Lawrence.com

This year’s 10th-annual West 18th Street Fashion Show is Saturday in Kansas City. For such an important anniversary, the coordinators have chosen an appropriate theme: decadence. “A Decadent Summer” will feature the collections of talented designers from Kansas City and surrounding areas. From a pool of almost 50 applicants, Lawrence boasts three separate collections among the 18 finalists. Work by local artists Tricia Rock, Emma Burgess-Olson and Lauren Fallis, and Kaylin Hertel will all be part of the show.

In order to participate in the show, designers must submit material for the challenging and competitive selection process, including a resume, artist statement, personal interpretation of the show’s theme and photos of prior fashion designs.

“I received an invitation to submit my designs three weeks before deciding to enter,” says Lawrence designer Tricia Rock, “but I didn’t tell anyone about it until I had contemplated the workload and thought about my own ideas for this year’s show.”

Rock’s line consists of all reclaimed fabrics, making her pieces the show’s first entirely green fashion collection.

“I thought about purchasing new fabrics for this show,” Rock says, “but using reclaimed fabrics is helpful in more ways than one. There is an enormous, unlimited variety of materials available via local shops and the web. Working with recycled fabrics automatically accelerates my design process—the fabrics lend themselves to particular shapes and color palettes.”

For her featured collection, Rock combines primary colors, black accents and experimental shapes to create clothing that all women would love.

Kaylin Hertel is another Lawrence designer participating in the show. In her profile, Hertel describes her designs as sultry, sophisticated and seductive.

“I have done jewelry for the show in the past, but this is my first year doing clothing as well as necklaces,” Hertel says. “A fellow Lawrence lady, Erica Voetsch, will add the finishing touches to the collection, contributing ‘fascinators’ (hair accessories), jewelry and gloves.” Indeed, her talent in metalsmithing is evident; many striking pieces are featured on her website, www.kaylinhertel.com.

The final Lawrence participants are Emma Burgess-Olson and Lauren Fallis, who are collaborating on a collection called Femto, or one quadrillionth. The women, both experienced in textile design, will draw upon physical materials and forms, modern paintings and post-modern sculptures for their inspirations.

Catch the first glimpse of collections by these Lawrence designers right on the 18th Street runway, located between the cross-streets of Wyandotte and Baltimore in Kansas City. The outdoor event begins at dusk. Although VIP, seated tickets are no longer available, general admission to the show is free. For additional event information, visit westeighteenthstreet.com.