This was it. After years of work and preparation, it was the moment senior fashion design students had been waiting for. Featuring a wide variety of styles that ranged from 1940s fashion to tomboy outfits, the seniors displayed their final collections at the College of Visual and Performing Arts’ 29th annual Senior Fashion Show Thursday and Friday in Goldstein Auditorium.

The Fashion Association of Design Students supported the event. This year’s production was relatively stress-free, said Maxi Roberts, a junior in VPA.
 

‘It’s been running very smoothly so far,’ she said.

The dressing rooms were frenzied and hectic before Friday’s 7:30 p.m. start. A few models stood anxiously in elegant attire and gossiped about the weekend’s events. All the models in the show were SU students. Other models and designers flitted around as the designers made last-minute makeup adjustments and fitting changes. Other models received tips from Raquel Boni, the model trainer and co-coordinator.

Boni has worked with SU students for seven years. She said her job was to hone their sex appeal and confidence so they could really embody the designers’ looks on the runway.

‘These girls all have it in them. It’s my job to bring that out,’ Boni said.     
Lady Sara Armet, a senior fashion design and fashion communications major, donned a blood-red garment as she prepared her models for the show.
 

‘It’s been a lot of trial and error. Designing is a strategic and full-time job,’ Armet said. ‘This is not a show. It’s a performance, and I’m going out with a bang.’
 

Avery Carter, a senior fashion design major, said in their senior years, student designers become more independent.

 ‘We’ve learned so much over the last three years, and now we’re able to apply all that and work on our own,’ Carter said.

The audience could expect nothing like it had ever seen before, said Karen Bakke, a fashion design professor. ‘The pieces run the gamut, from sportswear to costume pieces and evening wear,’ Bakke said. ‘I’ve had these students since freshman year, and it’s been great seeing them grow as designers.’
 

The faint smell of beer wafted in as students from MayFest bought last-minute tickets.
Jeffrey Mayer, a fashion design professor, welcomed the audience to the show and explained the hard work the designers endured to make their imaginative drawings jump to life on the runway.

The show opened with Kelly Bogan, a senior fashion design major who created an exhibit called ‘Metanoia.’ Her show featured designs on dancers who executed incredibly graceful choreography, a mixture of ballet and interpretive dance.

Soft music played as menswear, a new addition to the show, paraded down the runway. The male models donned everything from glamorous fur shawls to all-black Rick Owens-esque Goth looks.

Kaitlyn Carpenter, a senior fashion design major, opened her section with a stunning spin on the little black dress. Following her first looks were a floral, off-the-shoulder gown and other beautifully executed designs.

As Michael Jackson’s voice blasted through the speakers, Armet’s collection came down the runway with luxurious velvet and animal prints. A vintage-inspired, elegant leopard coat stole the show. Armet picked up a bouquet of assorted flowers and kissed each and every model before exiting the stage.

Senior student designer Narine Torozyan impressed the audience with her tomboyish look that had a distinct feminine flair. Her beautiful chiffon pieces were coupled with high-waited trousers for a retro look.

Laura Vientos, another senior fashion design major, laid the glam on thick as her 1940s style aesthetic came to life in her gowns and fur capelets.

Ashley Haydock, a senior fashion design major, had a feminine collection that stood out among the rest with its baby doll dresses in pastel pinks and purples and sleek hairstyles.
Mayer took the stage again at the end of the event to close the show and present awards to the designers. Designers received recognition and scholarships based on their work. Carter took the award for the top senior in the program for her collection, GPA and scholastic achievements.

As the lights came back on, audience members chatted about which collection they thought was strongest, and a few talked about the process these designers had to go through to be able to present such exquisite designs.

‘You’re never sure until you see it on the models,’ Torozyan said, ‘but then it makes you realize that it’s what we are meant to do.’         
rssaxon@syr.edu      
 

Published on May 2, 2010 at 12:00 pm