Gen Art’s “Fresh Faces In Fashion” the Grand Finale of Chicago’s Fashion Focus

On Saturday evening, Gen Art, a leading non-profit organization promoting emerging talent in the arts and entertainment, hosted “Fresh Faces In Fashion.” The annual event celebrated its seventh year with the ‘hottest’ new designers premiering their best and eclectic spring 2010 collections. Fresh Faces has already launched many successful designers like Zac Posen, Vena Cava, Rebecca Taylor and even Lara Miller –who was featured in Thursday night’s Fashion Focus kickoff show, “Macy’s Presents The Designers of Chicago.”

The Fresh Faces In Fashion runway show debuted three accessory designers, five women’s wear designers and one men’s wear designer: Kristin Hassan, Christina Fan of C/Fan, Jenna Lee Fowler and Melanie Manego of JLee Silver, Telo Dunne and Olivia Shanks of Imaginary People, Tatyana Merenyuk of Red Doll, Andrei Savtchenko of Dorsia, Matt and Emma of Emma Caroll Etc., Asia Borycka of Fab Studio and Natasha Kimling Kwan of Kling Handbags.

Upon first entrance guests were greeted by four models wearing Fab Studio’s jewelry of ‘harmony and grace.’ Semi-precious stones, metal necklaces and chains uniquely decorated the model’s black outfits, outrageously outlining their figures; perhaps they should be called ‘body’ laces, as the jewelry can be worn in a variety of ways to contour the figure. Emma Carroll Etc. displayed leather jewelry and other accessories; the jewelry in particular is made with vibrant veg-tanned leathers and can be custom-made by design and dye color.

The runway show began with C/Fan’s women’s wear, which featured loose, flowing dresses in pastoral hues and contrasted with Kristin Hassan’s outfits of bright gold, silver and neon pink hats and dresses. Dorsia’s men’s wear is what I hope to see my new boyfriend in: flirty and fitted knee-length shorts, white bow-ties with slacks, tuxedo jackets, stonewashed jeans and dressy vests over plaid shirts.

JLee’s tailored look caters to the fashion forward working-girl, and thank god. Who isn’t getting tired of Express’s overpriced Editor Pants? While JLee’s line includes jackets and pants, my favorites were the block dress with V-back, the grey A-line dress with a sexy front-zipper and the patterned pencil skirt with long and skinny blue tie.

Imaginary People’s line was inspired by active lifestyles. The clothes, while comfortable, are also functional for elegant evenings: black flowing dresses, snug black and white diamond-patterned pants, short black and white waist-cinched dresses, and my favorite— A-line dress with bright red and yellow flowers.

To view Red Doll’s collection of fun and flirty girlie prints and ruffles, for a look at Kling’s hobo evening clutch and other handbags, or to see more of the above-mentioned designers’ clothing lines, logon to GenArt.org. http://genart.org/fashion