StyleWeek Northeast kicks off to sold-out crowd

PROVIDENCE – StyleWeek Northeast kicked off last night at the Providence G to a sold-out crowd of more than 280 people.
“It’s definitely catching on. We’ve been pretty blessed with people wanting to attend,” Rosanna Ortiz, StyleWeek LLC’s founder, said in a telephone interview Wednesday.
The six-year-old event is held twice a year, and she said this installment, which runs through Saturday at the Providence G, features 18 designers showing spring collections. This year’s show is sponsored by Imperial Pearl in East Providence.
Runway shows from Evolue Apparel, Jeffrey Dickerson, Elan Rose and Susan Troy were featured Tuesday. Elan Rose, of Dubai, features “modest wear” for women who want to be stylish, but maintain their religious beliefs. The modest wear line also included swim wear, Ortiz said.
Tickets are still available for Wednesday’s show and Thursday’s show. Information can be found at styleweeknortheast.com. Tickets range in price from $45 to $125 depending on seating and the night, Ortiz explained.
Wednesday’s show will feature designs from Clothes Horse Clothing, TANGOELLA and Devinto, and Thursday’s will feature DeBrichhio, Carissa Lynne Designs, Janet Howard and Dylanium Knits.
As the event grows, Ortiz said more designers from outside the region are attending. On Friday, New York’s Alexandra Nam will showcase her designs. Pop singer Lady Gaga wore a blue coat designed by Nam last year – that coat also will be shown at the show.

“Normally we don’t show things already photographed,” Ortiz said.

Ortiz, who moved to Providence from Boston in 2009, had been involved with Boston fashion week and saw potential for a similar event here.
“I saw Providence as the perfect location,” Ortiz said.
StyleWeek Northeast, she explained, is a platform for designers to showcase their collections.
“We’re trying to mentor these designers and build their brands a little bigger,” Ortiz said. “We’re trying to catapult them to the next level.”
StyleWeek is catching on – Ortiz said fashion news website Refinery29 will be in attendance all week as well as New York-based The Martini Factory LLC, which works with emerging designers.
The next StyleWeek is planned for September. There also will be a StyleWeek Slam on the first Sunday in June, featuring up to six designers.

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