Thursday, Dec. 1, the student-run UW Vintage Fashion Show was held at Madison Avenue Bar, 624 University Ave, boasting a final turnout of between 300 and 400 people.
'I never thought that many people would show up,' said UW-Madison senior Brandon White, who modeled for the show. 'The crowd, particularly the women, loved us. It felt almost like a real show.'
Organized by UW-Madison seniors Jenni Guarascio, Shelly Luebke and Liz Holland as a service learning project, the show not only featured vintage clothing, but also showcased looks from local clothing store Bop, 222 W. Gorham St. Perhaps more notably, garments made out of recycled materials were shown and were created from such unexpected materials as boat sails, film strips and even University Book Store plastic bags.
'It was a great opportunity for us as designers to really stretch outside of the normal realm of apparel and do something fun,' said UW-Madison senior and designer Rachel Covert.
'We wanted to demonstrate that recycling and conservation of materials and energy is of growing importance in our environment,' show organizer Jenni Guarascio said.
Another goal of the fashion show was to display the idea that purchasing and wearing vintage clothing is not only another form of conservation and recycling, but that it can also be a means of saving money on clothing, especially on designer labels.
'We wanted to promote the concept that you can find great integrity in vintage styles for as little as a fifth of the original cost,' Guarascio said. 'For instance, for those interested in designer labels, I found Ferragamo for $32, Luca Luca for $8 and Gucci for $15, which were all featured in the show.'
The show, sponsored by local retailers Aura Vintage, 449 State St., and St. Vincent DePaul, 1109 Jonathon Dr., also served as a charity event benefiting the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the local non-profit organization A Greater Gift??, a program that helps underprivileged families throughout the world by offering employment marketing and distributing their goods.
'We felt this was a worthy cause because organizations such as A Greater Gift help some of the poorest of the poor in India, Africa and Latin America take care of their children, build their homes and receive decent wages,' Guarascio said.
Around 25 models participated in the show, including several UW-Madison athletes. After the models each strutted down the catwalk to loud, pumping music, members of the UW-Madison Marching Band joined the stage and played such classic songs as 'On Wisconsin' and 'Varsity' as all the models filled the stage and danced in vintage UW-Madison red and white gear.
'I think the show turned out amazingly well,' said UW-Madison senior Peter Terrill, who modeled for the show. 'Madison Avenue was packed, and everyone was fired up for the show. As far as the modeling went, I was having a blast. Having a couple hundred people cheering just because you were walking around in '70s clothes was quite a rush.'
Overall, the UW Vintage Fashion Show appeared to be a great success and managed to raise $2,000 to benefit A Greater Gift and UNICEF.
'Our goal was to get everyone on campus involved in a good cause,' Guarascio said. 'What better way to do that than a fashion show'?
