Omaha, you've got it.
You have that Vogue vibe, that to-die-for designer dress, that ready-to-wear sensation that once lived only in high-fashion New York boutiques.
There's no need to hop a cross-country flight, honey. Omaha Fashion Week proved that.
Omaha's top designers are making waves. Take Kate Walz, who at age 13 already has created a popular clothing line, “Just Because,” sold at Bellwether Boutique in the Old Market.
Or Michaela Cawley, whose KKINI luxury swimwear was recently featured on actress Lindsay Lohan in the September issue of Maxim magazine.
Or Emma Erickson, who had three designs shown at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts during New York Fashion Week earlier this month.
And then there's Daniel Muņoz, who has been in talks with several Hollywood celebrity stylists interested in a few of his designs — including Lady Gaga's guy.
Talent is here. That was especially evident Saturday evening at the Omaha Fashion Week Runway Finale show outside Nomad Lounge in the Old Market. Insiders say the city's fashion scene is beginning to rival those of Kansas City, Denver and Minneapolis.
The event has grown each year since it started in 2008. It drew twice as many participants and fans in its second year, and though totals aren't in yet, organizers say they were on track to break records again, even before Saturday night's catwalk.
There's a lesson here. When you've got it, flaunt it.
Growing talent
The youngest Omaha Fashion Week designer is (drum roll, please) 13-year-old Kate Walz.
Kate earned a spot in Monday's catwalk lineup. She started designing at age 8 as a member of 4-H.
OFW executive director Nick Hudson couldn't resist helping such talent sprout.
“It's quite amazing,” he said of Kate's collection. “Each year, the talent seems to get younger and younger.”
Speaking of sprouting, Kate's collection uses great floral detailing. She paired delicate tulle (lightweight, very fine netting) with cotton tees, satin skirts and leggings. Her vibrant pieces were playful, energetic and fun.
If you're interested, you can find her clothing line at Bellwether Boutique in the Old Market or visit justbecausebykatewalz.com
Young designers wow
Three high school designers — Claire Landolt, Kaleigh Moynihan and Jane Round — created a buzz with their collections.
Landolt, a 17-year-old Roncalli High School student, wowed the audience last year with her newspaper and brown paper bag skirts and flowing gowns. Claire used duct tape and The World-Herald for a handful of pieces in her runway collection, titled “Itchy.” This year, Landolt proved she was just as creative with fabric. Her inspiration: the Victorian Era.
A roar of cheers erupted from the Monday night audience when Landolt's first model took the stage in an angelic A-line silhouette with princess seams and feather detailing. She sells several ready-to-wear cloth garments at the Bellwether Boutique in the Old Market.
Kaleigh Moynihan, a Duchesne Academy student, aspires to “create something that has never been seen before.” She showed about a dozen slinky dresses and tops during Tuesday's runway show.
Most people at Millard North High School are completely unaware of Jane Round's talent.
The 16-year-old has participated in the last year's Fashion Week festivities and showcased her collection at Fashion in Salvation 2010, an underground charity fashion show.
“Omaha Fashion Week is supportive of young talent,” she said. “Had it not been for them, I don't think I would have had the confidence to show my work.”
Round aims to make women “feel better and confident” in her clothing. She creates “beautiful, feminine pieces that flow with your body type.”
Cosmo is watching
Cosmopolitian magazine fashion marketing director Karen Larrain had some advice for Omaha Fashion Week planners.
Several cities have fashion weeks, she said. Some grow and some don't. She suggests extending an invitation to fashion celebrities, such as New York designer Thakoon Panichgul, a former Omahan who has designed for first lady Michelle Obama.
“I think having a star designer there is your best bet to get a national audience,” Larrain said. “Get a celebrity who's from the area to go back.”
Cosmo, which targets women ages 18 to 26, has a readership of 18 million. Larrain's interest in the Nebraska event was piqued once she heard about the young designers.
“Having a 13-year-old designer show designs is pretty amazing,” she said.
That's the kind of thing Cosmo looks for, Larrain said, “things that are young and sexy. Not too edgy. Obviously that's something for Vogue, Elle or Harper's Bazaar. We write about things that our girls would want to wear.”
Husker fever
Designer Jennifer Pool creates costumes for several theater companies, including Blue Barn and Iowa Western Community College. She's been a costume designer for more than a decade. But her goal is to create and sell unique wearable garments. She eventually would like to open a boutique.
“Everyone wants everyone to succeed,” she said of the Omaha fashion scene. “If one person makes it, we've all made it.”
Unfortunately, Pool, 31, couldn't make Saturday's Runway Finale show. That's right — she didn't see the ruffled gowns and flouncy-neckline blouses she had spent months designing and stitching make their catwalk debut. Why? She made a promise to her sister and couldn't flake out.
Instead, she flew to Seattle to watch the Nebraska Cornhuskers play the Washington Huskies. Her sister bought the football tickets in advance and told her “there's no going back now.” Pool didn't realize that the game and the Fashion Week finale fell on the same day.
“Go Big Red,” she joked.
All in the details
Designer Zara Gonzalez had a bad case of pre-fashion day jitters. She was a ball of emotions — excited, nervous, frantic — Friday night.
It didn't help that garments had to be resized for three of her models.
“They told me they were sizes that they weren't,” she said. “I've been going crazy doing all these last-minute details.”
She steamed her collection of shorts, dresses, jackets and a burgundy wedding gown twice. She made a couple of trips to a local salon to look over hairstyles. She rushed to a retail store to buy pasties for the women. “It's been a hectic day for me,” she said. “But I'm super-excited. I've dreamed of this day for years and it's going to happen.”
Muņoz in the news
Several fashion-world insiders have contacted Omaha designer Daniel Muņoz since he was the subject of a World-Herald story Sept. 11. Model Samantha Gradoville messaged him on Facebook that he should reconsider his move to Los Angeles. She'd like to see him in New York City.
Muņoz, 29, has been in contact with someone from Thakoon Panichgul's camp and been in touch with Oscar “Olima” Atelier, Gaga's stylist, who asked him to submit a few illustrations.
“Every day leading to Omaha Fashion Week has been intense,” Muņoz said.
His designs —1960s nostalgic glam with a nautical feel — closed Saturday night's Runway Finale show. The collection is titled “Esperanza,” which is Spanish for “Hope.”
“I'm hopeful for the future,” he said. “I chose the '60s because so many people were hopeful. That was an era when fashion reinvented itself.”
Muņoz worked late into the night Friday to add finishing touches to his gowns, including his grand finale — a chic Christian Dior-esque one-shoulder dress.
He described the catwalk as “a coming out party.”
“Every day I get closer to my dreams.”
Contact the writer:
444-1075, j.loza@owh.com
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