Tootsies boutique played host to SMU’s first fashion week event. The store offered fittings and makeovers as well as special contributions from different girls representing The Feather Junkie. (Taylor Martin/The Daily Campus)

SMU’s first fashion week kicked off Monday evening at Preston Center’s trendy clothing boutique Tootsies. Frequented by many of SMU’s fashion-forward students, Tootsies was buzzing with shoppers enamoring over the latest spring collections and bursts of colors that flooded the runways this past fall.

By 7 p.m., the launch party was buzzing with a DJ, complimentary beverages and cocktails served on both the first and second floors, along with fashion vendors that donated goodies to the fashion week survival kit. Drinks in tote, shoppers searched for the latest trends to snag.

One of those shoppers, Jessica Gretter, a freshman business major and fashion media minor at SMU, is also a member of SMU’s retail club. She was excited to mix and mingle at Tootsies while perusing some of the latest spring trends.

“I love the bright colors this season has to offer,” Gretter said. “I love fashion and mixing and matching things, so you look well put together, but not over done.”

As many in attendance anticipated shopping in Tootsie’s boutique with offerings of eye-popping colors, from shades of yellow and red to more modest shades like champagne and charcoal grey, SMU student Rebecca Marin, retail club president and executive member of fashion week, explained why SMU fashion week is about more than just fashion.

“We really want to educate people about the opportunities available to students interested in pursuing the fashion industry as a career,” Marin said. “We want to show students that the fashion industry is attainable.”

Tootsies assistant manager Amy Espinosa, a 2008 graduate from Texas Tech University, expressed similar sentiments as Marin. As a human development and family studies major, Espinosa never expected she would be working in the fashion industry, but she is happy she took a risk and followed her passions.

“Sometimes you have to start from the bottom,” Espinosa said. “I started as an intern for Nordstroms and worked my way through the industry. In this industry, you have to keep an open mind, put yourself out there and network.”

Networking is exactly what fashion week founder Grace Davis intended when creating the SMU organization. As a senior chemistry major and fashion media minor at SMU, Davis was eager to learn how she could enjoy her passion for fashion as a possible career.

“I love fashion, and I had a lot of questions about the industry,” Davis said. “I wanted to do something that everyone could have fun and still learn about the fashion industry.”

Davis presented her ideas to Camille Kraeplin, the fashion media program director, who became the faculty advisor for the organization, and fashion week was born. Naturally, SMU’s retail club joined in to help host fashion week, which provides educational panels and networking opportunities to students considering pursuing a career in the fashion industry.

“Dallas is a great place for fashion, and it is continuously growing,” Marin said. “SMU is a great, trendy school, and we hope students will want to learn more from the events and explore their interests in the industry.”

For more information on fashion week and future panel discussions please visit their website.