Missouri Style Week highlights fashion in Midwest

Once again, Missouri Style Week will take St. Louis by storm — this year at Westport Plaza.

And co-founders Kristy Lee and Cillah Hall, have taken the event a step further with opening day taking place in Columbia, Mo.

“We wanted to open up the event and give more people, more models, more designers the opportunity to showcase themselves, their designs, and experience the re-emerging fashion industry that exists in St. Louis and throughout the state and Midwestern region,” said Hall, who is executive producer and also the publisher and editor-in-chief of Gazelle STL and Gazelle West magazines and founder of Xanadu Public Relations.

Lee, a fashion designer and St. Louis Art Institute fashion merchandising professor, joined forces with Hall to form Missouri Style Week as a way to reach the masses.

“Missouri Style Week is very strong in community and culture and offers everyone in the community an opportunity to experience the magic that a collaborative effort of nearly 100 participants from different ethnicities and backgrounds can produce,” Hall said.

This year’s event will begin Wednesday, Aug. 26, at the Plaza Event Center at Parkade in Columbia, then continue Friday, Aug. 28 and Saturday, Aug. 29, at Westport in St. Louis when designers, models, celebrities, fashion mogels, vendors and fashionistas converge for a total of three exciting days of fashion in all its forms – “bringing a little of New York to the area,” Hall said.

Celebrity guests include Emmy Award-nominated costume designer Rita McGhee, who “dresses” the cast on the new hit series “Empire,” and will be the emcee Saturday evening, and international designer Jaer Caban, who has styled a number of celebrities like Nelly Furtado for various award ceremonies.

Additional designers and brands participating in Missouri Style Week include Richard Cotto of St. Louis; Rachel Frank (Rachel Frank Designs) of Madison, Wisc.; Tiffany Rae of St. Robert, Mo.; Eddie Guerrero of Venezuela and Puerto Rico; Abaya Dake of Chicago; RFD by Rachel Frank — Milwaukee, Wisc.; Felia Davenport — St. Louis; Emily Horner and Kara Henry, both of Columbia, Mo.; Nasheli Juliana, Alexis Cook, Kristen Kempton and Shermonda Green, all from St. Louis; Aaron Conway and Dillan Watson, both of Springfield, Mo.; Barbara Bultman of St. Louis; Kechena Richardson of Kansas City, Mo.; and, Muse Clothing and Swank Boutique — both of Columbia, Mo.

“At the core of Missouri Style Week, we are here to support Missouri designers,” Hall said. “We have many international and celebrity designers as well, who are great motivators for local designers who work alongside them. It’s exciting for everyone.”

Missouri Style Week also serves as a platform for creative designers to explore fashion not only as a commodity, but as an art form. It brings together people from the fashion and arts communities and offers an affordable alternative to expensive events like New York Fashion Week, which also requires long-distance travel. From contemporary fashion to street wear, to experimental ideas and avant-garde collections, Missouri Style Week features shows by emerging and established designers.

Each evening offers a separate experience with a different designer list.

This year, for the first time, Missouri Style Week is presenting its first annual Designer Challenge, sponsored by Bates & Associates Architects. The challenge offers designers across the region an opportunity to share their vision and creativity by creating a look using fabric or non-fabric material that will be worn by a runway model at the design challenge showcase on Saturday night. The look must be inspired by a local, regional, national or global landmark of the designer’s choice.

From 6 to 7:45 p.m. all three nights feature a bustling “Style Marketplace” with shopping, red carpet, music and entertainment, and complimentary hors d’oeuvres. At least 20 marketplace vendors will offer a range of stylish designs, featuring clothing, handbags, jewelry and other accessories.

From 8 to 9 p.m. every night is the performing arts opening and runway show with several seasoned designers, as well as a number of emerging designers from university partners like St. Louis area’s Lindenwood University, Stephens College in Columbia, Mo., Missouri State University in Springfield, and University of Missouri – St. Louis.

Missouri Style Week is produced by the Gazelle STL and Gazelle West magazines team. Visit www.gazellestl.com for more information.Read more at:prom dresses 2015