Cynthia Rowley Accepts Award at Student Fashion Show

On Thursday, the School of the Art Institute hosted its annual Fashion Show, and there was certainly no shortage of style. Beginning with a 9 a.m. dress rehearsal of the 300-look show—that's right, 300 looks, including creations from sophomore, junior, and senior designers—the day also included a fashion show at noon and at 3 p.m. The evening gala component, known as "The Walk," included cocktails, a presentation of the Legend of Fashion award to alumna Cynthia Rowley, a strolling dinner, and yet another rendition of the thorough show. Conrad Hamather of the school's fashion department planned the behemoth affair, and Dennis Remer of Frost handled production and design.

The fashion shows took place in a tent spanning the north promenade of Millennium Park, where Factor models trotted down a 90-foot, stark white runway. After the last fashion show wrapped, guests headed to the tented rooftop of the Harris Theater for the gala, which was peopled with models still wearing braided antlers, bits of coral, and other remainders of the avant-garde production.

"My main vision in the design of this year's 'The Walk' was to keep it consistent with the design of the fashion show," said Remer. Toward that end, "I used clean and simple lines, a black-and-white color palette with a pop of hot pink, and most importantly, kept the focus on the students."

In the tent, four towers made of scaffolding displayed garments from the school's Fashion Resource Center. Remer surrounded the structures with buffet tables "to make sure all guests got a chance to see them up close" while grabbing their dinner plates, he said. In the center of the tent, he hung a video drum screen with a 16-foot diameter, which showcased footage from the school's past fashion shows.