Lindenwood to Host Spring Fashion Series

A crisp white runway, a mix of heart-pumping music and a cast of stiletto-clad models will set the stage for Lindenwood University's 15th Annual Student Fashion Shows April 27-28, 8 p.m. in the Emerson Black Box Theater of the J. Scheidegger Center on Lindenwood University's St. Charles campus.    

Approximately 25 fashion design students will showcase the ready-to-wear and avant-garde pieces they have spent the last year creating. Preparation for the shows includes advertising, model calls, construction judging and visual judging for the garments, deciding on music and lighting setups, model fittings, and rehearsals.     

Kristy Lee, adjunct professor for Fashion Design, says her job includes guiding the students "on advertising, music, staging, fittings, and directing the show backstage," as well as coordinating the models and the hair and makeup teams. After joining the Lindenwood Fashion Department as a design student in 2005 and assuming the responsibility of directing the shows in 2007, Lee says, "The biggest difference from when I was a student will be the runway."    

According to Lee, when the show was at the West County Mall, the carpeted runway had spaces just large enough to catch the models' heels, but of the shows in the Black Box she says, "This year we'll have a smooth, white, shiny runway with an impressive backdrop."    

Lisa Leite, Fashion Design Department Graduate Assistant, also says, "The runway changes are a big surprise."    

Leite says the most challenging part of putting together a show of this nature is the fact that "the show involves a lot of people, so it's very hard to find times for meetings that work with everyone's schedules."     

President of the Fashion Club, Ameli Skoglund, also a Graduate Assistant to Florence Dewan, Head of the Fashion Department at Lindenwood, agrees with Leite about the difficulty of setting up planning meetings due to conflicting schedules. Skoglund says it is her first year helping to coordinate the shows and it "has been a hard but great experience."    

After hundreds of hours of work both individually and collaboratively, with the other designers and members of administration involved, Leite and Skoglund also agree on what they are most looking forward to about this year's shows; the caliber of the work involved. Leite says, "The quality over all is very different. Venue, student work, and the event in general itself has improved a lot."    

Among the over one hundred garments that will be presented in Friday and Saturday night's shows, audiences can expect to see pieces from the categories of Art-to-Wear, swimwear, couture gowns, sportswear mini collections, and senior and graduate collections.     

Skoglund began her MFA in 2011 and will be presenting a mini collection titled Fidelity, "inspired by a bohemian lifestyle," and an Art-to-Wear garment inspired by this year's theme of Transparency. Of her Art-to-Wear piece, Skoglund says she wanted to convey how "we have to be transparent and vulnerable in our relationships with each other in order to have good friendships."    

As part of the VIP show on Saturday evening, Leite says awards for Best Intermediate, Best Practicum, Best Swimwear, Best Mini Collection, Best Senior Collection, Best Graduate Collection, and Best in Show will be presented to their respective winners.     

For more information about the Lindenwood Fashion Design Department or tickets for this year's fashion shows, "Design District," visit www.lindenwood.edu.

Editor's Note: Madeleine Heppermann is a student at Lindenwood University and a professional model with West Model and Talent Management being featured in the Lindenwood student fashion show series.