The Runway, Circus of Sin

Natalie Villanueva

The Fashion show of 2011 was a truly spectacular event to see.  The Runway, Circus of Sin took place at the Tilles Center on April 2nd.  The audience was filled with students, alumni, and guests.  The show was based on the seven deadly sins, focused around a circus theme.  It was well executed, displaying scenes and different fashions for each sin.  It displayed circus acts in between the scenes to fit in with the theme including show host ringmaster, Gracetelle Joseph.

The show started off with the executive board coming down the aisles of the theater with a zombie like signature walk.  Their clothing was black and the tone was creepy and gothic.  The rest of the models walked the runway doing the same thing, zombie-like, posing in all black gothic clothing.  The lighting and background music made it even more thrilling and exciting for the audience.  It was definitely the highlight of the show.

In the sloth scene, models were dressed in all white.  Men were wearing pants and no shirts.  Women were wearing a variety of styles; some with dresses, shirt and pants, and skirts.  Most of the models had mesh cloth covering their faces and holding and wearing white ropes as part of the fashion.  Their signature walk was very slow and dramatic.  Following this runway was an act by two girls who were circus mimes.

The wrath scene was intriguing in which the stage was covered in red light and all the models were crawling and hovering amongst one another. One by one each model got up from the bunch and walked, displaying again dark fashion.  Designs were made by Moneysha (MOTR). This scene was followed by a ballet performance, by three women to contemporary, classical, and hip-hop music.

The envy scene displayed two different runways, one of men and one of women.  On the first runway, the women displayed fashion that displayed lots of sparkle, glitter and glamour.  The guys wore dressy pants, shirts, and ties.

Some designs featured were by Alicia LaSalle, Shakira Jackson, the Michelle Riley Collection by Daral M. Riley, and Dennis Buchanan.

During the intermission a circus performance entertained the audience including clowns, a man on a mini bicycle, a man on stilts, juggler, mimes, and a ringmaster.

The lust scene was very provocative.  The models wore sexy clothing and seduced one another. Their signature walk was slow and dramatic.            The last scene was gluttony.  The women were wearing colorful wigs and clothing.  The fashion was casual and the women were carrying lollipops. It represented a candy theme with designs by Shakira Jackson.

At the end of the show all models, the executive board, and the behind-the-scenes crew came out and danced. Secretary/treasurer, Ashley Deal mentioned, “We really thought out of the box this year!  We worked really hard and hope we really pleased the audience.”

Angela Calise, sophomore resident who attended the show said, “The envy scene was my favorite.  Everything was glittery, fabulous, and fierce.  I would wear all of it!”  Another viewer, Neidylin Morales, a senior mentioned, “It was an amazing experience for my first time seeing it.  I was really impressed and I enjoyed it a lot.”

All proceeds made by the sales of tickets for the Fashion Show 2011 were donated to the Wildlife Conservation Society at the Bronx Zoo. Vice President of the fashion show, Nhya East, mentioned, “All proceeds went to the Wildlife Conservation Reserve and none of this could have been done without the help of the Tilles staff, executive board, amazing models, designers, and of course – all those who attended.”

“The theme was so much fun to plan! This particular executive board had huge plans for this years Spring Show and we wanted to make sure that the show felt like an experience overall,” said East. “The idea was for the fashion to reflect the seven deadly sins and everything in between to feel circus-y, like Circus acts. That was why we had a ring mistress host and all of those act in between each scene.”

“The Fashion Show club is something you do for the experience and so that you can help raise proceeds for the charity we decide to give to each year. I can honestly say that the executive board is hard-working and sacrificial and we’ve done whatever it took to make the show a success,” said East. “We began preparing for this show during the summer of 2010; we wanted it to be early. This school year we held two shows, which we’ve never done before.”

Rebecca Blair, a participant in the show mentions, “Amazing experience!  I think the show went really well.  Shout out to everyone who put everything together.”  Christopher Maye, a graduate student, says, “Hard work pays off!  It was fun and I have never done something like that before.  It is something I would do again!”  Grace Joseph, the ringmaster host, said with excitement, “Fashion show of 2011 was great!  By far the best fashion show I have been a part of!”

Circus of Sin, Fashion Show 2011 definitely was a sight to see Special thanks to DJ MarkXclusive for providing the music.  Of course to all those who performed, models, executive board for all their hard work and for a great show!  “From this experience I’m walking away happy about what we were able to accomplish this year. It took a lot of hard-work and planning, but as always, it was worth it.” said East.