Students prepare for fashion show

Lindsey Partridge

Erin Wignall doesn’t have classes on Tuesday or Thursday, yet she is on campus all day working in the Textile and Clothing lab in LeBaron Hall. “Instead of sleeping in or watching TV all day, I’m in the lab all day draping, cutting and sewing garments,” said Wignall, senior in apparel merchandising, design and production. Tina Wagner, senior in apparel merchandising, design and production, is not making any plans for spring break this year. Her break will be devoted to making pattern blocks, cutting materials and sewing garments. “I’m planning to work at least 100 hours on my clothing line during spring break,” Wagner said. With the TC Fashion Show, Mosaic 2001, approaching in early April, most textile and clothing design students are getting ready to display their clothing lines in the annual show.Both Wignall and Wagner are entering clothing lines in Mosaic 2001. These lines will be the culmination of everything they learned and practiced while in college. Brooke Brindley, co-producer of Mosaic 2001, said the fashion show requirements for designers are they must have a cohesive clothing line that can dress at least three models.Wignall is entering her first clothing line in this year’s show. “I’m creating a contemporary women’s line for Mosaic 2001,” she said. “For every clothing line I create, I try to think of a fun theme. My line for this year’s fashion show is called Spy Line, and it is based around clothes I think spies might wear.” Her contemporary women’s line will consist of seven garments — two jacket-type shirts, two skirts, a pair of pants and a leather jacket. “I am looking forward to making the leather jacket the most,” she said.The process of designing and creating clothes is time-consuming, she said “Usually people aren’t as interested in the design and creation process until I tell them how much work I’m putting into it,” she said.Wignall said she starts off with sketching garments while paying great attention to detail. Next, she drapes sample fabrics on a model stand and then cuts her patterns. After that, she checks to make sure the garment hangs right and makes technical adjustments. Finally, she cuts the garments out of the real fabric she is going to use and then sews the garments.”For example, making a shirt from start to finish can take anywhere from 12 to 14 hours,” she said.Wagner is entering a menswear line into this year’s fashion show. She studied men’s magazines, read men’s consumer guides and worked as a sales associate in the Younker’s men’s department to find lines men preferred.”I chose menswear because I wanted to push myself and do something different,” she said Both Wignall and Wagner said creating a clothing line for the fashion show takes about a year.Mosaic 2001 will be at Fisher Theater on Friday, April 6 and Saturday, April 7.