Summer in Spain: 2011 West 18th Street Fashion Show

The 2011 West 18th Street Fashion Show Summer in Spain will be held this Saturday, June 11, at dusk (8pm). The show will feature eighteen collections from a select group of local and national designers, and will take place on West 18th Street in Kansas City, between the cross-streets of Wyandotte and Baltimore.

Rathauser Tricia Rock is one of the 18 featured designers (and will be opening the show so be sure to make it on time!). Read about all of this year’s designers here.

And below check out a promotional video for the show incorporating footage from last year’s A Decadent Summer.

Streaming Now: Casey Burge “Triumph”

After spending several years on farms in the east and west of the country, singer/songwriter Casey Burge returned to his hometown of Kansas City at the end of 2010 to pursue music. Longtime friends Ryan Johnson (drums), Evan Houston (bass), and James Taylor (guitar) were recruited to help realize Burge’s swollen catalog of songs. The group quickly worked out a set and began booking performances immediately. (via The Recording Machine)

Check out Casey Burge’s dreamy, lo-fi, perfect-for-summertime solo effort Triumph below. All music was written and recorded by Casey Burge between February and May 2011. Tracks 8 & 9 were re-recorded with the full-band Minden and released as a 7″ single via The Record Machine. His solo recording of “Swift Way On” was recently featured in an ad for clothing line Free People.

Triumph is available via KC-based Overland Shark

Listen To/Download: Parts of Speech

Parts of Speech is Kansas City duo Brandon Knocke (vocals, keyboards, programming) and Alexander Thomas (acoustic/electronic drums). Though initially formed in late 2009 as a live vehicle for Knocke’s solo electronic music, a more collaborative and organic sound evolved out of the creative pairing. The results are sonically adventurous and moody, while the emphasis on groove and melody keep things accessible to a wide range of music listeners.

Find out more at Overland Shark

Check out Parts of Speech live on May 14 at The Riot Room.

Download “Tasted Comfort” here (right click + save link as)

Artist Shout Out: Ricky Allman

“you don’t know what you want” acrylic on canvas – 60×72″

“pollinator” acrylic on canvas – 36×48″

Artist Statement:

My work primarily deals with images, memories and feelings associated with growing up as a Mormon in Utah. Although I am now, for the most part, very secular in my beliefs, I am fascinated by religious extremists, End of Days prophecies, and the intersection between architecture and nature.

I use fractured and chaotic spaces as a metaphor for general unease and anxiety about the state of the world and the environment. This is often contrasted with vivid colors that hopefully offer a glimmer of hope in an otherwise dreary and fatal view. (via 20×200)

Ricky Allman lives, teaches and makes art in Kansas City, MO.

See more of Allman’s work here

“want redux” acrylic on canvas – 36×48″

“rememory” acrylic on panel – 16×24″

A Decadent Summer: 10th Annual West 18th Street Fashion Show

Hey readers, I (Tricia Rock) am very excited to be a part of this year’s West 18th Street Fashion Show. The annual event has grown to become the most renowned fashion show in the Kansas City area and for this year’s 10th anniversary, A Decadent Summer, things are looking even bigger and better. If you’re interested in seeing the collection I’ve been working on (as well as the collections of 17 other very talented designers and 5 jewelry designers) come out to the show this Saturday, June 12 at 8pm. The outdoor event is held on the block of West 18th Street, between Wyandotte Street and Baltimore Avenue.

For a preview of what to expect, click here for Rathaus coverage of  last year’s show, Summer in Space (video and photo)

Check out some of my recent press coverage for A Decadent Summer below and continue reading for more details from the organizers. Hope to see you there!

Interview with KC’s Present Magazine

Video Interview with the Organizers

LJWorld Article (written by my lovely model Caitlin Donnelly)

image from last year’s Summer in Space fashion show

From the organizers:

The designers of the West 18th Street Fashion Show may be emerging, but their credentials read like a “who’s who” of the art and design world.

Returning designer, Jovana Mirabile (NYC)– a current student at Parsons School of Design– is an intern for global fashion superstars Diane Von Furstenberg and Michael Kors. Perennial favorite, Kansas City-based designer Peggy Noland, just completed the gig of dressing Lady Gaga’s back-up dancers for her current Monster Ball world tour and was recently featured in the London publication, Dazed and Confused. And local boutique owner, Peregrine Honig, of the Birdies collection, is sure to wow television airwaves beginning in June when she is one of fourteen artists featured on the upcoming Sarah Jessica Parker-produced reality show, Work of Art.

It’s not just the veteran designers who offer up impressive resumes. Newcomers Kaylin Hertel and Jamilah Knight count internships with designer David Rodriguez and fashion publication Marie Claire among their early fashion career highlights. Designer Faith Evangeline boasts model Mia Tyler as a regular client when she’s not managing her jewelry line that is featured in thirty-three international boutiques. And designer Erica Voetsch is a recipient of the American Vision Award, along with the likes of Andy Warhol.

“The credentials of our designers are amazing. That these local designers leave Kansas City to gain such notable experience and continue to return to the 18th Street runway is a testament that our event is not just totally one-of-a-kind, but is high-caliber enough to compete with the world of high art and fashion,” says Producer and Music Director, Mark Southerland.

This year’s free, outdoor event, A Decadent Summer, will be held at dusk (8 pm) on the evening of Saturday, June 12, 2010. This outdoor fashion show– which draws over 2000 spectators– is held on the block of West 18th Street, between Wyandotte Street and Baltimore Avenue.

my designs – Roche by Tricia Rock – for the Fall 2009 Adorn of the Dead fashion show held in Lawrence, KS (photos by Scott Starrett)