Ke Kai: Look by Look Breakdown
- Dec 11, 2017
- 4 min read
The day began with a phone call at 9am. My model, Doug, sprained his ankle the night before and was on crutches. I surprisingly didn't freak out. It was going to be a good day.
After a night of celebration with my sorority sisters, show day was off to a slower start. I was up at 7am, rummaging through my room, trying to get my show bag ready since I didn't do it the night before. I was dumping all my makeup, spray tan, and hair products into a duffle bag while trying to avoid looking into the mirror. By 11, I had run to the College of Textiles to grab the steamers and irons for backstage, grabbed Bojangles, and was on my way to Talley student center to start setting up.
It was glamorous. I trudged backstage, messy bun not intact, last night's makeup, and Bojos under my arm looking like a whole new ~look~. My assistants, Megan and Hannah, were looking absolutely beautiful and ready to help me struggle through the day. (I am forever thankful for these ladies.) By noon, all my models were in hair and makeup and being so helpful with each other and my friend, Haneen, was spray tanning people down. My lovely sewing assistants, Marielle and Morgan, were helping sew some of the wetsuits together since the flat seams were starting to pop.
It was stressful and fast, but ultimately the show was a success and I couldn't be happier with the outcome.
The first look to walk down the runway was worn by Kaley Moffit. Like the rest of my looks, its named Kaley after her. It was a long sleeve "rash guard" inspired top with super cheeky bottoms. The top is created with marbled neoprene, pink mesh, and the rest is swimsuit material. This look was more difficult to create than I expected, the top I had to create at least six prototypes, but I was ultimately so happy with the final product.
Following Kaley is Doug Boisse, wearing Doug, of course. Yes, he did make it to the show and was even able to walk (although he walked on crutches all day.) Doug is wearing the first wet suit I ever created and let me tell you it was so difficult. I wanted to create a streamlined, fresh-looking wetsuit that could be a hit with surfers. The entire look was created with 1.5 mm Neoprene and flat seaming. I wish I grabbed a neoprene with more stretch, it could have helped with some fit issues, but I am really proud of this look.
Next up was Liam "Blue Steel" Taylor, who channeled every Zoolander look I know into his modeling. The Liam look was inspired to be both practical and fun, with compression swim shorts and a crop top sweatshirt to throw on after your morning swim. I wish I was able to put a graphic on to the sweatshirt, but I am ultimately happy with the look and how Liam was able to bring it to life. He is the only person I know to not only be able to pull off a male romper, but also a crop top sweatshirt.
Gianna Siciliano's look was one of my favorites because I was able to create it exactly as I envisioned it to be and I couldn't be happier with how she brought it to life. The suit was designed with running in mind. I wanted it to be able to be used for running on the beach, then followed with a quick swim, almost like a triathlon workout. So the top and bottoms resemble a sports bra and short silhouette, but with material that can accommodate for swimming. The netted jacket is by far my favorite piece and I am very glad it fits me. The jacket can be thrown on after the workout for some coverage while running errands after workouts.
The newly 22 year old (her birthday was the day before the show), Emily Wells was able to bring a whole new level of attitude and glamour to this collection and I wanted her look to reflect that. With a very streamline, white one piece suit, and a statement pant, I feel like she did. The suit was created from neoprene and the pants were actually a thin, stretch denim. I laser cut the denim with an open and closed eye motif to create almost a lace effect at the bottom of the pant and was to fade as it went up. This look was created for the less athletic customer who would want her swimwear to translate into daywear from the beach. I feel as thought the pants were the key piece that helped with that transformation.
Baleigh's look was by far the most difficult, yet the most satisfying look to create. I redesigned this three times before actually creating it. Then redesigned after that. The entire look was created with neoprene, but because of a defect, I wasn't able to cut the back pieces to completely fit. The original design was suppose to just have a zipper in the back, but this turned out to be the best accident. I love the open back part of this look and we were sewing it up until show time because the neoprene was so thick, it kept popping the seams. This look came out better than I hoped it would and I am so happy for Baleigh being able to walk in this show with such a difficult look.
Closing out the show was Henry Feroce. His look was created for the carefree and cool customer that Henry is. Its a simple swim short with some cool geometric color blocking, with a throw-over netted vest. The look really embodied the collection as a whole. It was something simple, cool and had a slightly retro vibe to it.
It was a a very long semester, but I am so happy not only with my collection, but for my other designers as well for completing this show!
Thank you to my models, assistants, and my fellow coordinators for helping make this happen and stay tuned for when I break down my fellow designers collections!
Comments