Karen Kane's Holiday Challenge
The top-three dresses on the runway at FIDM (Brandon Clark/abimages)
Last summer, Los Angeles designer Karen Kane issued a challenge to students in the third-year advanced fashion design course at the Fashion Institute of Design Merchandising.
The students were to design “the perfect black dress for the holiday season.” The winning designs would be produced and sold in the Karen Fall/Holiday 2012 collection and each would carry a special “guest designer” hangtag.
At the March 17 FIDM Debut Gala, all the designs appeared on the runway before Kane selected the top three winners.
Designer--and FIDM alumn--Karen Kane was on hand to announce the winners of the Perfect Black Dress challenge.
Designs by Joshua Christensen, Tracy Moore and Wensi Michelle will appear in the Karen Kane Fall/Holiday line.
Wensi Michelle Gao’s slash-sleeve dress received the third-place price; Tracy Moore’s beaded dress landed second-place; and Joshua Christensen’s dress with mesh neckline and sleeves took home the first-place prize. All three dresses will be sold stores this fall.
If Christenson’s name—or face—seems familiar, he was a contestant on the 9th season of “Project Runway.”
Joshua Christensen, left, with fellow FIDM classmates Alicia Czerwiec and Alejandrio Ortega (Brandon Clark/abimages)
More coverage from FIDM’s Debut show can be found here.
