Eight groups of Georgia Southern University students designed and created wedding dresses entirely out of newspapers and magazines in the fifth annual Dress in the Press. Each group had a model that showcased the dress to the audience and judges.
A panel of four judges critiqued the groups on their use of student media publications for functionality, incorporation of wedding theme, and model performance.
The winning group, “Threads,” received first place plaques and a gift card to Barefoot Outfitters.
Members of the first place group were Sidney Walker, Jasmine Long, Amber Elliott, and Acacia Miller.
The friends said they agreed to participate in the contest when Sidney talked them all into it, and they were glad she did.
Sidney Walker, a junior fashion design major, said, “The inspiration for our design was mermaid style gowns.”
“We tried to incorporate braids as well, especially in the sweetheart neckline. The corset was Sidney’s idea, and it was a really good one because it made the dress functional,” Acacia Miller, a junior fashion design major said.
Amber Elliott, a sophomore Fashion Merchandising major, modeled the dress. Elliott said that it seemed so easy and natural for the group to create her dress. She was amazed with how quickly they completed some of the elements of the design, considering the teams only had two hours.
However, it was not all an easy task for them. The group faced some minor challenges along the way.
“One of the challenges we had was gaining fullness at the bottom of the dress,” Walker said.
It was a struggle to do so because the group had to add fullness without making the dress too heavy to support itself and not tear.
The team said that they accomplished this by rolling up additional newspapers and attaching them beneath the visible part of the dress.
Miller said, “We collaborated as a team and had some really strong tape and a hot glue gun.”
The group gained fashion experience along with their first place title.