The catwalk came to the Crescent City courtesy of Fashion Week New Orleans. The show highlighted prêt-a-porter fashions of local boutiques and retailers throughout the Gulf Coast region and gave undiscovered and emerging regional fashion designers a platform to display their collections. Designer Patti O'Brien-Roy, a Lafayette native who lives in Breaux Bridge, debuted a runway show of her children's line Fairy Fashions. Another Cajun Country native, Anna Mixon displayed her jewelry line, Mixon by Anna Mixon, which consists of chains in a silver or gunmetal finish and large, bold pieces designed to accentuate various parts of the body: head, back, neck, legs. Fashion Week NOLA was spearheaded by Tracee Dundas, a St. Martinville native, USL fashion apparel graduate, and owner of AboutFaces MTM, a New Orleans-based modeling agency. Proceeds from the event's silent auction benefit charitable and educational programs in the city.
Lafayette native Anna Mixon's jewelry
adorns models
Organizer Tracee Dundas
Designer Anna Mixon (right) with models
Model Sydni Broussard of Lafayette
Designer Patti O'Brien-Roy of Breaux Bridge
preps her model
Lafayette's business, government and artistic leaders welcomed Australians John and Vickie de Margheriti, founders and owners of the nonprofit Academy of Interactive Entertainment and game development companies Big World Technology and Micro Forte Studios, at a packed reception at Jolie's Louisiana Bistro. The reception was sponsored by LUSFiber, Lafayette Utilities System, Louisiana Digital Gaming Initiative, Opportunity Machine, the George Rodrigue Foundation for the Arts and Jolie's. The three Australian companies are looking for a brick-and-mortar home in Louisiana to set up a video gaming school that will be directed by Dr. Christopher Erhardt, head of schools for AIE in the U.S., who started up three institutions down under.
Party On!
George Rodrigue, Julie Calzone, Jacques Rodrigue and Steve Santillo
Ryan Haynie and Brett Mellington
Joey Durel, Ryan Haynie and Jean Paul Coussan
Dr. Paula Carson, Bryan LaGrange, Bob Miller and Ruth Ann Menutis
Terry Huval, Mona Simon, John de Margheriti, Joey Durel, Frank Ledoux and Allison Dickerson
Evan Smith, Jason Tate and Jeff Pellegrin