Recap: Austin Fashion Week 2011 Kick Off

Clearly I was too excited and anxious to get to the Cowboy Harley Davidson Showroom for the Fashion Week Kick Off last night because I got pulled over by a cop for: speeding, changing lanes without signaling, and following too closely.  When the officer asked me if there was an emergency I really wanted to reply "Yes officer. A fashion emergency."  But I restrained myself.  I must have been looking good in my beaded bustier from Feathers though, because I was let go with just a warning.

My hope for Austin Fashion Week is that it gets better and better each year, so I arrived at the Kick Off with hope of improvement.  The venue for this year's Kick Off event was reason enough for this year to be better than last year because it was indoors.  Last year was held outside at GSD&M and it's not hard to imagine how hot and uncomfortable that was for people.  It's hard to stand around and look cute in your nice dress and heels when sweat is running down the side of your leg.  Luckily this year there was none of that!  The downside to the venue was of course that we all had to sit through a runway show that featured Harley Davidson MotorClothes.  "Oh that one is kind of cute...in a slutty trailer park kinda way..."  That was the only comment I had during that portion of the show.  

Once the Betsey Johnson collection came out I felt like I was at a real fashion show.  Betsey shows are always fun and flirty, so it got my spirits up after being forced to watch leather chaps parade down the runway.  

Austin's own LC Rocks then took the stage to give us a hair blowing (yes the lead singer had a wind machine) performance of 70s and 80s rock.  I tried to start a dance party, but not that many people were willing to dance.  I think the music might have been a little too loud for some.  I actually thought it was a little too loud...Am I getting old?  At least I'm not as old as the band members of LC Rocks...

Seeing the Austin Fashion Week Mash Up Team designs walk the runway for the finale was definitely my favorite part of the night.  It's always great to see the creativity and skill our local designers have to offer.  And after seeing the Mashup Team photos, I love getting to see the outfits and the models in real life.

Austin Fashion Week founder Matt Swinney's own little nugget walked the runway. Too cute!

Check out that ballet pointe strut!  I've seen this famous strut before by model Sky Van Vliet.

Thank you so much to photographer Bibi Musachia for taking photos for me!

Despite a few missteps, the Austin Fashion Week 2011 Kick Off was a success.  I had fun and I am looking forward to the rest of the week's events.  Come say hi to me if you see me out at the many free events happening this week.

And stay tuned for my Austin Fashion Week Kick Off Style Watch post to see what the attendees were wearing on Saturday night.

Joanna

keep austin stylish