Although this year’s Textiles and Clothing Fashion Show was labeled “Reflect,” the designer’s eyes were firmly set on the present and future.

Last Saturday, the ISU fashion show celebrated its 25th anniversary with two hours of student innovation at CY Stephen’s Auditorium.

The event, which is completely student run and operated, included more than 100 entries and was judged by a panel of industry representatives, with all proceeds from the show going toward next year’s event.

Categories ranged from casual and evening wear to accessories and experimental design.

Apart from the student designers, the show also paid homage to guest designer and alumna, Katherine Noyes.

After graduation Noyes took her talents and landed a job working as an assistant designer for Old Navy’s Women’s Division and was later promoted to the position of product development manager. Despite her success, in 2005 Noyes had changed her sights from Old Navy and set out to work on her own clothing label. At the show, Noyes’ guest collection featured several pieces from her current line.

One of the more extravagant entries of the evening was “Lady Death,” a piece designed by Sally Westphal, senior in apparel merchandising. The outfit was a black, rigid-framed dress that spanned the width of the six-foot wide catwalk. The model wore a contrasting white mask with blackened eyes as she made her way toward the crowd and as “Lady Death” completed her span of the catwalk the crowd burst into applause, marking the end of the first part of the show.

Although it was hard to see at times in the closer rows, it was made easier with the use of two projection screens that fed live footage from cameras that were placed along the runway and stage.

“It would have been a bit better if the seats would have faced the runway like a typical fashion show. It made it a little hard to see at times,” said alumna Kearstin Habhab.

Another impressive entry of the night was that of Jana Berndt’s, senior in apparel merchandising, “Rope Dress.” Although it may have a simple title, it’s far from simple in design. The crowd gazed upon the model as coiled ropes created a short skirt that intertwined with similarly constructed bust. The end of her run welcomed a wave of applause from the audience and also made an impression on the judges, as Berndt was awarded “Best in Show” for her experimental design.

“It felt really amazing – there were a lot of great designs in the show, and it’s a huge honor to get best in show,” said Berndt.

Of course no fashion show would be possible without the models showing off the efforts of the designers who each suffered late nights and put more than 50 hours of work into each outfit.

To curb the butterflies and pre-show anxiety, the models went through a week long pre-show prep that allowed them to get acquainted with the feeling of the runway.

“I’ve been to the show three times now – I’ve always wondered what it would be like to be in a student-run fashion show,” said Myron Batsa, senior in advertising and model for this year’s event.

In all, the show appeared to be a success as it ended with plenty of applause from the crowd. When asked of her feelings of the success and future of the show, Westphal remarked, “It’s just a lot of fun.”