Altered Visions : Runways Inspire Designing Students

This wasn’t Paris; it was the Mission Viejo mall, and the models were often the designers themselves or friends and family members. Yet for the fashion design students of Saddleback College in Mission Viejo, a recent fashion show was enough to inspire dreams of following in Coco Chanel’s footsteps.

Lydia Weber of Laguna Hills showed off her line of little girls’ dresses with bold black and white polka dots and stripes, full skirts and small red bows on their capped sleeves.

“It would be great if I could be a designer, but I don’t think I’ll make it,” she said. Then she hesitated. “Well, maybe . . . . “

Even if she never makes it to the runways of high fashion, her class time was not wasted.

“I wanted to make a dress for myself that looks like it costs $500 and I’ve done that,” she said.

About 25 would-be Calvin Kleins and Donna Karans showed everything from glamorous evening gowns to a polka dot clown suit.

“It’s just amazing how creative the students can be,” said Nancy Kessler, an instructor in fashion merchandising at Saddleback and the show’s producer.

Gina Schapp of Tustin entered a cranberry and blue wool tweed jacket and micro-miniskirt with a striped knit bustier decorated with beaded fringe.

“I wanted something that didn’t match, and it doesn’t,” Schapp said.

Schapp also entered a slinky gold halter dress.

“I like my designs to be sexy and daring,” she said.

Schapp shared the “best of show” award with Sherry Mostowfi of Mission Viejo, who modeled her red reversible Chinese jacket embellished with an elaborate hand-painted gold peacock.

Outfits were judged according to originality, creativity, workmanship, appropriate use of fabric and current fashion trends. The judges included a feature editor from the school newspaper, an assistant manager of a fabric store, a former student who works in visual merchandising for Bullock’s and a school counselor.

Designs ranged from the practical to the whimsical, and everything in between.

Linda Spinazzola of Dana Point entered a teal-colored wool jersey knit dress with a trumpet skirt and geometrical drop waist.

“I just wanted to make an everyday career dress,” said Spinazzola, a fan of Liz Claiborne. Her other entry was more risque--a red evening dress draped from a diamond-shaped panel in front and decorated with cut glass beads.

“Maybe someday I’ll have my own line,” she said wistfully.

Jacquie Martin of Laguna Niguel designed a two-tone chemise that featured a hot pink knit top and bright orange skirt, with a vest adorned with long strands of orange, pink and purple plastic beads.

“I went into someone’s apartment and they had these beads hanging in their doorway,” Martin said. She modeled her hour-glass shaped evening jacket of pink chenille trimmed with black faux fur.

Martin has long dreamed of being a designer.

“That’s all I ever wanted to do,” she said.

Student fashion shows have been a tradition at Saddleback College since 1977. The shows give students in the fashion merchandising and fashion design programs practical experience in producing a show, Kessler said. They also give the designers a chance to show off their work.

“I really had to stretch for this fashion show,” said Beth Owens of Mission Viejo, who hopes to design clothing for a manufacturer someday. Her collection included a short A-line dress of purple knit.

“I have a lot of pictures of my mother in the ‘60s and that inspired me,” Owens said.

Cheryl Aitken of San Clemente sewed a red polka-dotted dress for a clown, with each dot painstakingly appliqued by hand.

“There’s 254 dots,” she said, “and six miles of thread.”