StyleStamped Events: 2 Runways 1 Cause Fashion Show

October is the month to observe breast cancer awareness. Breast cancer gets a lot of attention, and with good cause as 1 out of 8 women will develop breast cancer of the course of her lifetime. Everyone knows someone who has been affected by this disease; and if you don’t, unfortunately you will. To raise awareness for this disease, fundraising events have been taking place nation-wide. TaLisa Michelle, a designer from the local Washington, DC area, orchestrated an event to cover two themes: Raising awareness and funds for breast cancer through a silent auction for Avon and showcasing her 2013 Fall Fashion line. The event did not take place in a usual setting, which is what made it even more special. Ms. TaLisa held the event at Reagan National Airport in the Signature hangar, and entitled the event: “Two Runways, One Cause.” Brilliant.

The semi-formal event, hosted by Candiace Dillard, Miss United States 2013, had a cocktail hour, live band with special performance by Mariah Maxwell, and most importantly an Avon speaker, who shared her touching story about her survival and overcoming of her battle with breast cancer. The set up of the event was fashion-forward and original, with a jet poised in the middle of the hangar and 2 Ashton Martin 4-door cars on both sides.

The special guest Avon speaker and the designer, TaLisa Michelle

The main event was the fashion show, which featured a beautiful collection of TaLisa Michelle dresses and evening wear. There were 13 outfits in the collection, including one dress worn by the designer. The models walked the runway outlined by colorful tea lights with the jet as the background. All show participants wore a breast cancer ribbon for the occasion.

I got the chance to sit down with Miss TaLisa so she could tell StyleStamped a little excerpt about her brand and her art. I asked TaLisa what her pieces spoke to, and she stated that they are classic and timeless, but sexy. She likes to use simple, but classic silhouettes with an eye catching fabric. For this collection, TaLisa focused on bold animal prints and holographics; fun fabrics that can be transcended for anyone to wear. I asked TaLisa how she comes up with the idea for her lines, and she stated that her way of coming up with inspiration is simply by going into a fabric store, finding a fabric that catches her eye, and begin building the entire collection from there. The dress she wore was made of the fabric that inspired this collection; a blue holographic print that mimicked snakeskin. A very fun fabric that translated beautifully into very well put together pieces. TaLisa stated that her pieces are “statement pieces for women who want to play it safe.”

This is TaLisa’s fourth collection, and her last showcase in the Washington, DC area. The designer is moving to Atlanta, GA to pursue the next step in her career. Her ultimate goal is to do a New York fashion week and eventually launch a design studio. From what we saw at this event, I believe we will see more of TaLsia in the future. Her brand is very well designed and the pieces are exactly what she stated; timeless, classic, and sexy. We wish TaLisa nothing but luck in her move to Atlanta, and hopefully we will see her and her beautiful designs again in the near future, possibly on the big screen!