Style...
I'm not sure any one event or any one entity could epitomize the word "style" and what it means more appropriately than The Fashion Design Club's Fall Fashion Show, "Collective Chic."
It was a cold, rainy night. No one really wanted to be outside -- I mean, it was gross. But I, along with many (many) others, trudged outside in order to pursue the ideals of fashion and watch a group of talented U.Va. students who put their hearts and souls into Chic.
Yes, this manifestation was the Fall Fashion Show.
And yes, the show was, as some of us would say, "baller" (read: amazing).
When I walked in, the place was packed. The show was sold out, and there was standing room only. The runway was huge and illuminated and everything was very professional. I must say that everyone looked very chic and very fashionable, and everyone around me was enthusiastic about what the night would bring.
Every model was gorgeous, and best of all, every model looked different. Girls and guys of every ethnicity, shape, size and background paraded down that runway and looked gorgeous doing it. Hair and makeup, an actual section of the FDC, did really professional, bold makeup and awesome hair. According to third-year College student Christina Manning, every designer chose not only the hair and makeup they wanted for their models, but also what music they wanted playing, and even in what order they wanted their models to walk down the runway. Christina said, "The designer had complete control, and, in this respect, our fashion show was exactly like a real one."
Basically, the fashion show was the closest I think any University student will get to a Fashion Week-type show in Charlottesville. That's how awesome it was.
Some of my favorite scenes were Christina's, "Slash Back: A Return to the 80s," and fourth-year Architecture Leslie Forehand's "Undercover." Christina's stuff was mostly made with spandex and was colorful and obviously, 80s inspired. Leslie's models walked down the runway in gorgeous coats. Seriously, this stuff looked so professional, just like anything you would find in a store, but definitely better, since it was all designed and made by U.Va. students, not just in some factory.
Christina said, "I stayed in all four nights before the show and would be up all night sewing." This hard work paid off, as the show was a huge success.
So, here's the scoop. The FDC has an executive committee that makes major decisions concerning how the FDC is run. Then there are designers, jewelry designers, hair and makeup people and models. Designers don't have to be insanely artistic, as a lot of times, once they start sewing and cutting, they improvise. Models are chosen by Exec, and sometimes are the designers' friends. It's tedious sometimes, it's hard sometimes, but it's worth it all the time.
The FDC is so Collectively Chic and stylish that it rubs off one everyone around them.
So do it!
Get involved...
Go to the next Show.
Really long p.s. Now that I'm done rambling, I just want to wrap up (tie up? haha) some stuff from last time.
Every one of you out there reading this should send me comments. Let me know you're reading. Comments, constructive criticism, feedback, supplementary information that I might want to know or address in columns in the future, or just rambling are welcome. So e-mail me, people!
I received one such e-mail last week from, as Dave Barry would say, "alert reader" Duane Gran, who works in the media studies department. Duane eloquently wrote, "The great thing about a bowtie is that it is expressive. You can tie it with crisp alignment or haphazardly and still be sartorially elegant."
Love it.
Duane also brought up something that I neglected to mention; that is, "pre-tied versus authentic bowties." He wrote that, "there is something to be said for the lost art of knotting a bowtie," and I completely agree. Have any of you actually seen a bow tie that isn't pre-tied? Basically, it's just two pieces of some sort of cloth that you knot together into a (hopefully) perfect little bow.
So Duane, thank you for keeping us informed and for your e-mail!
Let me further digress to another e-mail I received a little while ago. Abigail Gardner, a fourth-year College student, wrote me an e-mail suggesting that I write a column on the Fashion Design Club, "[which] boasts a large diversity of stylish students." She also gave me feedback on addressing more diverse versions of style, writing, "There are stylish Anthro professors and UTS bus drivers, they're just (probably) not wearing frilly mini skirts." Basically, she summed up everything that the word "style" entails for me and for many other students: "A trend can be bought, style is innate." This e-mail, among other things (including my own desire) spurred me to write on the FDC.
These e-mails actually matter and affect me, so other awesome people should send me e-mails like Abigail and Duane did, okay?
Okay.
Demetra can be reached at fashion@cavalierdaily.com
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