Every year the Crossroads District orchestrates the West 18th Street fashion show pairing local and national designers with area models for the express purpose of showing off new designs. This year’s themes was “Summer in Paris” and featured designs ranging from upscale professional to positively wild and zany. The outdoor show is free, though those wishing to sit close to the runway may opt to pay the $35 or $100 ticket price for the privilege.  Whether a proprietor of a local dress shop or a casual observer, the fashion show provides a great opportunity to dress up and marvel at the creative visions of  up-and-coming or long-established clothing designers. Here are a few of the highlights:

The show began with a Flamenco dance…

introducing the first collection;

Whimsical children’s fashions:

Up next – short, hot and sassy;

El Toreador!

A lovely juxtaposition of metal and fabric in this collection:

This next collection looks as if inspired by Nilsson’s animated movie, “The Point”

Next, fun with knitting!

Men’s fashions:

These next designs metamorphose…

My personal favorites:

For a really great slide show of all the designs featured in this year’s fashion show (taken by a professional photographer and not some poor schmuck in the crowd) as well as a list of this year’s designers, go to westeighteenthstreet.com

Next year’s show is scheduled for June 9th.