Slate Collective: Session 1 was the debut collection from local Minneapolis designer Allison Quinnell. Slate Collective is the perfect marriage of both Allison’s passions, fashion and art. Session 1 features artist Kim Kei, whose art Allison first saw (and fell in love with) in San Francisco. Each session, Allison will partner with an up-and-coming female artist for a limited-edition collaboration. These “artist sessions” are what make the Slate Collective so unique.
The show was held at the Gallery at Le Meridien in Downtown Minneapolis. There were three different galleries with three different dresses in each gallery. We made our way from room to room to fully immerse ourselves in the collection. It wasn’t a fashion show per se, but an experience. Each room had a totally different vibe, but featured the same three dresses. I loved how Allison planned the show because I could see the possibilities of each of the dresses, how a slip dress can go from a vacation to a party.
The collection featured three different silhouettes (shift, swing, and slip) in both a print and in black. My absolute favorite is the shift dress in the black. When I asked Allison about this design, she said she designed it for her own body, a real body. I love that the silhouettes work for many different body types and many different personalities. Although the designs seem simple, there was an incredible amount of thought and care that went into making each silhouette, and you can tell.
