IIDA = International Interior Design Association organized this 5th annual “creative collaboration event” where local designers from the top Sacramento architectural and interior design firms turn architectural materials into chic fashion ensembles in just 3.5 hours. This fund-raising event benefited Sacramento’s Student Design Awards. Thais invited me to be a part of the team from LPAS, the firm she works for.
We met at Tsakopoulos Library Galleria on I St in Sacramento at 1:30pm for instructions,
followed by a mad dash to another room to select a pile of materials to work with.
The 12 participating teams were divided in half and sent to two large workrooms. The materials our team selected included burgundy upholstery fabric, gold carpet squares, beige diamond-pattern wallpaper (that looked a bit like leather), and white countertop sample tiles:
Marci, our fearless leader, #1 dress designer and sewer (I was second sewer and did exactly what she told me to do):
Those are “cupcakes” on the skirt made from the wallpaper and fiber strands of carpet and upholstery fabric.
Time for our model to get her hair and make-up done even while her jewelry was being fitted.
My sewing station is to the left while Marci worked to the right. 
This is Gretel (without Hansel) ready for the fashion show.
I had so much fun and this is closest I’ll ever get to a Project Runway-like event. (To my closest friends and family: if I’m ever bed-ridden and need to spend hours watching TV, please figure out some way for me to watch every episode of every season of Project Runway. I will be happy and entertained for many hours, I promise.)
arletelouise 