Midwest Fashion Week (MWF) holds a special place in my heart.  It was the first event I ever covered in my entertainment television career.  In Fall of 2014 I was asked to host MFW’s runway show – not too shabby for a guy who once wore black pants with brown shoes, and had a Hawaiian shirt craze that was as bright and brief as Lou Bega’s Mambo Number 5.

My perception of fashion was limited to styles I couldn’t understand. Why were people applauding as the stilletos marched down their narrow path or wearing Crocs while popping your polo collar (this trend was only superseded by the infamous double popped collar)?  Although these humourous descriptions may represent a small facet of what fashion may mean to some, MFW has helped shape and round out my understanding of fashion.

It’s more than just clothing.  It’s food and drinks.  It’s design.  It’s art.  Most of all, it’s a way of expressing and experiencing.

This also means a night devoted to not just the established and renowned, but the up and coming.  Those aspiring through pattern and stitch, to create a style and design that proudly and uniquely expresses themselves as an established designer.  Are there designs that I don’t completely understand?  Sure.  Were there designs that wowed and impressed me in ways I didn’t expect?  You bet.  Just as touring the art in a museum on canvas, some pieces will speak to me while others will speak to my peers.  The difference is, I can take this art with me.  I can pick the pattern and stitch that uniquely expresses who I am.  After all, I am the canvas.

If you have not had the pleasure of attending Spring or Fall Midwest Fashion Week, plan to come to one of the events for the upcoming season.  Not sure when they are or which ones to attend?  Don’t worry, just follow us.   We’ll keep you in the loop.