2017 VCU Fashion Show: Launch

On May 10, Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) had their annual fashion show, Launch. I noticed that in previous years, the fashion shows were named after action words like Emerge or Evolve and this year was no exception.  

The show took place at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (VMFA) in Richmond, VA. This was my first time going to the venue and I have to say that it was beautiful! Just in case you would like to witness the grandeur of the museum, there is a Yves Saint Laurent exhibition that is running from May 6 through August 27. Visitors have the opportunity to explore about 100 haute couture and ready-to-wear garments created by the late fashion designer. 

Since this was my first year as a transfer student, I wanted to attend the fashion show to get a feel of what I would expect for later years. Instead of purchasing a ticket to view the show, I decided to help as a check-in usher. I felt that there were two perks to this volunteer experience -- free admission to the fashion show and the benefit of listing the experience on my resume. 

As a check-in usher, I was responsible for checking in the attendees and reviewing their tickets to make sure that they had the correct seat number(s).  I am not going to lie, the experience was out of my comfort zone; therefore, I was filled with excitement and nervousness. I am glad that I tried something different though. Also, volunteering for the event showed that I did not have this sense of entitlement. I am digressing, but a few students were complaining about the cost of the tickets when all they had to do was volunteer to gain free admission. Some aspiring fashion professionals do not understand that they have to start at the bottom in order to get to the top and that it is not glitz and glam all the time. You really have to work hard to get to where you want to be in any industry. 

For my attire, I had to keep it professional and comfortable since I would be standing up for the majority of the event. I decided to wear a black button down shirt paired with stretch pants and ballet flats. I wanted to sparkle a bit, so I wore a gemstone statement necklace and dangle earrings. 

I was able to view the show after everyone was checked in for the event. I really enjoyed viewing garments that were created by the fashion design students. My favorite collection was created by fashion design student, Danielle Hugh Sam (starting at 50:52 in the Youtube video). I absolutely loved her collection because I am into the athleisure trend that is popular right now. 

I would definitely help out again for next year's fashion show because it was such an exhilarating experience for me. 

View the entire fashion show below! :)