The red carpet was out, the music was pumping, the models were dazzling and the house was packed last night here at North Hills for the Strut 2008 fashion show. I’m going to apologize in advance for the lack of quality pictures. My good camera broke recently so I had to use an old one.
I arrived at the show around 8:30pm. People were already inside mingling, sipping drinks and listening to some music by a girl in a fabulous red dress and her guitar player. My first thought was that they had really gone all out for this—smooth check-in process, lights, stage, runway, DJ, and premium seating (gift bags had been placed on the best seats). Everything from the music to the program bulletin was top notch.
I had definitely been excited about the event for a while, but I didn’t really know what to expect. It was my first real fashion show and I didn’t know anyone there. Luckily, everyone was friendly and I ended up seeing a guy I knew who was also in the same boat as me.
Since it was my first fashion event, here’s what I noticed to begin with. There were more guys there than I had expected, but still plenty of girls. Everyone was really well-dressed. I thought, where do these people hide during normal weekends in Raleigh? Because I’d never seen so many dressed-up people in one place in this city.
The show kicked off with a performance by Jean Morrisson with the North Carolina Dance institute. Jean can sing. Her voice singing “Out Tonight” was so clear that for the first half of the song I thought she was lip syncing. But no, she was just good.
After the song, an announcer (another great touch) called the designers one at time, and models would strut their stuff and show off the fashions. Fashions ranged from designer handbags and necklaces to jeans, corsets, dresses and more.
I really liked how the show moved quickly–not that I wanted to get out of there, but just that there was no down time for people to get bored. Every so often, the Sweet Tease Dance Company or North Carolina Dance Institute would come out and dance, and I enjoyed that a lot.
I think the event was definitely a success–all the general admission tickets sold out and everyone seemed to have a great time. These types of events are great for Raleigh, and especially North Hills, so I wouldn’t be surprised if this became an annual thing.
What did you think about Strut 08?
4 Responses to “Strut 08 Recap”
By John D. on May 4, 2008 | Reply
I liked the music a lot. If there was one thing I wasn’t a fan of, it was the big goofy-looking necklaces.
By Zachary on May 4, 2008 | Reply
Were the designers all local and do they all have stores in the area? Otherwise great write-up and it;s nice to hear about such an event happening in Raleigh.
By The Hoff on May 5, 2008 | Reply
Nice review, who would have thought of a fashion show at North Hills? do you have more pictures to post?
By admin on May 5, 2008 | Reply
Zachary - Some of the designers have stores in the area - You can check http://www.strut08.com to see a list of designers and then which ones have stores
The Hoff - Wish I had more pictures but most of them turned out blurry due to the low-quality digital camera I was using, since my better one is broken.