Elk Lake senior plans fashion show

BY MICHAEL J. RUDOLF

On Saturday, models will be on stage at the Elk Lake High School auditorium, displaying fashions created by an aspiring designer.

Hunter Cole is presenting the fashion show as her senior graduation project. The 17-year-old from Auburn Township has enlisted six of her friends to join her in showcasing her designs.

Cole is also using the show to help her community. Admission will be one canned food item, which will be donated to the Susquehanna County Trehab emergency food bank for its Thanksgiving food drive.

The show starts at 2 p.m.

Cole said she has always been interested in fashion design, and is considering it as a career. She has taken an art course at school, but most of what she has learned has been on her own.

She said she first became intrigued by fashion when she learned how to sew from her aunt, Korie Traver of Springville.

“My aunt and I have been sewing for a while,” she said.

They started with simple crafts such as pillowcases, and over the years have moved up to making their own clothes, Cole said.

After a while, Cole decided she wanted to move beyond working with existing patterns and come up with her own concepts. She had a few classes with a designer, but for the most part she learned on her own.

She studied fashion magazines, and examined the creations of her favorite designers. Her designs emulate those of the designers she likes, but with her own personal touch.

“I just figured I would create things that I would want to wear,” she said.

She also solicited the opinions of her friends, who will be helping her as models. Cole said she will be presenting 14 creations, with each girl modeling one casual outfit and one dressier design.

The design process was a lot of fun, Cole said. She and her friends went to Mood Designer Fabrics in New York City, a shop that caters to a number of the world’s top designers as well as to the general public.

They selected some intriguing fabric styles, then came back home where Cole finalized her designs.

“I sketched out everything I wanted,” she said.

Then, based on those sketches, she had to create the patterns used to cut the fabric.

Over the past several weeks, Cole has been putting the garments together, making sure they fit just right on the models.

In addition, she has been coordinating the show itself. That is the part of the project that has her the most concerned.

“I’m anxious about the whole thing,” she said.

She explained that she has never been to an actual fashion show, but has watched videos of them online to familiarize herself with the process.

Cole explained that she will introduce the show and model the first design herself. Then her friends will take to the runway. Cole will return to the stage with the final fashion, and thank everyone for their participation.

While creating the fashions and preparing the show, Cole, the daughter of Chris and Jamie Cole, has been busy with other activities as well. Last week she competed in the District II tennis tournament, and then took her Scholastic Aptitude Tests on Saturday.

At Elk Lake, Cole is also vice president of the Key Club, treasurer of the National Honor Society, co-editor of the yearbook and a member of student council.