Omaha Fashion Week Spring 2018

I’m recapping Omaha Fashion Week Spring 2018 and sharing my favorite runway show! If you’re in the Omaha area, this is a bi-yearly event that you can’t miss!

Happy weekend, friends! I’ve been a little MIA – I think I have Spring Fever.  We had a bit of warm weather the last week of February (hello 50’s, you can come back now!), and thanks to the team at Omaha Fashion Week, I got to attend a few of the shows and soak it in!

This was my third year attending OFW and it did not disappoint. There are two seasons/year and I tend to gravitate toward the spring season as my favorite. From the holidays to May, I don’t get much of a break from work, so this was a great nightly distraction! The shows vary each season, and I really enjoyed the lineup:

Tuesday: Local High School Students and Nebraska 4-Hers
Wednesday: UNL Student Showcase
Thursday: Survivor Show with local boutiques
Friday: Emerging Designers
Saturday: Designer Showcases

If you’ve never been to Omaha Fashion Week, I would recommend adding the fall season dates to your calendar! Not only is there a runway show each night, but VIP tickets will get you into an all-inclusive lounge with drinks and appetizers, there are pop-up boutique shops and, of course, there’s a red carpet photo area – I’m sure you’ve seen photos of friends on it!

Tuesday night’s Omaha Fashion Week show was the first of the season and it was unlike any other show I’d been to before! This runway featured designers from local high schools – Central, Burke, South, etc. and Nebraska 4-Hers! Raise your hand if you were a 4-H gal! If this would have been an option when I was in high school, you know I would have sewn an entire collection! The above look is from a 4-Her and I was so impressed. I’m not sure how the judging categories for 4-H are now, but this took Clothing Level 2 to the next level. Gone are the days when we modeled our own outfits for State Fair; these girls can kill it at Omaha Fashion Week!

The high schoolers were awesome! I was impressed with their sewing skills. A few of them made winter jackets and I know how hard it is to get the proportions on those right – plus sew darts and linings in heavy fabric. I hope to someday see them in the Saturday night show!

Wednesday evening’s show was my favorite! Being a UNL alum, I had a lot of friends in the Fashion Merchandising/Textiles program and I love that they got the opportunity to show at OFW. Again, I was incredibly impressed with their expertise at such a young age.

My photos definitely show the variety of pieces shown! I think the above photo would win a Project Runway Unconventional Challenge! There were so many amazing looks this season and I can’t wait for fall! Hope to see some of you there!