Fresno State student stylist and designer Reyna Cazares (left) adjusts her
model Terri Sum’s shirt before the start of the second annual spring student
fashion show. Cazares was inspired by floral prints and Marilyn Monroe.
Esteban Cortez / The Collegian
Many of the trends featured in the world’s largest fashion shows walked the runway this weekend in the second annual spring fashion show put on by Fresno State’s Fashion INC. club.
Floral prints, pastel-colored tops and color-blocking styles were present on the runway Saturday at the Smittcamp Alumni House, in what Fashion INC. president Sara Pena called a “stressful” but “exciting” experience.
“I woke up a little nervous and feeling a little bit of anxiety,” Pena said about preparing for the show on Saturday. “Once the show started, I was so excited to see everything that was coming down [the runway] and everyone in the crowd.”
Thirteen student designers and stylists ”” all members of Fashion INC. ”” showed off their collections to more than 300 people on Saturday just before the sun went down. The students, many of which are majoring in fashion merchandising, were all responsible for either designing or styling a small collection of looks, from the hair and makeup, to the accessories and garments worn by their models.
Reyna Cazares, a Fresno State fashion merchandising student and vice president of Fashion INC., was the second student to show her collection, which featured floral-filled garments inspired by Marilyn Monroe and the “timeless beauty of the women from old Hollywood.”
Cazares began sketching ideas and outfits four months ago, which helped her visualize the collection.
She sent a variety of looks inspired by old Hollywood glamour, including a floral maxi skirt she designed and created, styled with a white lace top. Cazares finished off the look with a black faux fur resting on the model’s shoulders and styled the outfit with vintage jewelry and a bright red lip. Cazares was one of few students who styled and designed looks for a collection.
She said that she had two models drop out of the show at the last minute, forcing her to scramble for replacements.
“It was a little hard to do it by myself,” she said about styling and designing the collection. “But you just have to go out there and find people who are willing to do it.”
Among the 13 student designers and stylists were Brandon Yang and Victoria Borbon, who both designed and created their own looks.
Borbon, who considers herself a “curvy woman,” said she was tired of spending money on clothes that didn’t fit and altering them for her body, so she decided to design and create her own collection.
Vintage-style dresses made up most of Borbon’s collection, which included a black and white polka dot strapless dress styled with a yellow belt and flower hairpiece.
Pena, who helped plan the entire fashion show, said planning the event was a lot of hard work, but she hopes it happens every year. Pena added that the turnout was much bigger than last year, which she thinks is a result of early planning and constant promotion of the show. The club began promoting the event at the beginning of the semester by passing out fliers and advertising on Facebook.
The show was funded entirely by the club through ticket sales, fundraising efforts, and vendor booths and sponsors, which included local businesses and national chain stores such as Buckle, which closed the show on Saturday around sunset.
Cazares said that the overall goals of the Fashion INC. are to give students more hands-on experience in the fashion industry and to promote the fashion merchandising program at Fresno State.
“It’s definitely a great experience, and I think it shows,” Cazares said. “Even though Fresno isn’t a fashion capital, we want people to know that there is a lot of talent here, and I was happy to see that we were able to exhibit that through our fashion show.”
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