Though she just graduated from Meredith in May, Cori Spade has quickly made the leap from fashion design student to designer, having shown her first collection at New York Fashion Week earlier this month.

Spade won the Annual Trend*Setting Fashion Show competition, earning the chance to present at the Designer’s Review show during Fashion Week. Her collection, “Into the Unknown,” was inspired by her emotions as a recent graduate embarking on a career.

“My collection reflected that feeling of uncertainty,” she explains. “It begins with very dark, subtle tones and gradually lightens up to reveal the final, beautiful white gown. The colors represent that even though you have no idea where life is going to take you, you will always end up with something beautiful at the end of the road. It is a very personal story and something that I think everyone can relate to, no matter what age.”

Preparing the 10 pieces in her first collection for Fashion Week was an exciting, yet daunting task for Spade.

“Beginning the design process for the line is the glamorous and fun part,” she says. “But aside from that, it is definitely not as glamorous as people would believe. Designing and creating is a very large part of putting the line together, but there is so much more that goes into preparing for Fashion Week; I had to learn how to market myself, network, get sponsors and promote the event. It was definitely a learning experience.”

Seeing her clothes on the runway brought a flood of mixed emotions for Spade, but at the end of the show, she couldn’t help feeling grateful for the opportunity.

“I experienced every feeling from overwhelming joy to pure fear,” she says. “It’s impossible to know how people will react to your work. Art is subjective – people love it or they hate it – and every artist has to be prepared for that. I was extremely humbled throughout the entire experience. Even though there was so much work to do, I absolutely loved every minute of being in New York and having the opportunity to present my line to the New York fashion industry.”

Gypsy Jule returns

Earlier this year, Glenwood South boutique Gypsy Jule shuttered its brick-and-mortar store and took the shop online. Now they’re back in the offline world with a new pop-up shop in a vintage travel trailer parked at Rebus Works gallery in Boylan Heights in Raleigh. The shop makes its debut with an open house from 4-8 p.m. on Thursday. For more info, visit gypsyjule.com.

Vintage jewelry

Joint Venture Jewelry’s annual Vintage Jewelry Show and Sale is on through Sept. 28. During the event, Joint Venture will have pieces from the 1800s, the 1920s and the 1940s, as well as hundreds of vintage mountings. Select pieces will be 25 percent off. Joint Venture Jewelry is at 250 Grande Heights Drive, Cary. For more info: 919-678-0092 or jointventurejewelry.com.

Trunk shows

This week in trunk shows:

• Lamb’s Ear in North Hills will have new looks for girls from Kayce Hughes’ Pears and Bears line during a trunk show from Sept. 23-28. For details, call 919-781-0351.

• Dovecote’s fall trunk show series continues this week at Fearrington Village with mixed metals and semi-precious gemstone jewelry from Mickey Lynn. For more info, call 919-542-1145.