Be There: EdVenture Girls Night Out with designer Amy Smilovic of Tibi
WHAT: EdVenture Girls Night Out, featuring Amy Smilovic and Tibi
WHEN: Thursday, April 16. Doors open for VIPs at 6:30 p.m. and for general admission at 7 p.m. Fashion show begins at 8:30 p.m.
WHERE: 701 Whaley, 701 Whaley St.
From growing up in St. Simons Island, Ga., to launching her fashion career in Hong Kong, Amy Smilovic brings her global experiences into her sleek, modern designs.
“It is a big merger of living overseas, living in the South, living in the Northeast,” Smilovic said. “I was born in the Midwest. My husband’s European. Everything comes together, and it allows me to think of myself in a lot of different worlds when I’m designing.”
The founder of high-end fashion brand Tibi will bring her latest collection to Columbia tonight for EdVenture’s Girls Night Out, where guests can watch a Tibi runway show and buy pieces from the collection while enjoying cocktails and hors d'oeuvres.
Smilovic titled her latest ready-to-wear collection “Japan Meets Peru” and was influenced by the modernity of Japanese style and technology and the traditional craft work of Peru. The pieces in the collection, which was shown at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in New York, range from loungewear to cocktail dresses and showcase a palate of black, white, brown, sky blue and emerald green. Many of the pieces feature oversized, draped and trapeze silhouettes in both natural and high-end fabrics, showcasing the dichotomy between the sleek Eastern style and the natural, traditional influence of South America.
Smilovic draws her inspiration from “minimalist architecture and paintings” as well as the demands of the modern woman’s everyday life. Smilovic entered fashion design after a career in advertising, previously working for American Express and Ogilvy and Mather, and commutes from suburban Greenwich, Conn. to her SoHo studios every day after dropping her children at school.
“I really believe in wearing things and making sure that I love it and that it works in my lifestyle,” Smilovic said. Tibi’s style is “a mixture of a woman who has enough money and has her own lifestyle and can afford really nice clothing, but she still wants to be creative and feel young and pretty. I think about all those things when interpreting trends, and sometimes there are trends that really don’t hit on any of those buttons for me and they’re definitely ones that we let go.”
The Vibe
Smilovic hopes that guests at Girls Night Out will “outfit themselves” in her modern designs. Those with VIP tickets will get to mingle with the designer, and all will be able to partake in food, drink and music. After a Tibi fashion show, guests can buy pieces they see on the runway at a pop-up shop.
Smilovic designs for women like herself: stylish, but with a busy life. Her pieces can often effortlessly transition from day to night.
“You hear sometimes in order for a piece to be successful, a woman has to be able to wear it three different ways,” Smilovic said. “So, for us, it’s important that someone could go to the grocery store and then go to the office and then go out to an office party, go out at night and really let their clothing travel with them.”
The Verdict
Girls Night Out is an opportunity for style-loving women in Columbia to get a taste of New York fashion, runway included. Tickets for the event, presented by EdVenture and Coplon’s, can be purchased at EdVentureGNO.com or by phone at 803-400-1152. VIP tickets are $150 and include an exclusive cocktail reception, valet parking, “swag bags” and the opportunity to meet Smilovic. General admission tickets are $75.
Amanda C. Coyne
This story was originally published April 15, 2015 at 11:11 AM with the headline "Be There: EdVenture Girls Night Out with designer Amy Smilovic of Tibi."