'Coquette' a venue for creative flair

The Ralph Laurens and Donatella Versaces of tomorrow aren't in New York -- they're in Bloomington. Aspiring fashion designers showcased their work at the Coquette Fashion Show, which took place on Friday at Alumni Hall in the Memorial Union. Eight students participated in three categories -- runway, portfolio and accessories. Judges for the event were graduate student Petra Slinkard, Markeyta Martin, who helped found the show last year and Professor Kelly Gallet Richardson. Sophomore Kelly Jones, a Union Board member who planned the show, explained what Coquette is really about. Coquette, a word literally referring to a flirtacious woman, is a show aimed to give non-fashion design and costume construction technology majors a chance to show off their skills in fashion design. \n"The purpose of the show is to allow students to express themselves," she said. \nSince the show is only in its second year, Jones is optimistic about Coquette's future.\n"We hope it's a tradition that will continue to build," she said.\nThe runway show featured a variety of looks, from bohemian, "flower child" apparel to regal, East Indian-influenced designs. Senior Kathleen Dombek won the category, as well as the Audience Choice award, in part to her show-stopping yellow couture gown. The gown which was made of a light fabric had a simple bodice, with a layered skirt that had bent wire in the hem. The effect was that of waves sticking out from the dress, which was displayed with a matching hat with bent wire in the brim. \n"How could someone think of that?" asked Dominque Dorsey, a junior. "It was just so unique."\nSenior Jeria Dotson agreed with Dorsey.\n"I've never seen anything like that," she said. \nDombek said she finds inspiration in other designers, most notably Marc Jacobs, as well as artists like Erte and Dale Chihuly. The fabric she uses also serves as a muse. \n"You can think anything you want, basically, but if you really want to make a design a reality, you have to learn to make due with the material you have at hand," she said. \nDombek will soon continue her education at Cornell University this fall as a graduate student in their textile department. \nOther participants in the runway portion were junior Vanessa Cantrell, junior Shweta Pamula and sophomore Nancy Rosenbloom. Cantrell is the proprietor of Venus Hemp & Organics, a self-described "eco-fashion design house." She will soon travel to Chicago to show her designs in the WearOrganic Fashion Show, sponsored by Nike. \nRosenbloom, who will begin pursuing a degree in Costume Construction Technology in the fall, entered four pieces in the show. \n"My garments are very feminine and all have similar color schemes," she said. "Each item has a certain style, like 'gypsy' or 'Latin.'" \nPamula's designs included an ethereal white halter top with green trim and an aubergine dress with a gold wrap. The portfolio category included a group of talented artists -- senior Geoffrey Coyle, senior Jessica Schroeder and junior Justin Stutzman. Schroeder, who estimated she spent over 100 hours on the project, won the competition.\n"I pull a lot from historical garments, especially from the 1920's and 1930's," she said. \nSchroeder, a senior, plans to have a career in design.\nCoquette stood out from other shows on campus, according to sophomore Weronika Gierlak.\n"It was different from Apparel Merchandising Organization's show a few weeks ago," she said. "It was more intimate, and you can tell the designers really put a lot of work into it. The models displayed the clothing nicely as well."\nCoquette also introduced the theatrics of fashion to students like Dominque Dorsey. \n"This was my first fashion show and I thought it was great," she said.\n-- Contact Staff Writer Kama Korvela at kkorvela@indiana.edu.