Proving the Manhattan skyline is not a prerequisite for hosting a fashion show, downtown Somerville on Friday night was the site of a New Jersey Fashion Week preview.
“I don’t want people to think that New Jersey Fashion Week, because it’s in Hoboken, is a Hoboken event. I had that last year when it was in West Orange,” said Donnella Tillery, founder of New Jersey Fashion Week. “I want people to know this is a statewide event, which is why I’m going from town to town to do small promotions.”
Designer Elena Vasilevsky, of Marlboro, who won an earlier competition to secure a spot in the main October fashion week event, showed six looks from her collection.
“I thought it would be great, because she’s from so close to this area, to do this promotion,” Tillery said. “Elena is very edgy and classy … she brings a flavor to fashion, which is what we need, because (it’s not) stereotypical of what New Jersey fashion is.”
Tillery rounded up support from local businesses to pull off the event, including the host venue, Evolve, a men’s and women’s clothing shop that opened recently.
The models used Somerville’s main street as the catwalk, showing Vasilevsky’s designs and several outfits from Evolve to the crowd gathered on the sidewalk, before finishing the event inside Evolve.
“Especially being very local to Somerville, this event gives us lots of exposure,” said Matt Kierez, disc jockey and co-owner of Paradise DJs, in Clinton.
Also participating were fashion show veterans Al Chaudhri, photographer and owner of Studio 25 Inc., who did all of the media and promotions for the event, and Patricia Wolff, owner of 75 West Salon, which provided hair styling for the event.
“It’s a way to put our salon on the map for Central Jersey,” Wolff said. “There are salons everywhere, around the corner or miles away. We want to be known as the hot spot to go to.”
