By THERESA HOGUE
Gazette-Times reporter | Posted: Wednesday, May 28, 2008 12:00 am
OSU students organize event to showcase projects
For the last century, women's attire has been on a dramatic journey that has reflected political and social changes that were affecting women's lives.
From the Belle Epoque era of the turn of last century, when women tried to shove their bodies into S-shaped curves emphasized by enormous hats and puffed sleeves, to the 1920s, when flappers shocked the world with their loose-fitting, knee-baring dresses, to the late 1960s, when polyester and patchwork competed for attention, the way in which women chose to dress said a lot about the era in which they were living.
And during this last century, the Oregon State University design and human environment departments have kept up with those trends, as their interior and fashion design students shaped their world through their creations. Tonight, the annual Student Design Exhibition and Fashion Show will highlight both the fashions and the interior design projects that students have created in classrooms and labs on campus.
Junior Anna Pryka has dreamed of being a fashion designer since she was 10 years old. This year was the first time she had a collection to display at the fashion show, and she's thrilled to finally be able to show her work to the public. She's also a model coordinator for the show.
"It's just such a great outlet for the community to see what our department is doing. I'm so excited. It's been around for 100 years and we're still thriving, and we're getting noticed more by the industry."
Pryka said when she first told friends she was taking fashion design at OSU, there were some deprecating comments made regarding the university's agricultural emphasis.
"Someone asked me 'Oh, are you going to design clothes for cows?' " she said.
But graduates of OSU are going on to successful fashion careers, from interning with designer Betsey Johnson to working at Nike and Columbia Sportswear.
The annual fashion show is an important event for the department, and students take it very seriously.
Taiwainese model instructor Don Lin comes to OSU on an annual basis to train the amateur models in catwalk technique and, for the first time this year, two interior design students have built an actual catwalk to use for the show.
Kelli Scherzinger, a senior in interior design, was one of the students to help build the catwalk, which is composed of a series of 4-foot by 4-foot cubes that can be assembled in a variety of layouts.
It's easier to transport and set up in different ways, Scherzinger said. "They don't like to have the same runway each year," she said.
Up in the sewing lab in Milam Hall, senior Melissa Ward was joining other designers in working on last-minute stitching and preparation. She said her six-piece line is the most cohesive collection she's ever created.
"It's my manifesto," she said. Her emphasis was on practicality and form, utilizing everything from military influences to knit wear in earth tones.
Ward, who is directing the show, said some of the designers have vintage influences that will help tie together the theme of 100 years of design. Kendra Thysell, for example, has a lot of '20s-inspired pieces in her collection.
Ward is looking forward to the culminating event of her final school year, and appreciates how her work has evolved in the department, including getting away from her childhood dreams of becoming a wedding dress designer. She now loathes chiffon.
"I've developed a lot," she said. "I'm designing clothing that makes you feel good, that will carry you from day into evening."
IF YOU GO
The annual Student Design Exhibition and Fashion Show at Oregon State University takes place at 7 p.m. today at OSU'S CH2M Hill Alumni Center. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Attendees are asked to dress in formal attire.