Harem pants, silken tops and leather biker jackets were hot in New York City’s Fashion Week, but at Syracuse University, senior fashion design students took it even further.

‘The clothes I wore were beautiful and really well made. I thought that the talent excelled compared to last year. Everyone’s collection really hit a new limit,’ said Nicole Pedra, a junior in the College of Human Ecology and a model at the show.

The clothes stole the show yesterday at the 22nd annual Senior Fashion Show in Goldstein Auditorium. Forty-five design seniors showcased cohesive six-piece collections, which ranged from cute ready-to-wear frocks to wonderfully crafted avant-garde pieces. Designers Jamie Guldbransen and Anthony Palmieri were two of the 45 seniors who showed their collections last night.

Guldbransen’s her collection of cute teal-trimmed frocks and fedoras was fun and fashionable. Dressed in a bright yellow jacket with retro shades and a fedora, Guldbransen could have easily passed for one of her models.

‘My clothes are very ready-to-wear, but unique and one of a kind. There was a lot of pleating and fitted bodices with low-drop waists. It’s stuff I would personally buy,’ she said.

While Guldbransen incorporated her personal style into her collection, designer Palmieri was exactly the opposite.

‘I’m so grungy. My daily wear is skinny jeans, a v-neck and some sneakers,’ he said. Palmieri was the third designer to show, and his collection of bold shoulders and playful prints wowed the audience.

‘My collection is inspired by the idea of natural selection in nature. Male birds are the prettier birds because they attract the females. They’re bigger, more luxurious and attractive to the eye,’ said Palmiere. ‘I mixed it with aviation style and the Venice carnival. It’s very avant-garde.’

Models were allowed to walk in up to five shows. Pedra and fellow model Diana Ji, a senior biology and psychology major, strutted their stuff to the max. Pedra and Ji agreed that backstage was chaotic, but they both didn’t have trouble changing after each show.

‘The professors did a really good job on spacing the models and the collections. It gets crazy, but I had enough time in between shows to change,’ Ji said. ‘The clothes all fitted me really well, I could actually see myself wearing it out. The harem pants I modeled were so comfortable that some of the models came to my designer and asked where they could buy them!’

SU students and faculty were in attendance at the show, as well as many of the designers’ friends and families. Teachers and students from nearby high schools were also invited to see the collections, an experience that – for some students – proved both entertaining and inspiring.

‘I’ve never been to a fashion show before, and this one is just amazing,’ said Nick Kleist, a senior at Manlius Pebble Hill high school.

Kathleen Stewart, a high school teacher from the Norwich City School District, has been bringing her clothing line and production class to the fashion show for four years. She hopes that this show will inspire her students to choose a career in fashion design. A panel of judges also attended last night’s show.

The panel, which included both Syracuse faculty and industry greats, including a representative from BCBG, had the difficult task of choosing 10 designers to show in New York City on June 3.

Some audience members have already made their picks – designer Elisha Beinart’s father took notes during the show and is already predicting the winners.

‘I want to see if any that are picked are on my list. It’ll prove to my wife and daughter that I’ve got a fashion sense too!’ Beinhart joked.

jwong04@syr.edu

Published on April 23, 2009 at 12:00 pm