Ware Malcomb Captures the Spirit of the 60s in IIDA’s Orange County Annual Fashion Show
On April 5, 2012 Ware Malcomb (www.waremalcomb.com) participated in the International Interior Design Association (IIDA) Orange County annual Fashion Show. Bringing together various local designers and industry members for an evening of fun and camaraderie, interior design firms partnered with local furniture dealerships and vendors to create the fashion show design teams. This event uniquely showcases the creativity of the design industry by requiring all fashion designs to be made of materials utilized in the interior design field.
This year’s theme was, “An American Obsession: Style Evolves… Embrace It!” Different decades were randomly assigned to each contestant team; Ware Malcomb’s decade was the 1960s.
Our team researched the major events and overall mood of the 60s to drive the concepts for our three outfits. Since one of the most important occurrences of this decade was landing a man on the moon, our team designed an astronaut costume to open the show. Our model, Brett Dougherty, proudly walked the runway donning an astronaut suit made of carpet backing, fabric patches from our sponsors, and wiring for his helmet.
This time in history was also especially important to women and how they were viewed in society. The Women’s Rights Movement gained significant momentum in the 1960s, with more women entering the workforce. We portrayed this theme through the design of a conservative stewardess uniform. Modeled by our female model, Krista Venti, the stewardess uniform was made of fabric given to us at the IIDA Trunk Show.
The late 1960s were colored by the Flower Power movement, giving way to a more carefree, whimsical and liberating attitude. This was symbolized by the flowing, flowery dress the stewardess uniform transformed into, making for our third and final outfit of the night. The astronaut uniform was also accessorized with a big flower in the back to tie into the flowery dress and bring our portrayal of the 60s full circle.
The research, design and fabrication were a collaborative team effort. Additionally, three of our team members’ mothers, Madhu Makwana, Barb Phippen and Sandy Walker, were our seamstresses!
Ware Malcomb placed 3rd at this year’s competition and was commended for our team’s creativity in using different materials to depict the 1960s!
Overall, it was an entertaining and inspiring evening! A portion of the event proceeds also benefitted Working Wardrobes (www.workingwardrobes.org), a nonprofit organization that helps adults confidently enter the workforce by providing career development and work-appropriate wardrobe services.
