Months of work culminate in ‘Stormy Skies’ themed fashion show at Carroll career center
Carroll County Career and Technology students are forecasting stormy skies Friday night in Westminster. But these students aren’t studying meteorology. They’re learning about fashion and have chosen the theme “Stormy Skies” for their student-planned fashion show .
Twelve seniors in the textile and fashion careers program will take the stage Friday night and showcase months of work, modeling unique outfits they worked to create since last year.
Designing and crafting 12 outfits from start to finish serves as a capstone project of sorts for the seniors, who have been working on the outfits since January 2023, according to program instructor Catherine Harris. Students spend between eight and 30 hours on each outfit and must present designs in 12 categories selected to give students a breadth of experience in fashion design — historical reconstruction, business wear, outerwear, athletic wear, costume, children’s wear, recycled wear, formal wear, guest wear, science, weather and self-care.
“Everyone in the department has done so much work for the show,” said Manchester Valley High School senior Jess Rectanus, 17, of Hampstead. “Everyone puts in a lot of effort, and it’s really a group effort for this to come together.”
A crowd of about 250 is expected at the fashion show, which begins at 6:30 p.m. at the career center, 1229 Washington Road in Westminster. The public is invited to attend. The annual event returned in 2023 after a pandemic-related absence since 2020.
Students were in charge of planning and marketing as well as choreographing the show and designing the set. They also selected the upbeat medley of songs. Roles were assigned to mirror real-world fashion industry experience.
Rectanus said she is in charge of the gallery walk, which will welcome attendees with thematic decorations such as clouds, information about each fashion program student presented on trifold boards, and each student-designed outfit in the formal wear category.
Harris says the whole process is designed to teach students the intricacies of project management.
“You get this huge project, and there’s no way you can get it done one day, one week even. It doesn’t happen,” she said. “You’ve got a team of people that you’re working with, you’ve got resources, you’ve got a budget, all these type of things have to go into that. They analyze that and look at what they’re doing. They’re the ones that made up the calendar for when there’s a business deadline, and they have collaborated very well on project management. To me, [this] is a huge thing for them.”
Varied outfits, reflecting the style and personal flair of each student, will come to life on the runway when models strike three-second poses and engage with props. Some outfits are elaborate and eye-catching, some evoke emotion by conveying serious subject matter, and others are simply fun.
The children’s wear and guest wear categories will feature models from outside the program, which gives students the opportunity to design for different body types.
The Stormy Skies theme was suggested by Francis Scott Key High School senior Scout Perry, of Taneytown. Perry, 18, said allowing students to choose the theme was a welcome surprise, and the design category associated with the show’s theme encouraged the class to design some of the most creative and eye-catching outfits in the show.
Outfits in the weather-related category include “tornado,” “dewpoint,” and “aurora borealis.” Harris said the students were especially innovative in selecting music to accompany their Stormy Skies runway struts, and the fashion show’s music this year is especially eclectic.
Perry said designing formal wear and athletic wear was challenging but ended up being favorite outfit categories.
“Starting out, all the things — all the pattern pieces — felt really weird and unnatural,” Perry said, “but by the end of the year, I’m like, ‘I’ve got this.'”
Perry said the program sparked a love of fashion, and a special love for accessories and unique styles. Perry plans to attend college, with Stevenson University and St. Mary’s College of Maryland among the frontrunners.
Rectanus said her weather-themed piece, a light blue rainy-day cowboy outfit, was a highlight for her, but her favorite piece to design was a costume inspired by Gwen Stacy, a character from the movies “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” and “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.”
Gwen Stacy is an inspiring character emotionally, Rectanus said, because she is portrayed as having a complex array of human emotions. The “Spider-Verse” films sparked her love of animation and film, Rectanus added.
“Having complex female characters like that in film is super important, and I love it so much,” Rectanus said. “She just has so much emotion that she goes through in the films, it’s really inspiring, and I love it so much.”
Constructing the Gwen Stacy costume was also a significant learning experience, Rectanus said. There were no readily available patterns for the black, white and pink hooded morph suit, which resembles Spider-Man’s costume, so Rectanus worked to alter the fabric into her desired look.
“I’ve learned a lot,” Rectanus said, including how to sew on industrial sewing machines. She plans to attend Carroll Community College next year, where she intends to pursue an associate degree in business or marketing. Rectanus said she is passionate about helping people feel beautiful, and would love to work designing prom dresses, if given the chance.
Harris said she hopes the students have fun at the show they worked so hard to produce.
“I’m just blown away, because they’ve got it. They have it, it’s just a matter of bringing it out,” Harris said.
Tickets are $15 each and may be purchased at the school between 7:30 a.m. and 3 p.m. The show will be streamed live at https://bit.ly/3tM142k and broadcast live and repeated throughout the month on CETV Channel 21.