Kate Carignan
Staff Writer
The symphony is, quite simply, posh. The setting is luxurious, the people exude class, and there is a calm tangible civility. Particularly on a night when fashion and music collaborate.
Last Thursday was one such night - when fashion designers were inspired by composer Claude Debussy for the Boston Symphony Orchestra’s fourth annual fashion competition.
Every yer, the Boston Symphony Orchestra challenges non-professional designers to create a formal garment inspired by a selected composer.
Fashion students first submit their designs to the faculty of their schools, who then pick up to five finalists to submit to the BSO, two were Framingham State students.
Seniors Amanda Simonelli and kaitlyn Gonfrade were both selected to be in the top 11.
“They called me and when I found out, I felt very privileged,” Simonelli said. “It meant something to someone else. … It’s something I strive for in all my designs.”
The designers were asked to research Debussy, as well as listen to his music and draw their inspiration from it.
Gonfrade said of her design, “I really wanted to design something that not only was inspired by Debussy’s body of work, but also reflected the time that they were created … details that were used during the impressionist movement.”
Simonelli said, “when listening … it evokes a visual experience that displays moments of serenity and romanticism, as the story unveils - a crescendo of passion and complexity. There is a yin and yang aspect of Debussy’s music: two extremes that create a balance working off of each other.”
Once selected, the finalists were given $100 by the BSO and approximately three months to bring their designs to life - a meager amount of time and money considering that the entire construction of their pieces had to be done by the designers themselves. No fabric with existing beading or or appliques, for example, was allowed.
“Yes I did [go over budget],” Simonelli said. “I feel like I could have gone of the time limit. Let’s say $400, including the BSO gift and the I lost count of how many hours I worked. … I feel that I pulled a minimum of two hundred hours.”
The week of the competition, the finalists attended a dress rehearsal to finalize makeup and hair designs provided by Debra Macki and Brendan Keith Hair, respectively.
Hearts on Fire Jewelers, a sponsor of the event, donated diamond jewelry for the designers to pick from in order to accessorize their garments, as well as a Hearts on Fire gift for the winner.
Many Framingham supporters came out to see Simonelli and Gonfrade compete, including students and faculty
“Its a fantastic display of young talent,” said Joe Hickey, a senior fashion major. “It was almost a measuring stick of what to measure yourself up to … figuring out my own aesthetic versus a panel of judges and even peers.”
Professor Arlene Handschuch said, “I love competition. … It gives our students the experience to design for a different target market, and for judges, it’s not just a class project - its a great experience.”
“They do a fabulous job. … People remember Framingham as being a part of the competition, which ends up helping all the students.”
Finally, the lights flickered, announcing the start of the concert, and the models sashayed out of sight for the time being. A harmonious blend of modern pieces by Dutileuz and classical music by Strauss were then linked together by the compositional sketches of Debussy’s “La Mer.”
After the last applause rang out, the audience congregated in an adjoining hall where a brightly lit catwalk stretched out in the center. The judges were briefly introduced and soon the first model was ready to walk.
“It felt relieving,” Simonelli said. “My who self went into this garment and now to display it on the runway. … It’s a gratifying moment to feel the energy in the room.”
“It was very personal moment - it was my cousin wearing the garment. She embodied the look I was going for.”
The garments dazzling in the lights and the frantic click-clicking of camera lenses made the event less like a small competition, and more like New York Fashion Week.
“It’s such an amazing night, and a night to be proud as a Framingham State fashion design student,” said Hickey
Two winners are announced each year - the judges’ top pick, and also the people’s choice. After a short deliberation by the judges, the winners were announced.
Usually, voting ballots are placed throughout the cocktail areas so that attendees can vote. However, this year, the people’s choice was able to reach the masses who were not in attendance through Facebook and Twitter.
The People’s Choice award was to Theresa Calabro of Fisher College, and the judge’s pick was awarded to Kowoon Jeong from The School of Fashion Design.
Simonelli”s and Gonfrade’s garments will be displayed, along with those of all the contestants, at Copley Place Mall, for the week following the competition.
“The thing that was important to me was going into and having the garment be something I was 110 percent satisfied with.” Simonelli said. “My piece was a risk piece - people would either understand or they didn’t. … But I had no regrets.”