By Dane Anderson, Staff Writer

The future looks picture-perfect for recent Westlake High School graduate Shannon Soule.
Just two months after earning her diploma, Soule nabbed another important award. At the Austin Fashion Awards on July 19, Soule took home the honor of being named one of the Critic’s Choice Top Five Austin Fashion Photographers.
The Austin Fashion Awards, held at the Long Center, brought to a close a jam-packed week of local fashion events hosted by the Second Street Shopping District. During the inaugural fashion event, participating boutiques and salons showcased designers’ work in gallery formats within each store.
It was an opportunity, organizers said, to check out important designers as well as get a peek at the work of up-and-coming labels from Central Texas. It was also a chance to see talented photographers, hair stylists, models and makeup artists.
“Austin Fashion Week is a great idea and a great addition to the culture of Austin,” Soule said. “I can’t wait to see how far it will go in the next 20 years. Austin is the kind of city that can handle that creativity.”
Soule seemed to take her award in stride, focusing on the Ringling College of Art and Design in Sarasota, Fla., where she will begin studies in the fall. The young photographer received a partial scholarship and was identified in the top 1 percent of more than 1,300 students who applied to the college from countries around the world.
The Critic’s Choice Awards were judged by a group of 81 local boutique owners, salon owners, designers, photographers and media professionals. Winners for various fashion categories were chosen according to the sheer number of votes in each category.
Another Westbank winner during Austin Fashion Week was Sanctuary, a boutique located in the West Lake Court. Owner Hanna Curran won awards for Best Overall Décor Boutique and Best Gifts.
With only a year’s worth of experience under her belt as a boutique owner, Curran said she was a little awestruck by her awards.
“It is such an honor to be included with these very established stores and to be recognized for all the hard work you do,” she said. “It’s always nice to hear ‘Good job.’”
Curran said she grew up in Austin, and has been shopping her whole life at the more established boutiques that participated in Austin Fashion Week.
“These are people who have inspired me all along,” she said.