Fashion and Food on a Friday Night

A couple Friday nights back, the restaurant at the Historic Del Monte Building in Sunnyvale seemed pretty quiet. 

But asked where to find the night's gala dinner, the bartender was quick to point upstairs to the restaurant's gala space. 

There, more than 100 students, some still crowded upstairs fixing hair and make up, others practicing their routines in corners of the "staging area," gathered to present the DECA Fashion Show dinner, an annual event on April 15 organized by club members from Monta Vista High School.

The event is one of DECA's many featured events throughout the year organized and run exclusively by students. The fashion show allows students to gain working knowledge of the fashion and hospitality industries while providing an opportunity to market and recruit new members. 

Organizing this year's show started before the school year even began. By December, Belinda Zeng, a sophomore, and Akshita Thatiparthi had narrowed down a venue, ideas for acts and a sponsor for the fashion show. 

But when one sponsor backed out at the last minute, Belinda and Akshita decided to pull clothes from students' closets, showing the audience not only what kids these days are wearing, but saving the club a few bucks. 

Students modeled casual, formal and semi-formal looks, including prom dresses and snappy tuxedos. 

Though organized and run primarily by Belinda and Akshita, plenty of other DECA members were on hand to make sure the evening ran smoothly. 

Roshan Varadarajan and Apurv Gandhi, both sophomores at Monta Vista and DECA club officers, helped corral participants and rehearsed fashion show models before their walk down the catwalk. 

"Do you all know your twirl," one DECA officer yelled across the staging area, demonstrating seriously for his formal-wear models. 

Other members registered guests and directed them to their tables. Ansh Shukla and Michelle Chan emceed the evening, sprinkling jokes and conversation between acts. 

"You know my philosophy," Ansh told the audience, straight-faced. "Relish today. Ketchup tomorrow." 

Students acts from Monta Vista—a short routine by the Marquesas, Monta Vista's dance team, and a soulful acoustic rendition of Lady Gaga's "Born This Way"—interspersed the fashion show. 

Acts from other schools were there, too, including Lynbrook High School's Bhangra team. 

The night's events also featured a presentation of awards, including one for Rep. Mike Honda (D-San Jose). He had planned to attend the event but had to change his plans to be in Washington, D.C., to vote on the national budget. 

Roshan and Apurv said the diverse audience—about 100 school administrators, promising students from , community members and, of course, parents—spoke to the overall goal of the event. 

"We wanted to make sure that we reach out and build a good relationship with our community," Roshan said. 

"And it builds publicity," Apurv added. 

Alice Jacob, manager of the , attended the event for the second year. 

"It's a great show (and) it's great to see what they are capable of," she said. "It shows their ability."

Editor's note: Stay tuned to Cupertino Patch for photos of the fashion show, provided by the participating students and their families. If you have photos you would also like to share, email them to anne.ernst@patch.com.