The 10 Best Moments from the School Daze Fashion Show

The Joyce Hergenhan auditorium in Newhouse 3 was transformed Friday evening. Typically the scene of theater-like seating for various guest speakers, the Herg was redesigned with spotlights, a long runway and rows upon rows of white chairs. By 7 p.m., nearly every seat was filled.

The crowd of students, faculty and guests were gathered to watch the 8th Annual Fashion and Beauty Communications Milestone Fashion Show, titled "School Daze: Fashion & Education." The show, which explores a critical issue in mass media each year, was designed around the concept of education. Here are 10 highlights of this year’s show.

1. Starstruck Supermodel and SU alum Emme ’85 headlined the show. After introducing herself, she spoke to the crowd about her body-acceptance movement, both uplifting and inspirational.

2. Pep Rally The education-themed show kicked off with the SU marching band drumming the fight song. Energy flooded through the crowd as we were transported from a simple fashion show to an extravagant school-spirited event.

3. A Special Message In the first design segment of the show, private school uniform-inspired looks strutted down the runway. The plaid skirts and blazers were individualized with messenger bags designed and created by the accessory design class. Each bag was customized and unique and had stylish details like lace to complement each outfit.

4. Revolutionary The “Rebel With a Cause” segment explored rebellion towards education systems throughout time, including ‘50s Hoods, ‘60s and ‘70s Hippies, ‘80s Punks, ‘90s Grunge, and 2000s Goth. The bold looks were modeled by SU’s cheerleading team and showcased everything from full-length poodle skirts to black lipstick.

5. Risky Business The biggest cheer during the show came when a Risky Business-esque male model slid onto the runway Tom Cruise-style. This kicked off the segment called “And the Winner Is…” which featured school-movie-inspired looks from Grease to Harry Potter to Mean Girls.

6. Big Bird The show went from college to preschool with a Sesame Street element that featured looks created by fashion design freshmen, sophomores, and juniors. The models paraded down the runway with Elmo, Kermit, and Big Bird balloons in hand and smiles on their faces.

7. Office Hours Professors took over the stage in the “Scholars in Action” segment of the show. Milestone students chose the Newhouse professors who have made a difference in their lives and did a walk of pride in scholarly suits to honor them. In typical Newhouse fashion, some professors even brought cameras out with them and filmed the audience as they walked.

8. Limitless Emme hosted the Fashion Without Limits design initiative in which fashion design students created stunning dresses in sizes 12 and up. The talented students showed that fashion is for all shapes and sizes.

9. Footloose Even after the last look walked down the runway, the show didn’t end. Plaid-clad Danceworks members hopped out from the audience and performed a dance to “Footloose,” ending the show with a bang.

10. Tweet, Tweet For behind-the-scenes views of the show and live-tweets from the crowd, be sure to check out the hashtags #NHFashion2015, #SchoolDaze and #SUFWL. If you missed the event, there’s always Twitter to keep you in the loop!

Photos via Collage