12 | Arts
& Leisure
The Phillipian
March 30, 2012
WEST QUAD NORTH FASHION SHOW Stephanie Hendarta Photography by Stephen Moreland Bathed in the illumination of the runway’s lighting, students confidently modeled their peer designers’ pieces at the West Quad North (WQN) Fashion Show held in Kemper Auditorium on March 2. This year’s ticket proceeds went to support Rustic Pathways Foundation, a non-profit organization that is dedicated to the improvement of communities and support for underprivileged youth around the globe. Presenting 13 individual lines by student designers, the WQN Fashion Show was rich in high fashion innovation.
“Pigments” WQN Fashion Show Crew Composed of four pieces, “Pigments” unexpectedly resulted from the paint splatter promotional photo shoot headed by Stephen Moreland ’14. White T-shirts and slacks were splashed with contrasting hues of Persian green and ochre yellow-brown paint, creating artistic and dramatic patterns. Noah Le Gros ’12, Katherine Kuhl ’14, Graham Johns ’12 and David Tylinski ’12 modeled varying versions of the paint-splattered pieces.
“Redo” Liz Rao ’14 Rao’s line incorporated the theme of transforming old clothing into fashionable pieces. Meghana Jayam ’14, wore a floor length black mesh gown layered over a black maxi-dress that came from Rao’s personal wardrobe. “My inspiration came from a friend of mine, who really likes dresses from the 1980s and so I decided to randomly design a long gown for her,” said Rao. Caroline Chen ’14 wore a retro black striped dress for Rao.
“Chroma” Alexandra Donovan ’13 Donovan played with the concept of daring colors for her line, “Chroma.” A simple one shoulder white dress, paired with bright red peep-toe heels and accessorized with large colorful handmade necklaces in different colors was featured first, modeled by Andrea Vargas ’13. Rhea Lewis ’13 wore Donovan’s second dress, featuring a strapless-style bodice wrap made out of red mesh that swelled into in a tutu-style bottom.
“Day ‘n’ Night” Andrea Hewett ’13 Hewett’s models strutted down the runway modeling versatile outfits suitable for both the day and night. Dressed in a one-shoulder top made out of satin-like fabric with an eye-catching pattern of newspaper clippings, Fatou Diarra ’13 modeled the first piece. Evan Eads ’12 wore a teal sleeveless mini dress made out of a cloth printed with the map of a European city on it. Alana Saab ’12 also modeled for Hewett.
“Cut the Deck” Ray Thamthieng ’12 Inspired by playing cards, Thamthieng challenged herself to translate three out of the four card suits into clothes. Marie Liu ’12 walked the runway in a red dress featuring diamond-shaped opening in the back and a strap of golden diamondshaped cutouts. Maya Odei ’12 modeled a figure-hugging golden dress with a club-shaped opening in the back and club-shaped cutouts. Karen Morales ’12 also modeled for Thamthieng.
“Hearsay” Camerin Stoldt ’12 Stoldt’s line featured a collection of laid back, stylish pieces suitable for everyday wear. Stoldt’s piece modeled by Annie Tillman ’12, consisted of a simple grey tank top with a classy locket necklace, paired with a blue-lavender tutu. Margaret Curtis ’12 wore a plain white T-shirt with a spray-painted Kay Harrington design. Stoldt added her own touch to it by sewing on black gems and pairing it with a handmade skirt.
“1000 Paper clips” Abigail Chung ’13 Chung’s self-modeled piece consisted of a sparkly tank top with attached strings of multicolored paper clips, paired with black shorts. The paper clips swayed as Chung walked down the runway, which made the piece seem like a modified version of a flapper dress. “I liked pieces that were not made out of just regular materials but the ones that were made out of materials like paper clips. I really admire the creativity of designers like Abby Chung,” said Graham Johns ’14.
“Surprise!” Katherine Tobeason ’14 Inspired by doodles made during her math class, Tobeason made her drawings come to life through her ensemble. Tobeason tacked on multiple balloons of many different colors onto a short dress, forming the piece that was modeled by Vanessa Shrestha ’14. To fasten the balloons to the skirt, Tobeason used paper clips and ribbons. “I have to say, my line is something of imagination reined in with a little bit of practicality,” said Tobeason.
“Fit to a Tee” Tailor Dortona ’12 Dortona took six plain white and black Hanes male T-shirts and transformed them into a series of eccentric funky tops. Tafarii McKenzie ’12 wore a cropped t-shirt with an angular bottom, with black and white stitches made out of shoelaces running up the center. Mary Samson ’12 modeled a crop top with a low cut v-neckline held together by corset-style lacing. Zelly Atlan ’13, Ceylon Auguste-Nelson ’12, Tamara Katoni ’12 and Katie Williams ’14 also modeled.
“Times Again” DJ Bierwirth ’14 Bierwirth started designing for the fashion show because of her love of dressing other people. Dortona modeled Bierwirth’s first piece in a figure-hugging strapless dress made out of metallic, colorful material, which carried a futuristic feel. Meghana Jayam ’14 walked out to the runway wearing a white pre-made dress with long, flowing strips of blue and white paperclips. Theo Agbi ’13 also modeled for Bierwirth.
“Throw Some Glitter, Make It Rain” Gina Sawaya ’13 Sawaya based the name and theme of her collection on one of Ke$ha’s songs and decided to implement glitter in all of the outfits she created. Shannon Callahan ’12 modeled a Native-Americaninspired top paired with a gold-hemmed knee-length skirt. Amy Morin ’14 wore a top trimmed with colorful flowers at the neckline, paired with moss green shorts. Emily Field ’13, Maya Odei ’12, Kate Wincek ’14, and Hanover Vale ’15 also modeled.
“Caution. Emmie America” Emmie Avvakumova’14 Chia Okorie ’13, Jing Qu ’13 and Cambell Howe ’14 mesmerized the audience with variations of yellow caution tape dress. Meaghan Haugh ’13 walked out in a layered floorlength dress made completely out of The Phillipian Commencement 2011 editions. “A lot of my inspiration was new movements in fashion like Alexander McQueen and Lady Gaga. I’m in love with New York ... the Empire State Building, which I implemented in the newspaper dress, which you can hopefully see,” said Avvakumova.
“Sirens” Graham Johns ’14 “My two designs were inspired by sirens, the mesmerizing mythical creatures. I liked them because there is this effortlessness to sirens—men are in awe when seeing them, [and] people are always mystified by them,” said Johns. Katherine Kuhl ’14 strutted down the runway in grand white tulle bottom skirts and a layered silky white top. Eads was wearing the shorter version of the dress Kuhl modeled, giving it a fun, youthful aura. Evan Eads ’12 modeled the shorter version of Kuhl’s dress.
J.QU/The Phillipian
Ray Thamthieng ’12 poses backstage with her models and friends, Madeleine McClintic, Marie Liu, Maya Odei, Karen Morales and Seika Nagao, all Class of 2012.