Bennington College's annual Fashion Show showcases daring student designs

Image: Fashions (from left to right) by Jazmine Carroll ’09, Jen Bennet ’09, Brianna Magnifico ’08, and Robyn King ’07, modeled by other Bennington College students. Photos by Andrew Hobbs.

“I was dropping hints to all my friends, like, ‘I’m going to shock the hell out of you.’ Even [Bennington College president] Liz Coleman said ‘I didn’t recognize you.’”

Chris Broadfoot ’09 was true to his word. Slouching down the catwalk in dark makeup and a futuristic white cape trimmed with wires, he was almost unrecognizable as the guy whose standard uniform is a tidy shirt and tie. The aforementioned shocked friends can thank the Spring 2007 Bennington College Fashion Show for this once-in-a-lifetime glimpse of Chris.

Dramatic transformations are a given at the annual Fashion Show, which has become one of the most anticipated events of the term. According to costume design faculty member Daniel Michaelson, the show began as many things do at Bennington—out of individual student interest. Simply a showcase at first, held in a student living room, it grew quickly into a theatrical spectacle, and moved into a large performance space in the Visual and Performing Arts center.

The show began as many things do at Bennington—out of individual student interest.

Throughout its life span, the Fashion Show has featured pirates, punks, military style, fancy skirts, and more. Jen Bennet ’09, who was one of eleven designers in this year’s show and whose work Chris was modeling, says she wanted to push the boundaries of ready-to-wear clothing and “absolutely crazy non-functional weird fashion,” mixing casual pants with LED lights, wires, and “basically anything I could salvage from a printer or old computer. I really like the idea of installation fashion, so something that’s not really functional and practical for everyday wear but something that’s borderline sculptural.”

All collections are paraded by student models, along with the occasional member of the faculty or administration. (The vice president for planning and special programs once donned a tutu.) Long before the show is set to start, family and community members pack into folding chairs alongside faculty, staff, and students of every concentration. Lauren Carbonell BA ’06/MAT ’07, who modeled in the spring 2007 show, student-teaches in a nearby high school and says, “My kids at school were really excited about it. They were like, ‘What did you wear? Can we see pictures?’”

"I thought it would be interesting to tie graffiti, gangster—the harshness of that—with the delicateness of a wedding cake."

The Fashion Show occupies classic Bennington territory: the intersection between social life and academic life. Students devote months to their designs, bringing their pieces together around a theme, a concept, or, in the case of Bryony Thompson ’07, the colors that happened to appeal at the time. Brianna Magnifico ’08 says she draws her inspiration from “anything that is edible and pretty to look at.... This time it was girly to gangsta, 50s style, ghetto fab, graffiti—the whole works. And a wedding cake. I thought it would be interesting to tie graffiti, gangster—the harshness of that—with the delicateness of a wedding cake.”

Some pieces were ready-to-wear; some were experimental or sculptural. Rebecca Grabman ’08 and Angela Sheehan ’07 used the fashion show as the first venue for their wearable computing project. Angela says of their collaboration, “Physical computing is basically about using computer technology outside a computer, putting chips into physical objects. We’ve taken that a step further by putting them into wearable things, including a motorized dress and skates powered by alternative energy.”

"There are many nights when you have people in the shop until three or four in the morning."

Many designers begin work on their pieces over Field Work Term. Lydia Thein ’07 says, “I worked for [fashion designer] Marc Jacobs over Field Work Term and saw their show and was involved in that. I think my style of runway changed after I saw that show. I just wanted to show off the clothes this time.” Robyn King ’07, who spent her last FWT with hot new designer Rodarte in LA, was hired by the label to come and work for them after graduation.  

Jazmine Carroll ’07 says that in the weeks leading up to the Fashion Show, “There are many nights when you have people in the shop until three or four in the morning. I know there was a week when the shop was always occupied at every hour of the day.” But however taxing and trying the show may be, there’s still something, Jazmine says, “about that excitement when you first walk in. Even long before the show starts, there’s that tension in the air.

“All the designers are taking months’ worth of work, and it walks down the runway in less than five minutes. It’s all this build-up for such a short amount of time, so all the energy is concentrated. It’s powerful.”

—Esther McPhee '09

Read more:

• Recent classes in costume design: Fig Leaves in the Theatrical Garden, Costume Design Projects
• Living at Bennington
• More feature stories about life on campus

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