Have you ever thought there would be a fashion show based off of your everyday Geneseo wardrobe? Maybe you haven’t, but the Black Student Union and the Geneseo Bookstore thought that student style was worthy of the runway. “Geneseo On The Go” was the theme of this year’s fashion show held in the Union Ballroom on April 18, according to BSU president junior Christopher Bland.
“We decided to do ‘Geneseo On The Go’ to capture how a Geneseo student would look on their way to their favorite hangout spot,” Bland said.
The fashion show included three different apparel themes – the gym, the dining halls and Milne Library – and portrayed models in typical apparel seen on the Geneseo campus.
Taking a step away from the traditional runway scene, the show included a bit of acting.
“We actually had all three of the scenes on the stage present at the same time, and we separated it into the library, dining hall and the gym,” Bland said.
The models were each located within a scene.
“Then the light would shine on one scene and the models would come to life while the other scenes remained frozen,” he said.
Bland said that to further the acting element, “[The models] would say goodbye to their friends when we called their names and then they would walk down the runway like they were leaving.”
“A lot of people like to volunteer, they think it’s a lot of fun and they may get a gift bag at the end,” Bland said. “We had 25 models and they covered … probably 40 roles.” The models would do their runway walk and then switch runway outfits.
Bland emphasized that the models’ outfits were “nothing too made up, nothing too unrealistic, but something that would be a small piece that would represent Geneseo.”
“The models brought in their own clothing, things like shoes and pants, and then we would work with that,” Bland said. Apparel from the Bookstore would then be mixed in with the models’ apparel.
Members of many different organizations helped with hair, makeup and outfit coordination.
“The greatest difficulty by far is to coordinate so many people on such a large scale,” Bland said. “There are things I have to account for, like people being late. They volunteer, so they don’t have an obligation to be there.”
The group had a few meetings before the show and then one rehearsal. Bland explained that it was important to coordinate everyone’s schedules so they could be there.
“We had a great, great crowd. The turnout was great,” Bland said. He noted that the event would not have been such a success without the school’s support.
The Campus Bookstore provided the Geneseo apparel showcased during the show. Bland also said he hopes to continue this collaborative event in future years.