PLNU students had the opportunity to walk the red carpet Friday night at the Annual Fashion Show in Liberty Station’s conference center with about 250 people in attendance.
It was a black tie affair: high heels, suspenders and crisp collars abounded. Selfies were being taken left and right as everyone was dressed for the occasion. The hard-work of the stylists and designers graced the stage, while dapper onlookers gawked at the models strutting down the runway.
There was a wide range of styles seen on the catwalk. From the 1970’s flower power of designer junior Marissa Hernandez to the classy linen suits of men’s wear stylist freshman Keet Veylupek to the beautiful Ring-by-Spring season wedding gowns of senior designer Jenora Cadieux.
Sophomore stylists Everett Lewis and Ross Nederhoff took it back to the 1990’s with an all-black leather look with a pop a red lipstick, modeled by senior Nikki Holguin. Sophomore Taylor Balding, inspired by Prada, rocked the black and white theme, which including a floor-length velvet robe.
Loma Apparel, known for its signature upside down “A,” showed the casual Loma vibe through its unique designs featuring printed pocket T-shirts. The prints included owls, puppies, watermelon, flowers and cheetah print designed by senior Carter Rhoad.
Trending long dresses that flowed down the runway paired with floral crowns grabbed the attention of onlookers, like the delicate designs of Tara Edwards.
“I think [the fashion show] went great. I am so proud of all the designers and models; they did an amazing job this year,” said junior Elsa Zelada, ASB Coordinator of arts and cultural events.
Zelada and Kristi South have been planning this event since the beginning of the semester.
“It is probably the best turn out, designers wise, we’ve had,” said Kristi South, ASB Director of Activities, who was an ASB Coordinator last year. “It was really cool to see all of the designers go full-throttle on all their designs. We are very proud.”
Each designer pulled inspiration from different areas to create their looks. Stylist Elle Merrill was influenced by Hawaii with casual clothes donated by The Rock Thrift Store while stylist Emily Sauer was also influenced by thrift shopping for vintage styles.
“My inspiration of my line came from thrifting and my love for vintage styles,” Sauer said. “Last year, [my line] was very boring and formal. This year, I got to use vintage fabric and trims; I added that ‘whimsy’ to it, so it was such a breath of fresh air.”
The sophomore Fashion Merchandising and Design major said that her biggest challenge for this event was taking on multiple roles because in addition to designing her line, she also styled the CT3 Bowties models as well.
“In the end, it was rewarding to be able to go on stage twice,” Sauer said.
Sophomore Jade Goodwin was a model in two of the shows Friday evening, Sauer’s show and designer Jana Russick’s 50’s inspired show.
“Last year it was so short, but this year it was so exciting to see so many people backstage,” Goodwin said. “Everyone looked great and everyone pulled it off.”
Goodwin’s love for fashion started in middle school and she says that her love for modeling overlaps with her love for fashion perfectly.
After the fashion show, there was supposed to be a dance, but it was cut short due to crowd surfing and over-crowding of the stage.
“Some listen, some don’t, and some have to push it to the limit. Tonight we decided that we weren’t going to reach that limit,” PLNU security guard Rick Rodgers said. “It was inevitable that someone was going to get hurt. It was a safety issue.”
Despite this lackluster ending, the fashion show was a great opportunity for clothing designer hopefuls to showcase their pieces.
Nick Hancock 
Steve Anderson 
Grace Chaves