Rachel Cass in the CCAD sewing lab.

Rachel Cass is not one to procrastinate. Last summer she not only chose her muse for her senior thesis, but with her sketch book in hand, she set out on a road trip to New York City and found every single piece of fabric she would later use for her collection. All before classes had officially started.

But, before Rachel took to the road, she researched and uncovered her muse.

“I spent several days in the library digging through different images of some of the paintings that I was in love with and I kept coming across Salvador Dali,” she remembers. The bigger challenge was the second half of the assignment—finding a sculptor of the same era as a second muse. “I just didn’t know who to pair him with because he’s such a different artist, especially with his use of surrealism with color and shape.”

She finally stumbled upon the massive spider sculptures of Louise Bourgeois and found that the armature nature of the spiders were the connection and final key that she needed.

The result includes soft smooth lines, combined with hard angles and structure to form a new mix of lounge ware.

“It’s somewhere between lingerie, lounge, and ready-to-wear,” notes Rachel. “These designs create a true mix-and-match collection, which allow you to feel sexy, sophisticated, and comfortable.”

With muse in mind, it was time for the road trip. Rachel, along with her boyfriend and fellow classmate, ventured to the Big Apple in search of the perfect fabrics.

Louise Bourgeois Spider in front of the Tate Modern in London

“I knew I kind of wanted that soft and hard element in my line, so I started out in the jerseys and let the fabric speak to me,” remembers Rachel. “I just started pulling fabrics that I liked, that I was attracted to, and what spoke to me.  Then I laid them all out.”

Before she knew it she had developed a color palette of fabrics that mimicked the color story in her favorite Salvador Dali painting. Silks, knits, organza and jerseys were all laid out before her and they all complimented her initial inspiration.

“I ended up going with my gut and listened to myself. I knew what felt right and just went for it,” she says. “I bought all my fabric right then and there. I took everything with me. I had my entire six garments worth of fabric.”

Once the fabric was set, Rachel set out on a new goal. To not only produce six garments, the maximum that she could present for the Senior Fashion Show jury, but to get every single one in the show.

“I wanted to push myself and create six looks. It would be one thing if they were single pieces, but all of mine are separates,” says Rachel. “This is a lot of work, and because some of them are lingerie pieces, getting the fit right was very important. Mix that with silk and knits and I gave myself a huge challenge.”

The challenge paid off.  All six of her designs were selected by the jury to appear in the show. But before Rachel even had time to relish in her success, she was already looking to how she could make the garments better before the show.

You’ll have a chance to see Rachel’s new mix of ready-to-wear designs on May 11^th, but tickets are going fast. Buy yours here today!

The jury. Photo by Lian Dziura (CCAD 2012).

The jury results are in and 15 designers will show their collections (more than 50 garments total) at the 2012 Senior Fashion Show. The designers were allowed to show up to six garments at the judging on March 1, after which the jury recommended the final  garments that should be in the show.

This year the designers were asked to find inspiration for their collection from both painters and sculptors. The works had to be produced in the same era and the artists had to be working prior to the mid 20^th century.

Below is a list of the participating designers and their collection inspiration. If you want to see their garments walk down the runway, you better get your tickets soon. (Prices go up March 15.)

1.) Tasha Naneth Bolton
Painter: Albert Henrich, “Still Life with Hat and Collar”
Sculptor: Axel Erlandson, “The Basket Tree”

2.) Rachel Cass
Painter: Salvador Dali
Sculptor: Louise Bourgeois

3.) Tasha Dircksen
Painter: Max Ernst, “33 Little Girls Chasing Butterflies”
Sculptor: Rudolph Belling, “Bluetenmotiv”

4.) Alyssa Johnson
Painter: Gustav Klimt, “Water Serpents I”
Sculptor: Boleslas Biegas, “The Haunted House”

5.) Rachel Kaplan
Painter: Georgia O’Keeffe, “Red Canna”
Sculpture: Umberto Boccioni, “Unique Forms of Continuity in Space”

6.) Sarah Pruden
Painter: Salvador Dali
Sculptor: Louise Nevelson

7.) Skyler Riggins
Painter: Georges Braque, “Man with a Guitar”
Sculptor: Barbara Hepworth, “Group of Three Magic Stones”

8.) Kristin Rose
Painter: Vincent Van Gogh
Sculptor: William Rimmer

9.) Nuonan Ruan
Painter: Chu Teh-Chun

10.) Annika Simmons
Painter: Jean Honore Fragonard, “Stolen Kiss”

11.) Amanda Mae Smith
Painter: Alphonse Mucha, “La Blonde”
Sculptor:  Antoni Gaudi, Barcelona’s Park Guell

12.) Joella Stallard
Painter: Max Ernst, “The Blind Swimmer”
Sculptor: Constantine Brancusi, “Bird in Space”

13.) Jennifer Tang
Painter: Wassily Kandinsky
Sculptor: Edward Erikson

14.) Michele Watson
Painter: Yinka Shonibare
Sculptor: Armand Fernandez

15.) Shirley Weng
Painter: Francis Picabia
Sculptor: Nanm Gabo