Leaf- and feather-covered gowns and A-line dresses were just a few of the designs that could be seen this past Saturday at LSU en Vogue.
Twenty textiles, apparel and merchandising students showcased 55 of their designs at the fashion show to benefit Fashion Targets Breast Cancer, an organization aimed at raising awareness and funding breast cancer research.
Hemline, a student organization made of textiles, apparel and merchandising students founded in 2005, hosted the event.
Courtney Bourgeois, Hemline president and University senior, said 10 percent of the show’s proceeds went to Fashion Targets Breast Cancer this past year. The organization hopes to provide at least 20 or 30 percent this year, she said.
“The show sold out last year,” she said. “This year, there are more than 300 people. It just keeps getting better and bigger.”
Bourgeois said Hemline’s goal is to promote the student designers’ work and bring more fashion to the Baton Rouge community.
Rachel Nault, the fashion show’s director and University senior, said most of the designs come from students’ class projects.
“The garments made in pattern-making class are pattern work projects and mostly dresses,” she said. “In draping, you get a different look, like Grecian-style evening dresses.”
Nault said some of designs featured in the show were entered into Dallas Career Day, an educational program for fashion students, the weekend before the fashion show.
The first half of the show featured ready-to-wear styles, such as casual halter dresses. The second half featured evening, avant-garde garments and wearable art, such as a dark green, peacock feather-covered gown and a colorful, hand-painted, plastic dress.
“Some of the designs are not realistic for the average person, but are good for red carpet-like events,” Nault said. “Some could even be worn to sorority formals.”
More practical styles such as belted dresses, vests and high-waisted pants were also featured.
Nault said students put a lot of work into the designs. She said each project takes weeks of class to complete.
The show is not just an opportunity for student designers to get press but also a way to show friends and family the result of their hard work, she said.
—-Contact Drew Belle Zerby at [email protected]