Students learned how to dress professionally and build confidence at “First Impressions: A Career Ready Fashion Show.”
Hosted by the University of Kentucky’s Graham Office of Career Management, the inaugural event took place at the Gatton College of Business & Economics on Friday, Nov. 14.
The event featured a fashion show with student models, raffle prizes of up to $250 for fashion funds, a DJ and a Wildcat Wardrobe pop-up display.
All looks from the fashion show were outfitted by Dillard’s, ranging from business casual to business professional and business cocktail, with male and female models for each category.
According to Raven Gibson, assistant director of career readiness at the Graham Office of Career Management, the event’s purpose was to teach students how to dress professionally while staying true to their personal styles.
“Showing who I am authentically through dress is definitely important to me,” Gibson said. “I do that daily. It makes you feel better, it makes me feel more confident and I think it can do the same thing for students too.”
Throughout the show, students were coached on the various types of business attire and the occasions that require them.
The event also featured video tutorials on tying a tie, applying professional-looking makeup and choosing appropriate accessories.
For master’s marketing student Chris Whitley, modeling at the show was an opportunity to show students what dressing professionally can look like.
“Being a grad student, we all kind of have to go through a lot of networking events to get where we want to go,” Whitley said. “So I thought this was not only a good way to practice that and put it in motion, but also kind of give undergrad (students) something to look at and give them a little template.”
Ashlyn Davis, a first-time model and MBA candidate, said the experience taught her how to “work the room” and helped her be more confident in herself.
“You can truly influence your own confidence and bring it out of yourself with your own sense of style,” Davis said. “Office clothes and the clothes that you wear in the workplace, they don’t have to be boring. They can be fun and they can help you exude your confidence
Davis said the experience allowed her to explore her own sense of style by experimenting with different patterns and incorporating both masculine and feminine styles.
In addition to embracing personal style, Davis also shared the importance of practicing self-love as a student
“It takes a lot of self-love, like being able to look in the mirror and tell yourself that you’re a badass, like that’s so important,” Davis said. “So just being able to work on that self-confidence and have a lot of self-love is so important.”
