As little girls, we all loved to play dress up. Dancing around in various costumes and outfits gave us so much joy and painted our faces with smiles. It takes talent and motivation to become someone who creates these masterpieces that we all love to wear. That person is a fashion designer! The beautiful and talented Purdue University senior, Elizabeth Gardiner, is an apparel design major. I had an opportunity to ask her about what inspired her to become a designer, her senior collection in the spring fashion show and her future plans for after graduation.
Name: Elizabeth Gardiner
Role: Student Designer
College Fashionista: What do you love most about Purdue?
Elizabeth Gardiner: To be honest, the first thing I fell in love with was the brick buildings. I really appreciate architecture in older buildings. When I saw Matthews sewing lab and the huge windows and lab tables big enough for all my materials to be spread out on, I knew I didn’t have to apply anywhere else!
CF: Who or what inspired you to major in apparel design and become a designer?
EG: I was torn between studying interior design, like my hero, my grandma, or to study apparel design which was always my hobby and creative outlet. I decided on apparel design after taking some sewing courses in high school and realizing that fashion was more for me and something I could do for the rest of my life. (Not saying I cannot wait to design my own house one day, though!).
CF: Describe some of your favorite outfits featured in your Senior Collection for the Purdue 2015 Fashion Show.
EG: Oh, I can’t just pick a couple—I love them all! I especially like the mesh panel, flare shorts my model Taylor is wearing, because they are perfect for wearing out at night but are super comfortable and can be dressed down to wear during the day. I tried to focus on designing pieces that could be mixed and matched with other pieces in the collection or paired with something in your closet.
CF: What has been your favorite part of preparing for the fashion show?
EG: Seeing my illustration come to life. That probably sounds really cliché but illustrations have recently been my favorite part of the design process so when my sketches turn into a dress my model is wearing during the fitting, that’s definitely my favorite moment.
Learn More: Elizabeth will be finishing up her senior year with a bang this spring. Check back in and click this link for more information and photos (including Elizabeth’s collection) from the Purdue 2015 Fashion Show.
