BFWStyle News: Baltimore's Fashion Week is looking for talent Hair Stylists and Make-Up Artists

You can't have a fashion week without a backstage crew of creative and punctual hair stylists and make-up artists. Baltimore's Fashion Week is still in the search of hair dressers and make-up artists to help make our models as well as designers look beautiful at our first fashion week. If you are a hair stylist or make-up artist that would love to get experience working behind the scenes of Baltimore's Fashion Week as well as the Fashion Tribe Kick Off Celebration on July 12th, 2008, go to baltimoresfashionweek.com to register and e-mail three photos of your best work to volunteer@baltimoresfashionweek.com.

BFWStyle News: Kick Off Party for Baltimore's Fashion Week!

On Saturday, July 12th, 2008, Baltimore's Fashion Week will have it's first ever Kick Off Party at the Fredrick Douglass- Issac Meyers Martime Park Musuem located at 1417 Thames Street in Baltimore, Maryland 21231. This event will showcase local boutiques, local designers, local make-up artist, local hair stylists, local and the list goes on. This will be the first chance for fashion insiders and fashion lovers to experience a taste of what Baltimore's Fashion Week will offer. Tickets are on sale today!

Designer Debution: Bakhita Southcott

All It Takes is Wedding Bells and Wires

By Paulette Wilson

Wedding bells ring quietly inside her head and although she has found the perfect wedding gown for her special day her eyes gravitate down to her naked neck. Instantly, the idea of having a beautiful and intricate necklace to offset her wedding gown joins the sound of those ringing bells.


Along with her fiance she searches the streets of Melbourne for a special necklace. Suddenly a gorgeous pearl and quartz wired cascading choker in a store window display catches her eye. She purchases the stunning necklace and from there, Bakhita Southcott, becomes inspired to create her own line of wired jewelry.

“My first piece was a choker made with deep red garnet chips and silver wire,” Bakhita said. It was very dramatic [and it] sat high on my throat. I loved it. I ended up selling it to a girl who worked in my favorite clothing boutique in Adelaide for $80.”

Since selling her first piece of jewelry, and moving to the United States with her family from Australia, Bakhita continues to create unique jewelry pieces and finds inspiration from artists, fashion designers, and design concepts.


“I am greatly influenced by patterns, shapes and colors all around me, whether natural or man-made,” Bakhita said. [Also], I love Alexander McQueen and Christian Dior. I garner a lot of inspiration from certain painters such as Dante Gabriel Rossetti and Degas.”

In her dining room turned studio, Bakhita's inspirations and ideas are magically transformed into beautiful works of art. Using very few tools and relying mostly on her hands, she creates necklaces, rings, earrings, rings, bracelets, tiaras, and even bras.


“The bras take days,” Bakhita said. “I [have] to make sure I get the proportions right so that they fit well and sit properly. Also they require a ton of wiring and beads.”

Making her one of a kind crystal wired bras is the most challenging of all Bakhita's creations. But the challenge of creating never gets in the way of her commitment to her work.

“[The time that goes into] each piece is dependent on the design and the inspiration, Bakhita said. With a simple choker it may only take me two hours, but with a more complex piece I could be working on it for a couple of days as I work out my ideas. I am also a stay at home mother of three, so the children dictate a lot of my time as well.”

As a mother, a wife, and an owner of a growing jewelry business, Bakhita truly believes in making her clients simply free good. With every piece she makes, she cultivates a bit of confidence into each of her clients.

“I have had people say ‘that is so glamorous, where would I wear that,’” Bakhita said. I say think outside the box and try adding some glam to your day. You will only feel great about yourself.”






To view more of Bakhita Southcott's jewelry, please visit www.bakhitasjewelry.com.

BFWStyle News: The Last Casting Call Ever for BFW 2008!

After having a casting call on May 17th, the Baltimore Fashion Week Design Team received many e-mails and phone calls because some aspiring models could not make it. The last casting call ever, I mean the last, will be on Saturday, May 31st, 2008 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the Forrest Park Senior Center. So, please come out and audition! Please refer to this for more information on what we are looking for and what we expect.

Designer Debution: Q and A with Cheryl Altschuler

After receiving her BFA in Fashion Design at the historical Pratt Institute, Cheryl Altschuler is one of many designers making her debut at Baltimore's first fashion week. Altschuler has a keen interest in photography, poetry, and music. Yet, her number one passion is designing her one of kind clothing. Just continue reading and you'll find out what I'm talking about.

Paulette from Baltimore's Fashion Week : What was the first piece of clothing you ever made?
Cheryl Altschuler: A tie dye halter with a tye dye cover up sarong

P: What made you start designing clothes?
CA: Being short and petite always made me want to design outfits for people who were not always tall.

P: What inspirations did you use to come up with your line?
CA: Nature, animals, snow leopards, reptiles, zebras.

P: What is your favorite fabric to work with? And Why?
CA: My favorite fabric to work with is stretch cotton because you can make it fit a person with curves. I also enjoy combining cotton with other fabrics such as suede and metallic prints.

P: What is your favorite color to work with?
CA: Blue and Pink are my favorite colors to work with.

P: If you could dress any five people in the world, who would you love to style?
CA: Cameron Diaz, Christina Aguilera, Mariah Carey, Jennifer Aniston, Josh Hartnett

P: How would you describe a Baltimorean's style?
CA: Edgy, Bright colors, Athletic, Sporty.

P: How would you define the word "Fashion" ?
CA: A way to make oneself outstanding. Standing out from the crowd. Being a unique and stylish individual.

P: How much does the opportunity to show your line at Baltimore's Fashion Week mean to you?
CA: Having the opportunity to show my line at Baltimore's Fashion week means the world to me! Its a way to get people to see my hardwork and my dedication that goes into making a creative outfit.

Designer Debution: Meet Cotrice Addison

Picture from www.cotrice.com 

Jenine Cotrice Addison is a double duty eco designer designing clothing as well as jewelry. The native from Milwaukee, Wisconsin specializes in using wood to make one of kind jewelry pieces. She has a line of dresses called "Paper Couture" that she donates to charities and are seen in art galleries. Addison also designs ready to wear clothes. To see a preview of Cotrice's work, please click here to see Cotrice's debut at The Brooklyn Fashion Weekend in New York City. 

BFWStyle News: Check out the official Ads for Baltimore's first Fashion Week!

Thanks to Mike Williams, graphic designer of the AW creative  group, we have a flyer for our sponsors and we have a flyer for our fashion week schedule. Does anyone spot the legendary Twiggy or am I the one? Look closely. 

BFWStyle News: Calling Out All Models for the Final Time

Picture from David Zaza at http://www.davidzaze.com/photos/archives/Micheal-Kors-runway.jpg. 

Baltimore's Fashion Week is having its final casting call for models on Saturday, May 17th 2008 at the Forrest Park Senior Center located at 4801 Liberty Heights Avenue, Baltimore, MD 21207.  This will be the third casting call that Baltimore's Fashion Week has had. The first casting call was in November and brought out over 100 people to audition for a spot on the catwalk. The second casting call was in January at Melissa Needy's L&M modeling agency. Once models were selected, Sharan Nixon set-up two model training rehearsals in order for the models to perfect their runway walks. With the help of our executive director/producer, Saran Fossett, and our runway coach, Robert Mercer, our models improved in their catwalk performance. However, since Baltimore's Fashion Week continues to get more and more designers for our event, we need more models. For the final casting call, Baltimore's Fashion Week is looking for the following:

Female Models must be 5'8 (Must Bring and be able to walk in 3 inch heels)

Here's a sample of what we look for in females 

Male Models must be 5'10 (Must bring and be able to walk in dress shoes)

Here's a sample of what we look for in males

(Remember every model has a signature walk. No one walks the same. If you see a model's walk you like in this video, look at, study it, and then turn it into your own)

Experience is a plus!

If you know anyone that would love to be a model at the first Baltimore's Fashion Week and meet these requirements, please direct them to baltimoresfashionweek.com in order to fill out a registration form for the last casting call on MAY 17TH, 2008.