The West 18th Street Fashion Show

We are proud to announce that we have selected two official accessory designers to be a part of Triple Crown Summer:

Coki Bijoux
Amani Skalacki

Congratulations! These accessory designers submitted a formal application during the normal application period, and have been selected to collaborate with one of our official clothing designers. Coki Bijoux will be collaborating with Andrea Long & Margie Hogue. Amani Skalacki will be collaborating with Birdies. We look forward to seeing their interpretation of Triple Crown Summer!

Image Below: 2010 Collaboration between Birdies and Coki Bijoux

Congratulations to our selected designers for the 2012 West 18th Street Fashion Show, Triple Crown Summer! We are thrilled with the quality, experience, ideas, and diversity of our selected designers. This year, we have admitted designers hailing from all over the globe – from Hong Kong, to Chicago, to Kansas City, each making a custom five-piece collection based on the theme, Triple Crown Summer.

So here they are, in no particular order, your designers for the 2012 West 18th Street Fashion Show Triple Crown Summer are:

Whitney Matalone
Dominique Karwoski
Brittany Davidson
Christina Darque
Tara Kloeppel
Katrina Weiss
Andrea Long & Margie Hogue
Yulie Urano & Christina Asako Dougherty
Method
Katie Coble & Jennifer Hunt
Eli Borrowman
Liz Peters
Michelle Schmidlkofer
Hilary Brown
Kimby Sweeney
Birdies
Spool
Maria Creyts

We would like to issue a thank you to everyone who applied. We had an overwhelming amount of applications and the quality of ideas was outstanding. The choice is never easy, and that is a good thing.

The producers of the West 18th Street Fashion Show are now requesting applications for this year’s 12th annual show, Triple Crown Summer. We invite you to show us how you will translate the theme Triple Crown Summer to our runway. Will you go perfectly proper with large hats, southern belles and seersucker suits, or be splattered in mud like a jockey’s goggles? Pick your poison: mint julep or cheap beer. Whether you drape us in roses or make us cry like Tennessee Williams, come ready to play your odds. We have no interest in safe bets.

To apply, submit the following by March 18:

1. A minimum of three printed photographs of previous original work.
2. A one-page resume.
3. A professional, inspired vision of your collection including five sketches, text and images which explain and illustrate how your designs will interpret this year’s title and theme.
4. Registration Fee: $30 (cash or check made payable to “18th St. Fashion Show”).

Application materials may not exceed 12” X 15” in size.

Please mail or hand-deliver your application packet to:
Call for Artists
West Eighteenth Street Fashion Show
c/o Birdies
116 W. 18th Street
Kansas City, MO 64108

To deliver your application after hours, place it in the drop box. Submissions that do not fulfill the standard guidelines listed above will not be reviewed. Please note: No materials will be returned under any circumstance.

The 18 selected designers will be announced at www.westeighteenthstreet.com on Wednesday, March 21st.

Selected designers must be available for the following events:

1. Sunday, March 25 – Designers Meeting & Orientation – 4pm-5pm
2. Tuesday, May 8 – Designer Party and Collection Review – 6pm-9pm
3. Sunday, June 3 – Show Rehearsal – 4pm-7pm
4. Saturday, June 9 – Entire Day of the Show

Announcing the West 18th Street Fashion Show Theme:
Triple Crown Summer!

After months of anticipation and behind the scenes preparation, we are thrilled to share the name of this year’s theme with you and announce our call for designers. The theme, Triple Crown Summer, is based on the name of the three major thoroughbred horse races held each spring including the Kentucky Derby, and this theme will serve as artistic inspiration for the original designs that will be debuted on the West 18th Street Fashion Show runway. This is one of our most exciting themes yet, and we are thrilled to see what our talented applicants envision for the runway. Complete instructions for designer applications can be found here.

We are chomping at the bit to announce our 12th Annual West 18th Street Fashion Show theme — but not just yet! We have to keep our secret just a little longer.

The official 2012 theme announcement and Call for Designers will take place on Friday, February 17th. The information designers need to apply will be provided, as well as the theme and artwork for the show. Feel free to guess the theme in the comments below – we’d love to hear some fun ideas! Connect with us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram (w18stfashion) for updates and more!

The producers of the West 18th Street Fashion Show would like to issue a sincere thank you to Tannin Wine Bar and Kitchen for hosting our party with the official West 18th Street designers, and for providing a wonderful dinner table for us to conduct our planning meetings. Everything single dish we ordered was cooked to perfection, your staff has been attentive, helpful and professional, and we always enjoy the beautiful atmosphere. We will return again and again, and we encourage our fans and friends to visit them as well. Thank you, Tannin.
*photos from the designer party

As always, you do not need to purchase a ticket to attend the event, but our ticketed VIP runway seating is the best way to see the show. Online ticket sales end at 11:59pm on June 1, thereafter, tickets will be on sale at Birdies and Donna’s Dress Shop as supplies last. Note: No tickets are sold at the event, tickets must be purchased in advance. In the event of rain, the show will be moved indoors and only ticket holders can see the show. There are two tiers of tickets available:
$100 Patron Ticket: Guarantees you a front-row seat, a swag bag filled with fashionable goodies, and entry into the exclusive pre-show Patron Party.
$35 Spectator Ticket: Guarantees you a seat at the show.

The West 18th Street Fashion Show is a free, outdoor event with a limited number of VIP Runway Seating available for purchase. VIP Tickets will be available to the general public for purchase beginning Sunday, May 1; however, those who subscribe to our email contact list will be invited to a private three-day only “pre-sale”. If you would like to be a part of the pre-sale to guarantee yourself access to tickets, be sure to sign up for our email list through our website.

General admission is free, but wouldn’t you rather have a comfortable seat along the runway surrounded by models, designers, press and other fashionistas in reserved VIP seating? There are 2 tiers of tickets to choose from:

In the event of rain, the show will be moved to an indoor location and only ticket holders will be allowed entry.

Tickets will be available online through our website, and at the following locations:

birdies panties and swimwear boutique
116 W. 18th Street
Kansas City, MO 64108
(816) 842-BIRD
Hours: Tues-Sat, 12-7; First Fridays, 12-10

Donna’s Dress Shop
1410 W. 39th Street
Kansas City, MO 64111
(816) 931-0022
Hours: Mon-Sat 11-7; Sun 12-5

The deadline for those interested in becoming a vendor for the fantastic Ric Rac Roundup is fast approaching. Be sure to contact the pretty ladies at Bon Bon Atelier in Westport to learn more.

We adore Bon Bon’s fabulous thread and fabric selections…

In no particular order, the following 18 designers will be featured in this year’s West 18th Street Fashion Show, Summer in Spain! We would like to congratulate each one of you on your acceptance and we look forward to a captivating show on June 11. *Accessory designers will be announced later this month.

Yulie Urano
Tara Kloeppel
Eli Borrowman
Cheryl Eve Acosta
Kaylin Hertel
Katie Coble & Jennifer Hunt
Birdies
Tricia Rock
Chi Hiu Yim
Maegan Stracy
Tonia Barksdale
Christian Micheal
Nataliya Meyer
Dominique Karwoski & Steven Chau
Michael Wiehe
Lindsay Rae Miller
Spool
Ari Fish