Going out in style

After many nights of glamour and revelry, Charleston Fashion Week has come to an end.

Throughout the week, there were many moments worth sharing along the way, and Saturday night's finale was no different. After a week with fashion shows from local boutiques and featured designers like Chris Benz and NBC's Fashion Stars, the finale was all about the Emerging Designers.

Narrowed to a pool of 20, down from hundreds of applicants, the Emerging Designers were given a chance to show a sample of their collections before a rotating panel of judges. The judges chose a winner each night.

On Saturday night, each of the four winners showed their entire collection under the tents at Marion Square to a chic crowd. The finale judges were Cameron Silver, Fern Mallis, Vanessa Lachey, Chris Benz and Anne Slowey, all of whom have significant experience working in the fashion industry.

In an interview with The Post and Courier, Lachey said: "I want to see someone who is not afraid to take risks. Although you can't know their entire work or what they will do next season, I like a sense of joie de vivre, when you see a collection and you can know the person behind it."

Lachey and the other judges put their heads together after the shows and named Hannah Goff the winner.

Goff, label name Hanna Goff, already has one degree in textile and apparel management under her belt and is pursuing a Master of Arts in fashion design at the Savannah College of Art and Design. She uses her signature prints and textures to evoke the modern woman's complex position as a career builder and homemaker.

The designer collections hit on some of the trends that Lachey talked about at an event earlier in the day for Tanger Outlets. Lachey is the new stylist and spokeswoman for Tanger's cost-conscious fashion retail sites.

The emerging designer contest generated a lot of excitement as did the clothing presented on the runway. However, at a finale like Saturday's, there was a lot of "see and be seen" going on and some killer street style.

There were misses, like the over-abundance of top-knot hair styles.

There were classics -- bow-ties and pastels made their appearance.

And there were definite winners --trends from street style.

Charleston Fashion Week has gotten better each year, and this year was no exception. After an incredible lead-up that included kids', women's, men's and bridal, CFW finished with an incredible finale that helped secure its place on the global fashion calendar.

Expect next year to see more incredible fashion, more designers and more top industry insiders who will certainly want the first scoop on the emerging talent in Charleston.

Reach Seth McCormick Cooke at SethMcCormick@me.com or @SethMCooke on Twitter.