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COD Fashion Students Hit the Runway with 'Dimensions' on May 12

College of DuPage Fashion Studies students will showcase their original designs during "Dimensions," the annual fashion show that will take place at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, May 12, in the Student Resource Center, Room 2000, on the College's main campus in Glen Ellyn.

Fashion Studies adjunct faculty members Melissa Heischberg and Vin Reed, who are coordinating this year's event, said students have plenty of room to interpret the theme in their own ways.

"We know it's a broad topic, but the students are having fun as they explore how to define 'dimension' in their own work," she said. "In addition, every year we have a new production team, so they bring in fresh voices and outlooks that give the show a unique look and feel."

Part of this year's show will feature student work selected by "Project Runway" all-star and COD alumna Peach Carr. With her style dubbed "Country Club Chic" by "Project Runway" host and mentor Tim Gunn, Carr was featured on the hit reality show "Project Runway" during Season 8 and All Stars Season 2 and finds inspiration from her childhood in the music, art and vibe of the 1960s and 1970s. Last fall, Carr worked with Fashion Studies students and then headed a jury that selected from submitted pieces.

Reed said a new concept this year pairs Fashion Promotion students with designers to create and market personal brands.

"We want the fashion design students to begin thinking about their brands and we asked the promotion students to find creative ways to share the designers' concepts for the runway," he said. "We want students to see this show not only as a showcase for their work but also as a stepping stone to the future. You can start a fashion empire anywhere, and if our students are creating points of view that are unique and authentic, they can launch them."

Enjoying this collaboration are students Nicole Willis (Bloomingdale), who wants to be a visual merchandiser, and Theadora Iacobellis (Elmhurst), a designer who will show two pieces selected by Carr.

"Theadora was terrified when I first came in," Willis said. "It was initially me helping her create a brand that incorporates her design and name. But we got along so well that we are still working together. She's very girly but elegant, and her clothes are gorgeous and feminine and carefully put together."

Iacobellis liked the perspective that Willis brings to marketing her work.

"It's fun bouncing ideas off of Nicole, because she knows just what to look for and how to share it," Iacobellis said. "It's exciting to see the results and think about how this will be incorporated into my future career as a designer."

Students from COD's Cosmetology program will assist with hair and makeup for the event. General seating for "Dimensions" is $15 for adults, $10 for students with an ID, and $5 for children 12 and under.

For more information, call (630) 942-2619 or email scalise@cod.edu. For updates about the fashion show, visit the Fashion Studies blog at codfashion.wordpress.com. For more information about the Fashion Studies program at College of DuPage, visit www.cod.edu/programs/fashion.

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