Denver Fashion Week. The ultimate occasion to celebrate an exciting industry. I was more than eager to attend and discover how Denver defines fashion by observing not only the designers’ creations but the style of attendees as well. Always curious about the type of people that go to esteemed fashion shows, I was looking forward to seeing the types of clothes that guests felt were Fashion Week worthy.

I was pleased to find that throughout the week, the designers expressed a wide variety of styles. There was everything from dainty dresses, to loud pops of color, to slouchy street wear. I was also surprised to find that a substantial portion of the designers conveyed dark themes through their color, music, and message choices. The most memorable example of these contrasting styles was on the last night. After a stream of delicate dresses, the mood suddenly changed when a new collection kicked off with a sleek pant suit paired with equally bad ass sunglasses and ponytail, set to the type of music that calls to mind a James Bond film.

Before DFW, I never thought to consider how designers bring their looks to life beyond hair, makeup, and accessories. As the week went on, I became more and more aware of the subtle differences in each collection that enhanced the designers’ aesthetics. For example, one designer had models look directly into the crowd as they walked, while another had the models’ faces almost completely covered in ski-mask-like garments. A different designer had each model walk and pose with their hands raised and contorted in various shapes.

Another element of the show that I thoroughly enjoyed was the diversity of the models. It was inspiring to see the pure joy in the eyes of models of all ages, shapes, and sizes as the crowd went wild. Better yet was seeing friends and families cheer on their loved ones. 

Observing Fashion Week from the front row was a dream come true. I felt like a celebrity welcomed to my seat by a gift bag and the sound of excited chatter. It was incredible to be surrounded by people as anxious to experience such a breathtaking expression of art as I was.

Check out more pictures from this week here!