To view our videos, you need to
enable JavaScript. Learn how.
install Adobe Flash 9 or above. Install now.

Then come back here and refresh the page.

play slideshow

 

| |

 

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

CHARLOTTE – The lights lit up the catwalk for the third annual Charlotte Fashion Week Thursday at the boutique fashion show. Local, regional and international stores put their best foot forward outfitting models with pieces they carry in their shops.

New to this year's lineup was the Charlotte-based Ivy & Leo boutique. Owner Stephanie Strause said participating in the event was a great opportunity to boost clientele for the year-and-a-half-old store. “We're hoping for new clients, marketing and just making people aware of our clothes,” she said.

Ivy & Leo is the sister store to Julie's, another Charlotte-based boutique, and is named for Strause's two rescue dogs. “I wanted to open a store that was a little trendier and fashion-forward,” she said. With fall trends like fur, military styles, lace and leopard, Strause said Ivy & Leo strives to make them accessible to women of all ages. “Something that a teenager might wear as a dress, me being in my late 30's, I'll pair it with skinny jeans,” said Strause. She also said that their accessories are a big hit with older women trying to add a punch to their more conservative clothing.

But what Strause said she hopes makes Ivy & Leo stand out from the other boutiques featured in the show is their prices. “Some stores they might not want their prices to be listed, but I hope ours are,” she said. “If only you could see the price tags [on the runway].”

Lori Austin, who sat front row to see her daughter, Carly Austin, model in the show, said she expected the outfits to be well over $200. “We couldn't believe it,” she said. “They're gorgeous and reasonable.” Now that Austin knows more about Ivy & Leo, she said she's sure they'll be back to shop. “But we'll leave that up to Grandma [to pay],” she said.

With stories like the Austin's, boutique night is a success in the eyes of Charlotte Fashion Week Director Anthony Simons. He said the boutique night is a chance to show support for these stores that have struggled in the economic downturn. “It's an opportunity to establish new customers,” Simons said. “They can become acquainted in an up-close and personal way.”

But the boutique show is part of a bigger picture.

Simons launched Charlotte's first Fashion Week in 2008 because of the lack of a fashion scene in a growing city, he said. “Charlotte Fashion Week caters to everybody,” he said. “It's not all high-end clothing.” More than 1,500 people turned out for the inaugural event and it has gotten bigger and better every year. The 2010 event's theme is “City Confidential,” and takes place in the heart of uptown at the Bank of America Urban Gardens.

When Debra Kennedy, a board member for Fashion Week, reached out to Strause about Ivy & Leo's participation in this year's event, she said she jumped at the chance to gain some exposure in their hometown. “It's exciting for people in Charlotte,” Strause said. “Owners travel coast-to-coast, you don't have to travel. You can find them [clothes] here.”

There are two Ivy & Leo boutiques in Charlotte, one at Founder's Hall uptown and the other at the Specialty Shops on Park in Southpark. The Founder's Hall store opened in March 2009 and the Southpark store opened in June of this year.

Six other boutiques were involved in Thursday's show: O1NE Boutique, Moonkee’s, Fresh Boutique, LA East, Reign Fine Apparel, and Scarlett Plus Boutique. Charlotte Fashion Week runs through Saturday with workshops, makeovers, modeling contests and emerging designer fashion shows.