Checking in from Charleston

Models make their final pass on the runway during the debut
at Charleston Fashion Week of the Clewis Reid line
from former Charlottean Ashley Reid.

Charleston has a fashion talent pool that is surprisingly deep and definitely unexpected.

The Emerging Local Designers show at Charleston Fashion Week featured six designers who were chosen by a panel that included Laura Bennett from Season three of "Project Runway" and Lacoste CEO Bob Siegel.

Among the designers who showed a spring line in the tents at Marion Square was Ashley Reid, a West Charlotte (and UNC and Savannah College of Art and Design) alum.

Some 900 people packed the tent for the sophisticated event on Friday, including "Project Runway" season four designer Jillian Lewis and boyfriend Lewaa Abdulkhalek (above right) and Lacoste's Siegel.