Dressed to Impress and Protect Our Planet

STORY

By Grace Beilstein

As the frst days of May in Hanover bloomed, fowers were draped from the ceiling and grass mats lined the foor of Collis Common Ground, transforming it into a scene from a mythical garden for the Fashion Et Cetera Spring Fashion Show on May 3. Swirls of colorful lights shifted above the stage, and students sat on all sides of the catwalk constructed for the event. Some audience members held champagne futes in their hands while others clapped. 42 student models walked down the catwalk in vibrant oranges and delicate whites, openfront shirts and plunging dress necklines. The show’s theme was Gardens of Babylon. According to Joshua Vorbrich ’24, a Fashion Et Cetera board member, the theme inspired the show’s aesthetic and decorations.

“Gardens of Babylon is a reference to the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, which are one of the seven wonders of the ancient world,” he said. “We’re trying to incorporate these airy, mysterious and botanical elements into our aesthetic choices.”

Sina Wrede ’24, an exchange student from Germany who modeled in the show, said the experience was “really exciting.” She was one of the 42 students selected from the campus wide nomination to model for the show.

“I’ve never modeled before … I was nervous, but as soon as I went out, there were so many people laughing, screaming. It was really fun to wear nice outfts,” Wrede said.

Wrede modeled two pieces for the evening: a fery red dress and a shimmery, foral gown.

“I’ve never seen such an event, especially in a university setting,” Wrede said. “It was very impressive.”

Sheba Dance Group opened for the models, dancing dressed in Babylon-esque blues, pinks and whites. However, Fashion Et Cetera’s visionaries had much more in mind than just a beautiful spectacle.

“We have two big-picture ideas we’re trying to address with this show: sustainability and diversity,” Vorbrich said. With most of the items rented from Rent the Runway or thrifted, the event sought to show Dartmouth students a sampling of sustainably-sourced items. Featuring mostly diversely-owned brands at the show, Vorbrich emphasized the potential for change from Fashion Et Cetera’s stylistic choices.

“Dartmouth students spend over $10 million on clothing each year, actually, so we are hoping by introducing them to sustainable options and minority-designed brands, we might be able to redirect some of that spending away from fast fashion and mainstream labels,” Vorbrich said. His statistic comes from data collected from the National Retail Foundation, which reports average spending at $181 per student per month. He multiplied this average by the undergraduate student population and adjusted for infation.

Erika Huston ’26 attended the fashion show and refected that the show made her rethink spending money on fashion.

“I think showcasing diverse brands gave me a chance to think about where the money I spend on clothes really goes,” Huston said.

Huston also thought about how Sheba’s performance added to the experience of the show.

“It was magical to see dance combined with fashion all in one show.” Huston said. “It makes fashion — which I’ve always thought about as an art — feel like more of a performance. I guess I didn’t think about outfts as [emotionally] moving, but they really were.”

Fashion Et Cetera’s history as a club goes back to founder Kathryn Kurt ’23 and her freshman winter in 2020.

“When I frst came to Dartmouth, there wasn’t a fashion club,” Kurt said. “I had a passion for fashion and style, and I knew it was my calling to start it, which I did my freshman winter.”

Kurt is also responsible for founding the club’s Instagram, where they showcase Dartmouth students’ outfts of the day. She called this “OOTD-Dartmouth” the “seed” that started the club. She came up with the idea her freshman year and planned to launch routine Instagram posts with spring outfts around campus during spring of 2020. As we all know, the abruptly virtual 2020 spring term indefnitely postponed her campus-centered vision for OOTDDartmouth.

“When choosing which outfits to photograph, it’s quite simple — I photograph the outfts that bring me joy,” Kurt said. “As I go about my day, I’m always fnding delight in people’s outfts, as I compliment them in my head, if not out loud. Now, I go up to them and take their photo for the Instagram page.”

Because Kurt started the club during her