Costume Drama: A Fashion Show

In Asheville, NC, Costume Drama is one of the top fashion shows in the city. This event features several categories showcasing several designers. This year's categories were Light, Paper, Artistic License, and Oceana. I decided to design in the Oceana category.

Most designers work for months on their designs. I was one of those people. Every night I would come home from The Enchanted Forrest to work on my creation. Since my theme was Oceana, I wanted an ocean goddess that got caught in a net with other sea creatures.

The element I started with was a net from an old hammock. I took the hammock apart and turned it into something to wear. From there I just went with the flow, day by day getting closer to the end.

The day of the show was hectic, like all fashion shows. Getting the design there undamaged, being on time for our model's hair and makeup, the runway rehearsal, and getting ready for pre-show photos was crazy-time. During the months leading up to the show, no one had seen each other's designs. Since it is a competition, everyone kept a lid on what their creation looked like.

Paper

Light

Artistic License

At the end the winners were announced. I was so excited to hear my name being called for best in my category! The look that took top spot as Best in Show was designer Ray Fawley in the Paper category. Light category winner was Kat of All Trades. The winner of the Artistic License was a team consisting of Charlotte Murphy, Susan Sertain, and Hanna Black.

I want to give a shout out to my team. Thank you Misty Brooke (model), Sydney Blair (makeup), and Alex Jones (hair). As a Costume Drama tradition. The winning designs get displayed in the window Bellagio: Art to Wear in downtown Asheville.

Danielle Chaboudy