Penn State had a Fashion Week-feel as students strutted down the runway in outfits from downtown stores for Valley Magazine's "The Walk" fashion show, which took place Sunday at 7 p.m. in the HUB Alumni Hall.
Sponsored in part by Modeling International, LLC, the event was free, but Valley suggested a $1 donation for every attendee to benefit Oxfam International, a national charity which aims to promote awareness and create programs to combat poverty and social injustice.
Bryan Smith (junior-public relations) of Modeling International said one reason they got involved with the show was because of its charitable cause. The event will receive a two-page spread in Modeling International's online magazine, Smith said.
Morgan Means, stylist bookings director for Valley Magazine, said Valley decided to give back to the community by accepting donations for Oxfam.
"We do our show once a semester, and this is the first time we've done it for a charity and to help someone else," Means (senior-telecommunications) said.
Valley Magazine's Public Relations division was mainly in charge of this show, Means said.
"We broke the PR team into little committees who took care of lighting, music, venue, the performances, vendors and clothing," she said. "We have been preparing for this since the very beginning of the semester."
The models, chosen from an open model call earlier in the semester, wore clothes from downtown boutiques such as Sydney Mac, 115 E. Beaver Ave., the Rag and Bone, 224 E. Calder Way, and Elegant Affairs, 121 E. Beaver Ave.
"We have a good relationship with the stores downtown," Arianna Davis, editor-in-chief of Valley Magazine, said.
The show followed four different looks, called Abstraction of Spring, Breakfast at Tiffany's, When the Sun Goes Down and Cirque de la Vallee. Abstraction of Spring featured springy, light clothes, such as flowered tunics, gladiator sandals and high-waisted skirts.
After Abstraction of Spring, the 2009 National Pan-Hellenic Council Step Show champions, the ladies of Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority, performed. Donned in green polo shirts and pigtailed hair, they gave a step performance that drew much applause from the audience.
The Breakfast at Tiffany's segment of the show featured sophisticated, mostly black evening wear. Following this segment was a performance from the Raw Aesthetic Movements (RAM) Squad, an energetic and high-energy sequence of break dancing and hip-hop, which included dancing down the makeshift runway.
"We wanted the RAM squad to perform because they're funky and energetic and can really add to the show," Davis (senior-journalism) said.
Following its performance was the When the Sun Goes Down segment, featuring nightwear in animal prints and shiny leggings paired with high heels. The brothers of Kappa Alpha Psi performed a step dance after this segment, wearing matching sweaters and button-down shirts, and incorporating canes into their routine.
The creative director of Valley Magazine, Shikeith Cathey (junior-photography), was responsible for the four themes of the show. He came out and introduced Cirque de la Vallee, the final segment, as set in Paris in the year 2120.
During this segment, models wore futuristic, unconventional outfits with abstract patterns and colors, and ornate hairstyles. The audience was impressed with the professionalism of the show.
"It's nice, it's impressive. I came became I love fashion, and it's a fashion show. I thought it'd be a novel little college fashion show, but it was impressive," Saurav Mittal (sophomore-economics) said.
Means added that Valley staffers worked up to six hours a day in recent weeks to perfect everything and fit all the models' clothing.
Means said she feels positive about the outcome of the show.
"Yeah, I think it went really well. All the models did a really good job. The clothes came out well, the music went well. It was a big success and a major improvement from last year's show," she said.
