Story by Diane Sparks
Couture-level, high fashion evening attire inspires the newest exhibit featured in the Gustafson Gallery, which is part of the Avenir Museum of Design and Merchandising at Colorado State University.
Entitled [Dress Code]: Fashion in Flux, the exhibit showcases eveningwear designs produced by undergraduate apparel design students in the Department of Design and Merchandising, under the inspired instruction of Kevin Kissell, who is a faculty member in the Apparel and Merchandising program.
These designs were a highlight in the spring fashion show sponsored by the Department of Design and Merchandising last April. The military parachutes used to create the eveningwear designs were provided by Aspen Pointe, a business in Colorado Springs, which focuses on providing education, counseling, and job training for wounded veterans.
For this design project, students explored the concept of what happens to fashion during times of change or chaos. Students researched the concept of fashion history in times of conflict, produced iterations of fashion illustrations, developed the garment patterns, tested the patterns in prototype garments, and then in the final phase of the project created, the finished garments using authentic military parachutes.
Exhibit opens with reception
The exhibit opens Friday, September 29, with a reception from 4-6 p.m., which is free and open to the public. The Gustafson Gallery, part of the Avenir Museum in the Department of Design and Merchandising in the College of Health and Human Sciences, is located in room 318 of the Gifford Building (502 West Lake Street), on the CSU campus. Hours are from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday-Friday. Admission is free. The exhibit runs until December 7.