6/05/08

AHS fashion students strut their design stuff

by Carmell Emory

Arlington families, friends, and teachers eagerly waited in the wings of the Linda Brynes Performing Arts Center on Wednesday, May 28, for the third annual Arlington High School Fashion Show. Fashion Design students along with the DECA Fashion Promotions class were excited to show off their handmade apparel and enjoy the culmination of all the hard work they had put into the night’s event.

The classes offered at the high school are part of the Career Exploration program that are “preparatory classes with job-ready skills,” according to program director Cheryl Allen.

Allen, who also heads up the culinary arts and career and education classes, believes that this program “lets students know how many more job opportunities there are and how competitive the industry is.”

The Culinary Arts class provided waiting guests with a buffet of rich chocolate-covered strawberries, wraps, frosted flower cookies and other hors d’oeuvres. Rochelle Cultic, a senior in the culinary arts program, joined the class in the hopes that it will help her pursue a career in the food service industry.

“I like cooking,” Rochelle explained simply.

Guests were ushered into the auditorium where they were given the first look at the spring-themed decorative stage adorned in flowers, picket fences and a green, grassy catwalk. Before the show started, a projector displayed drawings of student designs and explained the inspiration for their work.

As the lights dimmed and the bumping beats began to play, girls entered the stage to show their original fashion and practiced catwalk struts. Little hands, giggles and smiles erupted from younger siblings waving to their sisters and maturing boys hollered in approval of the spring designs.

The finale was truly amazing when the girls made one more walk, circling the audience around the auditorium in what Allen thinks are “more ready-to-wear than couture” clothing. The students’ hard work had paid off, and the guests were impressed with the talent of the young designers.

When Allen was in school, her first project was making a pair of pajamas and the teacher is amazed at what the students are able to make today. Her goal for next year’s fashion design students is to allow them to utilize CAD software to design and produce their clothing designs.