On Thursday, Sept. 24, I attended the first leg of the Emerging Designers Fashion show for Park Avenue Fashion Week, which will premiere in full on Oct. 17. The fashion show featured ten designers chosen from a pool of entries across the state, and each designer had the chance to showcase a three-piece collection. At the end of the night, five out of ten designers were announced as finalists in the Emerging Designer competition, which meant an unconventional design challenge and a final runway show in October for the advancing half.
The event was hosted at a local residence about two blocks away from the Rollins campus. The designers and their models had their hair and makeup done at the Gary Lambert Salon, a local salon located on South Park Avenue. Once hair and makeup were complete, the designers brought over their models and innovative creations to the venue. There they were greeted with catering from a local restaurant and a luxurious staging area throughout the interior of the beautiful house where the show was held.
I had a chance to speak with several of the designers and models, though the designer I spoke to the most happened to be my own mother, who was suffering from a severe case of nerves as the show grew closer.
She was not the only one with stage fright, though. Even one of the designers who won in the end, Raul Castillo, was extremely anxious right before the start of the show. All of the nerves of the models and the designers soon wore off as the final preparations were made.
As soon as the first model stepped onto the runway, it became clear that there was no cause for worry. Every model was elegant and poised, and every design had its own unique flare, accounting for dozens of “wow moments” throughout the course of the show.
One designer featured beautiful flapper-era gowns; another drew inspiration from ancient Egypt, and one piece was inspired by anime cosplay. One designer focused on creating fierce and sexy garments, which contrasted from a different designer that showcased fresh, flowing, cute-and-comfy wear. Some designers focused on manipulating fabric in new, sharp, and imaginative ways, while others focused on the minute details of construction, adding beading, lace, embroidery, and even bedazzling.
All in all, the entire show was a success, and I cannot wait to see the final round of the Emerging Designers competition, not to mention the rest of the wonderful Park Avenue Fashion Week. To anyone with an interest in clothes, beauty, fashion, and art, I highly recommend attending the local show in October, and make sure to take the time to check out the final round of the Emerging Designers show.
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