Fame, especially in the cutthroat world of fashion, costs. (Just ask the contestants on “Project Runway”!) And while Secaucus High School isn’t exactly the hallowed halls of New York’s Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT), it is one of the places where designers of tomorrow are starting to pay their dues.
“I’ve had several students here who’ve graduated and gone on to FIT [Fashion Institute of Technology], FIDM [Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising], and the Laboratory Institute of Merchandising [LIM]. So, we actually get a lot of terrific talent at the high school,” said Kathy Kuchar, who teaches design classes at the high school.
About 135 student-designed outfits will be showcased in the high school’s annual fashion show on Thursday, May 28 at the Arthur F. Couch Performing Arts Center.
The show will feature outfits designed by students who have taken Kuchar’s design classes during the 2008-2009 school year, including her advanced class which includes several students planning careers in fashion design and marketing.
Barbie
The show includes sections for casual wear, evening gowns, summer wear, and this year a special section dedicated to fashions inspired by Barbie, in honor of the iconic doll’s 50th anniversary.
The Barbie section was suggested by one of Kuchar’s advanced students and was inspired by – what else? – a pattern and some fabric.
“I saw this pattern when I was a freshman, and I always wanted to do it,” said junior Amanda Merlo. “But it’s a little difficult. So I waited until I was more experienced to do it. Then I saw this black material and it reminded me of Barbie. So I suggested to Ms. Kuchar that we have a section in the fashion show dedicated to gowns for Barbie from each decade.”
The Barbie section will feature retro and contemporary chic designs.
Begins with pattern, fabric
Less than two weeks before curtain time, and Kuchar, Merlo, and the rest of the advanced design class were still cutting, sewing, and fitting pieces that will take the stage on the 28th.
Kuchar’s classroom – with large swaths of fabric pinned to patterns here, unfinished gowns over there – looked like the kind of organized mess found backstage at any major stage production. Still, the nine students in the class were relaxed and composed, methodically going about the work that needs to get done by show time. And, as most of them plan to major in fashion design or marketing in college, they were clearly in their element.
“With any outfit, you start with your pattern, your design,” junior Danielle Ortiz explained to the uninitiated. “Then, you need to find the right fabric to go with the pattern. After that, you’ll have a fitting to get your measurements. From there you can cut your pattern and start sewing.”
Kuchar selected Ortiz, Merlo, and a third student, Jasmin Abuhouran, to attend a pilot fashion design and marketing course offered this summer at Hudson County Community College.
As with any true passion, these students are immersed in design in a way that likely evades the casual shopper at Macy’s.
Senior Jharna Balani, who has already started sketching her own original designs, made a dress from fabric that came from India. She said she has been saving the fabric, waiting for the right pattern to come along that would accentuate the beauty of the cloth and its design.
“The fabric is so beautiful, I didn’t want to waste it on the wrong outfit,” Balani said.
On to the future
Of course, not everyone wants to be the next Donna Karan.
Some students, like Abuhouran, are preparing for careers in fashion marketing, merchandising, or direction.
“I’m going to major in fashion merchandising [so I can be] a fashion director,” Abuhouran said. “The fashion director has the final opinion before an outfit is sold. The fashion director usually gets to choose the fabric, or say what little details should be included, like buttons or pockets.”
Abuhouran, a senior, will showcase an evening gown and children’s wear at the fashion show. She will attend LIM, which offers core curriculum in fashion merchandising, in the fall.
Ortiz, who has another year to figure out where she will go for college is still weighing her options.
“I know I want to be a fashion designer. I’m just not sure where I want to go,” Ortiz said. “I either want to go to FIT or FIDM in California. They offer the same basic program. But I have to see. One might be better for me long-term than the other one. I have to think which one will help me go farther with my skills as a designer.”
Ah, today, Secaucus. Tomorrow, Milan!
The student fashion show will be held on Thursday, May 28 at the Arthur F. Couch Performing Arts Center at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $8 at the door.
E-mail E. Assata Wright at awright@hudsonreporter.com.