Brandi Shigley is a force of nature. When she walks into a room, you can actually feel the atmospheric pressure change. She is a tornado of different fashion projects; on top of her small-business marketing company, B-23 Productions, and her local designer network, Fashion Denver, she is also a part of Fabricate, Denver’s newest magazine that caters only to local fashion and is set to launch in October.
As of this second, all of Shigley’s attention is going to Heatwave, Fashion Denver’s summer designer market, which is happening from noon to 7 p.m. on Sunday, July 22, at Cervantes’ Masterpiece Ballroom. With all of this going on, it’s no time to slack on the style. “I’ve come to realize that my personal style is part of Fashion Denver’s brand.” Shigley says.
So looking good is a business expense. Genius.
Today Shigley is red hot in a dress from Rainbow. “I call the stuff I get at Rainbow ghetto fabulous because it is so cheap but it looks so good,” she says. “I get so many compliments on this dress, and it was only $12.”
Shigley is also all about bargain shopping, with an eye toward “fancy skirts that spin.” She then sparks it up with accessories like her necklace from local designer Amy Kahn, red-feather earrings from Fancy Tiger, her vintage red Schwinn, a wristband and vegan-leather bag from Equillibrium. “The handbag is my favorite accessory,” she emphasizes, which shouldn’t be a surprise since designing handbags is how she began her fledgling empire.
So what does one wear to Heatwave, an event where what you’re wearing is only half as fun as what you’re buying? “I suggest people wear their favorite outfits that represent their style. Fashion Denver is about the style we've got here in our backyard, so let it out!” Shigley says.
