-By Emily Bonsignore-
Picnic Day has a rich reputation. Going on its 99th year, Picnic Day is believed to be the largest student-run event in the United States. UC Davis students begin planning for this infamous day months in advance, practicing to perform their talents and strut their stuff. Speaking of strutting their stuff, this past Picnic Day hosted the 26th annual Fashion and Design Society Fashion Show, Threads in Motion. Set in Freeborn Hall, fashion design majors are given the opportunity to showcase their handmade, hand-dyed signature collections.
Designer Faye Lessler started off the show with her environmentally conscious collection. Lessler’s fashion philosophy and inspiration stem from social revolutions that used fashion as way to obtain social change in the world. Inspired by this century’s Green Revolution, Lessler used non-toxic vegetable dyes and upcycled old clothing to create earth friendly pieces that will eventually become standard practices in commercial fashion.
Rachel Law’s Hawaiian inspired collection was all about the details. After spending four long months pleating, dyeing and stenciling all of her garments by hand, Law described her experience as “the most rewarding feeling [to finish] and [see] all my outfits on the runway.” The traditional Hawaiian iconography brought a diverse beauty to the show.
To end the show was one of Davis’ most meticulous designers, Faizan Dar, whose edgy collection focused on color and structure. His quality, multi-layered dyed fabrics had an exotic, animalistic quality, with the strong shoulders adding a contemporary feel to the classic silhouettes. Every designer brought something new and creative to the runway, making for a chic Picnic Day!
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