fashion latest

This month, Pittsburgh enters what’s arguably its busiest time of the year in fashion with a one-two punch of packed events thanks to the third annual Style Week Pittsburgh (Wednesday through next Sunday) and the sixth annual Pittsburgh Fashion Week (Sept. 21-27). It says a lot for a city of Pittsburgh’s size to have nearly two weeks of events (not counting the numerous other separate style-focused affairs held here year-round) that are devoted to putting Pittsburgh’s fashion community on a pedestal for all to see.

As someone whose job is to stay on the pulse of Pittsburgh’s style scene, I’m often asked: Can the city sustain this many fashion events? Without a doubt, yes. Within the past five years, Pittsburgh has seen significant growth on the fashion front. It’s home to emerging and established designers, boutiques that carry world class brands, college-level fashion degree programs, a provisional chapter of the prestigious Fashion Group International, and salons with stylists whose talents have landed them on styling teams backstage at New York Fashion Week. The city even has claim to the International Mustache Hall of Fame.

But is Pittsburgh doing enough to spotlight its true movers and shakers of style?

Although Pittsburgh Fashion Week and Style Week Pittsburgh each have had a few years to acquaint the city with their missions, much of the city still is getting to know them. For every person I come across who’s familiar with one or both events, I encounter a handful of others who aren’t, or who don’t know the difference between the two. (For the record, Pittsburgh Fashion Week focuses on runway shows spotlighting dozens of designers — nearly 30 in 2014 — and the models and stylists who help bring a brand’s aesthetic to life. Meanwhile, Style Week Pittsburgh aims to create experiences and connections for event guests and participants centered around style, which has included everything from a runway show at a Strip District night club to a block party in East Liberty with boutiques, fashion trucks and even an interior design showroom.)

It’s not unusual that the Pittsburgher who appreciates a sports jersey over a Saint Laurent suit might not be hip to all of this. But even some of the city’s veteran designers aren’t, nor have some of them ever been part of these events.

A couple of established Pittsburgh-based designers who asked not to be named told Stylebook that they’ve never been invited to be part of one or both Pittsburgh Fashion Week or Style Week Pittsburgh. Another whose brand is headquartered in the city, but also has a following beyond the region, said she had inquired in the past about the protocol for participating in Pittsburgh Fashion Week but never received a response.

This leads to another key difference between the events. Style Week Pittsburgh tends to target businesses and brands that are in line with its mission, founder and director Wadria Taylor told Stylebook in a recent interview. A lot of the designers featured in Pittsburgh Fashion Week these days have reached out to organizers online and then are reviewed to ensure their garments meet the event’s standards for quality, said Miyoshi Anderson, a former model who set up the annual event as a way to bring about more opportunities for models and other fashion professionals in the region. The result: Style Week Pittsburgh typically includes a modest yet reputable mix of Pittsburgh-based designers and fresh boutiques in its lineup; Pittsburgh Fashion Week showcases a robust blend of brands (including some from nearby states) but tends to lack higher-profile Pittsburgh-based designers.

There is great value to what each of these events is striving to do, and their accomplishments thus far shouldn’t be underestimated. In its first year Pittsburgh Fashion Week managed to secure famed international designer Zang Toi (always a crowd favorite at New York Fashion Week with standing-room-only shows), and Style Week Pittsburgh has continued to pick up new collaborators, including Philip Pelusi Salons and the Pittsburgh Downtown Community Development Corp., to name a few. Both also have done a nice job of making sure young designers have a chance to shine.

These events have laid the foundation for what Pittsburgh really needs next: a fashion (or style) week that unifies and spotlights even more of the city’s homegrown brands, particularly those that are churning out seasonal collections for sale. (I can instantly think of 10 or 11 that would be a good fit.)

Pittsburgh’s fashion community often is criticized for being disjointed due to hubs of activity situated across many neighborhoods. Wouldn’t it be exciting (plus beneficial for media, retailers, etc.) to have runway shows or presentations a couple of times a year where lots of these designers and some boutiques came together to showcase their latest looks? (In my job, I routinely make seasonal visits to designers’ showrooms or trunk shows to see their latest collections, but I rarely see these collections reflected on the runway at Pittsburgh Fashion Week. One such brand told Stylebook it would be more apt to participate in these events if more of Pittsburgh’s well-known luxe brands were involved.)

Because some Pittsburgh-based brands skew luxury, this could attract new diverse audiences to these shows (plus potential buyers from here and beyond). By bringing together some Pittsburgh brands that also have legs beyond the city, this even could help elevate the reputation of the city’s fashion/style weeks in other markets — and maybe even prompt some of those cities’ designers and retailers to take Pittsburgh more seriously.

Pittsburgh is home to labels that have been featured in national fashion magazines and on the runways of New York, but to date some have never been seen in the city’s own fashion or style weeks. That would be like New York Fashion Week not making a considerable effort to make sure the likes of Diane von Furstenberg or Michael Kors are on its schedule.

Pittsburgh’s fashion community isn’t like New York’s, nor should it try to be. It’s unique and talented in its own right. But it can and should take more notes from how fashion weeks are structured in the big leagues, because Pittsburgh’s fashion community is poised for big things.

see more: evening gowns