Leslie Presnall, founder of the Baton Rouge Fashion Council, said to expect this year’s Fall Fashion Fest to be “bigger and better” than last year’s debut, with lots of purple and gold in the mix.
The event will take place Saturday at Tin Roof Brewery on Wyoming Street from 3-7 p.m., and is free to the public.
Two years ago, Presnall used her passion for fashion to create the Baton Rouge Fashion Council, through which she organized events to shed light on local businesses in the couture and jewelry world.
“This Fall Fashion Fest will be a tailgate one-stop-shop for all gameday fashion needs,” Presnall said.
More than 30 vendors, including Kat Noels Designs, Imagine Boutique, The Purple Rack Boutique, Beau Lane Boutique, O Bag Factory and Mimosa Handcrafted, will provide trendy merchandise perfect for those wishing to live purple and bleed gold on gamedays.
Though most merchandise will be available for purchase, there will also be a host of free giveaways from stores like The Body Sculpt Barre.
Additionally, DryBar will offer a free braid bar, where they will showcase the latest trends in hair braids. Presnall said the Council would dole out gift cards for free blowouts, so patrons should not panic if they are unable to get a braid.
To instill the spirit of LSU football season, a fashion show displaying a range of tailgate-ready outfits will take place, hosted by Miss LSU-USA Emilie Hebert.
Because she works for LSU Football, Fall Fashion Fest model Symphony Phillips said “it is important for [me] to represent the enterprise well and look cute while doing so.”
“It’s like a package deal,” Phillips said. “I get to model, meet people and wear pretty clothes.”
Looking forward to the fashion lines and vendors, Phillips said she hopes to see some fresh, new ideas and designs at the event.
With the victims of Louisiana’s recent flood in mind, Presnall said many of her vendors are donating some of their profit to local flood relief centers and food banks.
SFT, one of the event’s vendors, created a T-Shirt with the tagline, “Cajun Navy,” to represent Louisiana’s unity in post-flood recovery efforts. Proceeds from shirt sales will go directly to flood victims.