Palm Desert’s Fashion Week Hits The Runway Sunday

Preparations were underway for this year’s Fashion Week on El Paseo under the big white tent.

The catwalk action begins on Sunday.

This is Fashion Week’s sixth year with tie-in events at nearby stores. Cactus Flower Show Salon began participating in Fashion Week a couple of years ago, and it’s paid off.

“During Fashion Week, our numbers double and triple,” said Manager Carey Woods.

Asst. Manager Voncile Graham added: “We’ll have up to 30-to-35 customers at a time trying on our shoes. Overall for the week, we’ll see 700-800 people run through the doors.”

Over 6,000 people attended Fashion Week last year. Organizers said over 40 percent of attendees were from outside the Coachella Valley.

Fashion Week also raises money for local organizations. Last year, Fashion Week raised over $65,000.

Organizers said ticket pre-sales for the daily events were going fast. It’s a contrast from El Paseo’s dark days during the recession.

“Unfortunately, we did see a lot of stores come in and leave right away,” said Graham. “We saw a lot of our favorite stores close their doors as well.”

But, volunteer Bernotas believes the down economy is now a thing of the past along the desert’s most fashionable district.

“I see people going in and out of Saks [Fifth Avenue]. They’re still buying. Fashion is always in,” she said.

Fashion Week makes the fashion statement from March 20-28.