Syracuse University has swept Milan and Paris as the hot spot of the fashion world.

Last Friday, 44 fashion design seniors debuted their collections of six pieces, using six models and a carefully chosen theme song booming through the speakers, at the 2006 Fashion Show in Goldstein Auditorium.

The show – the culmination of four years of tirelessly seeking inspiration, sketching, planning, selecting and purchasing fabrics and crafting professional-quality work – served as a grand showcase for designers and their supporters.

‘It appeared to be very professional,’ said Neil Zegers-Den Exter, a senior finance major. ‘It’s as if I’m at a professional fashion show in New York City.’

Some of the collections had more urban, fluorescent ’80s inspiration, including those of Katie Allen, Paige Sullivan, Erika Ruddock and Lindsay Fox, each with their own distinctive style. Others had a definitive ’70s vibe, like Elissa Banker’s turquoise, orange and brown dresses with leather vests and patterned detailing. Monica Ladegard looked toward the future, integrating purple and white satin into formal dresses, all with dramatic neckline plunges to the navel, as did Sherry Noy, who paired bizarre puffy short skirts in purple and green velvet with various bodices.

Short skirts and mini-shorts seemed most popular this year, with designers like Aislinn Forbes and Kristin Sundberg including both in their collections.

Lindsey Mason’s collection of mini-dresses sparked the audience’s attention. Her collection, a candy confection explosion of green, lavender and pale pink fabrics and ribbons paired with black and white gingham and multicolored plaids, reflected the ‘Pure Imagination’ remix of the Willy Wonka song playing as models strutted.

One piece of Emily Derr’s kimono-inspired collection seemed to stump many observers. The piece sheathed the model, covering all but her head and shoulders in a strapless tube top that reached her feet, encasing her arms and legs.

Vanessa Delaine’s blended ideas of masculine power with feminine shapes, pairing loose silk tops, pantsuits and mini-shorts, several of them all one piece, all in grays, black and white, with gold and yellow accents.

Nayantara Banerjee, one of the senior co-chairs of the show, toyed with innocence and debauchery with her yellow, black and gold dress, some with a sheer yellow layer of fabric draped over a black print.

Hillary Eisenberg blended little girl playfulness with housewife attire, using apron-like detailing as her collection’s most defining element. Johanna Kraft evoked a similar innocence, using floral prints and Easter egg-colored satins in her collection of dresses.

Models of several collections could have walked off the runway and down the aisle. Gina Artiro’s collection included long, white silk dresses, with full skirts, bows and tulle, and Gineyda Diaz added red silk to her softer southern-belle inspired gowns. Kira Pitzer’s white, green and pink dresses and Emily Tsai’s intricate detailing would befit the bridesmaids, with halter tops and corset style bodices.

‘Everyone’s collections were so impressive,’ said Fox, one of the designers. ‘It’s nice that the designers were all seniors. It makes it more personal and meaningful.’

Published on April 30, 2006 at 12:00 pm