Paris Hilton's famous phrase"That's hot" will be in plenty of use Saturday at the "Rock The Runway, Rule The Red Carpet" fashion show at the Horizon Convention Center.
With original designs out on the catwalk, students in Paula Sampson's Family and Consumer Sciences fashion promotion class aim to help give disabled individuals a taste of the glitz and glamour of a Hollywood event with the help of The Red Carpet Foundation.
The Red Carpet Foundation has two divisions: One division devotes itself to history of Hollywood and trademark red carpet events. The other division helps people who have disabilities get their chances to experience the feeling of being a celebrity at events like the Oscars or the Grammys with all expenses paid, the Red Carpet Foundation's Web site said.
Each year, the promotions class selects a charity to receive its earnings from the fashion show, Sampson said.?
Sampson said this is the first time the class chose a charity outside the local area.
Senior fashion student Whitney Winship, who leads the advertising component of the event, said The Red Carpet Foundation is one reason why she thinks the show will be a success.
"We're just trying to make it bigger and better every year," said Winship.
Twenty students designed their own apparel for the show, and the students aim to raise about $500, Sampson said.
Fashion student Lynne Biernacki's line features a mix of evening and club garments. Biernacki said her creativity comes to her when she's ready to fall asleep.
"An idea pops in my head when I'm going to bed, and I get up and draw so I won't lose the idea," she said.
Biernacki also takes charge of hiring and training models for the show. She said the class held a call-out for models earlier in the semester and worked with Indianapolis fashion model agency John Robert Powers to provide additional models.
The students looked "for a variety of body types, all different shapes and sizes," she said.
"Each [designer] had their own look and knew what they were going for."??
Laura Laskowski created three coordinated dresses for evening occasions, she said. Laskowski described her dresses as classy and stylish, citing the influence of Italian designer Oscar De La Renta. De La Renta is known for his elegant dresses that stars such as Penelope Cruz wear to the Oscars and other Hollywood extravaganzas.
For his fashion inspiration, Joey Goeller decided to mesh movie characters with models.
"This line is Paris Hilton meets 'Wizard of Oz,'" Goeller said. Goeller said he took key characters from 'The Wizard of Oz' and asked himself, "What would Paris wear?"
Goeller described his line as "very sexy" and said he tried to make it skimpy but still providing coverage for the clothes to be worn in public.
Julie Mansfield was the leader of the backstage area at the fashion show. She said timing and order of models are the key elements of her role.
Mansfield said she has to juggle to get "the right model in the right dress out at the right time."
"A dress could break; a model may not be changed quickly; they may not be ready to go," Mansfield said. Some professional fashion shows have changes as quick as 30 seconds, she said, but she doesn't foresee a problem at this fashion show because the models have five to 10 minutes to change.
As hectic as the backstage area and preparation for the show can be, coordinator Amber Stephens said the students' job is to make sure the audience sees a clean, calm presentation.
"We're all just like ducks. On the surface, we're calm and collected, but underneath we're swimming furiously," Stephens said.
Sampson had similar sentiments about the presentation of the show.
She said she hopes it will "go off without a hitch, or [that, if it doesn't] at least no one will know."
After stressing over deadlines that came and went, "it's over in a split second," Elizabeth Stuffey, fashion student, said.
Tickets may be purchased in advance for $5 in Applied Technology Building room 150, and can be purchased at the door for $8. DVDs of the show may be purchased at the event for $5 by check or cash. The show starts at 3 p.m.
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