THOM headlined their own show with a collection of looks from their latest collection, “Amalgam.” The collection was said to be designed to be seasonless and genderless, and altogether social normless. And that meant plenty of tailored pants and jackets for both guys and girls. Standout looks included a pair of white tailored women’s pants that featured graphic black shapes, a white tank paired with black knickers and leather suspenders (by local line Black Spoke Leather Co.), and a men’s suit that incorporated the same graphic sensibility. However, I wish the Navarros would have taken the concept of genderless designs a step further and shown men in dresses, and more women in menswear styles.

caroline royce

a.j.  olmscheid

a.j.  olmscheid

caroline royce

a.j.  olmscheid

caroline royce

a.j.  olmscheid

a.j.  olmscheid

caroline royce

caroline royce

caroline royce