Heels clacked, candles glowed, fabric danced and bass blared Friday night at the KatHouse Lounge for the Zotci’s Attire fashion show. Ten models with painted and bejeweled faces strutted their stuff while weaving through the bar. If anything, it was a “dazzling” sight.
Setting the mood A red carpet led viewers into the dimly lit, intimate atmosphere of the KatHouse. White tea lights were placed carefully at every table and along the walls, while tulle of the same hue was gently wrapped around chairs, at the front of the stage and the railing of the spiraling staircase.
Quiet chatter soon turned into a heavy clamor as more students filled empty seats and show time approached. Stage hands, armed with hairspray and stopwatches, guarded the corner door where the models were to enter.
Lights, music, fashion The models entered from either the corner door or the top of the staircase, stomped their way around customers and tables in the lounge, and struck a few attitude-inspired poses on the stage before exiting.
Silky, printed halters and sundresses dominated the show, which began at 9:10 p.m. sharp. Almost all tops were paired with slim-fitting jeans and a set of sky-high stilettos. The occasional solid jersey or metallic dress was thrown into the mix – with heels – but the majority of the pieces fell into the earlier category.
The hair and make-up on the models was nothing less than dramatic, but that is exactly what Lacey Frenzl, Zotci’s manager, fashion show coordinator and K-State student, had envisioned.
“Dazzled is actually an imaginary girl I invented,” said Frenzl. “She is confident, strong, independent, so sexy, smart, beautiful and just awesome in every single way.”
Frenzl, junior in apparel marketing and public relations, said she wanted the models to embody one of the distinctive traits of ‘Dazzled’ including stunning, gorgeous, intelligent and determined.
In turn, each model was primped and preened to match her personality. Intensely teased hair, eye shadow masks, feather adorned locks, and cheeks and eyebrows covered in stick-on hearts and stars helped to give each model her own unique look.
“Basically, girls are dazzled,” said Zotci’s owner Sara Meyer of the theme. “Girls want to look cute. They want to look fun, and that’s what we’re about. We do the fashion shows just for fun.”
Lori Elliott, senior in secondary education, attended the show and said she had a lot of fun seeing the artistic capabilities of the students and of the Manhattan community. She said she hopes stores like Zotci’s will put on similar events in the future.
At the close of the show, all 10 models took one last victory lap around the Kat – House to the cheers and laughter of Meyer, Frenzl and the attendees. Meyer joined the models on stage to conclude the event with a colorful balloon drop.
“All in all, I think everyone was ‘Dazzled’,” said Frenzl. “Everyone was absolutely stunned.