LACED/UNLACED FASHION SHOW. PHOTO COURTESY PITTSBURGH OPERA
A beloved icon of the Pittsburgh fashion scene will be hanging up his hat at the end of March.
Richard Parsakian, owner of Eons Fashion Antique in Shadyside, and a longtime fashion curator for events at Pittsburgh Opera, the Andy Warhol Museum and Metropol nightclub, announced this week that Pittsburgh Opera’s annual fashion show will be his last after 45 years of event work.
The fashion show benefit takes place March 23 at the Bitz Opera Factory in the Strip District. It will be Parsakian’s final time curating, though last hardly means least.
“This show will be the culmination of my dream to bring all art forms and friends who I have worked with over the years together in one interactive evening that gives voice to artists we need to uplift,” he says in a statement. “Each piece in this show has personal meaning to me, and has been chosen for a specific reason.”
He added that attendees should “expect surprises” and concluded with the hashtag #ArtEqualsTruth.
LACED/UNLACED FASHION SHOW. PHOTO COURTESY PITTSBURGH OPERA
This year’s theme is “It’s About Time,” an experience Parsakian calls “fashion theatre.” His styling will showcase vintage couture from the 1890 through the 1990s. According to a Pittsburgh Opera press release, the show will blend movement with dancers, actors and iconic leaders of Pittsburgh’s arts community. Pittsburgh Opera’s award-winning Resident Artists will also perform and walk the runway.
“We’re going out with a bang,” Parsakian says.
Complementing his four decades as a fashion curator, Parsakian’s store also will celebrate its 40th anniversary in July; Eons has long served as a go-to staple for costume designers in film, TV, dance and theatre. Parsakian is also a past curator of the annual Ecolution sustainability fashion gala. In 2024, he served as Grand Marshal of Pittsburgh Pride and he was honored in 2023 by the Three Rivers Business Alliance as LGBTQIA+ Leader of the Year. In 2016, he made his Pittsburgh Opera debut as costume designer for Ricky Ian Gordon’s “27.”
LACED/UNLACED FASHION SHOW. PHOTO COURTESY PITTSBURGH OPERA
Tickets to his final fashion show are available online. General admission (standing room) tickets are $60 and come with a complimentary signature cocktail crafted by event partner Mindful Hospitality Group as well as light bites from Aviva Catering. Student tickets are $15 while VIP tickets, with reserved seating, a gift bag, two drink tickets and other perks, are available for $175. Items on sale at the event and a special jewelry raffle from Diamonds Direct will benefit Pittsburgh Opera.
Cocktails and hors d’oeuvres will be served at 6:30 p.m.; the runway presentation starts at 7:30 p.m. and is followed by drinks and dancing with the models and artists.