Last week, I was fortunate to be around the San Francisco area and got news about this fabulous open house that Academy of Art hosted on April 28. I decided to go there with my photographer boyfriend, and I LOVED it. The open house was complete with free valet parking, free lunch and Starbucks coffee, and a chance to meet Daniel Vosovic from Project Runway 2. Of course, the campus itself was fabulous. Exhibitions from each major were shown continuosly, and people could get reviews of their portfolios of fashion, photography, illustration, among others.
Moreover, there was a fashion show that showcased the works of Academy of Art’s students majoring in fashion. Let me tell you, it was so crowded that spaces between the runway platform and the seats had to be filled; people kept pouring in so that the scheduled 3 pm show finally started around 3:20 pm. So in this post, I would like to share what I saw that day. Since there were 20 collections, I will show only several of my favorite pieces from each collection**. What’s more amazing is that these students created everything from scratch, from garment to jewelry. And they did not know how to sketch or draw at the beginning either. It’s truly amazing what 4 years can make you. Wow.
Please bear with me since I’m uploading them slowly one by one; thus this post won’t be completely finished until late tomorrow. Otherwise, enjoy all the fabulous work of the Academy of Art, San Franciso students!!
** All pictures copyrighted by Christian Hadidjaja
Collection 1: Collaborative Project of Fashion and Jewelry
The first short dress gave a bit of a “Star Wars” vibe, and the connecting sleeves were just psychotic and cool. This first collection was awesome, the dresses and jewelry balance each other very nicely; strong but sweet, cool but irresistable. Oh, did I mention the students made all the jewelry themselves?
Collection 2: Collaborative Project with French Rabbit
Who knew recycled products could be so cool to wear? Now I got to see the result of using recycled things for fashion without the 2-day limit that Project Runway 3 put upon the designers (Remember Laura’s “For Nuts Only” dress?)
Collection 3: Chin “Winnie” Wong (BFA Fashion Design)
This collection features “wide” designs that could go bulky and too cute sometimes (look at the right-most picture). The layered look and sturdy construction is an inspiration from Kay Sekimachi’s wooden box.
Collection 4: Kenneth Ning (BFA Menswear Design)
I love the vibrant colors Kenneth popped into his designs, however it certainly is difficult to comment about the “revolution” of the menswear design itself. He’s given simple, clean-cut designs with loud colors as if we’re in the World Cup event. Had there not be the loud colors, this collection would strike me as…rather boring (compared to other two menswear collections in the show).
Collection 5: Su-In Yoon (MFA Knitwear Design)
This collection is very ladylike and elegant; I love the sash belt, the runched trench coat sleeves, the oversized kimono sleeves, everything. I would love to have this collection. Seriously.
Collection 6: Vesna Miksic (BFA Fashion and Textile Design)
I had a chance to see Vesna’s exhibition of sketches before the fashion show, hence the first picture. I am a sucker for bubble dresses, so I love this collection a lot. Not only the prints are very colorful and fun, the cuts are sophisticated yet sporty, and the garments flow so effortlessly. It’s casually amazing.
Collection 7: Ji Ye Han (BFA Fashion Design)
The braids add a certain coolness in this sophisticated collection. The looks seem complicated but very well put. A well-done job.
Collection 8: Yu-Shin Mue Kim (MFA Knitwear Design)
This is the most hilarious collection, the one that stole the show. I just have to put all five designs here since it’s clearly the audience favorite. Don’t worry, no models were hurt in the runway walk. Somehow they could see beneath that giant heads. Very cool.
Collection 9: Collaborative Project Masters Study: 3D Design 3
Among all collections, I personally think this was the one that gave me the most “eh” impression. The black matte jersey garments (correct me if I’m wront – it looked like that from where I sat) were okay, and the stripes of color was pretty, but that’s it. I don’t get the “3D” part of it. Especially after seeing a collection as outrageous as Yu-Shin’s, the audience would’ve expect something of similar caliber. I’m sorry to say that this collection failed to deliver (for me).
Collection 10: Lene Secher Andersen (BFA Fashion and Knitwear Design)
Some of its color palette reminds me of Banana Republic for some reason, but the garment cuts and designs are much better than BR. The looks are very European (especially Paris) and sophisticated, yet playful at the same time.
I love the metallic grey trench with buckles just below the collarbone, and…URGH! I love all of them. Can I have them?…please? Oh, and she receives an internship with Loulou de la Falaise. Yayy!!
Collection 11: Nadia E. Webster (BFA Knitwear Design)
This collection reminds me to knitwear I found at Anthropologie. It’s very cool, relaxed, but elegant. It will keep you warm and still be VERY fashionable. Love it.
Collection 12: Chelsea Rae Snyder (BFA Menswear Design)
Chelsea’s collection is very comfortable for everyday men to wear. I can definitely see guys wearing this collection on the streets of New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, or San Francisco area. It gives the slightest bit of a “hippy look”, which reminds me to the San Francisco’s Height St. fashion.
Collection 13: Ven Lai (BFA Fashion and Textile Design)
A colorful fusion of Asian fashions (most notably perhaps Feudal Japan and Korea), I love this collection. Colors popped without being messy, fun designs without being overly cutesy. Moreover, I know you could not see the models feet, but they were wearing geta socks (geta is Japan’s traditional wooden slippers; it needs to be worn with a certain set of socks). Isn’t it lovely?
Collection 14: Daniela Maury O’Leary (BFA Fashion Design)
This collection somehow reminds me to the feel of Doo.Ri’s fall 2007 collection. It’s strong, boyish but elegant, and edgy. This collection is certainly one of my most favorite, it’s long and lean; covered up but edgy, it gives a different kind of sexy goth. An awesome work.
Collection 15: Diana Bustamante (BFA Knitwear Design)
Lovely shapes of mini dresses; mod, a bit of old school, yet sophisticatedly modern. It’s definitely a collection I will be very comfortable wearing on daily basis.
Collection 16: Mun-Soo Kwon (BFA Menswear Design)
A bit costumey for everyday men, but it’s my favorite menswear collection of the day. Great details, strong control of colors, some influence from Japanese anime perhaps (the huge buckles). I wish my boyfriend would wear something like this. Sigh…
Collection 17: Shannon Galati (BFA Fashion Design) & Ya-Ling Hou (BFA Textile Design)
Super cool, a bit ninja-like, but most of all, futuristic. Sometimes the garments are just very sturdy-looking that I just thought they look like light-weight armors. The constructions are clean and impressive, even though they are mostly impractical.
Collection 18: Oshrat Ben-Isaac (BFA Fashion Design)
This collection seems a bit too gloomy for me. The shoulder pads seem like something straight from what Pegasus Seiya wears on “Saint Seiya” (a classic Japanese manga/anime)…or Julius Caesar. It’s cool, but I am yet to pass its coolness and say that this collection is good.
Collection 19: Stephanie Garges (BFA Fashion Design)
I love the sturdy constructions that allow some movement flows, the stripes, the subtleness and elegance of the garments. Lovely, a truly lovely collection. Edgy, artsy with a flair of conservativeness (in terms of color).
Collection 20: Jenny Schweitzberger (BFA Fashion Design)
Combine some cool, old-school American look with fur, and you get this savvy collection. The hats are great details, they complete the looks and bring the wholeness of each garment. Very well done and a great way to conclude the runway. By the way, she receives an internship with Zac Posen. Congratulations! She totally deserves it, and her collection reflects all: classy, sassy, and sexy with perfect balance and poise.
Alright! That’s it, folks! What a great runway, I had a great time showing up at at AAU, and I hope I can share you just a slightest bit of taste of what these amazing AAU students can do. For more news about this fashion show, check SFluxe out.
Until next time, and have a great week,
Musank
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