Starlight Wishes

Cinco de Mayo flitted by in the wink of an eye. Recycled Runway Fashion Show, a fundraiser to benefit the ARTS Council of the Southern Finger Lakes, hit the stage on May 5, 2018 at the Corning Museum of Glass and it dazzled the audience like never before.

Sapphire themed Tablescapes

There was a sapphire theme to celebrate the 45th anniversary of The ARTS Council.  Everyone was asked to wear sapphire in solidarity. 

Even the tables were decorated accordingly.

Painted Love by Jennifer Sekella

While the theater was being transformed, there was a flurry of makeup and hair styling backstage.  Two salons sponsored hair and makeup services.  BellaCapelli and Lotus Lounge provided magical details to compliment each fashion design.  Painted Love by Jennifer Sekella offered her face and body painting services to give models a bold appearance.  Here you see our model, Roni, getting the superstar treatment.

Final Countdown

There are two rehearsals during the day to get each models' walk to their music as precise as their designer envisioned it.  I have the lucky placement at the head of the line to grant each model entrance to the runway to work their magic with the crowd.  

This scene was the final countdown before we set the stage.

Nerves start to Override

From my vantage point, I see nerves start to override confidence.  It's my job to boost that confidence to the stars.  I have a magical wand that provides all the power.  

Roni surprisingly owned this role of a star child with grace of a queen.  

This is her last moment before the big reveal to the public.

Enter "Starlight Wishes"

Starlight

Star bright

First star I see tonight

I wish I may

I wish I might

Have the wish

I wish tonight.

There's no doubt "Starlight Wishes" stole the hearts of our audience.  She certainly shined!

This year was my favorite design created in the Southeast Steuben County Library Fashion Club.  The smaller design group kept everyone on task and focused.  

The results are fabulous!

Thanks for following this story of trash-formation.

Check back soon for more adventures in Library Land!

xo,

Erica

Cinco de Mayo-Recycled

The Fashion Club's recycled design is ready to hit the runway this Cinco de Mayo.  Today is your last day to purchase tickets online at https://artscouncil.ticketspice.com/2018-recycled-runway  Remember, we are celebrating the 45th anniversary of The ARTS Council of the Southern Finger Lakes and should wear sapphire in solidarity.

"Glitter Ghost" Haunting Market Street

Do you remember the "Glitter Ghost" we created for Recycled Runway 2017?  The Gaffer District in Corning, New York was kind enough to help promote this year's event by displaying several ensembles in store front windows.  "Candy Wrapper's Delight" by Hiedi L. Allison stands beside the ghost and represent a bit of the talent that goes into these fashion shows.

Final Details

Last week, our school district closed for spring break, so the Fashion Club met twice to complete "Starlight Wishes."  Our lovely model and her mother stayed late one night creating some of the final details.  These shoes were decorated with 3-D printed scraps and cardboard tabs, which were glued and glittered.

They devised a purse, which will hold the wishes we make when we see that first star of the night.  She will grant those wishes at the end of the catwalk with a glittered slingshot.  The grace of this model will win the hearts of the audience--no doubt!

Sneaky Peeky

This is your last sneak peek of the details of this dress before it hits the runway on Saturday.  We hope you venture out to celebrate our accomplishments.  There are over 10 hours of dedicated work put into this ensemble alone.  That does not reflect the amount of hands working on it.  There are 34 models set to walk this runway, each working over 40 hours each on their own pieces.  We promise this is a show you do not want to miss.

One note of respect:  

Recycled Runway is not connected to (but is applauded by) Recycle Runway.

In preparation for the seventh installment of Recycled Runway Fashion Show, we discovered an artist using (and owning) a very similar name.  Nancy Judd is an established designer with copyright protection to her business.  From her website:  Artist and environmental educator Nancy Judd of Recycle Runway creates couture fashion from trash as an innovative way to provide education about conservation.

With respect to Nancy Judd and protection of artist's rights, the name of this event will be changed in 2019 to Runway Reboot.  It's an exciting moment for change.  Time for a REBOOT!

Spider Mums to Celebrate 45 Years!

I'll leave you with some sapphire Spider Mums that I crafted in the Creation Station, the Southeast Steuben County Library's Maker Space.  There are 2 Cricut Machines that cut the paper needed to establish a mum shaped flower.  Mums and sapphires are traditional gifts for a 45th anniversary, so we plan to celebrate in style. 

Cinco de Mayo-Recycled!

Check back in a few weeks to see the final "Starlight Wishes" ensemble on stage.

xo,

Erica

Fashion Club, January 2018

The catwalk is calling our Fashion Club for the fourth year in a row.  As you may recall, this Fashion Club designs an outfit made from recycled materials.  Students collaborate on the design and work together to construct the entire ensemble.  With the help of our master fashion designer, Tat Buchholz, our model always steals some hearts on the runway.

Suffrage Safety Gear, 2015

We started this group in 2015 in hopes of having a model walk in the Recycled Runway Fashion Show.  That fashion show is an annual fundraiser for The ARTS Council of the Southern Finger Lakes.  By participating in this fashion show, students get a real-world view of entering an art competition.

Age of Reason, 2016

This art competition requires a design to be submitted for a juried decision for acceptance into the show.  Anyone who wants to pursue a fashion or art career must become familiar with this process and learn steps involved in a successful effort.

Glitter Ghost, 2017

The work that is produced on our fashion club is similar to what you might see on Project Runway, but with young artists.  Tat keeps everyone going with enthusiasm.  Students love learning new folding techniques and processes of construction they might not learn in school or until much later in life.

The "Palette"

Our "palette" of materials consists of punched paper packing materials, which were donated by an enthusiastic patron.  Scraps from the 3-D printing process will be used as colorful embellishments on the surface of the design.

Hot Glue

What would we do without hot glue?!?  It seems to be the most versitile adhesive for this group.  We love how quickly production goes when the hot glue does it's job correctly and is our hero.  It's upsetting when we burn our fingers and see hot glue as the enemy!

Will we Wing it?

The structures created in this first session have so much potential.  Will they be a corset?  Will they be wings?  Only time will tell, but I will keep you guessing over the next few posts.  The final design will be revealed after the Fashion Show on May 5, 2018.  Stay tuned!

Fashion Club with Tat

Our next class meets during Wintet Break.  Two afternoons in one week of design and embellishment.  Oh Joy!

See you next time,

Erica

Recycled Runway 2017

After seven classes and over twelve hours of hustle and bustle, Southeast Steuben County LIbrary's Glitter Ghost haunted the catwalk of the 2017 Recycled Runway Fashion Show. This fashion show is the annual fundraiser event for The ARTS Council of the Southern Finger Lakes and it was a smashing success!

Dress Rehearsal

The show was on June 3, 2017.  Being a Saturday, models and designers gave up their day of sunshine and outdoor adventures to be stowed away in the corners of the Corning Museum of Glass behind black curtains.  Every design was a surprise to our guests and no one wanted to spoil the anticipation.

Wig Design Plan

Jacket Design Plan

After each design session, led by Tatyana Buchholz at the library, I would write a blog to tease readers about our progress, but now is your chance to see the final product.  We had a vision to create a wig using that famed elementary school technique of folding paper in an accordion pattern.  The jacket was built with the simple looping process used to make advent chains for Christmas.  I remember making bracelets using these techniques on my bus rides home from school, but this class pulled it all together as a professional level design worthy of Project Runway--using only trash!

Final Hours of Design

As our group finalized this design during the last class, our model, Claire, got a good taste of how much attention she would receive on the day of the show.  Every model who participated in Recycled Runway was treated like royalty for a day, from hair and makeup to treats to keep everyone happy.

Silver Lashes--A MUST!

Our wonderful photographer, Chris Walters, shot images during the entire day. There were 31 fashion looks to fit and fluff along with 34 models to glamorize.  Bella Capelli Salon provided 7 stylists to sponsor the hair styles.  The SSCL Fashion Club created a wig so hair was not an issue.  Painted Love by Jennifer Sekella provided makeup and face painting for everyone.  Being a ghost character, Claire only needed a white wash to her face and a little bit of lipstick to give her a sense of "life" as she haunted the catwalk.

Glitter Ghost about to Emerge

I had the joy of organizing the grand event, so the moment I got to give a hug to our Glitter Ghost, I stole this shot before she stole the hearts of the audience.  Claire has been a dedicated library program attendee since 2010 and I have had the pleasure of watching her grow into a young lady.

Tiny Claire in 2012

Time brings change and watching kids grow and flourish into successful adults is a feature I appreciate in the library field.  I help develop individual interests and it seems that Claire is dedicated to the same interests as my own.

Style and Swagger

There were 2 rehearsals for models and technicians to refine their performance before the audience arrived.  We originally chose high heels to finish this outfit, but the boots gave a cow girl feel that everyone in the class preferred.

Glitter for Days

The moment our Fashion Club created their design proposal and named it "Glitter Ghost," the girls could not stop thinking of how to use glitter on stage.  During the final session, two students devised a ring-like pouch that could be used to dip into and dazzle the crowd.

Haunting

The glitter effect was haunting and our photographer captured it wonderfully in this shot. After all 31 designs graced the catwalk, I was honored to lead the encore presentation.  Being the Queen Bee of Organization, I held my trusty magic wand to take our bow.  It is apparent that we were adored and got tons of approval for the best show ever!

Find our Glitter Ghost in the Light Beam

This production is a tremendous labor of love.  There are 12 dedicated members of a planning committee who jury the proposals.  The planning team spends months scheduling meetings, arranging details and editing everything in their path.  This was my first year with the Queen Bee title and it was a fun ride!  You are sure to see me sporting that magic wand again in 2018.  The question is, will our SSC Library Fashion Club proposal be selected???

Talent Gala

Recycled Runway 2017 received so much talent and competitive designs, I worry our little Fashion Group will be against some tight competition next year.  The bright side is all 8 students want to submit personal proposals!  Best of luck to them.

Glitter Gone

That is a wrap for Fashion Club with Tat at the Southeast Steuben County Library.  If you would like to see images from the gala, check out the ARTS Council's Facebook page. Prepare to be IMPRESSED!!!

Fun for All Ages!

Be sure to save Friday July 28, 6:30-9 pm. on your calendars.  Construct your Steampunk Cosplay and entertain your friends and family at the 3rd Library Unmasked experience.  

All gears, cogs, and frills welcome.  

Thanks for visiting!

Check ya on the flip side.

~erica