Glimpse the Best Looks from StyleWeek Northeast

The biannual fashion event returned to the Capital Grille this month featuring looks from student designers as well as professional talent.

June 29, 2023

Lauren Clem, Jamie Coelho,

This look by Amy Page DeBlasio was one of several on the runway at StyleWeek Northeast. All photography by Myke Yeager Photography

StyleWeek Northeast returned to Providence this month with its signature fashion show on the outdoor runway at the Capital Grille. The biannual event brings fashion enthusiasts and industry professionals from all over to highlight the best new looks from local designers. This year’s event began with a performance by dancers from the newly rebranded Ballet RI, who danced among the crowd as guests mingled during the accessory showcase overlooking the Woonasquatucket River. Following the performance, guests made their way to the runway for the best view of the four high-energy shows.

SEED Student Design Challenge

First up was the SEED Student Design Challenge. A key part of StyleWeek since 2011, the challenge invites students from the Providence area to create and showcase designs using sustainable materials. This year, twelve students from Lincoln School participated in the challenge, incorporating everything from duct tape to electrical hardware into their designs. The designs were judged by a panel of judges on fit, flatter, design, use of material and overall look, with the winner receiving a $500 cash prize. The winner was Gloria Olubowale, whose cutout dress made of manila shipping tags immediately wowed the crowd with its beautiful patterns and level of detail as the tags were contoured to create a striking silhouette.

The winning design by Gloria Olubowale.

View more looks from the SEED Student Design Challenge here.

Tatyana Ayriyan

Following a short break, models returned to the runway for the professional showcase. This year’s shows featured designs by Tatyana Ayriyan, Wild World of AK and Amy Paige DeBlasio. Ayriyan took to the runway first with a collection of elegant, wearable designs that showed off clean lines and bold color pairings. Most of her designs are suitable for women of all ages and body shapes, and the collection includes gowns and cocktail dress as well as jumpsuits and pantsuits perfect for the office or the street. A personal favorite was this little black dress accented with a shoulder ruffle, though a slinky black jumpsuit and sophisticated blue gown paired with gloves and hat also impressed the crowd for their practical yet stylish appeal.

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Wild World of AK

Next up was Wild World of AK, a pop culture-inspired label created by East Providence native Allison Kirwan. From the moment the first model emerged in a Ruffles-printed dress crunching cheddar-and-sour-cream chips down the runway to a heavy metal soundtrack, guests knew they were in for a show. Kirwan’s designs — which have been donned by celebrities and even appeared in venues such as “Saturday Night Live” — feature cheeky prints made up of celebrity faces and pop culture references that will make any ’90s child swoon.

“I started out with celebrity mermaid drawings. Two of them got a lot of attention, the ones of Biggie and Tupac. Then I branched out to all-over printed stuff,” Kirwan said during a media event earlier in the week. “The main base is childhood nostalgia. You can see a flip phone on that purse, and Rainbow Fish, another childhood favorite. Adriana La Cerva from the Sopranos, I made a sweatsuit with her face all over it and she wore it.”

I never thought I’d see one of those pony-bead lizard keychains from my childhood again, much less accessorizing a pair of sweatpants sporting the cast of The Godfather, but everything is fair game in the Wild World of AK. And we wouldn’t have it any other way.

Amy Page DeBlasio

Amy Page DeBlasio’s designs always impress with their beautiful prints and stunning silhouettes, but this year’s collection goes above and beyond with its cascading patterns leading up to one memorable final look. The show incorporated seven distinct fabric pairings, with men’s and women’s variations on each set ranging from high fashion to office chic. In a showstopper of a finale, DeBlasio revealed a flowing patchwork gown made up of every pattern used in the collection, tying the show together into one work of art rather than sixteen separate looks.

“I really love prints. I love elevating classic silhouettes. I design for what I don’t see out there,” DeBlasio said. “You can’t find the pieces I am creating out there. I am always thinking, ‘How can I make this better and improve it and elevate it?’ My brain is constantly going. I don’t have one source of inspiration. There are many. It depends on what season it is. My favorite activity is to look at fabrics and create fabric prints and see where it goes from there.”

Lalla Bee

Also participating in the media event was Lalla Bee, a Boston-based brand created by Dominican Republic native Melina Cortes-Nmili. Her collection features vibrant, feminine dresses made from quality fabrics sourced from throughout the United States and Europe.

“Because I am a very small designer, I create collections that are sold through boutiques,” Cortes-Nmili said. “I am a one-woman show, so people usually see something they like, and send me a note through my website and we get together. That’s what I like to do most because by the time I am done designing for them, we know each other vividly so they know my life. I know them. I know exactly what they are looking for, and it turns into a lifelong relationship. It’s more than just fashion.”

Designs by Lalla Bee.

CHRISTOPHER ROGERS

Swansea, Mass.-based designer Christopher Rogers is a StyleWeek veteran and has also helped out behind the scenes as a team member. Rogers designs for non-gender-conforming identities. The designer also presented several looks at a media event ahead of the StyleWeek fashion showcase.

“I like to make anyone comfortable and be whoever they want to be and not feel oppressed,” Rogers says. “I like taking feminine aspects of clothing and trying to merge that with the masculine.”

Rogers wore a pair of convertible pants they created that transformed from a skirt to a cape. “This was one of the first pairs of pants I made. You can wear it as a cape and totally transform it.”

The black pleated top pictured below was a happy accident. “I created a paper template and sandwiched the fabric on both sides of it, then ironed it myself. I am working on other shapes as well. To me it’s more fun and I get to express who I am.”

Rogers often creates looks on the fly. “When I was sewing, I was depending on making it into a button-down shirt. I was going to make that pleating into a bow but as soon as I started to drape it on a manikin, the fabric didn’t want to perform,” Rogers says. “Honestly, it looks better now as wings around the body. I let the fabric speak to me as I’m working with it.”

Rogers studied abroad for a semester in London, where they became inspired by the people they encountered. “It’s so much more open and more free, and that’s where I think I got inspiration for my designs, in just how they live their life,” Rogers says. “They don’t care how other people think of them. That’s what I want my clothes to do.”