By Takara Lawrence
Campus News
Have you ever watched an episode of “Project Runway?” The show consists of hopeful designers who have the opportunity to design and make their own clothes. Once those clothes are made the designers present the look on the runway in front of the judges.
I, like most people, enjoy watching the show because it’s amazing to see the designers create these clothes from scratch. The designers are presented with a look and they choose the fabric, cut and sew the garments together and bring that look to life. When you see anything being made from scratch and you get to finally see the ending product, it can be mind-blowing. I know for myself it’s extremely awesome. When I pick up a magazine and they are highlighting the latest trends, I always try to find similar clothes to make my own look. When it comes to fashion I enjoy reading Cosmopolitan, Vogue, and Elle. There are many more magazines highlighting fashion, but these are the ones I enjoy. So, when I was presented with the opportunity to attend and cover the Nassau Community College fashion show, I leaped at the offer. I can honestly say I was blown away while I sat and watched from the audience.
Firstly, I know Nassau has its own Fashion Department, but what I did not know was the talent harvesting in that department. I’ve never seen a real fashion show before but I have seen some shows online once they are made available to the public. I always enjoy the music, the lighting, and the theatric done by the models. Each and every single designer in this fashion show presented an amazing song to go along with their collection. The music is what captivated me but the clothes are what made my eyes stay wide open. I caught the first show, and one of the collections I could not keep my eyes off of was Megan Ruppert. I wear a lot of black in my everyday style. I wanted so badly to own her cross front leather top. The choice of leather made me picture a fierce femme fatale woman. I grew up listening and admiring Aaliyah, so when I saw Kayla Gales collection I immediately thought of her. I enjoyed this collection because it was simple but fierce and anyone wearing her collection would ooze confidence. I enjoy a pop of color especially yellow, and when I saw the Ria Anne Anasagasti collection, I fell in love with it because to me it played homage to the 70’s. I’ve grown to love men’s fashion. What I like most about men’s fashion is how simple but still unique and comfortable it can be. I became extremely intrigued once I saw that the show also had men designers. Yes, I’m aware that most designers are men but still it’s intriguing. I fell in love with the Lester Carrillo and Elijah Cole collections. I loved Lester’s jumpsuit, his overalls, and the stature of the model definitely sold the look to me. Elijah’s collection had a cream color biker jacket and trench coat that I wish I could find and purchase for my own keep. His collection was angelic and his choice of using cream sold me from the beginning. When I was on the hunt for a fierce prom dress I wish I knew Nadine Garcon. I liked her bold pop of color and the big arms her dresses had but this collection would be every girl’s perfect prom choice. Elizabeth Leto’s collection reminded me of an everyday sophisticated chic woman. She also had this beautiful dress I could definitely see on a bridesmaid. Just remember there is only one bride but many bridesmaids. I’m all about making a statement. I think everybody should have that one piece of clothing that gives them confidence. Holly Mero’s collection would give any woman confidence. Her mesh sparkle top gave me life. I could see myself wearing this top and breaking many necks in the process. The show and all the designers were put together so perfectly, and I loved when everyone came together at the end and had a denim finale. The finale alone would want to make anyone wear white denim after Labor Day.
I also had the opportunity to speak with the designers. I wanted to know how they found out about the department and majority of the designers found out about it from their high school teachers. I like that the high schools encouraged the students to continue their passions. A lot of people do not continue to follow their dreams, but if anyone saw this show they would be made a believer. All the clothes were sewn in the classroom and the professor, Rona Casciola, provided help with teaching the basics, but in the end it was the students that created the clothes. The designers said they will be continuing to pursue fashion after Nassau, most citing Fashion Institute of Technology as there first choice. One even said they already have an internship, and will be beginning their career after graduating. One thing I did notice when researching the show before attending was it was hard to find information about it. As a Nassau Community College student, I feel as though the college should really help highlight the students in the fashion department. I would make it more known to the students, the public, and even reach out to organizations so everyone could see the hard work the designers put in. I would reach out to more papers and even see about having more than one reporter attend the show. This would be beneficial to the students and also the College. I’m extremely happy that I was able to attend the fashion show. I enjoyed meeting the designers and seeing them in their natural habitat. I can see anyone of these designers being America’s next top fashion designer, and I can one day say I went to college with them.
Takara Lawrence is a Marketing Major at Nassau Community College, She hopes to one day act, write, and produce her own television show.
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