Texans Take on New York Fashion Week ~ September 2015

Getting ready for our bi-annual trip to New York Fashion Week seems to come faster and faster each season.  This time around there are a lot of changes for the event.  First, the shows have been moved from Lincoln Center to two new venues which are no where near each other…which should be interesting.  There will be some big names in the line up of shows, ones I have actually never attended so that is certainly exciting.  One familiar face to Austin, Ross Bennett will be showing his new menswear collection to a captive NYFW audience for the first time!  We will be be there backstage and at the end of the runway to capture the historic moment for our hometown guy, and I’m sure little Jack will steal the show for the finale walk!
Take a look at the fashionable Texans who will be participating in New York Fashion Week.  It’s a great list of people representing the Lone Star State.  Thanks to Beauty on the Go for their continued support of our coverage!
The University Fashion Group
This talented and fun group will be very busy this Fashion Week working backstage as dressers for several shows.  They will be responsible to get the famous models  dressed, zipped and all buttoned up before they walk the runway.  The Fashion Group will be helping with the Lela Rose and more!
Attending: Tre Miles, Carolina Ramos, Hannah Crane, Tiffani Le, Marissa Adams, Carissa Melendez, Sara Martinez, Cristina Torres, Jackie Ramirez, Alexandra Waldinger, Debby Garcia, Karinna Lopez, Maria Fernanda Rodriguez, Eleanor Grisebaum, Denise Chavez, Lilana Rocha, Madalyn Brim, Ixchel Hernandez, Tiffany Chan, Morgan Meadows, June Loh, Veronica Lozano
Christian Ramirez
Austin, TX
Christian, a 2012 Rising Star reciepent and 2011 People’s Choice Best Male Model at the Austin Fashion Awards is an accomplished stylist, model, fashion television host and reporter. In April 2013 he started working with the Telemundo Network and that is where he is using his love of acting, tv and fashion together to build and brand his name.
He attends all the top shows with his Telemundo crew and can be seen sitting from row at many of them.
As a Fashion Reporter and Wardrobe stylist Christian is inspired and is an expert on the latest trends and most importantly what designers will make its mark come Spring 2016.
Be sure to follow Christian during NYFW to get a runway report from this Austinite.
Ross Bennett
Austin, TX
Ross Bennett was founded in 2008 by Ross and his wife, Erin Bennett. RB is a labor of love with one main goal in mind: to bring classic, custom tailoring back to modern, everyday life by launching a custom clothing line.
Ross has been making custom pieces for men and women all over Texas. His clothes have been featured in fashion shows across the country, including an eight-week installment at the State Fair of Texas; as well as an appearance on NBC’s ‘Fashion Star’ and for the last 2 Formula 1 racing seasons of 2012 and 2013, Ross was  the exclusive designer for the Circuit of the Americas Formula One Grid Girls Inaugural Seasons. Also this last October 2013, RB was one of only two featured designers, along with the multi-million dollar Lauren Conrad brand, working with Blue Avocado, an eco-friendly lifestyle and food-on-the-go bag and luggage company. With all of this, he has also been contracted as the head designer for a Women’s start up company here in Austin by Lise Lozelle called Maven Fly. 
After starring in NBC’s Fashion Star along with Jessica Simpson and Elle McPherson, Ross and Erin Bennett propelled their home- based business into a recognizable national brand that has been featured in Macy’s and H&M department stores, InStyle Magazine, Rolling Stone Magazine, Women’s Health, and numerous fashion shows throughout the country. This exposure has led to the development of several key supplier and manufacturing relationships. (bio from Ross Bennett Collection website)
Melissa d’Attilio
Houston & Austin, TX
A Houston native and former Austinite,  Melissa is the owner of Fly Productions a fashion show production and event company now based in New York.  She works directly with the designer to create the entire concept for their fashion show, from selecting the music, light direction, to the materials for the runway.  It is all on the shoulders of Melissa and her busy Fly team working with clients like Naeem Kahn, Rebecca Taylor, DL 1961, Jill Stuart, Chris Benz, Badgley Mischka and Calvin Klein and more.  Melissa can be seen backstage directing all of the elements of the fashion show to make sure it starts on time (which I consider “fashion” time).  After a sound and light check run thru with the models, she perches herself high in the back of the runway and calls “lights up, model walk.”  Let the magic of the fashion show begin.
Sherri Hill
Austin, TX
Sherri Hill relocated her corporate headquarters to Austin and operates her massively successful dress business in our city.  Her designs of opulent red carpet and prom gowns have a huge following. (just check out the million plus followers on Facebook)  Sherri’s start began back in 2008 and her success continued to grown when contestants of the Miss USA, Miss Universe and Miss America contestants won wearing her designs.  More than 1000 stores carry her gowns in more than 30 countries.
The Sherri Hill collection shown at New York Fashion Week has had some impressive models walk the runway including,  Kendall and Kylie Jenner , Miss China 2011 Luo Zilin, Miss USA 2011 Alyssa Campanella, Carmen Dell’Orefice, Miss Universe 2008 Dayana Mendoza, Carrie Underwood and Bella Thorne.  Her collaboration with Sadie Robertson, daughter of the Duck Dynasty clan, will also be modeling for the Spring 2016 collection.
The red carpet has also been a popular place to see Hill designs. Selena Gomez, Carrie Underwood, Miranda Lambert, Carmen Electra and Bella Thorne have all been seen wearing her gowns.
We are excited to feature this Austin based designer at New York Fashion Week from the Grand Ballroom of the Plaza Hotel.
Most recently, when Google released its 14th Annual “Year in Search” results, Sherri Hill was recognized as one of the Top Ten Trending Fashion Designers.
Clifford Pugh
Houston, TX
Cliff has enjoyed a long, successful journalism career at the Houston Post and Houston Chronicle. Clifford Pugh has discovered the joys of the web in creating a unique news and information site that covers Houston in real time for the daily news site Culture Map Houston. His claim to journalism fame came at the Vanity Fair Oscar party, when screenwriter Alexander Payne asked him to hold his Oscar while he went to the bathroom. Cliff is busy jumping from show to show inside the tents at Fashion Week and brings an interesting prospective to the articles he writes. It’s nice to have a man’s opinion in the industry.
Brittany Scheeres
Austin, TX
Brittany Scheeres is a wedding and portrait photographer originally from Austin, TX. She is happily married to a military man and they have two adorable fur children. She’s been in the trenches shooting New York Fashion Week, but her favorite subjects are couples in love! You can see more of her work at BrittanyBrookePhotography.com
Gregg Cestaro
Cedar Park, TX
Gregg is a long-time, published and professional photographer working in the Austin Area since 1999. He specializes in fashion, products, culinary, and personality photography and graphic design for magazine editorial and commercial advertising. Gregg also is an accomplished editorial commercial videographer. In 2011 he received an Industry Choice Best Product Photographer at the Austin Fashion Week Awards and in 2012 he received the acclaimed Timothy White Award for Best Mash-up Team Fashion Photo and
Voted “People’s Choice” Best Mash-up Team Fashion Photo for 2012. You can view his work at GreggCestaro.net to view his main portfolio and AustinTXPhoto.com for the latest news and projects. Gregg has been on the Fashionably Austin team for more than four years.