These past couple months for us have been nothing short of exciting! With the holiday and lounge collection launch, pop up events, lifestyle photoshoots, prepping the new flagship store space (woohoo!), along with all the other everyday duties, we have been putting in the hours and loving every second of it. Amid all of the excitement, Emily was presented with the opportunity to debut couture and ready-to-wear pieces at Charleston Fashion Week and also be the opening line designer for the fashion show! This was such a great opportunity and we could not be more thrilled with the outcome!
A little run down of CFW, this is an annual premier fashion event showcasing top emerging fashion designers, models, and brands. Located at Festival Hall in downtown Charleston, this event was a hot spot for both locals and tourists. Every recognized designer had pop up shops with clothing for purchase, along with a runway show, hor d'oeuvres, and other interactive entertainment.
Backstage was lots of fun watching all the hair and makeup artists work their magic. If you know Emily, you know she loves to style her looks with a bold red or pink lip, and there’s never too much blush! With that being said, the makeup artist took Emily’s vision into consideration, with a mood board and all, and delivered it so well. Every model even donned signature freckles. After hair and makeup, it was time to dress the models in their pre-styled looks which was a bit chaotic, but so much fun. Although all 15 looks deserve their own run-down, I’m going to highlight a few of Emily’s limited edition pieces that definitely take the cake.
Our first look was quite iconic, yet super last minute (literally). The original look was intended to be one of Emily’s limited edition organza Oxford maxi dresses layered over a one piece swimsuit (Emily McCarthy SWIM coming soon!!!). However, minutes before the show began Emily decided to take a different approach and cut the dress right down the middle. Sounds crazy, but it turned out to be the exact dramatic look we were going for. With a nice runway stride, the dress caught some air creating the perfect flow revealing the swim piece. We paired this look with a statement necklace and black heel, and it turned out to be the most perfect first look to start off the show.
A personal favorite of mine and many others backstage was the hot pink organza suit short set. My favorite part about this look is the sheer organza material revealing the bodysuit underneath, creating a chic and sexy take on a more professional and sophisticated style. Business in the front, party in the back, if you will. Since this set speaks for itself with its bold color and detail, I kept the accessorizing to a minimum in quantity but maximum in quality. These bright gold triple disc earrings were my favorite accessory in the show and were the ideal finishing touch for this look.
This next limited edition look just screams Emily McCarthy, and not just because of the signature green. With Emily being a fiery redhead herself, she could not think of a better model for this limited edition piece. Something about a redhead wearing green just always does the trick! Again with the Oxford Maxi and all the organza, this time with no scissors involved. This look is insanely iconic and again, I just love the sheer detailing that adds such character to a style that would be considered very modest. Worn in an eventful setting, this dress sends the perfect message of “I’m classy, but I’m here to party”. With green slingback heels and flashy earrings, this was such a bold ensemble that received lots of love for obvious reasons.
The final piece of the show was saved for last because, why wouldn’t it be? This dress is a different take on a best selling style, the Poppy Caftan, with a few twists, obviously. This dress is completely covered in pink sequins with a velvet wrap around belt and a train extending from behind. Paired with beautiful diamond drop earrings to add a little extra dose of sparkle and shine for the last look of the show. Creating such a statement, this piece made the perfect lasting impression on the crowd and really exhibited the joyful energy that we want everyone to feel when wearing Emily McCarthy. This dress was definitely holding the applause!
After the models took their final walk, Emily came out to express her gratitudes and it was a wrap for us! We were so glad that we were able to walk out and enjoy the rest of the amazing designer’s runway looks, engage with guests, and of course, celebrate with champagne! It was a successful night for us girls at Charleston Fashion Week and we were so thankful to be a part of it all. Enjoy some pictures of our lovely models below!
Photography by Michael Mulligan
