Masters of Design

8:25 p.m. Ok, I’m set up in my new space in the giant runway tent. There’s already a huge crowd here and now 400 + VIPs are merging into the mix.

People are slowly starting to find their places for the show, but it looks like the urge to stop and talk and mingle is just as strong as the desire to find a good vantage point from which to see the show.

I cannot wait to see this show. I spent several months interviewing and writing about each designer for this blog. After talking with these amazing young people, this show feels more personal to me than any other. I am so excited to see all of their hard work come to fruition.

The “voice of god” is coming over the speakers urging people to find their seats and/or spots. And, now Ms. Andrea Cambern is on the stage, which means we are close to go time.

Now that we are in front of the FULL audience (it’s a sold-out event) Andrea is repeating a few things that were mentioned in the VIP party—and they are worth repeating. Our amazing sponsors are getting their props, and everyone is reminded that tonight they have helped someone go to college.

Ready for the show

OK, this is new—a special surprise announcement? Andrea is reminding everyone that earlier this year our title sponsor Limited Brands donated two exclusive tickets to the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show, and we are no longer going to auction them because the Davis Foundation  gave us a grant that is allowing us to use the tickets in a different way .. OMG! They are giving the tickets to Fashion Design Outstanding Senior Carolyn Martin! This is soooo cool. You’ll agree after reading her Outstanding Senior award interview and my story on her earlier this year. (P.S. the grant money is designated to the Creative Excellence fund. Anyone so inclined can add to what the Davis Foundation started by clicking here).

OK really need to type faster, Arlene & Michael Weiss are getting up on stage. They are representing our runway sponsor EXPRESS and cutting the ribbon to start the show—NICE!

Music is up.

First model … Go!

And we are starting with Mea Adams, who was inspired by one of my favorite designers the always fun Betsey

Having watched these looks progress over the last year, I really appreciate the way they have developed and changed. Everything looks so polished. I see many people have made accessories to go with their looks. One of my favorite dresses, by Janell Clemente, got switched out. I was worried when I first heard, but the new dress is just … well … WOW!  Ryan Richmond also made a switch and it is GORGEOUS–it’s a soft pink dress that would look perfect on the red carpet of a movie premier. I could comment on each designer (and I really want to) but I’m guessing you aren’t going to read that far (if you have time go back and read their individual stories).

And here come the designers—the applause is deafening. As it should be! And, they are each getting flowers, yay!

Andrea is back on stage thanking everyone and I can hear the bass starting to thump in Design Studios on Broad as NYC DJ duo AndrewAndrew get ready to take all this excitement and turn up the volume—literally.

I’ve got pictures to upload, be there soon.

(Photos are also available on our Facebook page.)

Origins: CCAD's 2010 Fashion Show

When I was told to write a piece on the importance of our show, I realized that I only know what I have seen—namely fabulous pieces by our designers—and not much else. So Stephanie Hightower (she’s our VP of Institutional Advancement) and Suzanne Cotton (chair of the Fashion Design department) told me why they consider this show to be important. Here’s what I found out:

On one hand, the show is about our graduating seniors and their designs. They’re going out in style (pun entirely intended—I find it rather brilliant), and we want the world to notice.

So we’re raising a giant tent, filling it with photographers and other media folks, and squeezing in central Ohio’s most fashionable residents. Think New York Fashion Week without the expensive plane ticket, crowded hotels, and frigid February temperatures. Also in attendance will be representatives from The Limited, Abercrombie & Fitch, Victoria’s Secret, Express, Lane Bryant, and Tween Brands—all prospective employers for our designers.

We’re parading each designer’s cumulative knowledge down a 56-foot runway with 700 self-proclaimed fashion experts evaluating it. This is one fabulous final exam that you get to witness firsthand.

And for those who want to relive the event, a 30-minute television broadcast covering the show from every angle will air on WBNS-TV, ONN, and Time Warner On Demand (just think, you could be caught on camera).

However, if you couldn’t care less about pencil skirts and gowns, if gorgeous men in pleated tweed pants bore you, then you must be crazy then consider this: All proceeds from the show go to the CCAD general scholarship fund—the scholarship pool in which all incoming students swim.

Yes, your ticket grants you admission to the event, a glimpse at the best fashion that comes from CCAD, and the opportunity to rub elbows with some alumni who have made it big in the fashion industry. But there’s something else you should know.

Behind the scenes, your ticket purchase helps a Fine Arts major learn to weld, helps an Animation student bring a character to life, helps a photographer capture a moment.

The money you pay for your ticket goes directly to our students, helping people who may not have been able to afford a college education earn a bachelors of fine arts degree and start their careers. That’s why this is important.

At our core, we all desire to do good, to help others, to leave our footprints scattered all over the place (I, personally, anxiously wait for the day when my stiletto prints fade from DSW clearance to Jimmy Choo, but that’s neither here nor there).

The question I pose to you is this: will your prints stretch to the Origins tent? If so, tickets for the May 8 show are now on sale at www.ccad.edu/fashion.

Until next time, cheers!

Origins: CCAD's 2010 Fashion Show

Welcome! You have entered the CCAD Fashion Show blog, your backstage pass to our runway event (think New York fashion week without the travel).

Leading up to the May 8. 2010 spectacular, we’ll take you behind the scenes for an insider’s look at  how our spectacular fashion show event is pieced together.

Ever wonder what exactly goes into a fashion photo shoot? You may be surprised. Who decides which garments make it to the runway? How do designers get from sketch to finished piece? What’s the story behind “Origins”? How do models manage to walk in those heels without stumbling and becoming fashion road kill? We’ll cover that and more.

Who are we and why are we doing this?

Well to answer the first question: there will be three of us writing, me (Lacey Luce), Melissa Ricksecker, and Amanda Fondriest—think of us as the Destiny’s Child of writing. We’ll have a run of hits, then Melissa will go off on a solo career leaving Amanda and I to look fondly upon our fashion show blogging days.

We do this because it’s fun. Hindsight being 20/20, we realized last year that all the stuff leading up to the show is almost as cool as the show itself. So, this year we are inviting you to share in the fun.

If you (like us) are not an expert in fashion design, photography, event planning, hair styling, make up, etc.; and if, like us, you find the whole crazy process fascinating—then, follow us and you’ll get to peak behind the curtain and see who’s applying the double-stick dress tape.

Subscribe to this blog, follow us on Twitter, and become a fan of our Facebook page—then buckle in, it’s gonna be a helluva ride.

Oh, and don’t forget to post your comments; this blog thing is a two-way street you know.

For more on the May 8 Senior Fashion show check out the event page www.ccad.edu/fashion.