Omaha Fashion Week’s Metropolitan Community College Student Showcase occurred on Feb. 22. Designers from Westside and other schools, including Omaha South and Duchesne, designed looks that were featured on a runway at the Omaha Design Center.

The night started out by walking into a 90’s rave scene with street art paintings and disco lights. The theme was designed to reflect Omaha’s rave culture in the 1990s. Pulsing music and amazing decorations added to the exciting vibe of the event. 

As the models started walking the runway, my attention was immediately captured because each designer had such a different style and aesthetic. One of my favorite looks of the night was from Westside designer Jadyn Anderson. 

Anderson created a beautiful, long satin dress that was dark green. The look was paired with long white gloves and black heels, and the model wore a low, slicked back bun and a red lip. Overall, the execution of the look really brought all aspects of the elegant dress to life. I admired how well the dress was made. If I had seen the dress in a store somewhere, I definitely would have bought it because of the quality and choice of fabric. 

Another one of my favorite designs showcased was an elegant black ball gown. My favorite part of the dress was the back, because a pink ribbon was used to tie it in a criss-cross pattern. It represented the back of a corset, which was more eye-catching than the typical zipper. This pink ribbon was also used around the models waist, helping the whole look feel cohesive as the pink was used more than once. In the front, tiny gems in three vertical lines created an elegant pattern and really added to the look, without it being too in your face. The model was also wearing long, white gloves and had her hair in a high ponytail. Her hair was scattered with little white pearls, which was another detail that really brought the look together. 

Seeing high school students execute such high quality, compelling looks made me appreciate how much hard work goes into creating these pieces of art. I also appreciated seeing the models walk the runway so confidently, because they brought the looks to the next level. Each person had their own unique walk, which made the runway shows feel even more enjoyable.

The overall event was well organized. Everything ran smoothly, and I felt entertained through the duration of the night. The people in charge of the event made the experience very special by having trendy music and great hosts and guest speakers. In between some of the shows, there was time for the audience to ask a group of panelists about things relating to creativity, designing, future careers and more. There was a wide range of panelists that all had different outlooks on the questions asked, which made it nice to see different perspectives. Miss Teen USA was one of the panelists, as well as the director of Develop Model Management, the photographers Heather and Jameson and two others who have careers in the art and fashion world.

I hope I get to go back to another Omaha Fashion Week event soon, because the environment was super exciting and I loved being able to appreciate every designer’s hard work. The 90’s Omaha rave theme was unexpected, yet much enjoyed. I give the event overall a 10/10.