Fashion Students on Pins and Needles Getting Set for Annual Show

About 100 University of Cincinnati fashion design students will exhibit creative collections representing their best “wears” at the June 9 “Fashion Show and Honors Night” to be held under a big-top tent on the grounds of UC’s top-ranked College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning (DAAP).

The professionally modeled, choreographed and lighted show is part of a weeklong extravaganza called “DAAPWorks,” a June 6-10 college-wide celebration and exhibit featuring work by hundreds of the college’s students.

The students in the fashion show will display the talents they’ve honed at UC as well as with international travel/study and cooperative education work quarters with such firms as Abercrombie & Fitch Company; Aeropostale, Inc.; American Eagle Outfitters; Fossil; Motionwear; OshKosh B’Gosh, Inc.; Theory; and Trovata, Inc.

Among the participating students:

Senior Megan Gross, 24, of Medway, Ohio, is recalling the whimsy and fun of playing “dress up” as a child as she creates her collection. “As an adult,” she explained, “you have a little tension questioning, ‘Should I wear it or shouldn’t I?’ Children don’t have that. They just wear the fun clothes. My collection is a return to that feeling.”

Gross will exhibit three women’s and one men’s ensemble. The men’s ensemble consists of full-length, brown twill pants with low-riding back pockets while the front pockets sport a button hole for suspenders. Accompanying the pants is a red shirt with tan stripes topped by a shrunken, corduroy vest of tan. The entire ensemble is topped by a wool, winter-weight coat of tan that falls to mid-thigh.

The women’s ensembles include a green, herring-boned trousers and a blouse of mustard-colored, polka-dotted dobby that opens low at the neck. A shrunken vest of green herring-bone tops the blouse. A second ensemble is comprised of cuffed shorts of vintage, knit fabric of light tan with multicolored stripes. A dusty-blue tank top underlays a tan, knit sweater with a neckline that plunges to the waistline. Finally, a dress with a Peter Pan collar and empire waist transitions to a six-panel skirt of mid-thigh length containing stripes of orange, red, light blue and dark blue. 

As part of her required cooperative education quarters, Gross has worked in New York City (for Aeropostale, Inc. and OshKosh B’Gosh, Inc.); in Columbus, Ohio (for Abercrombie & Fitch Company and Ruehl); and in Dayton, Ohio (for Lion Apparel). For OshKosh, she was given the responsibility to create concept designs for an entire line of boys’ infantwear that just came to market this past winter.

Senior

Jessica Earley

, 22, of Western Hills, loves to play with shapes, especially circles. She is creating a collection of jackets and dresses of lightweight wool that suggest new silhouettes set against the round shape of a circle. Said Earley, “The silhouette and shape are very important to me. I like just seeing the pattern of a garment as a shape. I don’t even necessarily need to see it on a body. Who knows? It may all come from my love of geometry in middle school and high school.”

Prior to working on her senior thesis, Earley co-opped at Costume Castle in Loveland, Ohio; in New York City (at American Eagle Outfitters and Theory); and in Los Angeles (at Trovata, Inc.). Scarf and hat designs that she helped with at American Eagle were out on store shelves this past winter. In 2004, Earley was a national finalist in the prestigious International Competition of Young Fashion Designers.

Senior

Jay Ott

, 23, of Pittsburgh, is creating a collection representative of dance and motion. The somber colors – navy, grey, black and eggplant – of four of his flowing ensembles are set off by a single acid-pink dress. The supple garments of various matte jerseys all wrap around the body, each garment having, for the most part, one encircling seam. They are meant to hug the wearer, calling attention to the muscular flow of the body. Said Ott, “These are clothes that fit, breathe and move with the ease of a T-shirt. You just pull them on.”

He strives to keep his collection simple after having worked his previous co-op quarters with uniform designer Stan Herman, with designer Ralph Rucci and John Bartlett as well as for companies, Liz Claiborne and Coach… not to mention a co-op where he designed his own signature line for local retailer Suki of Hyde Park. “What I learned on co-op was: Keep it simple. People respond to simple lines and tailoring. Uniformly, women will tell me they love it, that they’d love to wear that. And I love it when they say that,” stated Ott, who will design for Macy's  after graduation.

Junior

Amy Knowlton

, 22 of Springfield, Ohio, will exhibit one tailoring garment and one knit garment. The tailored garment consists of a navy wool blazer, inspired by the movie “Goodfellas,” such that Knowlton has incorporated a hand-gun shape of teal and dark purple sequins across the front of the garment complete with a sequined outline of a bullet hole in one blazer pocket. “I was inspired by the sharp dressers in the movie, ‘Goodfellas,’” she explained. Beneath the “pistol” blazer is a strapless dress of silk chartreuse with a fitted bodice falling to a skirt consisting of alternating layers of organza and silk shantung. Across the bodice is the beaded word, “omerta,” referring to the mafia code of silence.

Knowlton’s knitwear project consists of an Andy Warhol/Judy Garland-inspired evening gown. Sleeveless, the dress tapers to waist panels which will display the knitted likeness of Judy Garland, similar to a portrayal of the actress by artist Andy Warhol.
 
So far, Knowlton has co-opped at Motionwear in Indianapolis; Lion Apparel in Dayton; Sweetie Pies in Cincinnati; and Fossil in Dallas. Minibags, wallets and belts she designed for Fossil are due out later in 2006.

Pre-junior Amy Longo, 20, of Oakwood, Ohio, will enter at least two selections in the fashion show. Both are inspired by the graffiti she saw while on two cooperative-education quarters in New York City (one at Aeropostale and one at Garan). The first ensemble incorporates wool viscose and spandex in a short, ruffled, color-filled skirt topped by an air-brushed halter top/T-shirt, and denim vest. Colorfully spray-painted boots finish the ensemble. The second ensemble is a one-piece garment consisting of a “graffiti” jumpsuit, crop top and sheer, white, open shirt with a hood. All connect at the back, neck and waist.

Said Longo, “In New York, I loved the bright colors of the subway art. They were beautiful pieces, and I wanted to echo them in my collection.” During her cooperative education quarters in New York, Longo was on the accessory design team at Aeropostale and conducted trend research that was presented to senior management at Garon.

Sophomore Lauren Lepley, 21, of Centerville, Ohio, is creating a dance dress for her eight-year-old cousin, Andee Everman, also of Centerville. The new dress in pink will actually incorporate materials – tulle, lace and sparkles – from Lepley’s own childhood dance dress. Said Lepley, “It’s a team project with my niece. In fact, the best part of the project for me is that I get to see her, and we get to spend time together. I’m even letting her help me choose the fabric. She’s adamant she won’t wear a polka-dot pattern.”

Sophomore Holly Ott, 19, of Kettering, Ohio, will create a brightly colored, empire-waist dress of yellow, orange, green, pink and blue. The biggest challenge about making the dress, she said, is that it will be modeled by her nine-year-old cousin. Stated Ott, “Designing for a ‘tween’ is a challenge. You don’t want to create something too childish nor too mature. I’ve really had to think about what kids today want.”

Sophomore Brittany Krotts, 20, of Centerville, Ohio, will create a western-themed, sleeveless dress with large pockets as well as an accompanying jacket. She plans to incorporate strong colors – blues, oranges, browns and yellows – for her nine-year-old model. Said Krotts, “The best part of the project is that it’s our first where we’re not creating something for ourselves but are, instead, working with a model. It’s also the most challenging part because we have to make a pattern that will exactly fit that model.” 

Principal sponsor for UC’s 55th annual fashion gala and “DAAPWorks” is Macy’s. Also sponsoring the event are The Hennegan Company with support from Fredric’s Aveda Institute, the Bernstein Family of Bensons Catering, Patrick Korb, Atlas Carpet Mills, Inc., Trane Co., and Lipps & Son General Contractors.

The show, set for 8 p.m. on Friday, June 9,  will be held under a large, big-top tent on the grounds of UC’s College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning, located at the corner of Clifton Avenue and Martin Luther King Jr. Drive. Parking is available in Brodie Garage (also called College Court Garage), located on the east side of DAAP.

Tickets for the event are available at several levels:

• $150 Benefactor and $100 Patron-level tickets include a 6:30 p.m. pre-show cocktail reception, premiere seating and valet parking
• $50 Preferred seating
• $35 General admission

For tickets or information, call 513-556-6363.