Mary Codispoti models a dress made of Campbell Soup labels. The dress was in the Andy Warhol collection and was designed by Leanne Cook. LESLEY KATZENMEYER | DAILY KENT STATER

Credit: Jason Hall

A human Campbell’s soup can hit the runway on Friday night as part of the fifth annual Beaux Arts Ball Fashion Show.

Fashion merchandising major Mary Codispoti wore the garment, created by fashion merchandising student Leanne Cook, for the show. This year’s design theme was “Pop Art: It’s Hip to be Square,” and featured garments replicating pop artists such as Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein.

The show was put on by the Fashion Student Organization with the help of the architecture and interior design student organizations, the American Institute of Architecture Students and American Society of Interior Designers.

“This is a great way for the organizations to earn money for the year’s programs, plus it gives us an excuse to dress up and dance,” said Jessica Phillips, Fashion Student Organization president and senior fashion merchandising major.

She said the fashion show was started to give fashion students the opportunity to design clothing and see models walking in them.

More than 500 students, friends and family attended the ball, which included dancing, food and a cash bar.

Fashion Student Organization officer and fashion merchandising major Alacia Pollard said six design teams of between four and six students created four female garments and one male garment using pop artists as their inspiration. The Fashion Student Organization also had to choose 15 models to wear these garments.

“A panel of judges chose the best line of clothing created by a team and the best overall outfit,” said Pollard.

Crystal Dawn Helman, senior fashion merchandising major, and Marissa Atkins, senior fashion design major, both former Fashion Student Organization presidents, and Catherine Leslie, assistant professor and former Fashion Student Organization faculty adviser, judged the contest.

The winning design team, consisting of students Andrew Spargo, Kayleigh Knight, Rachel Sadens, Kayla Shaw and Julie Murrell, used Keith Haring as their inspiration. Each team member received a gift certificate to All Media Art Supply. Cook won best design with her Campbell’s soup dress and received a Visa gift card.

Freshman fashion merchandising majors Amy Gavlenski and Marnie Schwartz said the event reminded them of something they would see on “Sex and the City.”

“They should do stuff like this more often,” Gavlenski said. “It gives us something to do on a Friday night.”

Schwartz said she attended the ball because her friend was modeling garments for the fashion show.

“The fashion show will be the best part,” she said. “A lot of people are here to see the designs and the models.”

Contact School of Fashion Design and Merchandising reporter Allison Tomei at [email protected].