The Cornell Fashion Collective Annual Spring Fashion Show was an outstanding hit. Held in Barton Hall, the runway show had a full house as witness to the innovation and creativity of student designers and models as well as livestream access for anyone who was not present in person for the show. The show featured four “levels” of designers, corresponding to how many years they had been a member of the CFC. Level one designers each made one design under the theme of “Exposure.” Exposure, according to the CFC program, was left up to the interpretation of the designers and could take on meanings such as “the openness of a camera lens, a first hand experience, vulnerability, and quite literally the display of skin.” level two designers had two designs intended to emanate the theme of “Obscura,” taken from the Camera Obscura. “The Camera Obscura projects an image of the outside world onto a surface inside a dark room through a small hole, creating a natural, upside-down ‘photograph’ of the scene outside.” Level three and four designers each chose their own subjects, with level three designers creating four to five looks and level four designers creating anywhere from six to ten looks.
Levels one and two featured plenty of fantastic looks, and while the theme may have been the same, each designer’s voice shone through. Although most of the looks were black and white in keeping with the subject of the camera and the darkroom, some colorful outfits were thrown in as well which were most often thematically relevant as well as vivacious. As the models walked out of order and the designers were not announced during the walks, I was unable to connect each look to its owner and therefore won’t be going into detail about my top picks from those two levels.
My favorite collection from level three designers was Grace Amigh ’24’s “Mary Lou.” Inspired by her late grandmother, Amigh’s collection featured classic 1960s silhouettes and patterns with a colorful modern twist. Amigh designed and printed the motifs found on every garment, and paired them with gogo boots, hair and makeup that allowed the clothing to shine. The music selection and the energetic model walks enhanced the performance of each piece and contributed to the cohesiveness of the collection. Amigh’s theme shone clearly through her work, so much that it was not even necessary to read her description to understand the message she tried to convey. All and all, it was fun, playful, and a success in my book.
As for one of the weaker collections, we come to Iasia Henderson ’25’s “As Beautiful as a Daisy.” Composed of upcycled fabrics and hand crocheted accessories, Henderson’s collection summed up to an array of ready-to-wear picnic dresses. The subject lacked a clear vision required of high fashion and the designs were lackluster. The accessories were the star of the collection, tying well into its title and beautifully constructed, yet unable to carry the outfits they went with through.
The star of level four and possibly of the entire show had to be Mia Bachrack ’24’s “Bound by Absolute Malformation.” The collection examines the relationship between medical braces and splints worn for “practical” reasons and our concept of fashion. It obliges the audience to ask why one type of brace is regarded as fashion (i.e the corset) and the other (the scoliosis brace) is something meant to be hidden beneath the clothes. The subject is wholly unique, and the question of whether correcting what is crooked or leaving it so is ‘in fashion’ demands critical thought on the part of the audience. The instruction to the models, who altered their walks to portray malformation as driven by the metal “braces” and “splints” was essential to the effect of the collection. Particularly interesting were the two models who walked linked together, a portrayal of dependance that was both eerie and exalting. The medical “instruments” were represented in the collection using pieces of reflective metal formed to mold to the model and found on a different body part in each look. The rest of the designs were composed of navy blue fabric stitched together with black strings to create a corseted look. Ultimately, the collection was refreshing and equally beautiful in design and in theory.
Among my least favorites for level four was Angela Lan ’24’s “Éblouissant (Dazzling).” Her collection of evening wear had no clear voice shining through, nor anything that connected one look to the next through structure, color, fabric or subject. That said, Lan’s garments were amongst the favorites of many of my peers, who told me that they could see themselves wearing her pieces to future formals and events.
Some honorable mentions include Nancy Wang ’24’s “Mathematical Romanticism,” Ashley Lee ’24’s “Empyrean Echoes,” Raquel Coren ’25’s “Erosion” and Nina Pfcher ’24’s “I’m Still a Kid.” And a special shoutout to Vice President Ryan Lombardi for being the cheeriest looking model on the runway Saturday night!
The CFC fashion show, while enjoyable for the students and faculty to watch, is important to Cornell and the Fashion community for so many more reasons. The event serves as a space for young designers to jump onto the scene before graduating and officially joining the professional fashion world. Their voices help keep the industry on their toes and always push the boundaries of fashion. As for Cornell, often recognized for its excellence in the STEM fields, the annual CFC fashion show serves as a reminder to students and to the country that Cornell offers so much more and is also a place that hosts immense artistic and creative talent.
Sophie Gross is a first-year in the College of Arts and Sciences. She can be reached at [email protected].