Every year, Portland A-listers and fashionistas eagerly await it’s biggest fashion event - FashioNXT Fashion Week. While Portland is not known for its fashion scene, FashioNXT rivals even the biggest fashions shows around. With 4 nights of non-stop fashion, it always is a fashion girl’s dream come true! This year I went to 3 of the 4 nights, Thursday – Saturday, and I have to say that I was blown away by what some of its designers are doing. Keep reading to see the highlights and best outfits from each of the nights.

THURSDAY NIGHT

Thursday night contained the most amounts of collections that I loved! Below are the designer highlights from the night which include Projections of the Mind by Kansas designer Mason Burns, Rain City Slickers by Seattle designer Dori Lyon, and Colty by Portland designer Colton Helfrecht.Mason is a college student of Kansas State University. FashioNXT is usually not open to students, but an exception was made by Tito Chowdury, executive producer of FashioNXT for Mason because of his unique point of view. Mason's professor, Genna Reeves, commented "Individuals often think that forward-thinking fashion doesn't happen in the Midwest or cannot; and Mason has established a unique voice in the fashion industry even before graduation. He put on his own pop-up fashion show in Manhattan, KS this past May to much acclaim from the local community."

PROJECTIONS OF THE MIND | MASON BURNS

I loved this collections because it makes me feel the designs are down to earth and very relatable. The mixes and matches of the different fabrics as well as the way they layer the clothing to create a cool look made me want to buy a runway piece right away. In fact, my assistant, Ting, did purchase the jean pants in the second photo right away. She has been so happy with them!!I met Mason in person on Friday night and had a chance to chat with him a bit. When I asked him how he came up with his designs, he said: "My style has a very grungy and maximalist tone with an overarching theme of problem solving using the resources at hand. I find myself facing problems that I solve using different pieces of multiple garments. Whether it’s size and fit or just aesthetic, I rely on the combination of several different pieces into one that’s just right."

RAIN CITY SLICKERS | DORI LYON

I simply love how this designer keeps practicality in mind. Being a local designer, Dori knows Portland rains a lot in the winter and it is annoying to get your clothes wet when you are out and about. Having this kind of rainwear not only enables you to keep your style but also keep your clothes dry while adding extra edginess to your outfit.

COLTY | COLTON HELFRECHT

Colty is always one of my favorites. His collections are consistently getting better and better and are filled with quality and thought. Making a collection that is all the same color can be challenging and tricky. But I think Colton pulled it off beautifully and with edge.

FRIDAY NIGHT

A group of girl friends joined me on Friday night. My friend Baya, a hand-made hat designer, sponsored all of my friends wearing her newest collection of Unifelt hats, which was a big hit of the night! Everybody came around to ask us about them and to take photos and we even got interviewed by one of the media outlets. That night I decided to dress in this grey power suit I got from SUISTUDIO during my trip to Europe in the summer.

Friday night was a night full of surprises, from latex galore to muted silks, it was an adventure going from designer to designer. Below are the designer highlights from the night which include Dawnamatrix Designs by Dawn Mostow and FYN Apparel by FYN Karunamit.

DAWNAMATRIX DESIGNS | DAWN MOSTOW

This collection to me was the most memorable one because of how beautifully the latex dresses were designed. Not only do they hug the body to accentuate the beautify of the human form but they also have very modern and matrix like designs which I know would make any woman feel pretty badass. I will definitely be getting an outfit made by Dawnmatrix!

FYN APPAREL | FYN KARUNAMIT

When the first FYN piece came out, I felt like I was dreaming. All of these outfits have a beautiful airiness to them as well as a magical touch. If it was the feathers, the horns, or the light materials. I couldn't keep my eyes off of each piece.

SATURDAY NIGHT

The finally night ended FashioNXT with a bang. From funky to elegant, the collections tied the whole event together and sent us off eagerly waiting for next year's event. Below are the designer highlights from the night which include Project Runway All Star Winner Mondo Guerra and Seattle based designer Chany Venturini.

MONDO GUERRA | PROJECT RUNWAY WINNER

This collection is way out of comfort zone as something that I would wear, however, the way that Guerra put the pieces together made them so fun! The dress in the first picture is my favorite piece for the whole show because of how different, elegant, yet fun it is!

CHANY VENTURINI | SEATTLE, WA

The last feature of the post is Chany Venturini. I just loved the elegant yet daring touches to the outfits as well as the mix of structures jackets and lose pitting pants. The pops of red and lace gave what we would think as traditional cuts, an edge. This was truly a beautifully crafted collection.

In all, FashioNXT this year was a big success. Every year it gets better and better and I am so happy that I get invited to see the magic! I am so excited to be contacting some of these designers to get some of their pieces to add to my closet and I hope that this post gave you a glimpse into the what FashioNXT is all about.

Thank you to Tito and FashioNXT team for having me again as a partner blogger! Thank you to Unifelt for sponsoring the hats for making us looking fabulous!

Shop my look
Friday night suit: SUISTUDIO Cameron Grey Suit
Friday night shoe: Malone Souliers Maureen Mule Pumps
Friday night bracelets: APM open cuff bracelet
Saturday night suit: SUISTUDIO Joss Brown Check Suit(Sold out, similar here)
Saturday night bag: Kan I Scalloped Leather Shoulder Bag

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