FASHION SHOW PRODUCTION AT UNION STATION IN CHICAGO, ILLINOIS
SHOW CONCEPT It is common for artistically driven visionaries to fantasize about living a luxurious lifestyle that enables them to travel around the world. Experiencing new cultures and being exposed to different design aesthetics and inspirational environments is generally a part of that fantasy. Through cultural enrichment, the imagination can be enhanced. As a result, astounding innovations can be created. For her Spring 2013 Ready-To-Wear collection, Mary Katrantzou captures this luxurious essence of travelling that is both culturally enriching and artistically stimulating. DESIGNER AND COLLECTION: Mary Katrantzou is a London-based designer with a hyperrealistic aesthetic. She is mostly recognized for her originality and inventive use of bold graphics. In portraying this aspect of travel, Katrantzou showcases her ingenuity. Through the strategic application of unconventional prints—comprised of postage stamps and banknotes from various countries—to sophisticated silhouettes, the collection exudes originality. Katrantzou’s innovative designs effortlessly combine geometric shapes with organic ones to create a refined form of abstraction, which is emphasized through her use of color. Both energetic and luminous, the color pallet of the collection ranges from metallic pastels to brights juxtaposed with black and white. Though twodimensional, the garments radiate a vivacious quality when all of these elements come together. As a result, the wearer is transformed into a chic and elegant woman that leads a luxuriously nomadic lifestyle.
CHARITY: Proceeds from the fashion show will benefit the not-for-profit organization, Dress for Success. To promote the economic independence of disadvantaged women, Dress for Success provides professional attire, a network of support, and career development tools to help women thrive in work and in life. By providing such amenities, Dress for Success helps create opportunities for women to acquire the means necessary for achieving their goals and making their dreams come true. VENUE: UNION STATION 210 South Canal Street Chicago, Illinois 60606
The correlation of a fashion show location to a collection is essential in translating its concept to the audience. To emphasize the theme of travel, the Mary Katrantzou Spring 2013 Ready-To-Wear fashion show will be held in the Great Hall at Union Station in Chicago, Illinois. By presenting at this prestigious landmark, the bold prints featuring postage stamps and banknotes—and their vibrant spirit—are highlighted. Originally designed by famed architect Daniel Burnham, the Great Hall was completed in 1925 by the Graham, Anderson, Probst and White Firm. Due to its elegant atmosphere, the Great Hall is considered to be one of the greatest indoor spaces in the United States. The 20,000 square foot spacious room features a classic Beaux Arts style with 18 soaring Corinthian columns, terracotta walls, a pink Tennessee
marble (crystalline limestone) floor, and a stunning five-story, barrelvaulted, atrium ceiling. With this elegant style, the Great Hall exudes an ambiance of opulence that is harmonious with the essence of Katrantzou’s Spring 2013 collection. The stunning architectural details are reflective of the garments’ striking elements and their luxurious quality. Similarly, these details project an aura of sophistication, as well as an aspect of fantasy, that mirror the collection’s refinement and ingenuity. Further contributing to this opulence is the spaciousness of the Great Hall, which stimulates its guests’ imagination. This attribute, along with its rich history and beauty, has made the Great Hall a popular location for movies such as The Untouchables, My Best Friend’s Wedding, and Flags of Our Fathers, amongst others. As a result, the venue’s prominent status and allure accentuate the character of a luxuriously nomadic woman that is translated through the garments. Though the setting is classic and timeless, when juxtaposed with the collection’s originality and modernity, the idea of cultural enrichment through travelling is conveyed. With exposure to new cultures and environments, creative visions can becomes less bland or traditional and more fresh or innovative. This is an essential part of the concept of the Spring 2013 collection. While classic designs are everlasting, they are also basic. That is why creatively inspired designs are the ones that provoke the feeling of “I need,” rather than “I want.” This will be evident through Mary Katrantzou’s presentation of her Spring 2013 collection in the Great Hall at Union Station.
SWAG BAGS: For the event, the swag bags and featured items are designed to correlate to the designs of Mary Katrantzou’s Spring 2013 ready-to-wear collection, while also providing practical items that can be utilized for traveling, which is the theme of the fashion show production. The swag bags themselves are totes to reference and inspire traveling, and featured in a print taken from a garment presented. There is also a luggage tag, passport cover, as well as an umbrella. These items, too, allude to—and encourage—the traveling; and, are featured in prints taken directly from those of the clothing in the collection. The sleeves of the T-shirts—with the event’s logo on the front, and sponsors on the back—are replicated from one of the tops featured.