Ithaca College’s Emerson Suites was packed on Nov. 27 as HiFashion Studios (HFS) hosted its biannual fashion show. The club, which includes 8 production teams and about 50 models, works throughout the semester to put together outfits and prepare for its runway show based off of an overarching theme.
This year’s show, “It’s All Fun & Games,” was inspired by traditional board games — Battleship, Clue, chess and Candyland. The entire production comes together by matching not only the wardrobe to each theme, but also the lights, runway poses, and background music.
Phoebe Ertel, President of HiFashion Studios, was responsible for managing all of the moving parts of the show.
“It was definitely hectic coming into it my first year as the president but I’m super excited for how it turned out,” Ertel said. “We had a full house, which doesn’t always happen, so it really was successful in the sense that everyone showed up and came out to support.”
HiFashion Studios gives students of all backgrounds and majors an opportunity to be involved, whether that be as models or behind-the-scenes staff. Meryl Berger, a senior marketing and management major, first joined HFS last year because of her interest in the beauty industry. Berger has since been promoted to co-executive of the hair and makeup team.
“We do their [the models’] hair and makeup according to what they’re wearing and then briefly in between all of the looks we’ll do a quick touch up, maybe change a lip color or put their hair up or down,” Berger said. “During intermission we’ll do a larger change… maybe curl or straighten the hair or do a new eye look. It really flows cohesively.”
In addition to exploring interests outside of their studies, HiFashion gives those involved the ability to gain confidence while on stage. Darien Guy, a senior speech pathology major, has been a model for HFS since his first year at Ithaca College.
“I’ve always been a person that’s been into fashion and trends and I have an affinity of buying clothes so I thought modeling would be a different way to show my style around campus,” Guy said. “It [modeling] can be nerve-wracking but as the years have progressed I’ve become more confident.”
Over the years, the creative themes have helped each runway show be unique from the rest. The four sections of this year’s show allowed for completely different looks. From the clothing and accessory choices to the hair and makeup, each walk was set apart from the one before.
Battleship themed looks included earth tones and camouflage, Clue used plaids and trenchcoats, Chess looks were monotonous black and white ensembles, and Candyland sported bright and colorful outfits.
Although the wardrobe team is responsible for dressing each model, the entire club comes together to crowdsource the clothing that is used in the show.
“We’re told to bring clothes to match the team. Oftentimes we have vendors that will provide clothing that can match our theme,however, we have a great team of stylists that make sure we feel comfortable in what we’re wearing,” Guy said.
The heart of HiFashion Studios lies in the collaboration and teamwork of all the members, noted Ertel.
“Our models were amazing, the clothing turned out amazing thanks to our wardrobe team. Thanks to our lighting crew we really had an incredible effect and look to how high end the show looked,” she said. “I’m really excited for what next semester holds.”
