Phashion Phest 2013 marked the 20th anniversary of the event in Philadelphia. The runway fashion show, which featured several hair salons, make up artists, and fashion designers, was held at The Shops at Liberty Place on Wednesday, September 25th. For the 20th anniversary, each model (or group of models) was assigned a year from the past two decades that they were supposed to personify.
Instead of just showing up for the event itself, which kicked off with cocktails and music at 7pm, ahead of the 830pm show, we decided to tag along for a full day with The Studio CL who had four models walking in the show.
We arrived at The Studio CL at 230pm to see the models hair and make-up come to life from the get-go. Several of their stylists were not only doing hair and make-up, but two of them, Alexandra O’Connor and Seiko Kubota, were walking in the show as models.
Over the next few hours, we watched as several innovative hair styles came to life. There were four styles in total and in addition, O’Conner was wearing a dress made out of hair extensions.
The Studio CL owner, Artur Kirsh, said that it took a total team effort to get everything to come together just right in time for the show. In addition to O’Connor and Kubota, other staff members that participated were Debbie Williams, Lauren Garrett, Christi Zampino, Sydney Hillam, Johnny Wojanowicz, Ann Schroth, Rita Moscariello, Sharon McGarvey, and Danielle Ferretti.
Around 5pm we made the walk from the Studio CL on 19th street, to the Shops at Liberty Place. It was hard for passers by to not notice the models, especially O’Connor in her hair dress. One woman turned to her friend and emphatically declared, “She’s wearing a weave”!
Once on site at the event, we got a behind the scenes look at the show, from the final touch-ups done to the models’ hair and make-up, to the walk through that was done by all of the models taking part in the show (from a wide range of salons, boutiques, and fashion designers.
At 7pm, the doors opened to the cocktail hour where guests sipped on wine and Pinnacle vodka drinks while a DJ played. Just before 8pm, the main hall was opened up and patrons shuffled in to secure seats around the circular center stage.
The show began at 830pm and took about 45 minutes to complete. It was a very interesting day for us to experience all that went into the event for one business, let alone the vast number of other participants who took part in Phashion Phest 2013.
[Photo credit: D. Jacob Miller Photography]
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