As a public relations and business management major with an interest in fashion, Michele Tabaka knows the line between professional and fashionable blurs at times.“Obviously fashion is taking over right now, and you want to be trendy,” said Tabaka.With one runway and ten models, Tabaka hopes to define the boundary between the two styles at her upcoming fashion show.The Point Park University Fashion Club will host the Get Down to Business Fashion Show from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Wednesday April 10 in the Lawrence Hall lobby. Five male students and five female students will model professional looks for various occasions, including interview attire, business casual and social event attire.“If you look good, you feel good,” said Tabaka, who is organizing the event, during an interview in the Commuter Lounge on Wednesday. “We want to show you can be trendy but not too overbearing, so we are going to have some fashionable looks, but nothing too crazy to take away from the actual interview itself.”Tabaka, who serves as the treasurer and event coordinator of the Fashion Club, aspires to be a fashion show coordinator. She and several other club members brainstormed the idea for a business wear themed fashion show last semester in order to benefit students who might need help deciding what to wear to interviews and work in general.“It’s important to promote positive appearance when entering a professional environment,” Tabaka, 21, said.The Fashion Club will transform the stairs near the George Rowland White Performance Center into a runway with “classy, elegant” décor, according to Tabaka. The fashion show itself will last one hour, with students Elena LaQuatra and Celina Pompeani emceeing the show.The male models will don suits of their own, while the female models, who will also wear some of their own professional attire, will show off business savvy styles from The Limited, a store donating several outfits to the show. Staff from The Limited will provide informational commentary during the women’s portion of the show.Tabaka and her fellow fashion club members scouted the campus for models for the show, choosing students of various body types and ages. Students featured in the show include Brittany Pent, Risa D’Souza, Sara Mahmood, Livia Caluori, Melessie Clark, Dylan Grunn, Matt Noszka, Cody Williams and Josh Pohlot.Senior accounting major Matt Annecchiarico, 22, will also serve as one of the male models in the fashion show. With a strong interest in men’s fashion, Annecchiarico thinks a professional look adds to the confidence one has in a business setting.“I would say a full black suit and black tie with a white shirt, just a very minimalist approach – usually that’s the best for an interview,” said Annecchiarico in a phone interview on Thursday.Annecchiarico recently wore that exact outfit to an interview with audit, tax and advisory services firm, KPMG, and he landed the job.Throughout the show, DJ Ro will provide live music, and senior forensic science major Kileigh Williams will perform a tap dance during intermission. A reception will close out the evening, with refreshments, look-books for students to peruse and representatives from the Fashion Club and Career Development available to answer any questions.The fashion club partnered with Career Development to plan the event. Career Counselor Elsie Boucek feels passionate about “dressing for success” and appreciates the club’s effort to convey that idea to students.“I think one of the biggest things right now is that people can’t separate trendy fashion and professional attire,” said Boucek in an interview in her Lawrence Hall office on Thursday. “With the fashion show, what we’re trying to do is help them understand that difference…The message we want to get across is trendy fashion and professional attire are two different things.”
Fashion show to help students dress for success
Written By Nicole Chynoweth
June 29, 2016
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