August 10th – 18th marked the fourth annual Austin Fashion Week. Through dozens of events at boutiques, restaurants, and premium venues, our neighbors to the south showcased current collections from both local designers and national brands.   As a treat to our readers, DFW Style Daily presents the following indie-focused insider wrap-up from AFW, courtesy of Austin designer Jodi Schreiner (shown here). Spoiler alert: Far from “weird”, these pics might just inspire a fashionable road trip to the state capital in your future.       The diversity of local talent made for a dynamic 2012 Austin Fashion Week. Styles spanned from lady-like to biker-tough, and offerings encompassed clothing, swimwear, handbags, and jewelry. Throughout the week, businesses across Austin’s shopping districts hosted AFW parties and trunk shows for local designers.  Some of the top designs featured at these events are shown below.     Fab’rik hosted Laura Lewis of Dija Swimwear. Her pieces showcased beautiful color and pattern combinations. Following AFW, Lewis was off to Las Vegas to participate in the MAGIC Emerging Designer Competition.     Apricot Lane hosted Emily McNeely of Emily Hallman. With a degree in apparel design from Baylor University, McNeely’s strategy is to create quality, classic designs for real women. This photo shows her Spring 2012 collection, made in the Hill Country town of Round Rock.    

McNeely is also adding handbags to her line for Fall 2012.

    Etcetera Etc hosted Priscilla Barroso of Crowned Bird. A Texas native, Barroso honed her skills studying fashion design and working for a tailor in San Francisco. Her Dallas-produced launch collection is full of personality and rich, vibrant colors.    

Crowned Bird designer Priscilla Barroso wearing one of her own designs.

    Plain Ivey Jane hosted Misty Evans of Misty Evans Design. Evans works in 14 carat gold and gemstones.    

Evans’ spiral horn ring, a customer favorite, was inspired by Sleeping Beauty.

    Austin Rocks hosted Ruth Waddy of Ruthless. These designs make extensive use of hand-cut appliqués made from repurposed bicycle inner tubes. While her Ruthless line focuses on street wear, Waddy also creates amazing dresses like the one shown here.    

Ruth Waddy’s Ruthless

   

Designer Ruth Waddy wearing one of her own designs.

    Estilo hosted Cristen Guest of Rene Guest Jewelry. Several of Rene Guest’s pieces feature feathers encased in glass.     Hemline hosted Amber Perley of Pearl Southern Couture. Perley hails from Dallas and designs classic pieces that reflect the Southern lifestyle. For AFW, she featured some of her fabulous cocktail dresses.    

Pearl Southern Couture

   

Pearl Southern Couture

    Bella Salon hosted Cynthia Bloom of Cynthia Bloom Collectible Jewelry. Antique Czech glass beads and hand-painted European glass buttons are combined with new materials to create her contemporary designs.   On Saturday, August 18th, the Austin Fashion Awards at the Austin Music Hall closed AFW 2012. On a shiny black catwalk, dramatic new creations were shown by Austin jewelry designer Kendra Scott.  Fall apparel collections were presented by Austin designers Ross Bennett and Jessica Ciarla, and New York-based Margarita Saplala. Click here for more information on Austin Fashion Week.   (All photos, credit MidnightFantasy Photography)