NWA Fashion Week '18 has 4 full fantastic nights

Northwest Arkansas Fashion Week -- which recently bumped up its game to two events per year, rather than just one -- announces its spring week, March 28-31. This incarnation will feature a highlight of boutique fashions one night; a showing of designers' creations the other two nights. All shows will take place at Record in downtown Bentonville.​​

The schedule:

• March 28: Shopping Night Out in downtown Bentonville, with Lola, Denim & Essentials, Hello Luvvy, Nancy Martin and other boutiques open from 5-7 p.m. Cocktails, head shots, music "and a few surprises" are planned at various locations.

• March 29: Boutique Night, with runway models displaying "the freshest ... trends and hottest ready-to-wear items for Spring/Summer 2018." Participating boutiques include Hubbard Clothing Co., Lola, Denim & Essentials, Hello Luvvy, Indie, Ensemble of Elan, Maude and Ropa. Tickets are $40-$100.

• March 30: the first Designer Showcase, featuring returning favorites Love, Zelda; Rosie Rose; Aimz; Felix Bui and Ashley Little of Material Concepts, who is launching a new line called Ellen Elaine. New to the runway will be Little Rock-based Regal Radiance; Gina Gallina, an all knit-wear collection; and Project Runway alumna Korto Momolu.

• March 31: Designer Showcase No. 2, which will feature Northwest Arkansas Fashion Week Fall 2017 Designer Incubator Award winner Richard Cotto, returning with his new brand R-Gene. New additions to the runway include Eric Jones' line of footwear, Like Father Like Son, partnered with Lola and Denim & Essentials for his runway showcase. Also on tap: the debut runway show from Fayetteville-based brand Lauren James. Other lines to be shown: Ink Jnk, Richie Clark, G by Gavin, R-Gene and A'Lyece Lenae.

Doors open at 6:30 p.m., with shows beginning at 7:30 each night. Tickets for each night are $40-$100. Visit nwafw.com.

Designers Choice

Meanwhile, in Little Rock, actor Larenz Tate -- yes, he of the movies Girls Trip, Why Do Fools Fall in Love, Ray and Love Jones, will be the celebrity host for Designers Choice Fashion Preview 11 -- "a night of fashion, music and philanthropy" April 7 at the Metroplex. The VIP experience begins with a 6:30 p.m. reception that includes a meet-and-greet with hosts, heavy hors d'oeuvres, bar and swag bags. Doors open for red-carpet general admission at 7; the show begins at 7:30.

Donna Terrell will be the local co-host for a show with celebrity designer Korto Momolu and fellow designers Amanda Morley, Bruce Davis, Bryant Phelan, Chelita McDuffie, Donna Brown, Marcus Lewis, Markia Herron, Ruby Moore and Sofia Caballero. Featured musicians and vocalists are the Rodney Block Collective; Levelle Davison (The Voice), Bijoux; Tawanna Campell and Genine Perez.

Tickets are $40 general admission; $75 VIP, and can be obtained at dcfp11.eventbrite.com. All proceeds will benefit the Timmons Arts Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting and highlighting the importance of the arts in the community.

Passion for Fashion

The next day, the Horace Mann Transitional Class of 1972 will have its Passion for Fashion Style Show, 5-7 p.m. April 8 at the CareLink Fitness & Wellness Center, 1200 Cleveland St. in Little Rock. Fashions from the Blackberry Molasses boutique will be featured, as well as personal fashions. A finale will reflect a Black Panther movie theme. Refreshments and libations will be served. Tickets, $20, can be obtained from Brenda Gilbert, (770) 977-2227. Proceeds will benefit the class's Edwin L. Hawkins Scholarship Fund.

Career clothing giveaways

When Dress for Success had a chapter in Little Rock, April Fatula was "very involved" as a volunteer.

"I saw so clearly the need it fulfilled, and it was such a joy to help women find outfits that boosted their confidence and helped them land a job," Fatula, a local media relations specialist, says in an email. "It's really not being too dramatic to say that clothes can change the trajectory of one's life."

Dress for Success Little Rock no longer exists, but as Fatula points out, other organizations have stepped in to fill that void. Here are some for-instances.

• The University of Central Arkansas operates the WOW Closet ("World of Work") as part of its Career Services. Students -- and alumni -- can shop for one free outfit per academic year to wear to interviews, career fairs and class presentations. The WOW Closet is open from noon-2:30 p.m. Monday-Thursday through April 13 on the fourth floor of Bernard Hall, UCA. Donations are welcome. Call Career Services at (501) 450-3134.

• Arkansas Baptist College also offers a Clothing Career Closet. Students are allowed to choose two complete outfits, which may include shirt, suit, pants/skirt, tie, accessories and shoes. The closet accepts donations of new or gently used workplace-appropriate clothing for men and women, along with briefcases and portfolios. All clothing donations must be laundered or dry-cleaned and can be dropped off at Career Services, Old Main, Room 313, ABC. Visit arkansasbaptist.edu/career-clothing-closet.

• Men and women enrolled in the career program at Goodwill Industries, 7400 Scott Hamilton Drive, are eligible for free career clothing from the Goodwill Store and Donation Center, 5914 Arkansas 5 North in Bryant, which they can pick out from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Friday. Call (877) 372-5151.

• And Dress for Success still exists in Northwest Arkansas ... 100 N. Dixieland Road, B8 in Rogers. Hours of operation and donation drop-off: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Friday; 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday; and 9-11 a.m. the first Saturday of the month. Visit northwestarkansas.dressforsuccess.org.

About Face

Aaron Perkins' Face Your Day Salon, in partnership with the Little Rock Marriott, announces the development of a 1,500-plus-square-foot location on the ground floor of the hotel. The new Face Your Day Xpress will be the first in-house salon in the building's history, as well as the first salon to be operated within a Marriott property in the state of Arkansas.

The new location will offer haircuts and styling, makeup applications, eyebrow waxing/threading, and manicures and pedicures. The salon will also house a retail store offering Perkins' custom makeup line, Aaron Charles Cosmetics. Face Your Day Xpress is scheduled to open this spring. Follow its progress on Instagram @FYDXpress.

Dressing Room appears monthly. Send Arkansas fashion-related tips and news releases to:

hwilliams@arkansasonline.com

High Profile on 03/18/2018

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