Fashion show all about family

Welcome to the Wild, Wild West!

That’s the theme of the 65th annual Loyola College Prep Style Show, which will be held on Wednesday, Nov. 8, at 11 a.m. at the Shreveport Convention Center.

This year’s Loyola Style Show will be filled with Old West themes on stage, in costumes and music. John James Marshall and Lisa Cooper will serve as emcees, and even Sheriff Snoopy will be there to provide a little law and order.

“Sheriff Snoopy and the Loyola College Prep Class of 2018 will be riding into the sunset, leaving high school behind and embarking on new frontiers,” said Lisa Stewart, this year’s style show chair and a St. Vincent Academy alum. “The show will have everything from rowdy cowboys in cowboy hats and boots to dancing girls wearing the most fashion-forward fall ensembles from Shreveport and Bossier’s amazingly generous stores.”

“The style show will honor the Loyola College Prep Class of 2018,” Stewart said. “The funds raised by style show this year are used for financial aid for students that would otherwise not be able to attend Loyola. Funds raised will also bring in visiting speakers, pay for continuing education for our faculty, help with retreat costs and provide building upgrades for the school.”

“Every decoration at this year’s style show, from table decorations to the stage decorations, are all made by hand,” Stewart said. “Led by our very artistic junior mom, Sallye Corbell, we began working in the summer and have gone through several hundred pounds of glitter.”

The event is famous for its elaborate table décor, and even cowboy boots and cacti can shine with enough glitter. The rustic stage will feature a wooden fence and a stable for stallions, along with a sprinkling of cacti and cowboy hats. There’s also a setting sun in the background for when the seniors ride off into the sunset.

The Loyola College Prep Class of 2018 will model clothing ranging from the truly traditional Western get-up to the best of Shreveport boutique-wear. There should truly be designs for every taste provided by Cavenders, John Pickens Clothiers, Gearhead Outfitters, Squire’s, Pattons, L.E. & Chalk, Favorite Sisters Boutique, Harper House, Chez Rivage, M Clothing, Vertage Clothing, Simply Chic, Paper Tulip, Cactus Trading Company and Chateau en Mae.

Martha Thomas with M. Clothes/Shoes/ Lifestyle has been participating in the style show for years. “M. is a mother/daughter women’s specialty store, and I guess what gets me excited every year is the generation thing,” Thomas said. “I know and have helped many of the models’ mothers and grandmothers. I grew up in Shreveport and want to be a part of the tradition of the style show that has been going on for many, many years.”

Thomas said she particularly loves working with the models. “I enjoy the challenge of introducing the models to new styles and trends,” she said, “and watch them light up as we complete the outfit.”

Thomas gave a sneak preview of trends to notice on the Loyola runway, and there is a lot more than boots and bolo ties. “My love for fashion has always been ’60s and ’70s inspired, and this year, especially, you’ll see lots of it,” she said. “Lush vintage-looking furs; abstract prints; velvets and bell sleeves; high-waisted jeans; cropped flares. It’s all about denim, denim and more denim.”

The addition of “the studio” at M. three years ago has been influencing the overall design direction there ever since. “Our styles are influenced so strongly by the shoe trends,” Thomas said. “That’s the most exciting part to watch, the white go-go boots, navy velvet booties, blush fur slides, lace-up suede booties, merlot fur shoes, black patent Chelsea boots and mid-calf boots.

In addition to the fabulous runway line-up, there are other fun elements at the style show. “We also have incredible sweepstakes baskets this year,” Stewart said, “including dazzling jewelry and amazing trips to the Colorado mountains, a golf trip, a couple’s weekend in Dallas and beach trips.”

Over 75 packages of products and services are up for grabs. Everything from designer vases from Yarbrough Interiors to gift certificates from Imelda’s Fine Shoes are included in the sweepstakes.

Perhaps the most coveted items, however, have been donated by local jeweler Sid Potts, such as a stunning pair of 14k yellow gold oval smokey quartz and diamond earrings. “Sid Potts donated several pieces of fabulous jewelry,” Stewart said. “My absolute favorite is an exquisite yellow sapphire eternity band set in yellow gold. Beautiful!” The famed Alumni Walk will recognize past generations of Loyola and St. Vincent Academy graduates. The style show always has the feel of a fabulous homecoming combined with a fun runway event.

“It takes many people, time and talent to put on a show of this magnitude,” Stewart said, “which brings us back to the central theme of Loyola: family. That’s what I love about Loyola. It is all about family.”

“I graduated from St. Vincent’s Academy in 1983,” Stewart explained, speaking of a time when young men went to Loyola and young ladies attended St Vincent’s Academy, which closed years ago when Loyola became co-ed. “My brother graduated from Loyola in 1988, and my mother worked at Jesuit/Loyola for 15 years.

There was never a doubt that I’d eventually send my own children there. Our school is comprised of many alumni that have returned as faculty and administrators, like our own principal, John LeBlanc, as well as many parent alumni that wanted their children to experience the same bond and incredible memories they had.”

Doors open at 11 a.m. with lunch and the show beginning at 11:30. Tickets for the Loyola College Prep Style Show are $35 and available online at https://lcpstyleshow2017.eventbrite.com, but the price will increase to $45 after Oct. 25. Tickets can also be purchased at the Anderson Building at Loyola. A limited number will be available the day of the show at the door.