A sold-out crowd of hundreds crammed into the Veterans’ Memorial Ballroom, where models flaunted the stylish and bizarre pieces of 20 local designers on Saturday night.
Deluxe, a post-modern retailer in downtown Eugene, sponsored the event, called Deluxe’s District Mode Local Fashion Fanfare.
Deluxe owner and event sponsor Mitra Chester created the fashion extravaganza as an effort to introduce the community to local designers, she said. Chester moved to Eugene nearly four years ago from Austin, Texas, where she also organized shows to promote the city’s fashion scene.
“I’m into fashion wherever I go,” Chester said. “(Fashion) is art.”
Jocelyn Badalich, model and stylist for collections Ladydove and Mine, strutted functional, fashion-forward label Ladydove’s thigh-high red socks and a navy, above-wrist-sleeved hooded tunic.
Ladydove’s pieces had a sailor influence, showing a denim skirt with red buttons and nautical-inspired denim pants.
A bold green-and-orange striped bathing suit with a plunging neckline also brightened the runway. The designer paired the swimwear with a wide brown leather belt and cowboy boots. Aside from cowboy boots, models paired their outfits with spring’s staple shoe trend: patent leather.
Politically inspired Dress to Kill by Laura Lee Laroux featured models donning lace holsters and boustiers and carrying guns and artillery.
Other designers opted for a less-traditional fashion statement – animal costumes. The animals in attendance included a cat, a bear and a dinosaur.
In a far cry from the elite New York fashion scene, where professional models conform to a rail-thin body type, local models appeared uninhibited, giving the audience a clear understanding of how the clothes move on a variety of body shapes.
Eugene artists are bursting into the fashion scene by “connecting with designers from Seattle and Portland to make a Northwest fashion group,” said Badalich.
“We have such a vibrant art movement in Eugene,” she said.
Badalich’s sister Marlis painted live while guests seated before the show.
Brittany Katter, who modeled throughout the event, sees potential in the Eugene fashion community.
“I feel like I know everyone in this room and admire their styles,” Katter said.
Eugene is small enough for fashion designers to collaborate, Katter added.
With Portland’s fashion scene budding, Chester hopes Eugene will follow the City of Roses down the runway. She plans to make the fashion show an annual event at a bigger venue.
“I’m jazzed,” Chester said. “It shows me this town is ripe.”
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