March 2008 Saint Louis Fashion Week Schedule
March 25-30 events create showcase for top international designers to reach their Midwest customers and launching pad for local up-and-coming designers.
Rachel Pally, Black Halo and Yana K, designers whose frocks can often be seen on celebs like Drew Barrymore, Gabrielle Union, Jennifer Lopez and the runways of L.A. Fashion Week, are just three of the top designers formally announced to come to St. Louis to launch their Fall 2008 Collections during BORBA Skin Balance Water and Budweiser Select's Spring 2008 Saint Louis Fashion Week. BORBA Skin Balance Water, a delicious enhanced water that helps promote healthy skin from within, and Budweiser Select, a premium American-style light lager, are two Anheuser-busch products that are enjoyed by stylish, contemporary adults, and a perfect fit for an event celebrating fashion, luxury and trendsetting. The exciting news was broken early this morning at City Hall by St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay alongside spokespersons from major Saint Louis Fashion Week corporate sponsors and partners, including Anheuser-busch, ALIVE Magazine, Washington University, Lumire Place Casino and Hotels, Macy's, Lori Coulter Swimwear, Centro Models, West Model Management, Mother Model Management, NEXT Models and Solique Models. The runway shows will occur over six days at the new Lumire Place Casino & Hotels.
"Saint
Louis
Fashion
Week has
become
an
amazing
community
partnership
between
some of
St.
Louis
most
prominent
corporations,
cultural
institutions
and
visionary
leaders,"
said Attilio
DAgostino,
Executive
Producer
of Saint
Louis
Fashion
Week and
Editor-in-chief
of ALIVE
Magazine.
"It's a
remarkable
collaboration
of over
40 St.
Louis-based
businesses from
boutiques,
modeling
agencies
and
creative
firms to
restaurants
and
nightlife
hotspots
coming
together
to
create a
destination
for the
world's
top
designers
to touch
their
Midwest
fans and
customers,
and a
showcase
for the
best
up-and-coming
designers
to
launch
their
careers."
Also
announced
at the
press
conference
was
Budweiser
Select's
"Fabulosity"
Saint
Louis
Fashion
Week
Launch
Party
with
Kimora
Lee
Simmons
on
Saturday,
March
15th at
Lumen.
The
global
fashion
icon and
reality
TV star
-- along
with
camera
crews
from her
hit TV
show
"Life in
the Fab
Lane" --
will
arrive
in St.
Louis on
March
14th to
participate
in a
series
of
events
honoring
her
success
as Saint
Louis
most
celebrated
fashion
star and
launching
Saint
Louis
Fashion
Week.
During
her
stay,
Simmons
will be
making a
stop at
Washington
University,
where
she will
receive
the
prestigious
Susan
Sanders
Silver
Ripper
Award
for
fashion
design
from The
Sam Fox
School
of
Design &
Visual
Arts.
Kimora
will
also
announce
a
financial
aid
scholarship
in her
name in
partnership
with
Anheuser-busch.
Afterwards,
she is
scheduled
to make
a public
appearance
at
Macy's
St.
Louis
Galleria
to sign
autographs
and
collect
toys for
charity
in
celebration
of the "Fabulosity
of
Giving."
Runway shows for Saint Louis Fashion Week will begin with "Pure" on Wednesday, March 26, where Rachel Pally, the nationally acclaimed L.A. designer, whose vibrant signature designs have been spotted on such celebrities as Madonna, Kate Hudson, Nicole Richie, Beyonce and Sarah Jessica Parker, will host the evening and reveal her much anticipated Fall 2008 collection. Two more of fashion's brightest young designers, Laurel Berman of Black Halo (famous for dressing celebs like Mandy Moore, Kelly Ripa and Becki Newton each week on ABC's "Ugly Betty"), and Shay Wilson of Kinetix, will also be in attendance at Pure to show their Fall collections.
At "Emerge," on Thursday, March 27th, top designers Yana K and Amahlia Stevens of Vitamin A Swimwear will headline the show. Star L.A. Fashion Week designer, Yana K, is a favorite of celebs Kelis and Kim Kardashian, while celebrity swimwear designer Amahlia Stevens of Vitamin A counts Kate Moss, Gisele Bundchen and Jennifer Aniston among her fans. Opening the evening, Victor Hugo de Leon of Niformis and Roberto da Carrara suits, and Joseph Kadi of Joseph's Cloak will be premiere their latest menswear designs, followed by nine of the hottest new names in women's fashion, including Tiffany Alana, Sohung Designs, Zeto, Katie Kantley, Phyl Couture, Miacro Design, English Clientele, Karina and Lyndsy Walker.
At Glow, on Friday, March 28, Macy's will present their latest trends for Spring, featuring their signature INC Collection, followed by an exclusive preview of St. Louis-based designer Lori Coulter's Spring 2008 swimwear collection. Glow will be hosted by international runway supermodels Catherine McNeil and Karlie Kloss. McNeil and St. Louis native Kloss will be joined by President of NEXT Models, Joel Wilkenfeld, and Jeff and Mary Clarke of St. Louis-based Mother Model Management.
On
Sunday,
March
30,
Washington
University's
Fashion
Design
Program
will
have its
senior
student
show on
the
Fashion
Week
runway
in five
segments:
ball
gowns,
suits,
day
dresses,
tailored
coats
and
evening
dresses.
Washington
University
has been
the
starting
point
for a
number
of the
fashion
industry's
top
professionals
and its
students
have
gone on
to work
for such
fashion
houses
as
Christian
Dior,
Calvin
Klein
and
Ralph
Lauren.
The show
will
also be
held at
the hub
of Saint
Louis
Fashion
Week,
Lumi
re
Place
Casino &
Hotels.
2008 will mark the first-ever Fashion Week for the spring season. "We have such an incredible line up of talented designers and supportive partners this year. It is an honor to be a part of this event and to welcome back Fashion Week this spring," said D'Agostino. "Last fall, we received such an overwhelmingly positive response not just from the local fashion scene, but from industry leaders all over the nation. We look forward to growing Saint Louis Fashion Week into a monumental tradition that this city, and the entire nation, looks forward to."
Over a dozen parties have been scheduled to take place every day of Fashion Week both before and after the shows at local hotspots, as well as exclusive VIP pre-parties for celebrities, designers and their guests. In addition, the Fashion Week team has arranged for the return of the city-wide St. Louis Shopping Event on March 29, where shoppers will get special Fashion Week discounts on the items and trends that they have seen on the runway. Fashion enthusiasts, local boutiques and downtown businesses are already gearing up for the influx of out-of-towners and the full week of glamour, fashion shows and star-studded after-parties.
August of 2007 marked a ground-breaking first season for Saint Louis Fashion Week. For five nights, the city welcomed hundreds of out-of-towners and St. Louis residents, as fashion enthusiasts flocked to runway shows and after-parties to get a glimpse of the hot new trends, top designers, models and entertainers.
Budweiser Select and BORBA Skin Balance Water, a premium, enhanced water with botanicals, antioxidants and vitamins designed to provide distinct skin-care benefits, are the presenting sponsors of Spring 2008 Saint Louis Fashion Week.
Nest, a local nonprofit organization dedicated to changing the lives of women artists and artisans in developing countries by helping them create sustainable entrepreneurial businesses through micro-credit loans, is this year's charity partner. Throughout the weeks leading up to Fashion Week, partners and sponsors of Fashion Week will be participating in fundraising efforts for which proceeds will benefit the charity.
Presenting sponsors Budweiser Select and BORBA Skin Balance Water are joined by Macy's, Lumiere Place Casino & Hotels, ALIVE Magazine St. Louis, Washington University in St. Louis, State Beauty Supply, Bronx-diba, MAC Cosmetics, Redken, Lori Coulter Swimwear, Lordo's, Mercedes-benz of Progress Point, Arcturis, Power Couple and St. Louis Cosmetic Surgery.
Event partners include; 963 Collective, Centro Models, Charter On Demand, CheresseInk, Contemporary Art Museum, Contemporary Productions, The Fountain Studio, FOX2, Lucky You, Mother Model Management, NEXT Models, Rock Uniform, Solique Models, STL TV, Synergy Productions LLC, Twist, West Model & Talent Management and charitable partner Nest. Each of these sponsors will be providing a wide array of talent, services and amenities to make Saint Louis Fashion Week 2008 possible.
For more information on Saint Louis Fashion Week 2008, or for press and industry registration, please visit us online at www.saintlouisfashionweek.com