Her Universe Fashion Show 2019
Her Universe Fashion show is the annual mecca for geek fashion; this year’s 6th Annual Fashion show was an incredible event. I’ve always wanted to attend before but never could. This year, I was determined. My wonderful friend Kaci and I jumped in a car and made our way to San Diego, where San Diego Comic Con is held. This experience at the Her Universe Fashion Show 2019 was filled with energy, geeks, and of course, beautiful couture.
Experience
The energy that I felt in that room was unlike anything that I felt before. When souls who all feel the same connection to something show up in the same place, it’s pure magic. I finally had the chance to meet friends who I’ve only connected with before online. Any convention I’ve been to is like a big family reunion. I was surround by peers and leaders in the Geek fashion community; I felt at home. Many of the attendees were in cosplay or their own custom geek couture designs. It was so fun to be around and see all the clever designs people had worked on.
Theme of the Her Universe Fashion Show 2019
This year’s theme of the event was the Power of Fashion, inspired by She-Ra, the Princess of Power. It was about how geek fashion inspires us and calls us to collaboration and community. That’s what I have fallen in love with the community. I have not met one person who has been a gate keeper for geek fashion. It’s about creating space for everyone, allowing us to all succeed, and encouraging one another in the thing we all love most.
Ashley Eckstein, the fearless leader of Her Universe, started the show with a powerful entrance channeling the power of She-Ra. She walked the runway in a dress designed by Andrew MacLaine and accessories by Harmony Leiker, which reflected She-Ra’s evolution with the two different looks. During the show, she changed into other designs. One was a Batman black tie dress designed by Andrew MacLaine. Another was a design by Leetal Platt, inspired by Haunted Mansion.
Throughout the show, the audience was able to get a first look at the new designs that are available for Her Universe. One group was Harry Potter dresses inspired by some of our favorite ladies. One was inspired by Hermione’s Yule Ball dress, one by Luna’s Slughorn party dress, and a dress inspired by the ladies of Beauxbatons. Other collections introduced were She-Ra, Haunted Mansion, Star Wars, Marvel, and Studio Ghibli.
Designs
All of the designs were spectacular. I felt so much excitement and anticipation looking over the booklet that was provided before the show. It was really thoughtful to help those who can’t remember anything (like me) who the designers were, and to see their sketches. I love seeing sketches; they’re like mini pieces of art. You can see the ideas in the designer’s heads just as they envision it. When the finished designs appeared on the runways, it was like watching art float across the stage. A few were even more breath taking seeing them up close. Having to choose only one winner for the audience choice was incredibly difficult. Every single design was well crafted.
The two winners of the show were Sarah Hambly with her “Bodak Green” design and Adria Renee with her design “Destination: Isla Nebular”. “Bodak Green” was the audience choice winner. It was influenced by Marvel’s Loki and rapper Cardi B. It was full on stones, and over the top couture. The bodysuit sparkled down the runway and was perfectly paired with the oversized hat and tesseract purse. The “Destination: Isla Nebular” design, the judges pick, was influenced by Jurassic Park. The embroidery and bead work on the satin dress was spectacular. I loved the satin wrap with the dinosaur verbiage burned out. It was great to see one couture design and one ready wear design chosen.
As Ashley said, geek fashion is taking over. No longer is fashion exclusive to being one dimensional. We are able to combine two passions and share that with the world. The past year, I have seen leaps and bounds of growth in this industry, and more and more designers being motivated and passionate about creating beautiful pieces. Being able to attend the Her Universe Fashion Show 2019 was an absolute dream come true, and I feel more inspired than ever before.
