For the 28 teams involved in the International Interior Design Association Rocky Mountain Chapter’s biennial fashion show, the process began late last year.
Their challenge was to turn such materials as tile and upholstery into something a model could wear on the runway. Their inspiration was the future.
At , the team approached its design the same way it would the inside of a commercial building — starting with a concept, said Christie House, an interior designer and team captain.
“As we thought about what else clothing could be, we kept coming up with this idea of protection, this removable object that would go with you throughout your day,” said Katey Trepanier, a designer and team member.
“Maybe you’re out during the day and got your big shell up and then you take it off and let loose a little at the end of the day.”
Paired with , a commercial textile company, the team turned to their product rep for advice on what materials might look best, what might be more sustainable, receiving “boxes and boxes of fabric,” House said.
For their Jane Jetson-like look, they chose a metallic polyurethane upholstery fabric — think cafeteria banquette seating — along with drapery sheers and bright eco-friendly wall coverings.
Four days before the event, they had their base garment, a shiny polyurethane dress with an exaggerated bubble skirt, all but completed. But spread out in an RNL conference room, they were still working out the details of how a rich pink hood would come together and then drop into a long bustle-like train on the runway. A hand-woven panel of wall covering strips also lay on the table, sewn together the weekend before.
“I had to hammer the needle through that, at each point,” House said.
“Constructability is way different” in fashion versus interior design, said Brianne Sewell, a designer and RNL team member.
“We all have such a background knowledge in how things in a space should be done. The most difficult part is we’re all learning how to put a dress together, a dress with big structure and form,” she said.
Take the hood idea, which was scrapped at the last minute after the fabric they chose wouldn’t cooperate, House said. Instead, they did a sporty vest, which dropped into a dramatic, cropped train.
On the runway, judges gave their effort high marks: RNL’s metallic convertible dress won best use of soft material, one of five top prizes of the night.
