Organization for Black Unity to hold ‘Cirque de Vogue’ fashion show in Plachta Auditorium

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Next week Warriner Hall’s Plachta Auditorium will be full of fashion.

The 12th annual Organization for Black Unity fashion show, “Cirque de Vogue: The House of Circus Couture,” will be held Feb. 3.

The charity event will run from 7 to 9 p.m. The fashion show is one of several events next week in honor of OBU Week, which begins Monday and goes through Saturday. OBU is a social organization with a stated purpose to help build networks, raise the retention rate and support students on campus.

“The proceeds from the fashion show (are) divided between OBU and our Student Budget Allocation Committee funding,” said Northville sophomore and OBU Vice President Jasmine Valentine. “With the money that is gained during the show and any other events we have next week, we will able to give back not only to the Mount Pleasant community, but also to our philanthropy, which is the The Lupus Alliance of Michigan.”

Valentine has been a part of OBU since her freshman year in fall 2010 and was appointed co-director of the show last semester. She said OBU has been planning for this show since last spring.

“Before the 2010-11 (academic year) was over, we chose a theme, which is ‘Circus Couture,’” Valentine said. “Since then, we’ve been planning all of the details out.”

There is a lot of hard work and preparation that goes into running a fashion show, Valentine said. At the beginning of the year, OBU set dates for tryouts to model in the show and once selected, rehearsal began.

Willis senior and OBU President Jenee Graham said the designers for the show are selected in two different ways.

“This year we met with some people from the Fashion Association of Merchandising and Design (major) and got a couple from there,” Graham said. “Mostly we try to get vendors from the Mount Pleasant area to provide clothes and accessories.”

The idea of “Cirque de Vogue” came from OBU wanting to have a circus come to campus for Sibling’s Weekend.

“We wanted the theme of the fashion show to match,” Graham said. “The name came from a collaboration from directors and OBU’s E-Board .”

Canton senior Carmen Walker is doing the hair and makeup for the show.

“I spend a lot of time looking at makeup books and tutorials,” Walker said. “Pat McGrath is my favorite makeup artist.”

Tickets are on sale now at the Events Center box office for $5 and can also be purchased at the door for $7.