For over two months, 22-year-old fashion designer Angelia Barbee had been putting the finishing touches on her fashion show, The Carnivale Couture, and promoting the event locally. The event was scheduled to take place last Saturday night at Old Winter Furniture, located at 709 Commercial.

But the events that took place before the show resembled a circus more than a carnival.

At about 5 p.m., just an hour before the doors were to open, the entire crew was informed that the show would not be able to take place in the building. Emporia Fire Captain Bill West informed the group that the furniture store was strictly to be used for the selling of merchandise and not for general assembly.

“709 and 711 Commercial are zoned for merchandising only and not for assembly, especially for a showing of this magnitude,” West said.

Although the show was to have four live bands playing there as well, West verified that the noise was not part of the complaint or problem.

“They let us know less than an hour before the show, even though it has been pretty well promoted for the last two months. It’s amazing that it came together the way it did,” Barbee said.

The show was moved to Beer:30’sbeer garden. Moving the 40 models, four live bands, the crew and materials delayed the show only an hour from the original starting time of 6 p.m. and the estimated 300 people that attended hardly noticed, packing the outdoor venue.

The Carnivale Couture was Barbee’s second showing of her work, with the inspiration coming from the HBO show,“Carnivale.”

As early as sixth grade, living in Austin, Tex., Barbee said she knew she wanted to be a fashion designer. It was at this age she started making her own clothes. Barbee and her husband Josh Barbee, a former ESU student, are the owners of Post-Abandoned Thrift Store, where Barbee finds most of the material to make the clothing.

“She would get scraps from anywhere she could find them, sometimes spending 14-15 hours a day working on the outfits,” Josh Barbee said.

Angelia Barbee said that she wanted to do the fashion show to give the people of Emporia something new to do.

“We wanted to do an event that could be entertaining, different and have a little something for everybody,”Barbee said.

Before the finale walk the models of the “Carnivale Couture” fashion show were given red balloons. The fashion show was hosted by Post Abandoned and Angelia Barbee on Aug. 28 at Beer 30. Erica Cassella/ The Bulletin

Senior art major Katie Donley has known Barbee for nine months and said that more time and publicity was spent on this show compared to the first show Barbee did in January.

“She is really trying to get her name out there. In this show, she focused more on an older, classic style rather than what is necessarily popular right now,” Donley said.

Barbee is not wasting anytime as she is aiming to have another show with her line in early January. The theme for that show, she says, is going to be inspired by the Mel Gibson hit “Mad Max.” Barbee’s work is for sale at her store, located at 504 Commercial Street.

Chris Hopkins/The Bulletin

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