Your front-row seat to a real fashion show (no plane ticket required)

If you're like me, your Instagram feed gets a whole lot prettier during New York or Paris Fashion Week, when A-List celebrities, designers and editors are snapping pretty pictures of the season's runways. These shows seem like a distant dreamland (where chic materials and prints reign supreme and Kim Kardashian is always in the front row), but fashion shows pop up all over the globe. Even if you aren't down the street from the Empire State Building or the Eiffel Tower, you can find some neat fashion events near you.

Last weekend, I had the opportunity to attend the 2015 Spring Into Style show put on by Phoenix Fashion Week. (PFW is officially in October, but this spring show is a fun way to get into the season.) Spring Into Style didn't showcase designers, but stylists, and each one was assigned a unique style to build outfits around.  

I've been to a few small, borderline makeshift fashion shows in Phoenix before, but this was by far the coolest and most official I've attended. Feast your eyes on these photos I snapped at the event, and hopefully you can use the stylists' expertise and tips to inject some major trendiness into your spring wardrobe.

The show kicked off with a showcase of neutrals styled by Vanessa Gonzales. The white and ivory looks were anything but boring, with loose blouses, distressed denim, and dresses both structured and flowing. Chunky gold jewelry adorned the models, making every ensemble as luxe as the last one and majorly upping the edgy factor of the minimalist looks. 

“I used my personal style as inspiration - very feminine,” Gonzales said before the show. “I really love the white-on-white look. I think it is something that’s bold, even though it’s not a color. A lot of people are afraid to do it."

Nuvia Magdahi styled the night’s denim looks, and these weren’t your typical blue jeans. Fitted leather pants, sharp platinum wigs and even a gold head cage made the looks more rock and roll than rugged. Monochromatic colors and structured pieces kept the looks professional and wearable for everyday life, which was one of Magdahi’s aims.

“Denim is already a timeless piece,” she explained. “I’m just educating on how to be edgy, unique and still feel sexy when you wear your jeans. So I hope anybody can [wear these looks] on the sidewalks, other than just the runway.”

          

Jenesis Laforcarde styled the night’s boho looks, which were characterized by bright colors, glamorous silhouettes and abstract prints. Intricate facial jewelry, long wavy hair and decadent henna tattoos (some spanning across the model’s entire backs) highlighted the beauty inherent in these unique looks. 

Her message? “You don’t have to just wear jeans and a t-shirt all day,” she said. “You can wear prints and be bold… Any body type can really pull off the boho trend, because it’s so flowy. And anyone can wear prints… You can totally rock a print, always.”

                      
Tim Boado styled the men’s fashion of the show under the theme of distinct prints. The simplicity of fitted pants and shorts juxtaposed the edginess of button-up shirts in colorful geometric patterns. As for accessories, the men put a nautical twist on the edgy fashions by donning classic sunglasses over their eyes, preppy belts on their waists, and oxfords or loafers on their feet (or no shoes at all). 

“Your closet doesn’t have to be revamped,” Boado said before the show. “With these looks here, you’ll see a lot of mixing and matching, unusual things, not crazy, but enough to be like, ‘Well, maybe I can do that.’”

                               

Audree Lopez brought some surprises with the floral looks she styled for the show. The edgy looks were void of the usual rosy pastels or Crayola brights that are often associated with floral, with jet-black and muted tones taking their place. The looks played with texture on both the models’ bedhead hair and their clothing, with sparkling black lace and all-over fringe. Moto jackets and camel coats topped off tropical and romantic floral tops and skirts while stilettos and platform combat boots rounded out the looks. 

“I hope that somebody can at least find one outfit on there that they would want to wear or that they would go buy next week, because there’s a wide range from casual to fancy,” Lopez said.

Jackie Marin closed the show with her bold looks that made all sorts of statements. Sparkling bodysuits and three-dimensional gowns that would look right at home on a pop star were interspersed with glittery cut-out gowns and skirt-and-top combos with intricate pleating. Decadent chandelier earrings and heels both neutral and bright completed the looks, exemplifying over-the-top yet artistic glamour.

“I feel like there’s a lot of people who want to wear those gowns, those dresses, those showstoppers," Marin said. "I’m one of them! I think that people like that need opportunity… There’s hunger, there’s passion to do things like go out of the ordinary and do something bold.”

Modified from an original post on The Chic Daily.