Fashion show models new spring line

by Lisa Laufik
For The Post

With Valentine's Day and spring break fast approaching, Ohio University's Faces Modeling Club will be performing a fashion show this weekend to keep students up on the latest clothing tends.

Each fall, the group has auditions to select new members.

"Even if you don't have modeling experience, they will teach you how to model," OU sophomore Talitha Robinson said.

Faces club president Charita Gadson explained how members teach prospective models how to strut their stuff.

"Usually there are about four or five workshops before the audition," she said. "We show them the various walks, turns and how to make eye contact, but the individual makes his or her own routine for auditions."

The board members encourage individuals to bring props to add style to their audition, Gadson said.

The club has 45 members and an additional eight on the executive board. Members are OU students of all grade levels, though there are about three women members for every man, Gadson said.

Also, many different cultural backgrounds are represented in the organization, OU senior Robert Langford said.

"We enjoy working in new cultures and ideas," he said. "We don't put barriers on ideas. We allow new members to bring in new ideas for the shows."

The club takes these new ideas into account when creating each show.

"Winter is the busiest quarter. Sib's Weekend is our biggest show," Gadson said. "We also have a show for the Black Students' Business Caucus."

The BSBC show will take place Feb.16. The theme of that show will be "Fashion Do's and Don'ts for the Business World."

This weekend's show will feature clothing from stores around the Athens area.

"We developed contracts with local businesses such as JCPenny's, Elder Beerman, Inlet @ 5, Maurice's, Goody's and Fashion Bug," Gadson said.

The main theme in the show is "Faces of Love" because of the approaching Valentine's Day holiday.

"There are eight themes in the show," Faces member Robinson said. "It ranges from spring casual to formal wear."

Some themes incorporate acting into the modeling shows, Langford said.

"One of the themes is 'Taking a Walk Through the Park,'" he said. "There is no dialogue, but you act like you are meeting your date there and you are courting them.

"You have to have confidence in order to model," Langford said. "If you see that potential in someone else, you want to help them to build that confidence to another level."

The club members are very excited about this weekend's show, Robinson said.

"This is a big weekend," Robinson said. "I think there will be a great turnout. It will show everyone what we are about and give the audience a good taste of what we do."