In a room decorated with intricate tapestries and a hand-painted runway, spectators waited for the fashion show to start— some moving to the beat of the music and reading the pamphlet listing the names of the models and designers. 

 The Fashion and Design Society’s student-run fashion show was held at Skybarn at 8 p.m. on Dec. 6. Entitled “The Gallery,” the show aimed to portray that fashion and art are interchangeable, said Raff Guglielmino, the head of advertising for FADS.  

This year’s theme was art as fashion, said Zuzanna Mlynarczyk, a sophomore graphic design major who modeled in the show. She said that the theme was broad and a bit ambiguous, allowing for audience members to form their own perspectives on the theme.  

“It’s kind of up to the viewer’s interpretation,” Mlynarczyk said. “But I really like that because art is subjective. It’s kind of a very creative, open and free theme.” 

FADS thrives off of diversity, Guglielmino said at the beginning of the show. She added that the organization stands in solidarity with #NotAgainSU, a black student-led movement which has been protesting Syracuse University’s response to a series of racist incidents that took place on and near campus between Nov. 7 and Nov. 21. Guglielmino said FADS also strives to create a safe environment where people can do what they love.  

Models walked down the runway in outfits that incorporated vibrant colors and patterns in a variety of textures. Some of the pieces included in the collection were a dress made out of plastic coffee stirrers and an outfit that incorporated a 3-D structure with iridescent shapes. 

Designers also had freedom to interpret the fashion show’s theme when creating their pieces, said junior fashion design major Mackenzie Scanlan. 

Scanlan said she got inspiration for her piece from Claude Monet’s famous “Water Lilies” painting. She chose to use shades of pinks and blues in her piece to emulate his work, she said.  

Meanwhile, Calla Kremidas, a sophomore fashion design major, used upholstery fabric with a geometric texture in her piece. Kremidas noted that designing for a fashion show differs from designing a piece for a particular project.  

“You have to think about so many other things with the lights, the wow factor and what you want to see on the runway show, rather than just when your professor is looking at something,” Kremidas said.  

Aleena Brown, a freshman fashion design major, designed two pieces for the show. Brown has designed for competitive fashion shows when she was young, she said, and she joined FADS at the beginning of this semester. 

Sophomore Elijah Beston’s piece incorporated a Spanish movie poster of Marilyn Monroe into the piece he designed. His design process involved projecting images onto a white shirt and then painting the projection onto the shirt. Beston said the theme emphasized the connection between fashion and art.  

“It shows that fashion is more than just what we choose to wear every day — that it can be an art form,” Beston said. 

Published on December 6, 2019 at 11:42 pm

Contact Mandy: ackrayna@syr.edu | @MandyKraynak