When talking about Denver Fashion Weekend (DFW), an array of words describe the event: unique, different, wild, chaotic, a community, beauty and art. For those who are veterans of the show, you know what to expect; which is everything and anything. For those who may be new or are still hesitant to go, as past shows have proven – this isn’t a typical fashion show. You don’t need to be knowledgeable in all things “trend setting” because this isn’t the New York Fashion Week runway. This is something entirely different. This is a fashion show and a performance.
The Basics
Where: EXDO Event Center, 1399 35th St. Denver
When: March 30, April 1- 2; cocktail hour 7- 9 p.m., show starts around 9 p.m. but you should arrive no later then 8 p.m. to avoid the line, enjoy the cocktail party, mingle, and sample complimentary food from Denver’s best restaurants.
Fun fact: DFW tends to never have a Friday show to give our teams a break before the madness of the weekend.
What Happens During the Show
Night 1 & 2
The event begins with the first two nights showcasing local and national designers and boutiques. Each designer has a unique vision for their part of the show and they work tirelessly to make sure that vision transforms into entertainment for the audience. They want their style to be consistent enough where people can look at the clothes and think, weren’t they here last year? At the same time, they want the outfits to be different enough where it feels like an entirely new experience. Designers are constantly trying to outdo themselves, continuously asking what more can I do? Expect to see models dancing, entertaining and walking in some of the most unique and meticulously designed clothes.
Night Three – The Hair Show
The third night – and arguably the most popular – is the hair show. This show has been running for more than 10 years, each year outdoing the last, and it isn’t slowing down. The hair show is about the optics, the art, the makeup and the surprise. Expect to see models with sky-high hair and possibly even walking on stilts. These shows aren’t about selling products; they’re about showing creative and new ways to use those products. Granted, you most likely won’t be trying to style your hair in any of the outrageous ways you’ll see at the show – but that’s the point.
Our Fashion Week Celebrates Diversity.
Unlike fashion week shows across the world, Denver’s has always celebrated diversity on our runway. That’s why we host open model casting calls – with no height or weight requirement – so that as many people as possible can live out their dream to be a model and help us show that beautiful is not just one idea. Whether a model is short, tall, curvy, skinny, old, young, gay, straight, transgender, covered and tattooed – our runway has seen it all.
This year we are incredibly proud to host Madeline Stuart, the first professional model with Down Syndrome, to not only walk our runway, but to present her fashion line at DFW. Stuart is an international sensation and a groundbreaking model and advocate for the Down Syndrome community. To learn more about her, go here or get your tickets to Nights 1 and Night 2 of Denver Fashion Weekend.
There’s Free Food!
Every season, DFW brings out some of the best new restaurants Denver has to offer so you can sample their cuisine. Every night sees three or more restaurants, with each handing out complimentary food. But keep in mind, this might not be enough to fill up an average person, so eat before hand but come ready to sample some tasty bites!
There’s No Dress Code!
There’s no specific dress code at DFW so wear what fits you. But as one of the biggest fashion events of the season, we encourage you to dress up if you’d like. However, that doesn’t necessarily mean a suit and tie or a gown. It can be your favorite pair of jeans mixed with a funky jacket or your favorite thrift store find. Wear what’s you and you won’t have to worry about fitting in.
Go here to see what people wore to Denver Fashion Weekend last year.
Denver Fashion Weekend is its Own Community
Every year, 303 Magazine DFW show producers, and the countless designers and stylists – come together to put on one of Denver’s biggest fashion shows. The event features local designers, boutiques, stylists, models, performers and talent to produce three nights of absolute beautiful madness.
“It can’t be explained. It’s heaven. It’s a nightmare! A bazillion details, a difficult birth each time but well worth the trouble,” Charlie Price previously said on the creation and planning of the show.
There are hundreds of people working behind the scenes to make sure the event is something that’s talked about for the weeks following.
“Every season I am consistently amazed at how well everyone works together to create a great show,” noted stylist Bri Bird of Bri Bird Artistry. “From the hard work the fashion designers put into their collections to the hair and makeup teams beautifying the models backstage, it’s exhilarating to see it all come together on the stage.”
It should also be noted that the term “expect to see” is loosely guided, because if there’s one thing you should know above all else, it’s that what you think you might know, you actually have no idea. Expect the unexpected.