“Project Runway” made its way to Sacramento State University’s Union Ballroom this pastt Friday night.
Loosely patterned after the “Project Runway” reality television series, participants competed to be selected as the winning designer at SFA’s spring 2013 “Project Runway” inspired fashion show. Designers were judged on their marvelous work and a winning designer was selected at the end of the competition.
KCRA anchor/reporter Lisa Gonzalez served as host for the evening. Minjeong Kang, Esther Amato, Simone Vianna and Duane Ram served as judges for the fashion shown and selected the top designer at the end of the showcase.
Eight designers and three boutiques showcased a variety of fashionable wear in the “Project Runway” inspired competition.
The audience cheered for their favorite designers and stylists and voted to select the most popular designer of the evening.
Months of preparation came to an end as each designer’s hard work was greeted with great enthusiasm as their designs were paraded down the runway.
Madelynn Esquivias‘ designs were the first to be shown and included some men’s designs. Esquivias’ designs included colorful gowns accessorized with flowers and floral patterns. The intriguing collection was inspired by Esquivias’ mom who is a cancer survivor.
Samantha Furno’s fashion line had something for everyone. One, two and three-piece outfits graced the runway. Furno’s outfits included a couple of gowns, including one with a black backless top. Short dresses complemented Fumo’s line. A black short outfit had to be seen from the back where a “wow” factor shined as it had a floral pattern not seen from the front.
Chou Khang’s line was dominated by beautiful, mostly one or two-piece black outfits. Khang’s line was cheered on by members of the audience. One of the loudest cheers was for the designer and her outfit, which had a see-through back. A closer look at some of these outfits revealed intricate work that could not all possibly be seen during the initial walk down the runway.
Anastasia Kryukova, the only non CSUS student designer, showcased a wonderful line. Kryunkova’s fashion collection made a dramatic entrance with a sophisticated black outfit that included an elegant hand bag and the model’s fingernails were also painted with the same colors as the outfit and bag.
The Julia Moua collection included many more colors with floral prints. Accessories in the collection included matching hair bows and ties. Moua’s collection included men’s clothing, making her collection appealing to a wider and fashionable audience.
Diana Oulrey’s collection included dresses, gowns, a shorts outfit and the use of colorful flower patterns. The colorful pattern was used for full and sleeveless blouses. Oulrey’s outfits were quite colorful and a couple of dresses that were longer on the back than the front flowed like colorful flags as the models swayed and moved down the runway.
Diana Perez and Kirsi Sasso collaborated for their showcase that began in choreographed fashion as half the models walked toward the other half and disappeared on each side of the stage. In dramatic fashion, one model at a time emerged to move on the catwalk. Outfits with skull and rose prints were beautifully exhibited. The collection included a two-piece pants outfit and a black dress. One male outfit was included with the model wearing a shirt with an imprint that read KD Revolt.
The last designs of the evening belonged to Theresa Truong. The designs included island-looking apparel with floral hair accessories. The one and two-piece outfits were dominated by different shades of blue and black.
After the designer showcase ended three boutiques exhibited their fashion after a intermission giving guests the chance to view vendor tables and the judges were able to tally their results.
Near the Hair & Fashion Battle Expo vendor table a couple of ladies talked about the event. Leonora Taylor shared that she loved the student collection. “I loved the Diana Oulrey collection but each designer had something I liked," Taylor said. "I think it’s wonderful that Sac State has this high caliber of student designers and can’t wait to see their next fashion show. Actually I can’t wait for the boutique stylists to show their collection."
Three local boutiques also shared the runway. Amy Banks, stylist for Sugar Shack Boutique, put together a wonderful collection to showcase fashion available at the boutique she represented. Each outfit was accessorized and made for an elegant showcase. Other stylists presented a collection to showcase other boutiques. Rachel Chardoir represented Article Consignment and Elysa Quintella showed for Sei Bella Boutique.
When the time to announce the winners came, the judges pretended to have a hard time deciding as they discussed the situation on stage. This charade helped spring a surprise on the audience.
As the winners were about to be announced SFA President Nikko Panganiban came on stage to announce a “surprise” presenter. Panganiban introduced "Project Runway" season 11 participant and local designer Richard Hallmarq. The Sacramento designer was received with loud cheers and applause.
Winners at the “Project Runway” inspired fashion showcase were marketing and design major Samantha Furno who won the judges’ top designer award.
Madelynn Esquivias, an international business and apparel marketing and design major, was selected as most popular by the audience.
SFA continues to excel in their fashion shows and by including boutiques it allows a collaboration between CSUS and other fashion industry members. By seeing designers who go out and make a name for themselves, such as Hallmarq, it gives other local designers the motivation to try and do the same. Such collaborations also help fuel Sacramento fashion.
