Stylist Expo Official Fashion Show Recap

By: Bree Clevenger

On May 6th, Why Not Petites produced our first fashion show. We hosted a Stylist Expo, showcasing the vast talents of six local Chicago fashion stylists. The collections covered a broad range of styles, construction, and influences. Plus, the looks featured designs from a variety of Chicago fashion designers, along with thrifted fashion and handmade and upcycled pieces!

Runway collections are usually produced to promote an individual designer’s line. The Stylist Expo broke from that tradition to highlight the work of the stylists instead, who are usually behind the scenes without much opportunity to headline.

We also stepped away from historical fashion in another way: the Why Not Petites mission. Every model in our show was a petite model, and this was specified in our casting call. As many of you know, a runway show including even one petite model is incredibly rare; by showcasing shorter models in our show, we’ve taken another step towards creating a more inclusive and representative industry.

We are so proud of our stylists, our small army of petite models, and our entire team for coming together for such a fantastic and unique fashion show!

Meet the stylists and view their collections:

Our stylists, in show order:

Andrea

Andrea Ramirez is a highly skilled and versatile fashion designer known for her expertise in custom-made dresses. Originally from Colombia, Andrea completed her schooling there before embarking on her styling career. She honed her craft in Chicago, where she works for The MOS brand, a tailoring and fashion company that is highly regarded for its quality and attention to detail.

Andrea is deeply committed to sustainability and ensuring that her work has a positive impact on the environment. Her values play a fundamental role in everything she creates, and she strives to incorporate eco-friendly practices into her designs wherever possible. As a stylist, Andrea is resourceful, functional, and highly creative. She has a knack for creating something truly special with the materials, garments, and accessories that she has available.

Andrea featured designs from The MOS Brand and handmade items.

See Andrea’s full collection here.

Briana

Briana is an independent stylist passionate about bringing out your inner confidence and showing up as your best self. She has styled everything from brand shoots to TED Talks, as well as styling and empowering people on how you dress for you any day of the week. Her work is inspired by the everyday risks that make street style stand out - going against the status quo with bold choices and statement pieces. Bringing her charisma to the Chicagoland areas, she is eager to partner with clients to uncover what makes you feel best in your skin, and channel that to its fullest through fashion.

Briana’s collection featured thrifted pieces.

See Briana’s full collection here.

Bree

Bree Clevenger is a mixed media fashion stylist based in Chicago. She is passionate about highlighting sustainable, ethical, and local fashion - and often all three together – while maintaining an editorial lens. Her collection for the Stylist Expo pairs this frame with thrifted pieces to demonstrate not just that sustainable and slow fashion is indeed fashionable, but that it's also within reach for everyday style.

Bree is inspired by geometries, textures, subtexts, and the interactions of all three, and she likes to blur the lines separating different styles.

Bree featured thrifted pieces and designs from Production Mode, Wulfka, Niczka, and Coco & Peach Jewelry.

See Bree’s full collection here.

J

J Frausto is a Mexican/Puerto Rican Chicago native who identifies as queer. They found their style through their gender expression that led to being an androgynous thrift stylist. After styling other people who identify as queer they realized there is a need to bridge the gap to make clothes gender affirming. J has styled runway collections for shows all over Chicago, helping establish an anchor for accessible, representative styling.

J featured thrifted pieces, designs from Fad2Fresh, Scottie by Designs, Coco & Peach Jewelry, Eco Art by Alejandra, Finderz Keeperz, and Vintage Frillz and handmade items.

See J’s full collection here.

Andy

Andy Knight is a one-of-a-kind personal wardrobe stylist and image consultant known for her quirky, feminine, and unique approach to fashion. With years of experience and a keen eye for detail, Andy works closely with each client to create a wardrobe that is both stylish and functional. She is deeply inspired by the history of clothing and the way garments were used and styled in different time periods and fashion eras. She often works with vintage items (like those in her collection today!) because they carry a story and flair unique to their time.

Andy’s collection featured upcycled thrifted items.

See Andy’s full collection here.

Tesa

Tesa Summers has always had a love for expressing herself through clothing and creating new looks that push boundaries. She believes fashion is an art form, and the more unusual and unique the outfit, the better. For Tesa, being an artist means stepping out of your comfort zone and showing the world that you don't care what others think. Tesa's styling grows first from connecting with people, which allows her to understand their needs and desires and translate it into her work. Her styling centers bold colors, playful patterns, and unexpected details, and she often blends looks together using both men’s wear and women’s.

Tesa featured designs featured upcycled thrifted items.

See Tesa’s full collection here.