Spring Break
Fashion Merchandising Society opens 'Fitting Room'
Annie-Laurie Hogan
Issue date: 4/4/08 Section: News
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Most collections featured short semi-formal dresses in bright yellow, turquoise and red. Other collections showcased baby blue, green pastel and floral prints.
"I wanted to do something happy and fun ... something you could wear to a nice dinner or going out," freshman Katrina Meehan said.
Meehan's collection, "Spring Fling," featured a short, summery teal-blue dress with white polka dots to get a feel for her theme.
Junior Sarah Sczepanski chose a green theme for her collection, "Sew Eclectic." The line featured dresses in light, dark and olive green, along with some canary yellow. She made one dress out of all- organic cotton. Sczepanski said her semester abroad in Florence, Italy, greatly influenced her designs.
"Her collection is fabulous," junior Aline Menzella, a model in the show, said. "I'd wear it."
Menzella said she liked the "equestrian feel" and versatility of her strapless green floral dress.
Italy also inspired junior Katherine Imswiler in her collection, "Imsy." The collection featured earthy brown knitwear dresses and tops. "All of my inspiration and materials came from Florence," she said. Imswiler added that she took a knitwear fashion design class when she studied there last semester.
The fashion show did not cater solely to college students. Senior Katie Newell designed practical but fun clothes for middle-aged women in her collection, "Menopause Mommas."
"I think it's harder for older women to find a medium," she said. "There's no middle ground for women their age between a thong and a diaper."
Newell used her mother and her friends as models. She also made the jewelry for her two collections, including her collection for younger women, "KSN." Newell said it took about six weeks to complete the outfits.
Audience members responded enthusiastically to senior Julia DeFuria's collection, "Overall." Her models wore overalls as dresses, skirts and shorts over bright yellow and hot pink tops.
"[The collection] showed how you can do different designs with overalls," Janelle McGovern, an audience member from Narragansett High School, said.
FMS president Jenna Richards said the show was designed without a defined theme in order to give designers flexibility and embrace their creativity.
"'Fitting Room' encompasses all styles," Richards said. "This is the environment where students don't have restrictions on what they can design. I found that a lot of people had fun this year."
Richards said FMS created the runway on the floor instead of the stage so that audience members could feel closer to the designs. "You can't really understand the design unless you're up close and personal with it," she said.
FMS also honored Amelia Dias with its presentation of the Design Challenge Award for sketching a fashion designed for the year 2050. Dias said Victoria Beckham's oversized sunglasses and over-the-top high heels inspired her design. Dias is a student at Rogers High School in Newport who will study at the University of Rhode Island this fall.
The Department of Textiles, Fashion Merchandising and Design will host it annual fashion show, "Spring Splash," on April 17.
