Sally Miller Catwalk of Courage, presented by Bloomingdale’s to support Solving Kids’ Cancer, was quite the inspirational afternoon. The fashion presentation featured numerous cancer survivors, all of whom walked the runway sporting Sally Miller’s latest fall collection. 

Sally Miller is an award-winning apparel company featuring dresses, jumpsuits, jackets and more event-ready pieces for tween girls. The line--which is carried in Bloomingdale’s, Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom, Saks and Lord and Taylor, as well as numerous high-end boutiques across America--aims to encourage females to be future leaders. This mindset is what has attracted so many young girls to the brand, including Malia and Sasha Obama while at the White House, Lauren Orlando, Kendall Vertes, Nia Sioux, and numerous other influencers.

Sally Miller Catwalk of Courage was hosted by GiaNina Paolantonio, known for her role in The Greatest Showman and from Season 8 of Lifetime’s Dance Moms. “I came to support such a great cause for solving kids cancer, and I’m always eager to help little ones,” Paolantonio explained. “My grandma Meme died of cancer, so this is especially important to me.” 

Solving Kids’ Cancer focuses on aggressive childhood cancers with low survival rates, as well as helps accelerate up-and-coming treatments such as immunotherapy and cancer vaccines. The organization has a hands-on approach when it comes to funding research as well, investing in a range of new projects. “We are so involved in research, so twice a year, we have events where we engage with kids and families,” Kristi McKay, Director of Operations for Solving Kids Cancer explained. “Sally came to us and wanted to do something. It gave us an opportunity to represent a great demographic of girls who are often left out. This is a time in their lives when they need to be empowered, and that’s something Sally really focuses on.”

Throughout the course of the event, attendees had the opportunity to take pictures with Paolantonio at a photo booth, indulge in mocktails and Baked by Melissa mini cupcakes, and listen to music from a live DJ. 

The main event was an empowering live runway show. As girls walked down the runway in Miller’s designs, as well as sneakers provided by Converse, Paolantonio described their names, ages, grades, hometowns, and hobbies, as well as additional fun facts.

Amid a sunny Saturday, Sally Miller’s catwalk managed to shine just as bright. Each design showcased preached a powerful female empowerment message, encouraging girls to always be their most confident selves.