AMES, Iowa - The 25th annual Textiles and Clothing Fashion Show -- showcasing more than 100 garments created by Iowa State students, primarily from ISU's Apparel, Merchandising, Production, and Design program -- will be held on Saturday, March 31, in Stephens Auditorium.
The event will feature a showcase exhibit of student portfolios and mounted pieces at 5:30 p.m., with the runway show scheduled for 6:30 p.m. There will also be an exclusive viewing of garments along with a mounted exhibit following the show.
Tickets are available through Ticketmaster and cost $15 for students and $20 for adults.
This year's theme is "Reflect," with student designers reflecting on the 25 years of this classic juried show.
"The theme is designed to look back over the past 25 years as a way to express 'This is where we've been and this is what we've become,'" said Angela Davis of Bloomfield, one of the senior co-producers of the show.
Prior to the show, a panel of accredited judges annually selects prize-winning garments in five categories: casual wear, senior collections, evening wear, experimental and accessories. The categories include both men's and women's wear.
The event annually features the professional collection of an Iowa State alumnus. This year, San Francisco designer and 1998 ISU graduate Katherine Noyes will be featured. Originally from Davenport, Iowa, Noyes creates sophisticated tops and dresses for women, using the finest silks and expert sewers. In May of 2005, she left her career at the Gap Inc. to realize her dream of creating her own women's clothing label.
The set of this year's show will create an elegant space to showcase designs against a palette of whites. The music will be classical with an alternative beat, featuring music genres of the past - including a string quartet at the beginning of the show.
The first Textiles and Clothing juried fashion show opened to a small audience in 1982 with a limited number of entries. Since then, each show has grown and evolved into the equivalent of an industry quality fashion production. An alumni social will be held at Reiman Gardens prior to this year's show.
"The last couple of years, the show has become more modern and edgy, with bolder colors and designs," said Davis.
"We also hope to make the event more classy and sophisticated for the alumni who come back to enjoy it," said Jessica Flatgard, another of the show's senior co-producers. Flatgard, of Solon, is an accounting major with a fashion design minor.
The fashion show is entirely student produced. Directors are selected from student interviews. Apparel Merchandising, Design and Production students generally fill leadership positions, but all ISU students have the opportunity to participate in the related course, submit entries for the show, and/or try out to serve as models.
