Sunday, Nov. 16 • 4 p.m.
By Polly Lynn
Sunday, Nov. 16 — RUTLAND — The second annual Catwalk for a Cause event has grown in leaps and bounds since the event first took to the Paramount Theatre stage last year, said event organizer Kelly Logan of Five Elements Salon and Day Spa.
“Ticket sales are already over what we sold last year in total,” said Logan said in an interview Nov. 6. With ten days left before the show, she is confident the event will be a fundraising success for The United Way of Rutland County.
“All the money collected for the United Way of Rutland County goes to support our local community,” said Logan. “I’m hopeful that the community will come out to support this great cause.”
This year, organizers held three nights of modeling calls and selected 105 models to showcase nine area retail collections — up from just 28 models last year. Models will be all different shapes, sizes and ages, Logan said, and all will have their hair and make-up done by local professionals and/or beauty students.
Kelly Logan, Traci Moore, and Tracy Lazell organized the inaugural event in 2013.
“The everyday work can get monotonous and boring day-to-day. Passion is lacking in our society,” said Logan last year of her motivation to debut the Catwalk event. “That’s especially sad for hairdressers and others drawn to fashion because they are excited by the avant-garde ‘take it to the edge’ style… this is their opportunity to experiment with that, to rekindle their passion, be artistic and step out of the box!”
Kelly Logan herself has competed in hair fashion competitions in Boston and New York and is excited to bring her experience to Rutland and to have locals participate.
Cara Stickney, who used to be a model, and Tim Carrigan, who formerly ran Elite Modeling agency in New York, are also helping to organize the event this year. Both are well versed in the production side of modeling events, said Logan.
This year, the focus has changed from the hairstylist leading each team, to the retailers. Nine area businesses will showcase their collections on stage with the assistance of hair dressers, make-up artists and models selected to meet their needs. They will be competing for three awards: Best Overall Look, Most Creative and People’s Choice (by text voting).
The nine retailers include Cabi, Deja New, Loosey Goosey Clothesline (at Mr. Twitters), Basin Sports, A Trace of Lace, Penguin Jacks, McNeil & Reedy, Raw Honey and Fruition.
Amber Stone of Z97.1 and Bill Ackerman of Green Mountain Marketing & Advertising will emcee the show together this year, providing details of each collection for the audience.
In addition to the main stage catwalk, there will be a raffle with many generous offerings from local businesses. Guests are encouraged to arrive early to choose the best seats (all tickets are for open seating). “The models will be walking through the aisles, so I’d recommend a seat on the first floor,” said Logan.
Tickets for the Catwalk for a Cause benefit are $20 for adults and $10 for seniors or students under 18. Doors open at 3 p.m. the catwalk begins at 4 p.m.
Photos by Robin Alberti
