Chicago Fashion Foundation

A City Within A City

On Thursday April 2nd, Isabelle and I attended the 8th Annual Chicago Fashion Foundation Fashion Show at the Chicago Cultural Center. The non-profit organization raises scholarship money for fashion design students in the Chicago area, and top designers compete for the scholarships by showcasing their designs at the annual show. The winner of the 2015  design competition and a $5,000 scholarship was Stephany Muoz, and the business scholarship went to Tessa Bullen. All the designs presented by the students were amazing and the wins were well-deserved. Here are each of our looks for the show:

We both chose classic little black dresses and heels, but styled and accessorized our looks to fit our own styles. Isabelle wore a light tan trenchcoat over her backless black dress from American Apparel and added simple gold accessories like her earrings and chain bracelet. Her open-toed shoes tie the touches of tan and beige together to complete the look.

I chose a simple black dress and focused the attention on my elaborate bohemian statement necklace from Belmont Army. I added a stark white blazer for contrast and structure against the flowy cut of the dress. My outfit was completed with black strappy heels and a small vintage Kate Spade purse.

The event also had collections from top Chicago designers Mark Roscoe, Daniel George, Gabrielle Zwick, and Gidi. All of the collections were beautiful, but Gidi had the best wearable looks and Mark Roscoe had the best elegant gowns in my opinion. I was jealous of the models who got the luxury of wearing such gorgeous creations. Gabrielle Zwick also had a swimsuit line of unique strappy one and two-piece suits. The collection was a perfect way to welcome the warm weather!

Gidi:

 Gabrielle Zwick:

Other collections that were showcased were from alumni designers including Elena Bobysheva (www.elenabobysheva.com), LaTonya Williams of Elizabeth Smith Fashions (www.esfashions.com), and Robert Noia of Columbia College. Below is a glimpse of Robert Noia’s collection.

The panel of celebrity judges included handbag designer Diego Rocha, TV personality Rachelle McCray, VP of media relations at Macy’s Andrea Schwartz, fashion blogger Diala Joseph, philanthropist and entrepreneur Frances Renk, and fashion stylist and blogger Souk Supantavong. There was also a special appearance from Alexander Knox, the winner of the CFF Design Competition in 2014, who was also a contestant on Season 13 of Project Runway. Overall, it was a fun girl’s night out downtown filled with fashion. Everyone should check it out for next year’s event! Now I can’t wait for my future PR life of “parties and running around in heels.” For more information on the organization go to www.chicagofashionfoundation.org

-Allison