No rest for the wicked. I had barely gotten off the smudges of last night’s black eye-liner from the Ready or Hot fashion show at Aria when I met up with designers and You and Me boutique proprietors, Tim and Thom Navarro and designer Carly Schoen to talk about the Valentine’s Day Black Hearts Ball—part fashion show, part performance art, part Great Gatsby-style cocktail party. Set in the main lounge of the Minneapolis Club, the feel, says show producer Allegra Lockstadt with a laugh, “is all very blue blood. Very, ‘Yes, thank you, I will have a dry Martini.’”
And yet, the Valentine’s Day ball is at its black heart the exact opposite of blue blood. Aimed partly at filling a void Lockstadt says was created when MN Fashion decided to take a break this year from its producing its popular Voltage: Fashion show at First Avenue, the inaugural Black Hearts Ball features the work of seven local designers who are eager to connect with the community over their new looks and a little opera. “This will be an interactive experience,’” says Tim. “There is no catwalk, no risers. We want the models to mingle with the audience.”
Don’t worry; no one will be dragged center-stage to sing a Verdi aria or try on a leather bustier (though come to think of it the bustier sounds like fun; if there is one, I volunteer.) The featured designers will, however, happily hang out and chat. “We’re nice people! We want to talk to the women we are dressing,” says Carly. “The women of this city are our inspiration–strong, independent women. That’s who we want to dress.” Thom seconds that thought: “The more daring you are with clothes, the more confident you are in life.”
Get your ticket for Valentine’s Day glitz, glam and derring-do before they are all gone.
Black Hearts Ball
Minneapolis Club 729 2nd Ave S, Minneapolis, MN 55402
Doors open at 8 PM with cocktail hour, hors d’oeuvres and dessert. Runway Event is at 9 PM
$15.00 – Pre-sale / until Midnight on February 7th (Today!)
$20.00 – Post pre-sale / after Midnight on February 7th, 2014, Friday and at the door
$30.00 – VIP (SOLD OUT)
blackheartsball.com
