After many months of imagining, designing, constructing and planning, the 16th annual Iowa State Textiles and Clothing Department Spring Fashion Show will be held this weekend.

Shows are scheduled for Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m. in MacKay Auditorium.

The theme of this year’s show is “Fashion: The Sport of Choice,” and will consist of three segments.

A merchandising piece will display the spring lines of 13 local businesses as coordinated by ISU merchandising students.

Heather Wheeler, co-producer of the event and junior in apparel merchandising, design and production, said the cooperation of area merchandisers is vital to this element of the show.

“There’s a lot of support from the Ames community. It’s so nice to have that kind of support,” she said.

Todd Snyder, director of accessories for Polo Ralph Lauren in New York and ISU alumnus, will be the event’s keynote speaker.

Snyder, who graduated in 1992 from ISU with a design emphasis, is renowned for his uniform design for the Indiana Pacers.

His designs will focus on part of the spring line from Ralph Lauren.

The design segment of the show will feature the works of nearly 25 design students.

Students entered designs in six categories, including an experimental division which requires students to create designs made of nontraditional materials.

During the design segment, observers can expect to see designs made from materials ranging from puzzles to origami birds.

Joi Vredenburgh, co-producer of the show and featured designer, will be showing one of these unique designs.

Vredenburgh, junior in apparel merchandising, design and production, said a lot of effort goes into each year’s fashion show.

“It requires a lot of late nights and not a lot of sleep,” she said.

Following Saturday night’s fashion show will be an awards ceremony and a reception in the LeBaron Hall lounge.

The show will open with a performance by the ISU Dance Troupe, which will incorporate dance expression and runway modeling.

The fashion show’s faculty adviser, Diane Noren, said the show is instrumental in helping design students get a taste of the fashion world. “Students learn how to put on a fashion show and to stay within the budget constraints that they are given,” she said.

Tickets for Saturday’s event are $7 and can be purchased either in the Memorial Union or at the door of the event.

Among other door prizes on Saturday is a package from Council Travel, including round-trip airfare to New York City, a hotel stay and $50 for travel expenses.

Friday’s tickets will be discounted to $3 in honor of College Night. Door prizes for Friday will include backpacks and T-shirts.

Tickets for Friday evening also can be purchased in the Memorial Union or at the door.