DIRTY RICHMOND

Heritage
Words By Christine Erickson

With its new, modern renovations, the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts was a perfect backdrop to “Heritage”, the VCU Department of Fashion Design and Merchandising’s annual juried fashion show. Tickets to the show sold out in six hours, and it was no surprise why.

The runway continued from the middle of the first floor, and up the stairs to the balcony. The dusk lighting through the building’s gigantic windows added a dramatic effect for the models as they walked out onto the runway.

There were 100 garments in this year’s show, split into nine scenes inspired by historical perspectives. The scenes ranged from the elegant influence of 1920s Chanel, the simplicity of the 1970s, and classic military-inspired menswear, among others. One of the scenes, “Art in New Directions”, even gave a preview of the future of fashion.

Prior to the event, a panel of ten fashion professionals judged garments competing to be in the show. Each collection was paired with modern music, adding a nice mixture of the present with the past.

“Heritage is about expressing our love for the past,” said fashion department chair Karen Videtic. She received a well-deserved standing ovation at the end of this year’s show, which will be her last as chair. Next year, Videtic will return to what she says is her first love, teaching.