Events

Fashion Week KC features area designers, boutiques

WRITTEN BY JESSICA MARSHALL

TUESDAY, 12 MAY 2009 23:00

A fashionable crowd gathered May 8-10 at the Hyatt Regency Crown Center Exhibition Hall to see the latest styles at Kansas City's first Fashion Week event. The three-day fashion show festival featured more than a dozen shows from area designers and boutiques, as well as national designers and retailers.

Models from Elite Modeling Agency strutted down two runways wearing designs from Ambiance, Bella B's, Betsey Johnson, BMDesigns, Borris Powell, Ed Hardy, 8344 Couture, Ema Savahi Couture, GEGI Designs, Gennaio Boutique, Gorgeous Killah, Hemline, Joscelyn Himes, Jovana Mirabile, Junky Munky, Laura Kathleen, Melissa Birdsong, Melissa Orth, Mitzy London, Sagii by Reggie Banks, Serpico, SwimQuick, Tomboy and Victoria's Secret.

Dresses dominated the shows, from gowns to sundresses and cocktail minis to cover-ups, many accented with ruffles, crystals, feathers and belts. The audience applauded urban and street wear collections, as well as sexy lingerie and swimwear lines. A Johnson County Community College designers showcase on Saturday afternoon featured Anashi Swimwear, Black Lotus Designs, Rashidas 75, Sophia Cox and Lisa Demaree. Cox said she felt honored to participate in the event. She said Fashion Week brings validity to the fashion culture and industry in the Kansas City metro area. "It's really exciting," Cox said. "Most people don't realize that this is such a budding fashion industry. Fashion is such a big deal here. It's just starting to explode and get bigger." Cox said including local designers helped make the shows better.

"I love the boutiques and they're wonderful, but the pieces that we are hand making are one of kind," she said. "You're seeing new things up there. I've even sold some pieces. I think it brings in a different crowd and gets people more involved."

During two shows, models escorted dogs available for adoption from Pet Connection, a pet adoption and obedience center located in Mission. The animals donned ensembles with matching leashes from Cassie Couture's collection. The Unreal Housewives of Kansas City, whose webisodes are available for viewing at www.sunpublications.com, served as celebrity hosts Friday night.

Saturday night featured a surprise performance from Martha Wash, former member of The Weather Girls and lead voice of C+C Music Factory, who performed several hits including "Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)," "Strike It Up" and "It's Raining Men." Glance Magazine hosted the event, which benefits Hope House, a nonprofit agency providing safe refuge and supportive services to educate and empower domestic violence victims and their children. Glance, a nationwide entertainment magazine that will launch in June, selected Kansas City to host its first semi-annual Fashion Week.

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