Juneau’s second annual Style-O-Rama, an event showcasing 13 boutiques and three local designers, made a compelling case Nov. 5 for why Southeast Alaskans should patronize local businesses — even when they’re shopping online.
Style-O-Rama was conceived and first put on by Shoefly owner Sydney Mitchell in 2015; this year she and Dana Herndon of Higher Image Management joined forces.
“I think it’s important for Juneau women to have a fashion show showing styles relevant to Juneau,” Mitchell said. “It’s an opportunity to showcase local design talent and emerging and established designers — and, I think, it’s just a fun time.”
Style-O-Rama sold out for the second year in a row. Last year, it was at Heritage Coffee and had a 90-person capacity; this year it was at The Red Dog Saloon and had a 150-person capacity, Mitchell said.
Highlighted this year was emerging designer Crystal Worl, who is launching a women’s line of clothing at Trickster Company, the shop she owns with her brother, Rico Worl.
[Lanáat’ Rico Worl, Kaakeeyáa Crystal Worl open store, Trickster]
Crystal modeled a pair of her leggings featuring a Raven and fireweed design, and Trickster team member Erika Bergren modeled leggings with a Raven and lotus design. The two also modeled body jewelry inspired by formline design and “modernized Athabascan beadwork floral patterns” and bracelets. Crystal designs the jewelry and Rico engraves it. In some, she uses copper or silver Russian trading beads.
Crystal and Bergren also wore pashminas silkscreened with some of Crystal’s formline art and carried clutches she designed.
The high-waisted, stretchy pants are just the beginning of her women’s clothing line, she said. She plans seven different tops, five different leggings, and four pouches (which also function as pencil cases). There’s a wide range of prices, from $12 for a clutch to $65 for the leggings to $175 for the pashminas.
She’s still thinking of a name for the line, though it’ll likely have to do both with place and with time, regular themes in her work.
Artist Sydney Akagi’s work was on the runway Saturday as well with several decals she designed for Aurora Projekt leggings, a maxi dress and a tunic.
“I’m super excited about the gear that will be in the show,” she wrote in an email.
One pair of black leggings has an Xtra Tuff design “inspired by the scene you often see when you enter a home and the Xtra Tuffs for each family member are lined up along the wall. Each Xtra Tuff is folded in different variations, there are short pairs, tall, and even child Xtra Tuffs,” she wrote.
Other work includes mountain designs and a shipyard scene (with crab pots, nets and buoys).
“Often my designs start in a shape, whether a circle, triangle, or diamond. Both of the mountain designs started in a triangle and a diamond and the mountains grew out of both of those,” she wrote.
Annie Kaill’s also showcased a “Sacred Grove” collection of clothing designed by Juneauite Joe McCabe, and a shawl and headwrap from Willow Whitton of Juneau.
All together, 13 Juneau boutiques showcased clothing designed in or “curated” for Juneau. They are Lilette, Shoefly, Alaskan Brewing Company Depot, Bustin’ Out Boutique, Trickster Company, Aurora Projekt, Annie Kaill’s, Juneau Drug Co., Downtown Dames, Resolute Boutique (an online boutique Juneauite Cordova Pleasants is launching Dec. 1), Pretty Please Juneau, Treetop Tees and Cassandra’s Closet.
“It’s basically showing Juneau people Juneau fashion,” Herndon said.
Another benefit to the event, Mitchell said, is collaboration between businesses. The event helps business owners and employees know what other shops are offering so they’re better able to refer customers to each other, she said.
“Together, we can offer enough options to people that it’s worth it to try shopping locally,” she said.
After the fashion show, many of the attendees walked to downtown shops to do just that. Most shops reported an increase in customers, Herndon said; Annie Kaill’s doubled its sales for the day.
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Erika Bergren models the beginning of Crystal Worl’s clothing line, available at Trickster Company.
Shoefly owner Sydney Mitchell started “Style-O-Rama.” The store also offers men’s clothes, as this model can attest.
Crystal Worl, right, is starting a women’s clothing line at Trickster Company. She and Trickster team member Erika Bergren, left, modeled some of those clothes, including formline-inspired leggings, clutches printed with Worl’s art, body jewelry and bracelets (Worl and her brother, fellow Trickster Company owner Rico Worl, collaborate to create the jewelry; the body jewelry is inspired both by formline and “modernized Athabascan beadwork floral patterns”) and a silkscreen printed, formline pashmina. They are wearing earrings from Navajo artist Meek Watchman. Worl was the featured emerging designer of the evening.
