Compass Arena crams in the fashion and the fans of Josef Statkus

Fans of designer Josef Statkus crammed into the Compass Arena, 625 Joliet Road in Willowbrook, Illinois on April 15, 2023, for a lesson in fashion.

Lithuanian-born style creator Juozas Statkevicius, also known as Josef Statkus, has been featured in Vogue and Elle, among many other publications over the years.

His career has garnered him support and attention which was clearly shown by attendees who sat on the runway and up on the risers to catch a glimpse of his inventions.

Statkus focused on a clean form most of the time but ventured off occasionally to honor the silhouette of his homeland with countryside inspiration. His sleek dresses were often accompanied by head adornments ranging from paint palettes to feathers.

The talented European's fragrance line Amber was launched in 2004 and is limited to women. This limitation was also on display with the 45 female-identifying models walking in the show that night. Where were the men?

Massive video screens in the venue projected numerous past works of Statkus with males strutting his clothing. The majority of ticket holders were female at the Compass Arena that night and the Baltic-born designer could have capitalized on the male market more.

He excelled at a mix of fabrics and had plenty of room to spread out his long trains of material for several of his creations. At the end, he worked the room by walking the runway accompanied by models.

A fabulous after-party followed to celebrate a collection worthy of attention in Willowbrook.