Fashion Week Flashback: Night 1 with Frankly Basic

Night 1, Mayor’s Night, at Kansas City Fashion Week in March showcased amazing local designers, shops and styles. To kick off the three-day event, Caycee Garlow — Retail Director at our own favorite local shop Frankly Basic — joined us to share her expert insight on the fall/winter fashions.

Paolini Garment Company hit the runway first.

Who doesn’t love a man in a suit? Paolini has brought a fresh and modern touch to the typical men’s uniform. From mixing neutrals to adding fun accents like tie clips and floral pins they’ve really hit the mark by amping up the usual look. My favorite look was the classic grey suit. It took on a new life with black, crisp accents. When is happy hour?

Skipping cocktails (so sad!), the show then dove straight into kids’ wear with Mar-lee Ju.

I’ll be the first to admit that I love kids clothing that doesn’t appear childish. There’s no reason for animals and appliques on clothing just because they’re kids! Mar-lee Ju gets that. The star of her collection for me was an orange hooded jumpsuit. The mixture of grey patches against the bright orange was both fun and mature at the same time. Her collection had a utilitarian vibe which is a great play off of the usual “safari” vibe we consistently see in each fall in women’s fashion.

Another Caycee favorite, Molly Elizabeth Designs, took the stage just before intermission.

Can I live in Molly Elizabeth’s world? Fringe is an absolute favorite of mine and her use of it in her collection was right on the mark. The boho feel of her separates and dresses brought a cool feel without looking too costume-like. Hands down, best look of the night was her yellow flared pants with an amazing (can someone please get this in my closet?) cream textured low back tunic. If I could have bought it off the model I would have. It’s oversized without making the wearer look oversized. It’s the perfect combination of coziness and sexiness. It’s a piece that can be style funky as Molly Elizabeth did or effortless with dark skinnies and killer shoes. Put me on the wait list!

Followed by more children’s wear with Jessica Lynn.

Jessica Lynn’s adorable models stole the show. The first look was to die for from the fringe/bright feather print combo of the dress to the awesome fur leg warmers. The playful collection with a caveman twist was a fresh outlook for kids fall fashion that would be adored by fashionistas of all ages. Kids like to look cool and Jessica Lynn gets it.

And, finally, things wrapped up with Young Hearted Socks.

Men sometimes get the short end of the stick when it comes to fashion. Sanders Commings has figured out a great way to bring some fun into menswear with Young Hearted Socks. Though his Jayhawk and Tiger styles were a big hit, I was a big fan of the bold 80’s/90’s styles from the dinosaurs to the sprinkled ice cream cones. Who says socks have to be boring? These are a great way to show that you’re young at heart.

With Caycee’s rave reviews, we deemed the opening night a stunning success which was only enhanced by vendors, The Photo Bus and support of Children’s Mercy Hospitals. Combined with the two additional nights of amazing fashion that followed, we’re already counting down the days to the next Kansas City Fashion Week in September.

This post originally appeared on Prettyography.