Students find global inspiration

Continent to continent, every week is fashion week. Designers present collections in Portugal, Spain, Britain, Los Angeles, New York, and now, Australia. International fashion weeks are growing, and designs from around the globe have begun to influence American culture and college students. \nSenior fashion design major Kate Coxworth, who held an October fashion show at the John Waldron Arts Center, said she has great respect for international fashion. \n"I think that other cultures and their adornment are very interesting," Coxworth said. \nWith the popularity of H&M, a British clothing brand, and Oilily, a clothing company based out of The Netherlands, fashion from overseas is becoming a part of North American style. \nIn her fashion show, Coxworth drew on influences from Spanish Flamenco, the traditional song and dance of the Gypsies -- flamencos -- of Andalusia in southern Spain.\n"In my designs, flamenco can be seen in the color palette, the ruffles, and the use of many different textures together," Coxworth said. "My color palette consisted of white, red and black to mimic the three parts of Flamenco: singing, dancing, and guitar playing. The ruffles are an essential part of the flamenco-style dress, so I incorporated those in almost everything." \nThe Spanish culture isn't the only foreign culture influencing fashion. This season, the British mod look is back. However, the Brits have graced design houses for years, said Simon Ward of the British Fashion Council, which owns and organizes London Fashion Week and the Lycra British Style Awards, the annual celebration of the best of British fashion.\n"British designers can be found in most of the major design studios around the world with major houses such as Dior (John Galliano), Givenchy (Julien Macdonald) and Chloe (Phoebe Filo) designed by British designers," Ward said. \nWard also said he would describe British fashion as a blend of classic lines and originality as seen in popular British labels like Burberry, a mark that has seen a resurgence among women at IU. \nSenior English major Natalie Rothgeb said she loves Burberry. \n"I was studying in London in Chelsea -- everyone wears it there," Rothgeb said. "A lot of younger kids wear Burberry, and a lot of kids our age."\nThough Britain is known for its classic lines, Ward says British style is more than just plaid hats and skirts. \n"British Style is best summed up by the word 'eclectic,' as it ranges from classic British brands, such as Burberry and Pringle, to cutting-edge British designers, such as Alexander McQueen and Hussein Chalayan," Ward said. \nThe successful British store H&M has now opened in the United States, and many people are calling it "eclectic" with an American appeal.\nRothgeb said she shops there because it is also affordable. \n"You can buy something there, and if it falls apart in two days it won't matter, because you can buy it cheap," she said. \nOthers say the stores provide quality knock-offs at a good price.\nSophomore education major Jaclyn Klein recently went into to the new H&M store in New York City, but it did not appeal to her taste. \n"I did not like the way it was set up," she said. \nH&M's claim to fame is selling knock-offs of high fashion design labels. Customers usually have to look through racks of clothing to find a purchase.\nThough Klein, who is originally from New York, said she doesn't like H&M, she admits New Yorkers love knock-offs and she thinks it will be successful. \nAnother country that now influences fashion is Australia. Since the start up of its Mercedes Benz Fashion week in 1996, Australia has aimed to become a major player in the Asian Pacific market. \n"To be positioned as the center for ready-to-wear fashion in the Asia Pacific region and part of the international fashion week circuit, has been very beneficial for Australian fashion designers," said Ann-Maree Kelly, communications manager of The Australian Fashion Innovators, organizers of the Australian Fashion Week. \nTheir plan is working because Australian style has been adopted all over the United States and now at IU. \nUggs, a new Australian boot, has also become popular, Klein said. The boots come in many different heights, from mid-calf to knee. Made from chestnut-colored suede, the boots are lined with fur and some feature fur decorations on the outside seams. Klein said the boot has been popular for a while. \n"Some of my friends went to Australia last year, and said Uggs were popular there and now they are really popular here," Klein said.\nKlein said she owns a pair of Uggs and says the boots are popular in unexpected places. \n"I went to Las Vegas for Halloween, and I saw a lot of people wearing them with skirts," Klein said. \nThough Uggs are popular, Klein said she bought them because they are a good investment.\n"I needed some boots that are great for warmth," she said. "They look cute and they're so warm."\n-- Contact staff reporter Patrice Worthy at pworthy@indiana.edu.