BELTON — The Bell County Expo Center went into high fashion mode Saturday as members of county youth groups showcased their creations during the Fashion Revue.
“The kids have all made their outfits and are coming here to be judged with the outfit on them,” said Jennifer Smith, superintendent for Fashion Revue. “It’s a presentation, poise, posture and construction category.”
About 20 participants throughout the county showcased their creations as they took photos and modeled their outfits — ranging from pajama pants to a prom dress — on a runway located on the second floor of the Garth Dome at the Expo Center.
“This year our numbers went down a little bit, we only got 20 kids,” Smith said. “Kids don’t sew as much as they used to. It’s one of those dying arts that we’re trying to pick up. We need to get more kids involved that want to sew.
“I just want them to be involved and be an example for other kids.”
Lilly Booth, 14, goes to Providence Preparatory as a freshman. She designed a pair of pajama pants to keep people interested in fashion in her group.
“In my 4-H group, there’s not a lot of people doing it,” she said. “We might not be able to keep doing it if people don’t participate. That motivated me to keep it going.”
Penny Parmer, 16, a junior at Holland High School and member of FCCLA, created the dress she plans to wear to her prom. Bright flowers adorn the dress with an emerald undertone.
“It’s made of taffeta and satin,” Penny said. “It took me about 12 hours to sew it. My inspiration was Audrey Hepburn. I’m inspired by the classiness that she carries. I love the ’50s and the ’60s. ‘Breakfast at Tiffany’s’ is my favorite film.”
Ava Diaz, 15, a freshman at Lake Belton High School in Temple, modeled her dress after a design from her favorite designer Jenny Packham.
The satin blue dress she wore had a white beaded fabric overlay on top, creating a shimmering illusion of stars.
“It took me a very long time to create this dress,” Ava said. “My grandmother was a home ec teacher, and she taught me how to sew when I was 5.”
Diaz said her grandmother Jan Stanfield taught her how to sew and instilled her love for the craft from a young age.
Stanfield said her daughter was not interested in making clothes, so she found a partner and apprentice with her granddaughter.
“She would just get on the machines and start sewing,” Stanfield said. “We’ve been doing this for 10 years. I think she will do great in fashion. The pictures that she draws are breathtaking.”
Emily Anderson, 15, and Jane Gauntt are both members of the Tigertown 4-H Club, and both attend Belton New Tech @ Waskow High School as sophomore and freshman, respectively. The pair of friends both made articles of clothing that can be worn every day.
“I’ve been doing this since I was in the fourth grade,” Emily said. “The first thing that I made was medical scrubs with a crayon print, and I had a matching one for my American Doll. I made both of them. The fabric is 100% rayon. I had the inspiration for this dress from another dress that I had that was too small for me. I was able to make something that fit me right and that I could wear for a while.”
Gauntt created a two-piece skirt and blouse combo modeled after a piece she saw but could not buy.
“I saw this top online, but I’m not allowed to shop on the website that I saw it on, so I just decided to make it,” she said. “I have another skirt like this that I really like, and I need another one for professional wear so I just decided to make it myself.”
