By Kiley Krzyzek
The CCSU Fashion Design Club held auditions for the Spring Fashion Show in Welte auditorium on January 27th. Beautiful girls in heels lined up to strut their stuff alongside a group of Central’s finest guys in hopes of being selected to model in the third most popular event on campus.
During the auditions models wearing numbers were instructed to strut, pose, turn and walk back in line to the beat of the music.
The Fashion Design Club E-board sought out student models whose personality was a good match for the show. “It’s not like you have to be tall and skinny,” explained Gabrielle DiDato, President of the Fashion Design Club. Lenard J. Foust who’s studying dance at Central was directing the models during auditions explained they’re seeking students with “potential, rhythmic patterns, and chemistry between male and female.”
Chemistry was important during the portion of the audition where a girl and a guy paired up to walk and pose together. The models were very hands on, grabbing each other in romantic embraces. “We don’t know these people!” joked Jessica Jenkins during auditions. The students on stage quickly got to know each other. “If you don’t have chemistry, you’re cut,” emphasized Lenard J. Foust. Those cut were encouraged to help the show in a different capacity, like with backstage work. One student who didn’t make the cut offered to help with stage lighting. The students interacted with each other really well on stage. “I was actually really surprised with chemistry, which was really good,” said an impressed Foust after the auditions.
As models from past years attest to, The Fashion Show is well worth all the hard work. The models become really close knit while rehearsing for the show. “It was a fun experience, you make a lot of friends,” said Mickey Bascom, the fashion design Secretary. Modeling is also good for self esteem.“I was really shy and I became more confident,” said Gabby who has gotten professional modeling jobs because of the show.
A lot is expected of the models, “Whatever we say has to go, for rehearsals you have to be on time,” Foust told the fresh batch of models. The club has high expectations for the show this year which is going to be held in Kaiser with a professional runway. The spotlight is on the models that face pressure to perform their best “it’s going to be harder. This is no joke. We have scouts come to the show,” said Foust who reported that select models have gotten work after being discovered in the show. “People have asked them to wear their clothes and have a photo-shoot,” said Foust who is a dancer at Central and a go-go dancer at casinos when he’s not coaching models.
Overall the Fashion Design club is very hopeful for this year’s show and confident in the chosen models. “The auditions went very smoothly,” said Foust, who will coach the models to strut like professionals by the time the Spring Fashion Show comes around, “you learn technique; you learn how to work your face.”