Junior-year fashion design students at Marist College in Poughkeepsie, New York, have spent the last semester learning and incorporating tailoring techniques in their garment collections. One of those students will be awarded a $500 scholarship from Threads for excellence in garment construction.

The magazine’s editors recently reviewed the students’ work and will recognize the winner at the 33rd annual Marist Silver Needle Runway show Friday, May 10. The event, planned and run by Marist fashion program students, features the best work of the school’s senior designers. Threads’ 2018 outstanding garment construction award winner, Anna Cortese, will be among this year’s senior designers. (We’ve been told to watch for a beautifully designed and constructed blue dress she has created for her senior collection.)

After receiving the Threads sewing award last year, Anna talked about designing and sewing her junior-year collection.

Images of birds, fishing, and water influenced her design and fabric choices. She explained that she was inspired by her roots: Adopted at a young age, she later discovered she was born in a fishing village in southern China, where cormorants—aquatic birds—are commonly seen. Her collection included  a black fisherman’s cape, navy silk chiffon blouse, white wool jacket, white wool trousers, and long white wool coat.

 

 

 

Without realizing it in some instances, Anna had included design elements in threes: a trio of fabric flaps on the shoulders of her cropped jacket . . .

 

. . . three buttons on each sleeve of her long white coat . . .

. . . and a triple-point notched collar on the coat.

Many of her junior-year creations had a narrow silhouette. “I like things more sculpted to the body,” she said.

Anna purposely challenged herself in many ways while creating the garments. One unintended challenge, however, came from the fabric. Anna said she thought the white wool she found on sale while fabric shopping in Manhattan was a steal. When she got it back to school and began cutting, she discovered it was too narrow and that it had multiple permanent stains. She had to work around them throughout her garment cutting.

Many of this year’s juniors had similar challenges, no doubt. Their instructors said it was the first time many had tried tailoring techniques. The students surely discovered that their designs and fabric choices played key roles in successful tailoring. The students will move on to their senior year prepared to create collections for the 2020 Silver Needle Runway.