Fabulous Fashion at the Otis Senior Exhibit

Otis College of Art and Design – Senior Exhibit

As an alumni and “toy industry professional” I was excited to be invited to a VIP preview of the portfolios and design work of the class of 2011. The event took place last Thursday, May 12th at the Otis campus in West L.A. I divided  my time between chatting up fellow colleagues, perusing student art, and checking out what everyone was wearing.

Toy Design

One of the seniors in the toy design department shows off her fashion dolls (and a darn cute white satin outfit!)

This student was wearing the cutest strapless plaid dress.  But what made the outfit even cuter was the little white shirt she was wearing tucked into the dress.  I’m trying to figure out how to create a similar look at myself.

Talk about dedicated to your art – this student had dolls tattooed on her feet!

Otis College of Art and Design has a reputation for being one of L.A.’s premier art schools and it really comes through in the professionalism and body of work that the students produce for this event.  These kids are trained and ready to make their mark on the design world.  I was seriously impressed.

Fashion Design

The fashion students don’t have a large presence at this event.  Their work is shown at a big fundraising dinner and fashion show event the Saturday before this exhibit. However, a selection of student work was on display in a small gallery.

Every time I look at the photo of this lavender gown the more I like it.  Unfortunately I didn’t write down the name of the students who designed the work but it looks like it was created under the direction of Cynthia Rowley.

Although most of the toy design department focuses on computer generated artwork for their presentations,  I was excited to see that the fashion illustrations are still being done the same way as when I was a student at Otis. A painted illustration shows how the garment should look on the figure, while a  ”flat” or technical drawing explains how the garment will be constructed. Fabric swatches decorate the far right of the board. No computer graphics here!  It’s all hand drawn.

Here’s a close up of the illustration. Bob Mackie works with the senior fashion design students almost every year.  I’m sure this one was inspired by his theatrical creations.

And here it is in real life -

Pretty spectacular don’t you think?

Shameless Self Promotion

I gave out business cards right and left at the event because “networking” is the name of the game.  Hopefully some of the people will have the time to check out my on-line portfolio because I just finished updating it!  If you would like to see some of my doll designs and fashion illustrations please check them out here: HeatherFonseca.com.