Art to Wear 2010 Recap

April, 23, 2010 , by Katie Little

Upwards of 1,000 gathered last Wednesday at Reynolds Coliseum on the NC State campus for the 2010 Art to Wear Fashion Show. It was the hot place to be on such a cool night! The show, now in its 8th year, is a collaboration between NC State University’s College of Textiles and College of Design students. ‘(The) eclectic show has always emphasized a fusion of art and fashion, making it anything but your typical fashion show.’

Highlights from the evening included motorcycles on the runway during College of Design major Jeremy Medlin’s “Moto Metal Mayhem” showcase, and Kirk Smith’s out-of-the-box garments fabricated using food packaging. Smith, a College of Agriculture and Life Sciences major, was an atypical candidate for the show. His use of everything from pizza boxes to beer cans to create his fashions, not only succeeded, but was a huge hit with the audience!

Laura Maruzella’s collection “Color Me Free” showcased sculptural garments representing “when the human mind is set free.” Her use of colorful felt cording and an international representation of models was uplifting. Architecture student Margaret Jamison’s “Rebirth” collection borrowed characteristics of “newness from nature.” And, Art and Design student Gennie Catastrophe’s mix of blues, whites, browns, & grey elements succeeded in creating a line representative of the waters of the ocean.

Chase Kennedy’s “Black Tie Psychosis” was an evolution of men’s and women’s formalwear that transformed into a seductive drama of men and women who were gagged, bound and hand-cuffed. Keely Cansler, a senior, and Anni Albers Scholar, created an artful collection entitled “Marionettes in Modern Times.” Her collection was inspired by a trip to Prague last spring, where she discovered her fascination with marionettes. Similar in mood, Hannah Goff’s collection, “A Gothic Novel,” borrowed beautiful and nostalgic elements from the Victorian era, and juxtaposed ghostly ladylike amour with Frankenstein-inspired chic.

Natalie Bunch, a Landscape Architecture student, used inspiration from her recent trip to Ghana and the Dominican Republic to create her line for Art to Wear. Art and Design student Lauren Boynton’s collection was based the human perception of storms. Just like storms, themselves, her hand-dyed, hand-painted collection was an organic depiction of lightning, wind, and rain. Also drawing from nature, Kendal Leonard’s collection, “A Study On Flower Form,” used costume-structured garments to recreate an Alice-In-Wonderland-like “garden” on the runway.

Eleanor Hoffman, an Anni Albers Scholar, closed the show with her collection “Moon, Dance.” Hoffman’s ethereal elements and use of silky silver and gray fabrics, lent her collection a transcendent quality, and helped to close the show on a magical note. The overall atmosphere of this year’s Art to Wear was one of romance and creativity. The talent was enormous, and the crowd was left awestruck by the overall performance.