At last September’s Charlotte N.C. Fashion Week — think New York Fashion Week on a much, much smaller scale — local designer Cigi Guz did something a little unorthodox in the fashion industry when she debuted her apparel line The Flock: Instead of contracting folks from a modeling agency, she asked average people in the Charlotte community, like Jody Sullivan, owner of The Breakfast Club, Brian Bouwman, local furniture designer and Tonia Bendickson, anchor for WBTV news, to walk her designs down the catwalk. (See pictures here.)

And although The Flock features simple, classic pieces — nothing like the boldly patterned, shimmery sequined, accosting colored outfits already seen from other designers — the audience loved it.

The stunt at Charlotte N.C. Fashion Week wouldn’t be the only unorthodox move we’d see from this budding designer. On Oct. 16, Guz (pictured below) orchestrated the first ever Public Photo Shoot Project … right smack in the middle of Uptown Charlotte. Held at the corner of Trade and Tryon streets, the Public Photo Shoot Project was an opportunity for regular citizens, regardless of their size, style or look, to model pieces from The Flock and have their photos taken by a professional photographer. Guz worked with photographer Sara Renee that day, styling people in her signature simplistic clothing and accessorizing as she saw fit, and 58 average-looking people became models.

“I wanted an interactive way to reach my customers and to collaborate with other artists in the city and other business owners, to not only market the product but for people to also experience the product and be a part of something,” Guz says. “I want them to be a part of my company, because essentially it is about them. [The Public Photo Shoot Project] is an extension of me as a business.”

Sounds exciting and innovative, doesn’t it? Well, she’s doing it again.

With the spring collection of The Flock ready to be shown off, Guz has collaborated with local photographer and CL contributor Jasiatic to present the next Public Photo Shoot Project on Feb. 21 at Dilworth Neighborhood Grille. Starting at 6 p.m., average Charlotteans, with or without professional modeling experience, who have signed up on the Public Photo School Project site and paid their $20 modeling fee will get the chance to rock one of the “five must-have pieces” from the spring collection of The Flock. The model will be accessorized and styled by Guz (and her second-in-command stylist/intern Chanel Price) then photographed by a professional photographer. About a week later, the photos will be released to participants at a photo release party.

Want to be a part of this movement? Visit www.publicphotoshootproject.com.

Hurry, hurry, hurry! If you place an order from the locally owned Web site Heels.com in the next two-and-a-half hours, you'll get your fabulous new shoes to wear when you go out for New Year's Eve with their free second-day shipping. If you wait until after 6 p.m., you'll just have to sport your new heels at another party.

Here are some of my favorites.

RUBY BOOTIE- GREY ($56.99)

JESSICA SIMPSON DEBBIE- VERY BERRY SUEDE ($77.99)

N.Y.L.A. ZIPIT BOOTIE- BLACK SUEDE ($154.99)

Our nightlife columnist Brittney Cason has discovered a great way to glam up her holiday party look with the least amount of work. Just rent a dress from Lotus/Civilian owner Effie Loukas' closet. Read more details on Brittney's blog here.

The scent of peppermint and pine needle, the warmth of the crackling fires, and our wallets beginning to feel light — these are all signs of the holiday season charging toward us, full-speed ahead.

Even if you are waiting for good deals, Black Friday isn’t the only chance to find affordable gifts for your loved ones. If you are one of the few who has managed to hold off on your holiday shopping, I’m here to offer a few helpful things to make this Christmas thrifty, unique, and handmade.

Now don’t let the whole "handmade idea" scare you. Crafty or not, with web sites like Etsy and 1000 Markets, and boutiques like The Boulevard in NoDa, you can give the gift of handmade without actually getting any glue on your fingers. And for you folks who don’t mind getting your hands a little dirty, it’s not too late to start making this Christmas more personal. Here is a quick guide to getting most originality for your money.

Planning to go see Coco Before Chanel, the recently released film about the influential fashion designer? Check out film critic Matt Brunson's review first. He may not be the most fashionable person in the office, but he knows his movies.

And if you have NO idea what I'm talking about, watch the trailer.

A pair of blue jeans is as iconic as a piece of apple pie. Here's an interesting feature on the U.S.'s no. 1 producer of denim, Mount Vernon Mills in Georgia.

Most U.S. mills shut down years ago, unable to compete with cheap overseas labor. And in another sign of the global economy, the fabric woven here is rarely sent to American plants to be turned into jeans. Instead, the fabric is shipped mostly to factories in Mexico. The jeans then carry labels that read "Made in Mexico of U.S. fabric."

Blame NAFTA. Blame outsourcing. Blame corporate greed for the selling out of America's manufacturing soul.

And a cool tidbit from the story: "A $12 pair of jeans often comes from the same roll of denim as a $150 designer pair."

OK, seriously. It's Thursday, two days before Halloween, and you STILL don't have a costume ready? Sigh. What am I going to do with you?

This is it. This is my LAST post to help you come up with a costume.

First, a recap from previous posts.

• Tips for looking fierce or frightening this Halloween

• A list of Halloween supply stores

• Costume idea: The baby-carrying, man purse-toting character Alan Garner from The Hangover movie

• Non-sexy/slutty costumes

• Costume idea: Balloon Boy

• Costume idea: Swine Flew

OK, if none of that helps, how about checking out this link, or this link, or THIS link — all photos from last year's CarnEvil.

And my very LAST suggestion: Ramona Holloway from The Matt & Ramona Show has "5 Halloween Ideas in 5 Items or Less" posted over on her blog you might want to check out. Guitar Hero? Why didn't I think of that??

Hopefully these will give you some kind of inspiration for a costume. Hey, no one said you had to be completely original (although I think my Balloon Boy idea and Priscilla's Swine Flew idea are pretty darn crafty, if I do say so myself.)

To many people, clothes are not just the rags of cloth you drape across your body to protect you from the weather and cover up the essentials. No, the clothes you wear make statements, from "I only got three hours of sleep and I don't give a crap" (baggy sweatpants, inside-out T-shirt and a hoodie, perhaps even mismatched) to "I'm confident and everyone wants me" (a tight-fitting, perhaps even a little revealing, dress). Then you have the T-shirts that broadcast the presidential candidate you supported or your favorite band.

But when has your clothes ever made a statement about your culture?

Enter Hola Baby, a locally owned small business recently started by former Channel 3 TV reporter Julie Aguirre Whitted, that sells cute Spanish T-shirts for kids. Each T-shirt, designed by Whitted and a family member, sports an endearing term for a child in Spanish. Talk about literally making a statement in your culture.