This past Sunday I stepped into a glamorous evening of Fashion and Fun at Belk Crabtree Valley Mall to benefit the Junior League of Raleigh. Imagine a private professional fashion show, red carpet giveaways, discounted shopping, sumptuous refreshments, live entertainment and more! Fashion Forward was a celebration and collaboration of the partnership between the Junior League of Raleigh and Charlotte-based (and family owned!) department store empire Belk. Let me walk you through a pictorial guide of the night’s event.

Raleigh Junior League President and good friend Pat Wilkins was our official host for the evening and welcomed the crowd prior to the start of the fashion show. Pat appears below on the left in a Karen Kane maxi dress along with a fellow Junior League membe

A Belk fashion trend forecaster based at the Charlotte headquarters promised the audience that this season provides a plethora of prints. Go bold or go home!

LA Designer Karen Kane’s spring line proved awe-inspiring filled with color and bold design. She actually attended the Raleigh event and mingled with attendees. After her fashions finished the runway she came on stage to take a bow.

  

VIP attendees got an exclusive chance to enter a drawing to win a pair of gorgeous diamond earrings.

The night of fashion and shopping concluded with drawings for a variety of coveted prizes. Like a weekend at Asheville’s Biltmore Estate that my friend Debra Barkley (pictured here) won!

Attendees were showered with gift bags upon departing. VIPs were treated to coupons from a variety of Raleigh merchants, a Karen Kane scarf, a men’s tie, a $10 Belk gift card and more. What a generous bonus to an evening filled with spring fashion, food and fun!

The Fashion Plate and mom Pat Lopp listening to live entertainment by a local jazz band and savoring the royal treatment!

One more plug for Belk at Crabtree Valley Mall. If you are a bride-to-be who has ever dreamed of a custom designed wedding gown, then here’s your chance. Faith Thornburg will hold a bridal trunk show at Belk’s Crabtree Valley location on Saturday, March 16 from Noon-3 p.m. and be available to meet with brides to design a custom wedding dress. Faith is a Savannah, Ga.-based designer who creates one-of-a-kind dresses for her clients and was a winner of Belk’s 2012 Southern Designer Showcase competition. She works with clients to create custom wedding gowns, eveningwear, and cocktail dresses, giving her the chance to be a part of a special moment in each woman’s life.

   
(lgaady.com)

Chapelboro Insiders and fashionistas, stay tuned for an upcoming Spring Trend Report in the next edition of The Fashion Plate!