Art-ful Designer Fashions Star at Art Museum Event Oct. 25

Brittany Leonard Petal Dress

Can’t afford a seat at the Paris or Milan fashion shows, let alone the airfare? Not to worry. You can get a look at dozens of eye-popping designs right here in Myrtle Beach, as well as a chance to make one of these one-of-a-kind designer originals your own, while enjoying a high-energy evening of food, music and live entertainment.

The event, called Art to Wear: Head to Toe Runway Fashion Show, happens Thursday, October 25, from 7 to 9 p.m., at 2001 Nightclub, and benefits the Franklin G. Burroughs-Simeon B. Chapin Art Museum’s 15th Anniversary. Tickets are $25 per person ($15 students) and cover light appetizers from area restaurants, fashion show and a cash bar. They can be purchased at the Art Museum, or by calling 843-238-2510.

Jessie Ritacco Tattoo Coi body suit

Among the high-octane designs making their appearance are a pair of evening gowns combining slinky, sheer fabrics with leather, glass beads and feathers from Coastal Carolina University art student Amanda Illian. CCU graphic design student Cynthia Moore offers a pair of gowns inspired by two other works of art: painter Georgia O’Keefe’s Red Canna and art deco artist Alphonse Mucha’s Moet and Chandon Champagne.

University of Central Florida art student Jennifer Hart will present a full-length wedding gown with an environmental twist. Instead of the typical wedding ensemble which is worn once and packed away, Hart describes her design as having been created entirely from “common household items that are thoughtlessly washed into the sea.”

Jamie Chaffin, a senior graphic design student at CCU, also plans to display a design made from recycled materials. Her specialty? Making colorful skirts from recycled juice pouches.

And for those who really want to make a splash, CCU fine arts graduate and tattoo artist Jessica Ritacco will present her unique design reminiscent of a downward-diving, multicolored koi fish – created entirely by painting on a bodysuit and on the model’s body itself, with the aim of transforming the wearer into “a beautiful, colorful and sparkling koi fish.” (We’re not exactly sure how this one will translate to an off-the-rack item!)

Local artists were challenged to design an original work of art to wear that is “runway ready.” The competition was open to amateur, emerging, established and professional artists, with prizes to be awarded in multiple categories.

And who better to judge those designs than a panel of “artful” local celebrities, including Amanda Kinseth, TV anchor of WPDE’s Carolina & Company; Former Mr. Myrtle Beach Kevin Cox; musician/writer Paul Grimshaw; artist/caricaturist and founder of the nonprofit Roundtable Art Group Calvin Blassingame; wedding/event planner Sara Wise; and fabric artist/dollmaker extraordinaire Zenobia Washington.

While the fashions are clearly the stars of the evening, the event also features live entertainment, with Carolina Improv’s Gina Trimarco Cligrow as host/MC and dance numbers performed by students from Abiding Village, a nonprofit arts academy. A mix-and-mingle reception kicks off the event at 7:00 with the fashion show beginning at 7:30. 2001 Nightclub is located at 920 Lake Arrowhead Road.

The prime sponsor for the event is Myrtle Beach Plastic Surgery Specialists, LLC. Hair and makeup styling for the models is provided by Jimbo Newton and Salon Edge. There will also be art works by Roundtable artists on display during the evening to promote their December 7 show.

Proceeds from the event will help support the Art Museum, one of the most enduring non-profit cultural institutions in the Grand Strand area. Its exhibitions and programs are open year round, at no charge, to thousands of residents and visitors.

You can visit the facebook page at Art to Wear. To purchase tickets go to tickets.