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Creation from castoffs wins kudos for senior
2:47 p.m., Oct. 25, 2006--“You have a half hour and $20 to spend in this thrift shop right now to be used to design and create an Asian-inspired cocktail dress.” That was the challenge for the four finalists of Project Cat Walk, a student fashion design competition sponsored by a nonprofit organization, AIDS Services in the Asian Community, as part of its fundraising fashion show held recently in Philadelphia. UD senior Meghan Campbell, who is majoring in apparel design and merchandising, had submitted her portfolio and an artistic statement to the competition and was one of the selected finalists. “I ran around like mad, found a red kimono with cherry blossoms on the back, an over-sized red shirt and some dollar neckties, all for under $20,” she said. That was Sunday. By 5 p.m., Wednesday, Campbell had to design and create a gown, using her thrift shop finds, and fit it to a model. Campbell used the back of the kimono with cherry blossoms for the bodice, the oversized shirt for the skirt and the neckties to accent the halter top. “I had the model's measurements, and we ended up fitting the dress on her in a coat closet in the office where she worked in Camden,” Campbell said. She also had to select shoes for the model, chose music and, before the judging, do the model's makeup and hair. “I was sewing nonstop and running around and didn't get much sleep,” Campbell said. On Wednesday, Campbell and the model went before a panel of designers. Campbell was asked to make a statement about the gown and told the panel that the red color was for luck, the cherry blossoms were a symbol of life and vitality and that bodice insert made from the neckties was inspired by a Japanese obi.
The Project Cat Walk models opened up the fashion show, but this time their with hair and makeup done by professionals. After intermission, the four finalists came out on the runway with the models and the winner was finally announced, and it was Campbell. “I was so excited, and so were my parents and boyfriend, who were in the audience,” she recalled. Campbell won a 10-day window display in Matthew Izzo's store, an upscale boutique on Walnut Street in Philadelphia, and a five-page spread in the January issue of Glare, a fashion and entertainment magazine. “The exposure is priceless,” she said. Last summer, Campbell interned at Ginny Hilfiger's in New York, a small upscale fashion company. “I learned the industry by doing whatever had to be done from talking to manufacturers to counting buttons to make sure we had enough,” Campbell said. Campbell said she has always been interested in fashion, but developed her flair for fashion design at UD. “I learned to sew in a course at UD and kept altering and changing the jacket I was making. My professor encouraged me to take design courses, which I really liked.” As for her plans after graduation, Campbell said she is keeping her options open, but will undoubtedly use her talents in the world of fashion. Article by Sue Moncure
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