Charity Fashion Show

The Charity Fashion Show at Stanford was orchestrated as a fundraising effort for Doctors Without Borders. It presented fashion items by a host of designers including some student designers, and the models were selected from the Stanford community in an audition process.
Though I was only able to attend a portion of the show due to its late start, the presentation and the designs present were impressive. The show opened with a dance by the models in designer apparel that were different interpretations of black, grey and white. The color palette of the entire stage was the same, but each outfit had its own angle on the color. One model wore a white t-shirt with a black jumpsuit style pant, in high black heels—while another model wore a pinstriped black and silver suit. Other models wore different versions of the little black dress that despite their similar color and theme stood out from each other.
As the models entered the portion of the show that showcased specific designers, I was able to take a closer look at the remakes of the little black dress. One really surprised me since at first look, I was underwhelmed. Created by Karen Lum, it seemed to be a stereotypical little black dress, very plain. However, as the model walked down the runway, I had an opportunity to see the backline. It was slanted at the back, with a unique crisscrossing of straps that branched across the back in a angular, geometrical pattern. Unfortunately the model’s hair was down and that element was not clearly visible—though it was the portion of the dress that distinguished it from other black dresses.
Lum also had another play on the black dress that involved additions of different belts around the waist. It brought attention towards the center of the body and towards the width of the waist. The belts were fairly ornate. While I appreciated them, I felt it did not violate my expectations of the little black dress enough to get very excited.
However, her final number was spectacular. It looked as though she had taken a simple white cloth and spattered paint all over it. Alone, it would not have been that impressive. However, she gave shape and form to the dress and made it a piece of wearable artwork. Not only was it wearable, it was flattering to the model, wrapping around in the most appealing way possible. It felt like an expression of artistic freedom—to paint a piece of cloth in a way that appeared flippant and whimsical, and then to mold it into a beautiful dress. It was a freeing piece of work for me.

I was able to stay to see a collection by Lorick, which also worked by taking conventional notions of what dresses are supposed to look like and playing with it. There were a pair of outfits that on first sight looked like dresses, but as the model walked down the runway, it was easy to tell that what looked like a dress was in fact a set of pants belted at the waist that was wrapped in such a way to look like a dress. One of my other favorite outfits she created was a blue dress that had unusual seaming. Normally, one would expect dresses to be pleated uniformly on all sides if they are to be pleated at all. However, this one was not pleated in the front, it was only pleated and gathered into the back, which gave it a unique feeling—of something not quite right but beautiful that caught my attention and kept me staring. One of her final numbers was a play on the layering that many people do with their clothes—it was an orange dress that was a little too wide to stand on its own, with a little black tanktop built into the middle. It was not layered so that the dress covered the edges of the tanktop—instead, there was blank spaces of skin between the two parts of the dress. At first, I didn’t enjoy how it looked, since it felt unfinished. However, after a while it grew on me because the angles between the tank top and the dress were so unusual. In addition, it brought attention to parts of the models skin that would usually be overlooked.
In my neuroscience classes I have learned that the most effective way to bring joy or excitement is to set up expectations and then proceed to violate them. Though I knew this already, I was pleased to find that it applies to fashion as well.