The Native Lounge was illuminated with flashing lights as models draped in the latest local fashion designs strutted down the runway Friday night. The first show of Central Coast Fashion Week’s month-and-a-half-long fashion event titled Haute Couture featured collections from local designers Nancy Westerfield and Melanie Renee.
Haute Couture, comprised of six shows scheduled over the next five weeks, features a mass of local talent — from designers to boutiques to hair and makeup. This is the second large-scale fashion event held in San Luis Obispo, following the fall 2008 debut event, Fashion Sessions, also held at Native Lounge.
Johnny Kenny, promotional director at Native and founder of Central Coast Fashion Week, came up with the concept for fashion events in San Luis Obispo after spending nine years in New York. After taking a break after Fashion Sessions in 2008, he said he felt it was time to do it again, and his business Central Coast Fashion Week was born.
“My whole concept with Central Coast Fashion Week is to use it as a platform to expose designers who have never shown and are new to the fashion world,” Kenny said.
The two-month-old company has marketed the event to a broad range of fashion-lovers, rather than solely focusing on the usual party-goers. Business administration senior Jillian Bove acquired the position of marketing director for the event as part of her senior project. Bove said she’s been using multiple types of advertising that she’s studied in classes, such as print media, social networking and public relations.
“One of the biggest methods of advertising that we’ve done has been print advertising. It works really well for Native’s events in the past, and that’s definitely something that we utilized,” Bove said.
Having a first-hand look at the newly emerging art and fashion wave in the Central Coast, Bove said San Luis Obispo’s fashion scene is in a state of transition.
“It’s an old mission town and it has that feel of a small town, but the consumer — the residents that live (in San Luis Obispo) — their ideas are changing and evolving, and I think it’s important that we listen to the consumer and listen to their needs, and I think people are getting more into fashion,” Bove said.
Aside from collaborating with Bove, Kenny has also teamed with filmmaker Robin Chilton to produce a short film documenting the six-week event. Kenny said he wanted to emphasize a behind-the-scenes angle.
“It’s not like a party video — it’s a real artsy vintage feel,” Kenny said. “And they’re shooting everything from the casting process to where the girl fills out her model form, and seeing her hand shake when she hands it in. It’s that kind of drama.”
Kenny and Chilton met when the two shared an office building. Chilton said he’d always had an interest in what Kenny was doing.
“He and I got to talking about it, and I was looking for a fun, creative project to do in my independent free time, and he was looking for someone to document the event. So we’re getting together to benefit both of us, really,” Chilton said.
For the documentary, Chilton will be employing a challenging filmmaking technique as well as using cinema-based camera technology.
“For a long time, not even really knowing it, we’ve been kind of implementing a kind of style called cinéma vérité, which is basically unadulterated reality. It’s a type of filmmaking that nobody acknowledges the camera,” Chilton said. “I don’t tell anybody to do anything. They do whatever they do, they may be whoever they are, and we collect it. And eventually, you get something special.”
The shows should prove to be full of anticipatory drama. Nineteen-year-old designer Nancy Westerfield premiered her first collection of 20 dresses — which she constructed in 10 days. The Cuesta student said she’d been scrambling to perfect her vintage cocktail looks.
“I can’t really say I know a whole lot of 19-year-olds who busted out of high school, started a business within the first six months of being out of high school, then had a runway show,” Westerfield said. “It feels freakin’ amazing. It’s cool to have people that are supportive of the youngsters showcasing.”
Westerfield met Kenny through a modeling casting and mentioned that she was a designer. Kenny said she was a perfect fit for the showcase.
“She showed me three pictures of her dresses, and I was like, ‘That’s amazing.’ That’s what we want — we want a young up-and-coming designer who doesn’t have any exposure. Imagine showing Coco Chanel before anyone knew her. I don’t know, I mean Nancy in five years could be the hit it person of the fashion world, you know?” Kenny said.
Post show, Westerfield said she was exhausted, and at one point didn’t think she could make it through the final day of preparation.
“I haven’t slept longer than 15 minutes in three days. I’ve consumed six 5 Hour Energy drinks. And at one point I was so concerned that I wasn’t going to be able to do the show, so I went to bed for 15 minutes, and it felt like the longest 15 minutes of my life — it was so hectic,” Westerfield said.
The young entrepreneur said she’s excited to be a part of the bigger picture of the fashion movement on the Central Coast.
“We’re breaking new ground. Hopefully it’s going to stir up a fire that doesn’t ever burn out in San Luis Obispo,” Westerfield said. “With any luck, this will be one of the bigger things that bring back a little bit of love and little bit of art back to the area.”
Also showing was established local designer Melanie Renee, whose fashions have been featured in Girl Next Door Bridget Marquardt’s show, “Bridget’s Sexiest Beaches.” Representing Renee was her production manager McKinley Gorton. Gorton said Renee’s second collection embodies fun and glamour.
“It’s about being flirty, showing off your legs, showing off your best assets, just being a girl and loving it. Whether you’re a size 2 and 5-foot-9 or size 10 and 5 feet tall, it looks wonderful on you and it makes everybody feel beautiful,” Gorton said.
For the span of Haute Couture and the future of Central Coast Fashion Week, Kenny said he hopes to not only bring a glamorous event to San Luis Obispo that one would experience in Los Angeles or New York, but to also emphasize the new designs.
“We want these designers not just to have a show and have a party — we want people to see the clothes for what they are,” Kenny said. “So if we can achieve that goal of making the clothes the star, that’s what we’re really ultimately going for.”
The next five shows will be held on May 14, 21 and 29, and June 4 and 10 at Native Lounge and will each feature fashions from a local designer and boutique. Tickets will be $10 for general admission and $15 for runway seating. Doors open at 9 p.m. with shows starting at 10 p.m. Attendants must be 21 or older.