Teen dress show to be part of Hablamos Español Expo in Elgin

The 11th annual Hablamos Español Expo, a celebration of Hispanic culture and community in Elgin, will feature its first prom and quinceañera fashion show on Saturday.

The Expo takes place 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Heritage Ballroom of the The Centre of Elgin, 100 Symphony Way. The fashion show at noon will feature eight students from Elgin Area School District U-46 modeling dresses from Bellas Fashion, a Latina-owned business in downtown Elgin.

Elgin High School sophomore Melissa Carbajal, one of the show's models, said attending a dress fashion show would have helped her select her own dress for her quinceañera party last year. The tradition, akin to a Sweet 16 party, celebrates girls' 15th birthdays.

"(Saturday's show) would probably be interesting to a lot of girls to see what they would like to wear for the proms and stuff," she said.

The fashion show was the brainchild of Jason Pawlowski, director of marketing and special events for the Elgin Area Chamber of Commerce, which organizes the Expo.

"We were looking for some kind of programming that was really more engaging to the Hispanic community," Pawlowski said. "It's going to be a really nice addition to this event. It's going to give it some depth and some character that I don't think it's had in the last few years."

The fashion show will also help spread the word about prom-related events organized by YWCA Elgin, including the iHeart Prom Expo on March 13 and Cinderella's Closet on March 21, Pawlowski said.

The Expo also will feature educational seminars on a variety of topics, including immigration, health care, personal finance and more, and two panel discussions lead by city officials about how residents can use Elgin's 311 telephone system. All seminars and discussions will have English and Spanish representatives.

All vendors, which include retailers, banks, social service agencies and more, will have bilingual Spanish-English representatives, Pawlowski said.

TV anchor and author Angelica Atondo will be the keynote speaker at 1:30 p.m. She will also be signing copies of her book "Superate Mujer."

There will be an art exhibit titled "Unidos (More Than One)" curated by Side Street Studio Arts Assistant Director Roberto Martinez featuring works by Latino artists, along with a salsa demonstration and free food samples.

For more information and a complete schedule visit elginchamber.com and search for "Hablamos."