Teens craft dresses for runway competition at Fashion Show mall

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Sometimes you do not have to be a runway model to be a runway model.

Fashion students from six local high schools are scheduled to strut their stuff on the Fashion Show mall’s runway at 2 p.m. Saturday as part of the Junior League of Las Vegas’ Fashion Forward: Prom Party Fashion Challenge.

The 64 participating students have spent the past two months creating prom dresses with materials totaling $50 or less. The Junior League donated gift cards to the students to buy their patterns and supplies.

Participating schools are last year’s winner, Southwest Career and Technical Academy, 7050 W. Shelbourne Ave.; West Preparatory Academy, 2050 Saphire Stone Ave.; Western, 4601 W. Bonanza Road; Palo Verde, 333 S. Pavilion Center Drive; Centennial, 10200 Centennial Parkway; and Las Vegas, 6500 E. Sahara Ave., high schools.

The event started five years ago when Las Vegas High School fashion teacher Shannon Sheldon applied for an education grant from the JLLV "to get more money to do more exciting things," Sheldon said.

"I was trying to motivate the kids," she said. "I had seen the TV show ‘Project Runway’ and thought maybe I could do something like that in the class with the kids."

She did not receive the grant, but the JLLV asked to use her idea for a fundraiser.

"My first thought was, ‘Over my dead body,’ " Sheldon said, because prom dresses are so difficult to make. "But I said OK. I didn’t want to deny the kids the opportunity. And it’s just turned into this huge program."

Las Vegas High School was the only school to participate in the inaugural year, and JLLV has added schools each year.

"The first year it about killed all of us," Sheldon said. "We all cried, including me. … Before, we had no idea what we were getting ourselves into."

Sheldon said she has adjusted her teaching over the past few years to better prepare her students for the competition. She gives them specific assignments in the first semester to teach techniques needed to make a prom dress from scratch.

Many students stay after school or come in on Saturdays to work on their dresses.

Third-year fashion student Jessica Carranto is the only student at Las Vegas High School not using a commercial pattern. She is creating a truly original dress. She plans to attend the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising in California after graduation.

She had high hopes from a young age.

"I’ve always told my parents I’m going to be an astronaut or a fashion designer," Carranto said. "I went into (fashion) and it stuck with me."

Carranto and others will be competing for various prizes, including a scholarship to FIDM’s summer fashion camp.

"Fashion is a skill," Carranto said. "I found out I want to do this for the rest of my life from this school. This class could be somebody’s future, and I think that’s really important.

"Any support we can get, we can use it."

Contact View education reporter Jeff Mosier at jmosier@viewnews.com or 224-5524.