7 Things Learned About Trends From ‘Spring Into Style’ Show

This past weekend, I set out on a mission to discover the evolving fashion Phoenix has to offer at the 6th Annual Phoenix Fashion Week Spring Into Style runway show at the Arizona Center. Although seemingly straightforward, with a city lesser known for its fashion and more for its weather, I was quite curious to see if any of these stylists would be able to create such a standout show that I could picture it in New York or internationally. Fashion in Phoenix is still a growing phenomenon and while using my sartorial eye, here are a few things I learned about adapting spring trends in the Valley.

1 Bold is in the eye of the beholder – In preparation for my outfit Saturday night, I attempted to look as chic as possible and decided to go with the bold trend of colors (inspired by Lupita Nyong’o) since my forte is usually quite monochromatic. However, I was met with a concept of bold that resembled a step down from avant-garde with a splash of ready-to-wear pieces, and not to mention colored eyebrows. Being influenced by mesh, haute couture, and graphic prints, stylist Jackie Marin gave bold a whole new definition.

2 White on white is daring – For spring most of us think of florals, bright colors, and free flowing designs. Stylist Vanessa Gonzales showed the audience that a neutral color such as white is a hot contender as well and can also be feminine and romantic without trying too hard. Using Dillard’s for her show, the everyday woman can easily find beautiful white dresses, blouses, and pants that will create a chic and soft look this season.

3 Florals for spring can be groundbreaking – The Devil Wears Prada’s Miranda Priestly may not have been thrilled by the thought of florals for spring, but if she had added a punk vibe, maybe she would reconsider. Fashion blogger Audree López surprised us with leather, lots of dark colors, and peek-a-boo versions of floral prints. Even her music choice was the epitome of rock ‘n’ roll. Some of the audience may have been taken back by this flower child meets punk rocker alteration, but for someone whose style is less frilly, López’s show did an amazing job of teaching edgier woman how to tap into their girlier and softer side.

4 Men need color in their lives – Women are known to have a plethora of options when it comes to style while men wear T-shirts and jeans, suits, or nothing at all. Stylist Timothy Boado says “that men can be versatile with what they already have and be daring by mixing and matching unique prints.” Of course using gorgeous models added some extra flavor to his show, but Boado’s use of colorful and distinct prints truly showcased the “manly” man that women crave. He created the most dapper modern gentleman complete with a murse (a.k.a. man purse), tailored jacket, and vibrant cargo pants.

5 Denim is timeless – We all have our favorite pair of jeans, the ones that make our backside pop or elongate our legs, and even the ones that we wear for grocery shopping or running errands. Since denim is a staple in our wardrobe already, how can we reinvent this fabric? Nuvia Magdahi taught us exactly that with her edgy and sexy styling efforts. She stayed true to her MO with black and white pieces and denim as an accent or centerpiece in the traditional sense. Her styles were also uniquely complemented with Clutch Crowns, adding gold metal collars to her looks. She played with layering and silhouettes making denim appear almost like haute couture. Who knew jeans could be so stylish?

6 Boho isn’t just for hippies – To be honest, when most of us think of boho we expect to see lace, circular colored glasses, flower crowns, and anything with a Coachella vibe. Jenesis Laforcarde had a much different approach to the trend. The styles were still quite free-flowing and vintage inspired, but her show was more internationally boho chic. Inspirations from India and Africa were present in every design, with lavish nose rings, long tresses, and probably the best accessory, henna and flash tattoos. She even snuck in belly dancers as a surprise, which added another element to her show. Anyone can dress boho. You just have to wear it right.

7 Create your own trends – No one knows your style better than you. Rather than going out and purchasing the next fashionable trend, create your own version of what is chic and happening. You never know who may be scoping out your outfit and adding a few of the pieces you put together for their wardrobe arsenal.

There was one stylist who stuck out from the rest. Not only did this person showcase their personality in every piece and create an amazing show, they also made their styles easily wearable, practical, and utterly fashionable. My favorite stylist of the ‘Spring Into Style’ fashion show goes to Nuvia Magdahi. Her styles were edgy, sexy, and incredibly fun. I was never bored as each model walked down the runway. Her show was very modern with Sia-like wigs, Clutch Jewelry, and amazing styling. This agent was thoroughly impressed with her work and I cannot wait to see what she does next.