Be There: Columbia Fashion Week

What: Columbia Fashion Week (formerly Columbia Style Week) celebrates its fourth annual focus on fashion through runway shows, parties and fashion panel discussions.

When: Monday, June 15 through Saturday, June 20.

Where: The first three night’s events take place at the Hilton, 924 Senate St., while the second three nights take place at the Capital City Club, 1201 Main St.

Alicia Zeigler, co-founder and director, formerly lived in Charlotte, where she participated in a fashion week. After moving to Columbia, she helped organize the event for the city to spotlight existing retail fashion lines, as well as local, national, and international fashion design talent. Design students have flocked to this event in the past.

Fashion Week continues to increase in popularity; thousands are expected at this year’s event. The public can visit www.columbiafashionweek.com and purchase tickets for the entire week’s lineup of activities or pick and choose from events such as the Celebrity Runway Showcase or the Kids Kompetition/Student Designer Showcases.

Each night, specific vendors will exhibit items, while Thursday through Saturday feature designer trunk shows from 7 to 10 p.m.

The Vibe

It is not just the runway models that strut their stuff during Columbia Fashion Week; past attendees have used this week as an occasion to convey distinct styles – from classy to trendy to edgy. It is a fast-paced, glitzy, energized scene intended to somewhat mirror the excitement of New York City fashion events.

The Verdict

With such events as the 25 Most Stylish People in Columbia Awards and the Annual Beautiful People Party on Tuesday, many of Columbia’s local celebrities are expected during Columbia Fashion Week. News anchors, authors, fashion bloggers, actors, musicians, models and many more are expected to attend. According to Ryan McGill, public relations for Columbia Fashion Week, this is where people want to see and be seen.

Deena C. Bouknight, Special to Go Columbia