Chicago Fashion Fest
I walked into Chicago Fashion Fest at a time one might expect to be the most uneventful — 3 p.m. on a Sunday. To an extent, that prediction was correct. The fest was practically empty (I’m talking no-lines-at-the-sangria-stand-empty) and the styles being modeled on the runway weren’t from any boutiques or esteemed designers but instead from local teen designers at Whitney Young Magnet High School. I was impressed, to say the least, when I sat down (with my overpriced plastic cup of sangria) and watched the young models work the runway in the high school students’ designs. Their styles were mature and refined, with a conscious use of colors. If I were asked to design clothing in high school, I would have probably done something with the color lime green and the words “Free Hugs.” But then again, these girls seemed to have been destined for fashion greatness since birth. With names like Clarke White, Griselda Escobedo, Alina Srichinda and Myia Esper, it wouldn’t really be fair to the world if they were anything besides fashion designers.
