Show celebrates women and fashion

By Brittany Nassef

“By God’s hand, women are the creators bringing life into the world,” prospective student Amber Russell said, a prospective UMW student.  “We are mothers, sisters, aunts, and daughters, who teach, nurture and love our society; we are all worth celebrating.”

The Bell Bottoms to Business Suits Fashion Show was created to be a celebration of women, fashion, and rights.
One and a half months in the making, the benefit fashion show was coordinated by sophomore Araba Boakye, with the help of junior Charles Reed Jr. president of the Black Student Association.  Members from the James Farmer Multicultural Center, the Women’s History Month Committee and Macy’s helped out with everything from planning the day of the show, to doing the make-up on the models.

“As part of the Women’s History Month event, we wanted to make [the fashion show] a way for students on campus to learn about women’s fashion through the decades,” Boakye said.  “We wanted to encourage women to show off their bodies.”

Donations were collected at the door and all proceeds went to benefit the relief efforts in Haiti and Chile.  After the devastating earthquakes that ravaged those regions, Boakye decided that raising money to help the relief efforts was a good way to turn the fashion show into a charitable event.

The fashion show represented trends from the ‘60s to present day.

“It was good to see women support all aspects of beauty and good to see the old styles and how they’ve affected the new trends of today,” Russell said.

“We don’t need a month to celebrate women,” Boakye said.  “We should celebrate them all the time.”