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Design divas: Students strut their stuff at fashion show

Sophomores Allie Whitaker and Alli Robben assist senior Elizabeth Nie with her wardrobe backstage.
Sophomores Allie Whitaker and Alli Robben assist senior Elizabeth Nie with her wardrobe backstage.

Abbey Gingras, For The Miami Student

Sophomores Allie Whitaker and Alli Robben assist senior Elizabeth Nie with her wardrobe backstage. (Abbey Gingras | The Miami Student)

A flurry of activity bustles behind the looming black curtains in Millet Hall as makeup artists and hairstyles put the finishing touches on models. Meanwhile, designers inspect their collections one last time as the workers double check and triple check their to-do lists on clipboards.

This was the scene during Saturday's fashion show, which was hosted by the Miami University Club of Fashion and Design and UP Magazine. After months of long hours and what seemed like endless planning, students involved in all aspects of the show finally got to see their development come to life.

"It's been really great to see how much the show has grown and developed, along with fashion week as a whole," senior Sally Stearns, editor-in-chief of UP Magazine, said. "We have really been trying to market it and make it more upscale. People haven't known in the past that fashion week was happening, and we were happy to see that change. This is what I love to do and I was so proud to watch it come together."

Students worked tirelessly all day Friday and Saturday to get Millet set up perfectly, from chairs to lighting to gift bags. The production takes hundreds of people to put on, but the finished product is nothing less than what would be expected at a professional fashion show.

"UP and MUCFD have weekly meetings between our two executive boards all semester to prepare," Stearns said. "We plan all the events of fashion week together between our two staffs. This year we were able to have an after party for both organizations, which was a great way to celebrate each other and all the hard work that was put in, not to mention fashion."

The show this year was the 8th production Miami has hosted, and the event has grown a lot since it's founding. What started as a small event for club members has blossomed into an event for the whole university and community with seats for 600 people, including VIPs.

This year's fashion show was especially meaningful to the designers, who now have the opportunity to study fashion design at Miami thanks to the efforts of MUCFD and UP who worked with university officials to install a fashion program.

"Seeing my designs on the runway was overwhelming," senior Kasey Goedeker said. "To see months of hard work being presented to my friends and family in such a great way was really the cherry on top of an amazing year. The fashion minor will only enhance the show in future years."

MUCFD and UP are proud of where their fashion week has come from and where it is headed. Both organizations hope to see the program grow larger each year and continue to become an event that all of campus looks forward to participating in.

When the lights were shut off in Millet on Saturday night, fashion week for this year was over; but the planning for next year was just beginning.

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“Beewash,” junior Bryan Washington, strikes a pose for the crowd during the fashion show put on by Miami University Club of Fashion and Design and UP Magazine. (Robert Donato | The Miami Student)