MINNEAPOLIMEDIA NEWS | Fashionopolis Runway Report Documents Minnesota Style Against Mia’s Paris Couture Backdrop

Newly published photographs and clothing credits show how the October 23 production brought contemporary retail, vintage fashion and local design into the museum.

MINNEAPOLIS, MN (October 29, 2026). Mpls.St.Paul Magazine has published its post-event account of Fashionopolis 2026, documenting a runway production at the Minneapolis Institute of Art that connected contemporary Minnesota fashion with the museum’s international couture exhibition.

The October 28 report by Madeline Nachbar and Jayne Haugen Olson confirms that “L’Étoile du Nord: A Fashionopolis Experience” used Mia’s Jade Corridor as its runway setting. The organizer’s account describes a progression through fall clothing, tailoring, evening looks, vintage pieces and original local designs.

A runway with identifiable clothing credits

The published “L’Automne” segment contains 16 looks styled by Grant Whittaker, drawing from retailers including Banana Republic, Boss, J.Crew, Macy’s and Nordstrom.

A separate tailoring presentation includes clothing and accessories credited to Twin Cities businesses such as Atelier957, Bumbershute, Fashion Avenue, MartinPatrick3 and Opitz. The accompanying captions identify individual garments and, in many cases, their listed prices.

Photography credited to Madeline Elli provides a visual record of the production. Readers can examine those images and clothing credits in the magazine’s Fashionopolis gallery.

The report does not provide a verified attendance total. It also does not establish a best-dressed winner.

The exhibition behind the setting

Mia’s “Paris Couture” exhibition supplies the historical context for the event’s museum setting. It features more than 80 haute couture works from the Palais Galliera, the Paris Fashion Museum, spanning the late 19th century to contemporary design.

Among the museum’s identified highlights are Elsa Schiaparelli’s embroidered pink evening cape from 1938, Christian Dior’s embellished “Palmyre” dress from 1952 and a sculptural Cristóbal Balenciaga ensemble from 1967.

The exhibition continues in Mia’s Target Galleries through January 17, 2027. Its listed general-admission price is $20, distinct from the museum’s free general collection admission.

For people who missed Fashionopolis, the exhibition remains an opportunity to examine the construction, textiles and design traditions that informed the runway event. Mia is at 2400 Third Avenue South; exhibition information is available through the museum.

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