I attended the Avant-Garde fashion exhibition, part of Wisconsin Fashion Week, Tuesday night at State Street Gallery.
What a show! Avant-garde typically means that the fashions are more fantasy and haute couture (handmade) creations—not necessarily ready-to-wear goods. In a sense, more art than anything.

Rachel Frank stitched up some fantastical creations—a white high-neck dress with full skirt with swirling fabric pieces cascading up and down the bottom half. It was tightly belted with a black belt and accented with black fingerless gloves and black lace-look fan. But the most fascinating part was the model’s eyes—feathered false eyelashes completed her Gone With the Wind-like ensemble. But it was Scarlett O’Hara updated for today’s world—leather gloves and all. Ms. Frank tells me that she made a similar dress for a friend who is getting married.
Her other creation—a red dress wool dress with large rosette accents on the neckline and skirt was also quite wearable—for the right occasion. I thought it was beautiful, although the model had to step out of her outfit because she got too warm in it! Regardless to even the casual onlooker one could tell the dress took much painstaking effort. Well done, Ms. Frank.

Rosalee Eichstedt is a triple threat—she’s talented in makeup, hair and fashion styling, says Kristi Moe, executive director of Wisconsin Fashion Week. Her look “was a play on the masculine/feminine,” according to Eichstedt. Behold the cute dress constructed of flowers and her (female) partner’s mannish, yet sassy, top hat/short-shorts combo.

Maggie Barber’s corset looks were so cute that they’d also be pretty wearable—albeit with a more downsized bottom half. But of course we’re going for art here, poeple, not necessarily what’s going to be selling next week at Macy’s. Anyway, the detail of these dresses were simply amazing close-up. Ms. Barber is a student in TASA—UW’s Textile and Apparel Student Association. If Ms. Barber’s future looks are anything like these two creations, I predict she’ll do well in her sartorial career ahead.