MODA show highlights WMU alumna’s skills
(Chyn Wey Lee / Western Herald) LEFT: Kristine Baldwin features n outfit from Liza Nay’s Collection during Redefined: A Fashion show at the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts on Saturday. CENTER: Leah Wirgau wears an outfit from Liza Nay’s collection during MODA’s presentation of Redefined: A Fashion Show at the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts. RIGHT: High school student Donjaih Harris models his own design during Redefined: A Fashion Show at the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts.
By Kayla Powers
Western Herald
On Saturday the Kalamazoo Institute of Art was transformed from a quiet observatory of fine art into a bustling catwalk of high fashion.
The show consisted of the designs of Western Michigan University graduate Liza Nay and the designs of her Project MODA students.
Nay started the program two years ago through WMU’s Merchandising Opportunity Design Association (MODA) to allow students the opportunity to learn how to sew and create their own designs.
Project MODA emphasizes skills in leadership and commitment through the help of mentors.
They design and model their own work. Thirteen students strut their stuff, beaming with the pride that only the designer could possess.
We saw casual outfits, futuristic designs and even a prom dress.
MODA participant and high school sophomore Nora Carpenter said of the project, “It was a blast, I loved it.”
She was wearing a very sophisticated satin purple dress, a unique design and creation of all her own.
After the Project MODA students modeled their work, Nay’s collection took the spotlight.
The collection was, “A great collaboration” in the artist’s own words.
It was a compilation of her designs from the very first to the most recent that she had created as a WMU student.
The sheer amount of clothes was impressive not to mention the variety and skill level.
Nay presented several lines of fashion forward styles all connected by a cohesive idea.
A dress, a pantsuit, a bikini, a trench coat and a skirt while lacking an appropriate common ground were linked by their color or shape in a chic way.
She uses very simple silhouettes adorn with subtle intricacies to define her style. There is a quirky creativity consistently present in her work that is truly inspiring.
Her show titled “Redefined” was supported by her incredibly impressive accomplishments.
Nay was given the Rising Star Award in 2008 at Chicago’s Fashion Week as a New Generation Designer. She was also named the Presidential Scholar of the Family and Consumer Science Department.
There is no question that she is deserving of the many honors she has been given.
Her entrepreneurial spirit is the driving force behind Project MODA and will assist her in her future endeavors. Nay will be attending New York’s Fashion Institute of Technology next fall.
To add too the high fashion theme of the night, guests were invited to taste the elegant hors d’oeuvres provided by Alano Cardosa, a personal friend and Kalamazoo business owner.
There was wine provided by Terry Stingley of Harding’s Friendly Markets all free of charge, in support of Liza and her accomplishments.
Multiple gift certificates were raffled away for local Kalamazoo restaurants and shops, the proceeds of which will go towards enriching the MODA program.
The night was a real success for all that were involved and from Liza Nay’s many supporters, there was a unanimously positive vibe.
Short URL: http://www.westernherald.com/?p=6469
Posted by HeraldAdmin
on Jun 29 2009. Filed under A & E.
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