By Michelle Osborne
It could be the next best thing to window-shopping on Queen Street West.
Chaos of Forms is a fashion show by first-year Ryerson students featuring designs styled for Queen Street stores. Students worked in pairs during the semester, and chose one store, and designed skirt and blouse coordinates for Spring 1995.
Kiet Ha and Stephani Chan, two of the show’s designers, want a store with “a funky look.” They chose Hype Clothing Designs, a store located at 459 Queen W. Ha and Chan designed a bright-pink and yellow skirt and short-sleeved blouse, with heart-shaped pockets.
“I liked it (the store) a lot.” said Ha. “We decided that since it’s specifically ’95/’96, we picked out the pink and yellow, which are both shocking colours, and it (the design) turned out well.”
Jennifer Haffenden, director of the Chaos of Forms, said the show will display a wide variety of styles and colours, and has something for everyone. Haffenden described the coordinates as ranging from “…fun and funky clothing in daring fashion-forward tints and hues to coolly conservative tailored looks to streetwear with an attitude to exotic romance.”
The show gives first-year designers a chance to go through all the steps of fashion design, from drawing straight through to sewing the garment.
“This was the first time we actually drafted the garment,” said Stacy Prouse, a student whose designs will appear in the show. “I’ve done things in high school fashion shows, but this is the first time actually making the pattern. It’s exciting to see the final product.”
All coordinates in the show will be judged and partially graded by designers in the industry, as well as the fashion professors.
Many students pulled all-niters in the studios to complete the semester-long project, and some worked right up until the deadline. “People were there (the studio) until 4 a.m., they camped out there,” said Kafi Wilson, Haffenden’s design partner. “The professors were counting down the minutes until the garments were due.”
Chaos of Forms showcases more than 60 skirt and blouse coordinates by first-year fashion students. It will be held on the second floor of the Commons, Wednesday, April 5 at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are available at the door for $2.
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