The Red and Black

Issue date: 4/3/09 Section: Variety

Media Credit: SCOTT YOUNG Sara Idacavage, a fashion merchandising major and member of the Student Merchandising Association, helps organize dress rehearsal for SMA's fashion show. [Click to enlarge]

After weeks of meetings and rehearsal, countless visits to local boutiques and at least four rolls of masking tape - to keep the soles of borrowed shoes impeccable - the Student Merchandising Association fashion show is set to go off without a hitch.

"We raise money all year to gear up for this. It's kind of like this is the big production," said Kaitlyn Foley, a senior fashion merchandising major from Orange County, Calif., and president of SMA.

SMA is "a professional organization in the college of family and consumer sciences," said Liz Felter, a junior fashion merchandising major from New Orleans and co-director of this year's show.

The group's annual fashion show has been a mainstay for the past 15 years, and SMA members consider it one of the year's largest events.

According to Foley, the show "gets better each year" and has an established reputation among the local boutiques that supply the show with clothing, shoes and accessories.

"We have relationships with a lot of the stores now because we've been doing it for so long," Felter said.

"We usually have an audience of around 250 people, so it's a great way for the boutique [to get publicity]," said Katie Deray, a junior fashion merchandising and consumer journalism major from Savannah and co-director of the show.

This year, SMA is providing attendees with a brochure listing the boutiques where the items can be purchased. As for the prices of the featured items, Foley said the goal is to reach "a happy medium."

SMA's fashion show aims to give back to the community not only by providing publicity for local businesses, but also by donating the money from ticket sales to a local charity.

Last year, the fashion show raised $1,800, and this year's beneficiary of choice, the Athens Area Humane Society, likely will receive a similar sum.

"100 percent of the ticket sales go to the charity," Felter said. "We try to do a different local charity [each year] so that it's kind of like giving back to the community."

But this year's charity choice isn't the only thing that's changed. SMA hopes to inject some variety into a traditional fashion show by featuring a theatrical theme for this year's runway.

The group's thematic choice is the seven deadly sins, and according to Felter, the models have been rehearsing so they can "embody the sins."

"I think this year we're making it a production instead of just making it really serious. I think we're really going to get into the theme and make it an event," Foley said.

Given the lavish clothing and accessories, top-notch hair and makeup and extravagantly themed catwalk, one thing is for sure - this year's show is certain to be an adventure.

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