A flash mob of male and female models stood motionless on the Quad at 12:35 p.m. for 10 minutes Wednesday to promote “Lights, Camera, Fashion!,” an event that kicks off Fashion Month at Syracuse University.

“Everyone is dressed so classily and is so stylish,” said Shannon Phillips, a junior in the College of Arts and Sciences who came out to see what the flash mob was about. “The bright colors really cheer people up on this nice gray spring day at Syracuse. It’s nice to see fashion and different styles when Syracuse seems to sport 12 shades of gray from December all the way until May.”

Models dressed in black outfits accented with a blue or green accessory lined the Quad sidewalk from Huntington Beard Crouse Hall to Carnegie Hall. They stood frozen in poses from 12:35 until 12:45 p.m., a time frame when students change classes. Students who walked through the Quad heckled and danced in front of the models, but the models maintained their poses.

Hilary Smith, a senior advertising major, created and organized the flash mob to draw attention to “Lights, Camera, Fashion!” Smith, who also modeled in the lineup, said she released her “inner Gaga” with a black tulle skirt, leotard, over-the-knee boots, leather jacket, racing gloves and a blue circle scarf.

“Lights, Camera, Fashion!” will be held April 6 in the Hergenhan Auditorium in Newhouse III from 5 to 7 p.m. It will have stations set up to promote events during Fashion Month in April such as Zipped magazine’s launch party, the annual Senior Fashion Show and the Newhouse Fashion Show. There will also be makeup demonstrations and jewelry-making stations.

Members of the campus advertising agency The NewHouse helped promote the event by passing out flyers during the flash mob.

Smith raised awareness and curiosity about the flash mob by creating a Facebook event page with very little information about what would take place.

“We created a Facebook event and I had all my models and team members post invites on their Facebook statuses,” Smith said.

The invitations for the flash mob read, “We’re taking over the Quad Wednesday, March 31st @ 12:35pm. You’ll want to bring a camera.”

Nicole Roberts, a sophomore advertising major and a member of The NewHouse, said many of her friends asked what the event was about but she told them to come to the Quad and find out for themselves.

Kaity Wong, a sophomore advertising major and model for the flash mob, said the Facebook event page had more than 300 confirmed guests, so she expected a large attendance.

But the turnout was larger than expected — 300 fliers were printed but ran out halfway through the flash mob. Campus publications such as Zipped, The Stitch Society and CuseMyCampus.com helped publicize the event on their blogs.

Even though some students said they thought the flash mob was fun and interesting, Ethan Bruno, a senior in the College of Visual and Performing Arts, said he didn’t understand its point.

“I think it’s the most bizarre thing I’ve ever seen in my life,” Bruno said. “I don’t know what it is or what statements it’s trying to make.”

To illuminate more of the reasoning behind the flash mob and to further advertise “Lights, Camera, Fashion!” a viral video highlighting the flash mob will be put on YouTube. Smith recruited several students to film the flash mob so a clip could be made about the event.

Phillip Crook, a graduate student in the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, said the event and the mysterious invitations were to garner people’s attentions.

“The success of a flash mob depends on spontaneity,” Crook said. “We wanted to give out enough information to get people wanting to come, but not enough that they wouldn’t show up because they would already know what to expect.”

Published on March 31, 2010 at 12:00 pm