AFFORDABLE TRENDS ARRIVE JUST IN TIME FOR THE SUMMER SEASON

BY MAYRA MARTINEZ
Editor

Baylee Zwart models a white gown for the “Garden Party” theme informal fashion show in the City College cafeteria. LESLIE HICKS / GUARDSMAN

The summer season came early to City College when a summer garden fashion show breezed through the campus on May 4.

For about half an hour, the Ocean campus cafeteria was transformed by the Fashion Department coordination class students into “Garden Party: An Informal Fashion Show.”

The show, the latest in summer trends, was short and sweet. A sweet white cotton eyelet shirt paired with low-cut, chic black shorts, for example.

With the sun pouring through the large windows, models emerged behind an ivy covered lattice down the makeshift runway in a summer garden complete with patio chairs, plants and flowers, wearing the biggest trends for summer in front of the large, attentive crowd.

With the sun shining again, it is all about a shorter hemline, and there is no better color choice than white. Light and casual pieces like white, cotton feminine skirts and shirts were paired with strong black pieces like sleek shorts and cropped jackets.

Classic summer dresses in black and white with lace detail and bouncy, floral skirts were accessorized with airy platform sandals.

Bold, black accessories like oversized glasses, big belts and wide brimmed hats added high volts of glamour and tied the outfits together.

Fashion Department Chair Diane Green was very happy with the outcome. “I thought they did a really good job,” she said. “They have to follow the trends. White is a major trend. Lace is a major trend, and the puffy skirt.”

The clothes were donated for the show by the Goodwill, Buffalo Exchange and Thrift Town. The results were crisp and chic ensembles that would make any girl stand out in the crowd on a lovely summer day.

The coordinators styled every aspect of the show, including choice of the theme, the invitations, the music and most importantly, the clothes.

“I haven’t slept in 48 hours,” said show coordinator Dalia Martinez, who even lost her voice in the process. “There are so many little facets that nobody can ever imagine.”

The event was a collaborative City College effort. The plants were borrowed from the horticulture club, and the set was borrowed from the drama department.

The music was chosen because, like the clothes, it was playful and feminine.

Backstage, after the show, the models and coordinators could finally celebrate the
successful of the event.

“It was a really good experience. I would definitely do another fashion show like this again,” first-time model Racheal Bean said.

“I wasn’t nervous until right before. Then the butterflies came,” admitted fellow model Danielle LeValley.

The show was the culmination of a semester’s worth of meticulous planning and work for the coordinators.

“The best part was the actual show,” said coordinator Dawn Snow. “That was the payout.”

e-mail: a_e@theguardsman.com

ASPIRING FILMMAKERS SHOWCASE THEIR PRODUCTIONS

BY ANKIT GOYAL
Staff Writer

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION / GUARDSMAN

From behind the bright, sweeping lens of their cameras, City College filmmakers displayed a wide array of films on May 12. The event, City Shorts, commemorated the college’s sixth annual student film festival.

A panel of experienced judges painstakingly selected 12 films out of more than 40 made. Judging was based on craft, content and vision, all measured on a scale of one to five. The genres spread from narrative to documentary, with the occasional Kubelka-esque experimental surfacing with kaleidoscopic ingenuity.

The program consisted of 85 minutes of films, a brief intermission and a pleasant musical welcome during the reception.

This year the festival expanded its scope and depth as it was formally included as part of a film exhibition class. The first half focused on surveying and studying film festivals, the second analyzed the craft of festivals.

“Festivals go beyond the craft of just making the movie,” Professor Dina Ciraulo said. “By learning the history of festivals, students get a broader scope of what it takes to create a
successful program.”

Filmmakers are required to take at least one production class during the semester, regardless of their skill level.

“There are some first semester production students that have been chosen for the festival,” said an enthused Ciraulo. “This is great testament to the diversity of students [and level] represented in the festival.”

There is a broad spectrum of students taking classes in the film department. High school graduates to college graduates to people changing careers represent the aspiring group of filmmakers and theoreticians.

David Gantz, a musician involved in a musical comedy group, is one such student. Director of the geography-inspired, Monty-Python-like spoof, “The Life and Times of C.F. Hibbens,” Gantz is a fairly new filmmaker, making movies under Armchair Geographers Productions.

“Film is another exploration that engages and dissolves the mind of its everyday faculties,” Gantz said.

Although all films are privately funded, students have full access to City College’s extensive film equipment. They also have the knowledge, broad support and help of an enthusiastic faculty.

As the platform for experiment and adventure is laid out, students are buoyed by the opportunity to work with traditional film stock.

“We advocate the use of 16 mm print. In an age where everything is going digital, it is imperative to work with celluloid,” Ciraulo said.

Aspiring filmmakers hoping to continue working with celluloid film stock were treated to a surprise at the end of the festival. Two lucky winners received a $250 award from Kodak for film stock.

“I was glad to have solicited Kodak to award and allow talented filmmakers the opportunity to continue working with celluloid,” Ciraulo said.

City College’s film department will host this illustrious event every spring. For those of you who missed the festival, see you in 2007.

e-mail: a_e@theguardsman.com