RIVER CITY FASHION



The streets of Richmond were full of art and fashion enthusiasts on Friday Night. Day two of
RVA Fall Fashion Weekend
also fell on the city’s monthly First Fridays event. Galleries and boutiques left their doors open for all to be enthused during a
Fashion Crawl
Fashion Crawl
. Two major stops on the crawl were FRESH Gallery, and Lou Stevens Glam Squad, for some live art and fashion show festivities.

FRESH Gallery, at 213 East Broad Street was our beginning location. Upon approaching the gallery we were welcomed by a DJ mixing dance versions of everyone’s favorite songs from today and 2006 (think
“Rolex” by Ayo & Teo
and  
“Baby Come Back” by Vanessa Hudgens
). The music traveled with us through the open doors and into the gallery. The first thing you saw when you walk through the door was the complimentary bar with a fashion show taping projected behind it.

On the other walls were framed prints of runway photography by Michael Hosteler, and couture sketches by Azi Blas. The most eye grabbing element of their gallery show were the models posing in Azi Blas couture designs. One model was decked out in patterns and doused in feathers, while the other stood juxtaposed in a dark, edgy, architectural ensemble that was accessorized with green sunglasses that were giving us serious
The Matrix
The Matrix
vibes.

Down the way at
Lou Stevens Glam Squad
, attendees were given the true “glam gal” experience.
The first 20 attendees were treated to free lipstick and lashes before and after the runway show. Downstairs attendees were also welcome to stop by the bar and enjoy drinks provided by
Belle Isle Moonshine
, while they browsed racks of clothing and accessories from the stores featured in the show. In attendance were Miss RVA and
Miss Hanover Abilities
. For those of you who don’t know, Miss Hanover Abilities is a beauty pageant dedicating to highlighting special needs. Lou Stevens Glam Squad is proud to say that they provide the pageant with makeup and hair services free of charge. A fashion show that featured brands
Trunk Up
Trunk Up
,
ASHBY
ASHBY
and
TAILOR
TAILOR
concluded the Lou Stevens event.

For the show,
Trunk Up
and
TAILOR
both showcased their fall womenswear looks. TAILOR featured tons of chic knitwear, all styled or designed to emphasize the cold shoulder trend. The Trunk Up collection gave us super


English-Rose” vibes, but with a twist of confidence and sass; there were petticoat inspired mini dresses, and baby-blue-floral lace bodysuits.

All of these looks served as great day-to-night outfits. Richmond’s very own
ASHBY
, located in Carytown, presented a wonderful show of menswear looks. The collection had a college campus essence; all of the ensembles looked like they belonged in a stylish rural university ad. There were letterman jackets, cropped skinnies, plaid shirts, and
tons
tons
of sunglasses. Leave it up to ASHBY to remind us that sunglasses don’t have to
just
just
be a summertime accessory
.







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For those who missed the Fashion Crawl and the Formal Runway show but are still itching to get a taste of RVA Fashion Weekend, don’t worry–we’ve got all the insider details coming your way!