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Auto Show 2013 Charity Preview: Inside Look On Fashion

By Raquel Parks

The North American International Auto Show has become a beloved tradition for Detroiters and car enthusiasts. The latest and best cars in the automotive industry shine their brightest in motor city for one very exciting week.  The prelude to the excitement will begin with the 2013 Charity Preview.

The Charity Preview gives the community the chance to give back to a worthy cause while enjoying an evening of innovative, dream cars and fine fashion. The preparation of models for the big event begins months ahead and the fashion is equally important.

The planning that goes into preparing models for the Charity Preview is a year-long process. Each automotive manufacturer has a team or staff that lives around the country and travels throughout the auto show season.

The auto show season runs September through April. Every manufacturer selects the models' wardrobe in the late summer time to wear all season for the press preview and public days.

Marci Rice from Gail & Rice agency took the time to shares the details that goes into picking the ensembles for the models at the Charity Preview and public showings for the auto show.

Before the wardrobe is selected for the auto show season, each manufacturer's team sits down with clients and marketing to determine the look they are trying to achieve. During this time, they also determine any special colors they might want to see and to make sure it doesn't clash with their vehicles or display properties.

"Wardrobe presentations will consist of 4 to 5 different looks with a possible family of looks ... This wardrobe gets worn for 50 to 100 days, each season for 8 hours minimum per day," says Rice.

"We stay current on upcoming trends and keep in mind the things the client likes or doesn't like to see when we put together a wardrobe presentation."

Although style is important, each look must also be durable and not too delicate for all the travel. Fabric is therefore a major factor that's is considered. Clothing with fabrics that have maximum durability are therefore best choices for models.

In order to find the right wardrobe, proper shopping is necessary to put together each look. Rice says, "We purchase wardrobe from a wide range of stores in Michigan, out of state, online and sometimes custom-made, depending on our clients' needs."

Essentially, preparing for the Charity Preview is a full production and several factors are considered into creating flawless looks for each model representing automotive brands. A fashionista can best prepare her look for the big night by taking a few cues from the experts.

Whether it be a gown or cocktail dress, choose a fabric that will be easy to move around in and fuss free for the evening to ensure no wrinkles. Prints can be beautiful but solid, bright colors are less distracting and simply classic. Most of all, be the most fashionable version of yourself and enjoy the evening.

The 2013 Charity Preview will take place January 18th in the Cobo Center. The tickets are $300 per person. Funds from the Charity Preview tickets raised will go towards supporting important services for children of all ages from birth to the age of 18.

To purchase tickets for the Charity Preview 2013 and for more information, visit naias.com.

Raquel is a Michigan native with a Bachelors in Journalism from the University of Michigan. She loves fashion and writing about life's everyday stories. She has written for various local publications that include Dearborn Press & Guide and Detroit Fashion Pages. Raquel also writes for her own local events blog, Metro Diva Pages. You can visit Raquel's blog at metrodivapages-rdp.blogspot.com and follow her on Twitter @MetroDivaPages.

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