Frances Zerr
Rachel Blomgren
Terri Martin
Sarah M. Holm
Tim + Thom
Ivan Idland
Raul Osorio
Max Lohrbach
Man, that was a lot of photos! I have around two hundred more; it took forever to narrow them down.
Voltage was really fun on Friday. I was so impressed with the collections. This show gets better and better each year. I definitely think some of these designers should consider doing a solo show next season, though. It's time!
Speaking of seasoned designers, Max Lohrbach's Voltage collection was probably my favorite in terms of sheer creativity and intricacy — each dress looked like it took weeks to make. He's one of few local designers who can actually carry out his ideas in full — oftentimes, a designer's sketches look better than the finished product, but not with Max.
Raul Osorio showed an incredibly polished, femme-fatale-style collection, full of lace, sheers and pencil skirts, perfectly paired with leather accessories by Kerry Riley of Needle & Black. He's so good at making a woman look sexy without resorting to gimicks or showing a ton of skin.
I really enjoyed newcomer Terri's Martin's clean, minimalist designs. She knows how to drape a garment effortlessly. Everything looked so comfy yet chic. My favorite look was the knee-length, boat-neck, draped white dress with black trim.
Frances Zerr did an excellent job showing a more casual, wearable collection. I loved its sporty, '90s-throwback vibe; in particular the long red and black stiped skirt paired with a sleeveless white blouse. She also threw in some cute tailored pieces like a light gray jacket and itty bitty booty shorts (that were maybe not so wearable, but great on the runway).
Ivan Idland presented a highly detailed, playful marionette-esque collection that included lots of red, black and white. I absolutely loved his jackets, which looked so well-made.
All in all, it was a fantastic show! We're lucky to have such talented fashion designers in Minnesota. Trust me — I've seen some of the fashion coming out of our neighboring states; it ain't pretty.
