Blind models walk runway celebrating fashion and feeling

By Noel Brennan

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    OAK BROOK, Illinois (WBBM) — At a fashion show in Oak Brook, Illinois, the models don’t need designer looks to show off their style. For them, fashion is about feeling.

“Intrinsically, I have the knack for fashion and I did not lose that when I lost my sight,” said Monty Rogers.

Rogers and Takela Allen are already model students at the Illinois Center for Rehabilitation and Education, but Sunday they walked their first runway. They’re among 10 models, all blind or visually impaired, who paired up with a stylist at a nearby Nordstrom to find the perfect fit based on feeling.

The opportunity was made possible by jewelry store CD Peacock, the nonprofit Beautiful Lives Project, and a gem of an idea.

Aria Holtzman, 16, teamed up with Bryce Weiler from the Beautiful Lives Project, which creates events for people with disabilities, to create this fashion show.

“Starting a fashion show was always something that I wanted to do,” Weiler said.

After weeks of planning, it was showtime and the models didn’t need to see their clothes to know they looked as good as they felt.

CD Peacock covered the cost of the outfits for the models, and each of them went home with brand-new clothes from Nordstrom.

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