Rockwell Hall was the set of a winter wonderland Thursday as students put on a holiday-themed fashion show.

The show, “Tis the Season for All,” was put together by the students in the “Fashion Show Productions” class.

It followed models through the holidays in three phases.

The first phase showed clothes for “a month of relaxation” once the semester ends and students head home. It was characterized by cozy sweaters and faux leather leggings.

The second phase offered options for “a winter’s night out,” which included casual dresses and skirts for women, along with button-downs and slacks for men.

The finale offered options for New Year’s Eve as models walked the runway in party dresses, jumpsuits and suit jackets.

“We decided to have a model call that had no height or weight restrictions,” said Haley Haddix, the co-chair of the show and a junior fashion merchandising major. “So, that way, the show would be all-inclusive.”

The 19 models who walked down the runway were of different body types, skin colors and genders.

“It was a lot of fun,” said Aaliyah Russell, a senior interior design major who walked in the show. “I mean, that’s really what fashion shows are all about — how fun it is.”

Russell has been modeling at Kent State since her sophomore year.

The show used current and upcoming trends to style the models with clothes provided by its nine sponsors: Macy’s, Altar’d State, Banana Republic, Dillard’s, Famous Footwear, Francesca’s, Versona, Jo-Ann Fabrics and the Fashion School Store in downtown Kent.

“This was my first Kent State fashion show,” said Isaac Yost, a junior fashion merchandising major.

“(It had) a lot of different looks, variety,” Yost said. “Very on trend with shoes, textures.”

Yost described a “light-weight wool suiting jacket with fur on the collar and a bell sleeve with a slit” as the piece that stood out most to him in the show.

The show featured music by Jose Calderon, a DJ at FWD Day + Nightclub in Cleveland, and was followed by a dessert reception in the atrium.

Turnout for the show impressed Alexis Walker, the other co-chair of the show and a senior fashion merchandising major. 

“I’m feeling so great right now,” Walker said. “I hope everyone enjoyed it as much as I did.”

The show was a collaborative effort of the entire class and their instructor, Lisa Valendza, which required cooperation between students to put it together.

“I was so impressed that our class actually pulled this off,” Walker said. “We tried so hard and I’m just so happy with everything.”

Ella Abbott is the fashion reporter. Contact her at [email protected].