Fashion shows aim to benefit students

The latest in fall and holiday fashions will be showcased during two separate shows on Saturday, with proceeds from both going to scholarship programs.

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The first fashion show will be held from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at West Lake Country Club, sponsored by students in the Beta Omicron nursing honor society at the Medical College of Georgia.

Beth NeSmith, a doctoral student in the MCG School of Nursing and president of Beta Omicron, said the mission is to "develop nursing leaders and scholarship. We want to show that the qualities of leadership are beautiful."

The theme for this year's fashion show, which will feature clothes from Dillard's and accessories from local and national vendors, is "Leadership is Lovely."

Models for the show will include recent MCG nursing graduates and MCG School of Nursing faculty.

Kimberely Scott, a WJBF-TV news anchor, will serve as mistress of ceremonies.

Tickets for the event cost $30 and include lunch. They can be purchased in advance or at the door. For information, e-mail NeSmith at bnesmith@students.mcg.edu or at (706) 721-8848.

Beta Omicron, the local chapter of Sigma Theta Tau International Nursing Honor Society, will use proceeds from the event to provide local nursing scholarships, including admission to the society's leadership academy and biennial research conference.

Also on Oct. 20, Curvaceous Cuties is sponsoring a show from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Jabez Sanford Hardin Performing Arts Center at the Columbia County Library.

Curvaceous Cuties, founded a year ago by Tomeka Porter-Few, focuses on the beauty of plus-size women.

Their first fashion show will feature "all the latest in plus size fashion; everything from lingerie to evening wear," Porter-Few said.

"The media thinks beauty is a size 4, and not everyone is meant to be a size 4," she said.

Olivia's for the Real Woman, an Evans lingerie shop, is a major sponsor of the fashion show.

Proceeds will go toward scholarships for plus-size teen girls.

"We are not pocketing any of the money," Porter-Few said. "We will put it out at the schools and the guidance counselors will get it to the students."

Porter-Few said the scholarship recipients will be asked to write an essay describing a time when they overcame a difficult situation.

Tickets for the Curvaceous Cuties fashion show cost $20 each and must be purchased in advance.

For information, call Porter-Few at (706) 399-8788 or visit www.CurvaceousCuties.org and click on the "Contact us" link to e-mail Porter-Few.