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Arts & Culture

Sexy, stylish and sacreligious

By Sean Fitz-Gerald

When one thinks of erotic places to visit on a Thursday night, church does not usually come to mind.

At St. Mary’s Anglican Church last week, however, one could not help but feel a little sinful while watching the Ryerson school of fashion presentation of “Beyond the Realm.”

Over 20 female models slinked down a makeshift runway placed inside the historic chapel. The church, overwhelmingly intimidating even during the daylight hours, was turned into an electric combination of light and sound by the second year fashion marketing students.

“We wanted to do something different,” said show director Carla Casalino. “We chose this because we were going with a spiritual theme that has emerged over our era.”

At times, the show was reminiscent of Phantom of the Opera, with models walking down a subtly backlit runway lined with glowing candles.

The music matched the setting. Sombre and haunting instrumentals accented the dark and eerie interior of the filled-to-capacity two-level church.

The outfits ranged from sexy evening wear to costumes best suited for a remake of Amadeus.

The fashion students have devoted a lot of time to ensure the show is a success.

“We started this in February, and it’s become our entire lives for the past couple of months,” Casalino said.

The students were responsible for everything from the lighting and music to public relations and ticket sales, not to mention the creation of the outfit ensembles themselves.

After the show, as the audience filed out into the dark, drizzly night, one couple, parents of one of the show’s participants, summed up the mood of the audience.

“That was lovely,” remarked the middle-aged man to his wife.

“So now you finally know where your hard earned money goes,” she responded with a smile.

Casalino was very pleased with the way the show went. “In essence, this is what we are taking fashion for.”

 

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