There is New York, Paris, Milan and London fashion week, but what a lot of people don’t know is that Kansas City has a three-day fashion show, showcasing designers from the Midwest. The week kicked off with a cocktail party followed by three days of fashion runway shows. I attended the second night of the shows as part of the media.

Coming from someone who gets up early to livestream my favorite designers’ runway shows during New York Fashion Week, getting to attend an actual fashion show was something that I thought would never be a reality. When I arrived at the venue, there were photographers, a red carpet and sitting in my seat was a bag full of free beauty products. I was sitting in the media section, which was the first two rows. The MC of the evening was Kacie McDonnell, a news anchor for Kansas City’s 41 Action News.

Once the lights dimmed and the music started playing, the models started floating down the runway one by, wearing collections by featured designers, Lauren Bander, Pauline Gibson, Madison LaRae Durant, Michael Drummond, Kiana Godsey, Rachel Anne Gottlieb and My Heirloom Bridal Design. The designers ranged from 15-year-old local designers to project runway contestants. Some of the designers had casual ready-to-wear outfits, as well as couture gowns. Each collection had different hairstyles and runway makeup to create their own look for the show.

It was so satisfying to see an amazing fashion show in the Midwest considering that there isn’t the biggest fashion scene in Kansas. From the event staff, models, designers, hair and makeup stylists, photographers and volunteers, Kansas City Fashion Week is such an amazing event that takes a lot of planning and organizing. Getting to attend a real fashion show and sit with all the bloggers, journalists and photographers was such an amazing experience for me, a student journalist to experience.