Jenny Evans from Coto de Caza: MC and Organizer for the Event
Jordan Baker from Rancho Santa Margarita
Ariel Johnson from Lake Forest
Megan French from Dove Canyon left, Christina Magstadt from Coto de Caza right
Nicci Corbin from Coto de Caza front, Hadley Evans from Coto de Caza back.
High Fashion Meets High Standards
52 Young Women from 7 different high schools came together for an once-in-a-lifetime chance to walk the runway in a fashion show put on by professional stylists, makeup artists, hair stylists, and 25 local vendors to celebrate “fashionable modesty”.
Walking a 40 foot runway to the pulsating beat of music, with spotlights shining, flashbulbs popping and audience members cheering is an experience not many people will ever have. These 16-18 year old Orange County Californian young women from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints did just that last Saturday at the MY STYLE Fashion Show.
Standing alone on a runway with over 400 guests watching you can be a little scary but standing out at high school is something these models do naturally. Dressing in a way that reflects who they are and what they believe is a challenge these Mormon girls tackle everyday.
Madison Koelliker, a 16 year-old junior at Tesoro High School and a member of the Live Oak Ward said this. “The fashion show was so much fun. It was a great experience showing all the girls out there how we can be modest and fashion forward at the same time.”
Individual attention to each model was a special touch and a key to the positive feedback. Getting 52 teenaged girls hair and makeup done, with brand new on-loan fashionable outfits was a daunting task but it didn’t discourage the event’s organizer, Jenny Evans, of Coto de Caza, California. Even when two of the four professional hair stylists had to leave unexpectedly with many girls hair still needing to be styled, Jenny Evans took it all in stride. Substituting backstage moms, each armed with a curling iron and hairspray, every model was runway ready and smiling by show time.
Jenny Evans, the organizer, was also one of the stylists. “I could not have been happier with how the MY STYLE Fashion Show turned out! Our purpose was to teach women, young or old, how to choose clothing from the stores they love and wear them modestly, looking beautiful and current. Both the guests and the models expressed to me how much fun they had and shared their appreciation for all the hard work that went on behind the scenes. Despite the girls’ inexperience, they walked down the runway with confidence. They felt good and looked beautiful while showing everyone how to dress fashionably AND modestly.”
Written by Jenny Stromberg from Rancho Santa Margarita, CA
