From Thrift to Thrill: Fashion Students Show Off Rich Talents, Reveal Hidden Treasures

Fashion is a lot of fun when you turn 80 young designers loose with $20 each at a thrift store. 

That’s been the idea for the last two years when, as part of the sophomore Design Construction studio, students in the University of Cincinnati’s respected

fashion design program

were facing their first sewing assignment.  They’d designed plenty of theoretical garments, and now it was time to get down to pins and needles.  “So, for their raw materials, we sent them to the thrift store.  It’s a fun project to do and gets the students into draping and construction in a more relaxed way.  And by taking garments apart, they learn even more about how they’re put together,” explained Phyllis Borcherding, assistant professor of design, who has led the studio classes involved with this project along with Ann Firestone, adjunct instructor, and Margaret Schroeder, assistant professor of design.

According to Schroeder, the students from the College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning started the project with quite an array of raw materials:  leather jackets, shower curtains, sheets, shirts, sweaters, jeans, jumpers, jewelry, baskets, shoes, purses, ties and more.

Fun and frustration followed as the students not only designed new ensembles and tried them on.  Sarah Huggins, 21, of Taylor Mill, Ky., took a “pink, ruffly curtain” to transform into a dress.  She laments, “When I tried it on, it still looked like a curtain…I guess the most important thing I learned is not to get upset when trying something new.  Just try it and learn.”     

Classmate Ashley Backus, 21, of Wilmington, Ohio, disagreed.  “I remember looking over at Sarah while she worked.  She was the first one to actually be working and draping using a dress form (a type of armless, headless mannequin used by designers in fitting garments).  I thought that it was really cool,” recalled Backus.

Akarasun Seanglai, 21, of Bangkok, Thailand, took a white silk, button down shirt and turned it on its side.  One sleeve became the collar while the erstwhile collar became an arm hole.  The top now buttons down the side of the body and is matched with a red, wool skirt. 

Katie Keller, 21, of Rockford, Ohio, took 20 men’s ties and created a bodice while transforming stonewashed jeans into a wrap skirt.

The more than 80 ensembles created by UC students will be part of a RetroFittings fashion show sponsored by the Society of St. Vincent de Paul from 6-9 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 18, in the Empire Night Club’s Shagg Room, Newport on the Levee.  Tickets are $10 and are available online at www.svdpcincinnati.org.  Tickets will also be available at the door for $15.  All proceeds will benefit the Society of St. Vincent de Paul.  For more information, call 513-562-8841, ext. 25.