Thursday, March 17, 2011

A fashion show that make normal people feel good?

Models strut all shapes, sizes

The Rain Check Fashion Show aims to break size barriers in the fashion industry

Joce DeWitt

Issue date: 1/24/11 Section: News
Media Credit: Jeffrey Basinger

Charlie Hormann's jovial voice kicked off the Rain Check Fashion Show Saturday afternoon under a warm sun in the MU Quad.

"I'd like to thank everyone for coming. I didn't expect so many people, so I'm pretty tickled," Hormann said.

The ambiance of the entire event was blissful due to a good turnout, overwhelmingly pleasant weather and the anticipation of hard work and good ideas coming together to form a fashion show that appealed to all audiences.

Hormann, a junior in apparel design, raised the idea for the show months ago and discussed it at an Oregon State University Fashion Organization meeting.

"It was an idea a girl friend and I cooked up and I ran with it. I broke in a few individuals to put it on," Hormann said.

The Rain Check Fashion Show was entirely student-run and was not affiliated with the university apparel design department.



"In order to use the quad for free, you have to be sponsored by a student organization. So OSUFO sponsored me," Hormann said.

The rest, Hormann explained, was up to her and her team.

As Charlie thanked her supporters, and spectators gathered around the runway, an extremely diverse group of models with intricately painted faces posed waiting for emcee Craig Bidiman, MU president, to begin the introductions.

Stylists from a local salon in downtown Corvallis donated their time and effort for the show's hair and makeup.

"They literally did makeup from 8 a.m. to 10 minutes before the show," Hormann said.

Unlike other fashion shows put on by students in apparel design, there was a sense of informality as models catwalked down the runway in their many outfits; some broke out in dance when they approached the end while others gritted their teeth or flipped their hair.

Hormann recounted her luck with the model recruitment process.

"The funny story is that I made up 10 posters and hung them up in Milam and sent out an e-mail on the DHE listserve and they all just showed up. I held two tryouts. There was a wide array of body types," she said.

Each unique display of pride and attitude by the models was heartily welcomed and encouraged by the crowd, as one of the main goals of the show was to promote a healthy body image.
"Rain Check is a chance for apparel design students here at OSU to design garments that are fashionable in the rain while also giving women and men the chance to walk the runway and proclaim that all bodies are beautiful," Hormann said.

Contributions also came from clothing businesses, including Second Glance on Third Street in downtown Corvallis. Other contributors included Peak Sports, The Clothes Tree, The Golden Crane, Keen Footwear, Heklab, M.O.R. Jewelry, and Redoux Parlour.

Often overlooked in a student-run show like Rain Check is the amount of voluntarism and money necessary to make it all possible. And Hormann had a very small budget to work with.

"Generally a show like this would be $2,000. I had zero funding. I went to a bunch of local companies, but Second Glance was the only company that donated money," Hormann said.

Thanks to Second Glance, the show had a budget of $150.

Despite the limited funds, the show shined in many ways.

"Charlie really lucked out with this weather, even though she expected it to rain," said junior Nicole Ognibene, also in apparel design. "My favorite part is seeing what all the apparel design majors at OSU are capable of outside the classroom."

Every party involved, whether in the audience or on stage, found the show to be a unique experience.

Model Ayla Rogers, an OSU sophomore, spoke of how she became involved.

"(At tryouts) I was more concerned about my ability to stay erect on heels than look fashionable. I remember Charlie raving about my walk, saying 'she's this big but her walk is this big!'" the petite Rogers said. "It took a lot of time but was well worth it in the end."

For Rogers and others involved, the best part of the event was the unification of many different kinds of individuals.

"It brings different people together," Rogers said. "There were a bunch of people doing it who wouldn't really interact otherwise."

The event was a testimony to the tremendous support devoted to every student-run event among the fashion design family at OSU, as the university is most recognized for its engineering and science accomplishments.
Rogers attested to the positive publicity an event like Rain Check could bring to student groups outside of science and engineering.

"It's nice to get exposure for people in the university's less-known groups," she said.

The show was not solely an event to promote healthy body image and the incredibly talented student designers, but also an opportunity to give back to the community.

Though it was a free event, canned food donations were requested, as OSU is currently undergoing a campus-wide food drive.

All in all, Hormann successfully stuck to her original goal as the event carried on.

"As a student who wants to design for plus-size women, every time I tell people I want to design for plus-size, there is a negative connotation," she said. "The goal of the show was to break down the barriers and the negative idea that you have be 90 pounds to be beautiful."

Visit Rain Check Fashion Show's official Facebook group page for more information and pictures of designs that models wore during the show.


Joce DeWitt, staff writer
737-2231, news@dailybarometer.com

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