As the world-renowned New York Fashion Week was in full swing just hours away, D.C. kicked off its own Fashion Week at the Mexican Cultural Institute last night with a trio of international designers featuring Mexico's La Ville, Belgrade's TATA and Milan's Ruben Gonzales.
Herve Racaud, of Planete Chic, helped organize the event and said D.C. had the potential to enter the fashion world but the simultaneous style celebrations in New York and D.C. was unfortunate.
"We are proud to present great designers with huge talent, but will admit that in our search for designers to invite, we came across many who were already participating in New York Fashion Week," Racaud said.
"DC has a lot of potential," he said. "People here really love fashion. We just need to bring it to them in the right way."
Audiences agreed -- including one fashionable female fresh off the Miss America stage.
"I'm from New York, so I have lived Fashion Week," said Jen Corey, Miss D.C. 2009, who was pulled from her seat at the last minute to participate in Ruben Gonzales' portion of the runway show.
"I loved the event, but really wish some of the designers that participate in New York Fashion Week could have been here," she said. "Including more world renowned designers will really give D.C. and our Fashion Week the opportunity to grow."
