About 100 people gathered on the sidewalk outside Classy Closet Consignment on Saturday, Aug. 1, to watch models strut a red carpet runway in vintage gowns, designer pieces and consignment finds, all of it for sale.

The free event, organized by Mikayla Spear, turned the stretch of Washington Street outside the shop's entrance into a catwalk. Models walked in vintage, modern and high-end designer looks from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m., followed by a 25%-off sale that ran until 9 p.m., The Daily Northwestern reported.

Every piece on the runway, including shoes and jewelry, came from the store's inventory. Every model had a say in what they wore, choosing from the full stock at a fitting beforehand.

Owner Emanuel Wilder founded Classy Closet at 701 Washington St. in 2003. The shop sells handpicked, gently used clothing, shoes, jewelry and accessories, and is listed in Lisa Birnbach's "True Prep" as one of only three Illinois stores featured in the book. Wilder staged a fashion show in Chicago's West Loop more than a decade ago, and Spear said that earlier event served as the blueprint for Saturday's production.

"We want to bring back the energy we had back then, but make it more of a community event so people can shop, people can eat, people can meet other people in the neighborhood," Spear said. "That's really the spirit of what we have going on tonight."

Spear recruited models by posting online and received more than 100 responses. The final lineup mixed store staff, customers and professional models from the greater Chicago area. Chicago-based model Renee Bradshaw walked three looks progressing from day to night, starting with polka dot pants and a silk scarf and ending in a blue vintage gown.

The event drew attendees from well beyond Evanston. Audience member Taylor Cherecwich said she drove about an hour and a half to attend. She described the red carpet setup, with seats lined up and photographers positioned along the runway, as feeling like a serious production. After the show wrapped, fashion designers and other creatives in the crowd exchanged contact information, and Chicago Fashion Week scouts approached one of the models about working together, according to the Daily Northwestern.

Spear said she hopes the fashion show becomes an annual draw for the Main-Dempster Mile corridor. Downtown Evanston has faced persistent vacancy challenges since the pandemic, even as the district draws more than 6 million annual visits across its 300-plus businesses, according to a May Evanston Roundtable report on the city's retail initiative.