curated notions.: INSIDER SCOOP: UIUC COLLEGE FASHION WEEK / KICK-OFF CONCERT

The lights dimmed as the beat started to shake the room. The main act was about to take the stage. You could feel the buzz of anxiety building in the audience as people awaited the infamous Beats Antique. A girl dawning a sequined gypsy skirt and lime-green feathers in her hair leaned over to excitedly tell me about the band.

“They are amazing. They are going to blow you out of the water.”

She was right. As the artists took stage, the fog lifted to show a beautiful belly dancer flirting with the audience. The crowd was insane, the music was insane and the fashion was insane.

As I walked around snapping pictures of the L.E.D hula-hoopers, decked out gypsies and chill concert-goers, I realized there is more than stilettos and peplum skirts in The Fashion World. Studs, collars, tattoos, patterns, long flowing fabrics, dreadlocks, belly baring tops, sequins, bells. All of these encompassed the favored look of the night. As a nod to their parents’ old hippie getup, fans wore a more relaxed, organic guise making my black pumps and “College Fashion Week Staff” shirt stand out like a sore thumb.

The staff of College Fashion Week set up camp in the foyer of Canopy Club, where attendees posed in front of the CFW banner and were handed CFW ‘clothes tags’ with contact information. CFW sold red ribbons for the Red Pump Project charity while promoting the upcoming events of the week.

While the show was ultimately an amazing experience, it was meeting the audience, understanding their passions and viewing their quirky-relaxed style that really made the night unforgettable.

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Stay tuned for the rest of the events this week. Hopefully they will be as great as last night was!