UBy Bao Ong niversity clothing design students displayed their wares Friday night to a crowd of more than 400 at the Gateway alumni center.

With items ranging from combinations of denim and leather to classic tailored men’s suits, the 36th annual senior fashion show featured clothing by 11 soon-to-be graduates.

Students spent a semester’s worth of time in a studio class led by clothing design professor Missy Bye – doing everything from sewing darts and draping mannequins to coming up with new designs – to prepare for the show.

“There was a lot of energy. The designs were all different but exciting,” said senior Julie Handel, who plans to spend her summer in Italy to learn more about the fashion industry before heading off to New York to start a career.

“This evening was really about giving us a chance to celebrate all our work,” she said.

Handel and Theresa Winge, a fashion design instructor, said most people don’t realize how much work goes into a show before models strut down the runway.

“It’s a very time-consuming process because a fashion show is extremely structured,” Winge said.

The University’s clothing design program has become more competitive in recent years, professor Karen LaBat said.

She said fashion show attendance has increased every year, and many of the student designers have gone on to jobs at companies such as Target, Gander Mountain and North Face.

After completing the show, students will spend the rest of the semester refining their portfolios as they begin job hunting.

Bye said she thinks many in the group will be successful in their pursuits.

“They should go out with confidence once they graduate. They can compete with anyone,” she said.

Tickets to the show cost $20, with a portion of the profits donated to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.

Bao Ong is a freelance writer. The

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