Fashion forward

Three local women will showcase their designs and benefit two area organizations, while also having a lot of fun.

Liz Nye and Jeanne Jennings, of Camas, and Gwen Johnson, of Washougal, will participate in the “Not Your Mother’s Fashion Show” Saturday, Aug. 7, at 11 a.m., in the Sixth Street Gallery, 105 W. Sixth St., Vancouver.

The show will benefit Dress for Success, which provides professional clothing for low-income women to wear at job interviews and the workplace. The fashion show will also raise money for MOSAIC Arts Alliance, which brings art to the community through education and community involvement programs.

Nye has been designing and creating jewelry for about 22 years, using natural, semiprecious stones and “unique handmade centerpieces that most always have a story.”

Her necklaces are usually put together with sterling silver or on knotted leather.

“If I were to describe my style, it would be organic funky elegance,” Nye said.

She thinks the fashion show will be a great way to give visibility to new and local designers, as well as artists, the gallery and Dress for Success.

“What sets this apart from our ‘mother’s fashion shows’ is the diversity of styles and models – all of whom are very talented and creative Pacific Northwest residents,” Nye said. “It showcases everything from edgy funk to hip and classic designs.”

Jennings and Johnson own The Uncommon Woman, a local company that sells handmade accessories including purses and scarves.

“We like, and have as one of our goals, doing things for our community,” Jennings said. “Both the art gallery and Dress for Success will benefit.

“It will be a very diverse show with very edgy fashions,” she added. “The mood is fun and sassy.”

Fashion show participants will include two recent graduates of Columbia River High School who designed prom dresses made with duct tape. There will also be clothing from Zombie, Willows and Agave Jeans.

Susan Williams, an artist from Vancouver, is coordinating the event.

“This fashion show is celebrating women of all ages, shapes and styles,” she said after a rehearsal Wednesday night. “The models are age 18 to ‘better not ask.'”

The cost to attend the fashion show, $25 per person, includes reserved seating, a designer trunk sale, one raffle ticket, live music by Upfront and light refreshments from Enchanted Gift Shop. A raffle after the show will feature two dresses by the recent winner of the TV program “Project Runway” SethAaron Henderson, of Vancouver.

For more information about donating clothing to Dress for Success or to purchase fashion show tickets, call the Sixth Street Gallery at 693-7340 or visit www.sixthstreetgallery.com.