Former Project Runway Contestant and Design Partner Debut New Line at Runway For the Ballet

Starr Ilzhoefer and Christina Jacuzzo, co-designers and owners of Sua Sponte, are debuting their Spring 2007 collection, inspired by and named Cinderella, at Runway for the Ballet, a benefit for North Carolina Dance Theatre. Sponsored by Cadwalader Wickersham & Taft LLC, Runway for the Ballet will showcase Sua Sponte’s Cinderella collection as well as fashions from local boutiques and a dance performance by North Carolina Dance Theatre. The event will be held on Sunday November 5^th, 2006, at 6 p.m. and 8 p.m., in the Booth Playhouse of the Blumenthal Performing Arts Center in Uptown Charlotte.

Ilzhoefer and Jacuzzo met shortly after Ilzhoefer competed in the first season of “Project Runway” on the Bravo network.  Having similar backgrounds as finance lawyers, both practicing law by day and designing independent signature labels by night, their design perspectives have fused to focus on the hip, urban workingwoman.

Since “Project Runway,” Ilzhoefer has used contacts that she made on the show to develop her technical skills and cultivate her artistic vision.  The Sua Sponte brand combines Ilzhoefer’s creative energy and talent with Jacuzzo's eye for great design and perfect fit, demonstrating that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.

Sua Sponte’s debut collection was inspired by Cinderella’s work ethic, pent-up creativity, and beauty – both on the inside and out.  This inspiration has lead to a spectacular collection showcasing the modern day Cinderella.  As Cinderella toils through her long work days, she dreams of a day when she can stop, smell the roses, and enjoy the Spring that will soon be passing her by. Watch her transformation at Runway for the Ballet on November 5, 2006.

Read more about Sua Sponte in the October issue of Uptown Magazine.