On Sept. 12, boutiques and salons across Syracuse will showcase their array of clothing and products at the Syracuse Style Fashion Show. For the ninth year in a row, this event will invite the community to a night filled with locally curated style and glam looks.  

Organizers have been coordinating this community event since July. The goal of the fashion show is not only to connect community members but also small business owners located in the city of Syracuse, said Lisa Butler, the executive director of Syracuse Fashion Week. 

Butler said the show is a form of a “homecoming” where boutique owners, models and customers come together to share ideas and experiences in a lively, communal atmosphere.  

“The inspiration for this show is to really focus on downtown businesses,” Butler said. “We felt that a lot of people do not know of these boutiques downtown and we really want to showcase the unique offerings that they have.” 

Some of the boutiques featured in the event include Showoffs Boutique, The Changing Room, Projex 214, Midnight Sun, New York Optometric, Floridella Boutique, Xavier Optical and Michelle DaRin Jewelry.  

Local salons and stylists, such as Ashley Hansen’s Beauty Nation, Marisa’s Fortress of Beauty, Shanique Lee, Heather Harrington Isabell and Marcela Tobar will be styling the hair and makeup for models. 

“I look forward to a beautiful night where all of the Syracuse downtown boutiques can showcase their fall fashions to the public. There is truly great style in Syracuse,” said Kathie Morris, owner of The Changing Room. 

Butler said the boutiques chose their own local models, some of whom are also customers. She said this year, two local celebrities will be featured as models; Brandon Roth, a WSTM reporter, and Lisa Spitz, an NBC 3 news anchor. The CBS 5 news anchor Michael Benny will also be the emcee of the show as he has done in past years. 

The variety of fashion showcased ranges from fall to formal wear, Morris said. The outfits display a multitude of fashion essentials and statements, Butler said. These outfits include dresses, blouses, glasses and shoes. All items worn by models are available for purchase in their respective boutiques, Butler said.

“It is good to know the trends of the neighborhood you are living in, especially for people who are not from here or out of place. It is also important to support your town’s local businesses,” said Rosa Fidilio, a junior advertising major at Syracuse University.

Hannah Severn, a nail and makeup artist based in Syracuse and owner of GLAM by Hannah Mae, said she worked at Syracuse Fashion Week show last April. There, she did makeup for the models for various designers presented in the show, she said.   

While some fashion designers have a specific look in mind, she said, others gave her creative control and allowed her to add a “twist” in the look. She said one of her favorite makeup designs she did was an intense wing, eyeshadow look. 

While she did the makeup for 10 models, the time rotation between each model and creating different looks each was intense, but an opportunity well-worth taking as the fashion show is a great place to connect with other creative talent in the city, Severn said.  

“It was inspiring to be around other artists and see their work and the way we all worked a little bit differently. It gave me some kind of creative element to work with,” Severn said.  

Feature Editor Diana Riojas contributed reporting to this article.

Published on September 5, 2019 at 12:03 am