The Gino Velardi Fashion Show
By Ariadna Trillo
Photos by Poshtography

Gino Velardi; creative designer, visionary thinker, daring artist. Gino Velardi’s fashion show was a vision of sheer beauty, both figuratively and literally. The visionary, native Denverite designer, delivered an artistic view of confidence, chic sophistication, sexiness and power. 

Gino gave you the confidence to want to start any venture with boldness by introducing his show in the same manner. He did not dare start with the soft, pastel, chic colors. Instead, he made a statement to go in full force.  

The foundation of color and confidence from the very first look set the precedence for the show’s power streak. Models started coloring the runway with wears of suede red, white, and black dresses. Throughout, the first looks were decorated with grommets to give an added flair that stood to catch the eyes of the audience, but laid subtle enough to balance the simplicity of the outfit. 

These pieces of art were then followed by geometric and abstract detailing in tights, skirts and blazers – encompassing the familiar black and white mix we all know well. A mix of two base colors that could never go out of style, of course! 

And right when you thought you knew where Velardi was going with all of this, his creations seamlessly interchanged from bold suede to silky copper browns, light pastel sequenced gowns, sheer fabrics, sexy shimmer, and pretty, gold hues. Every once in a while, he surprised the audience with a quick appearance of an out-of-sequence color such as lilac and, vividly stated, an astonishing single statement dress in yellow. The confident daredevil became the definition of très chic in a matter of minutes.  

Velardi executed a captivating vision with his design and story, transforming the character of the runway until the very end. The elegance of the gowns captured the beauty of the soul and the strength of the woman wearing it. It displayed limitless possibilities of his vision.  Among all of the changes however, Velardi continuously incorporated one bold queue throughout; the backless deep U-cuts. It fit perfectly and was my personal favorite statement. Who doesn’t like strutting around with the elegance and sexiness of a backless piece!?

Universally, Gino Velardi created a captivating artistry. Not only were his designs a bold stamp in telling the story of the confident individual, but so was the center of his encompassed message: mental awareness. Velardi’s show vividly drew its energy from the message that mental awareness is something to be acknowledged with compassion and understanding, embraced with confidence, and not stigmatized.

He exquisitely used the platform to draw an outline of the women (and men) confidently embracing their entire being and mental map, strutting through life or the runway knowing they can do anything, BE anything, despite the intricacies of one’s mental health. It seemed as though Velardi meticulously chose each color and scheme on his designs to showcase such a character. And even if he had not done so intently, the elements of how well woven everything fit together created an ambiance that exhumed artistic intelligence and purpose. You could feel it in the air. You could see it in the face of every single model that walked that runway; confidence booming and self-awareness embraced. 

In short, Gino Velardi set precedence for a bold archetype of the modern-day individual with style and heart for all of Denver to see. It was a luxurious display, and one that will not be easily forgotten.   

To see the rest of Poshtography’s Gino Velardi show, click here: