Silver Needle Fashion Show : Forrest Simms

As a freshman and only one of two males in the fashion design program at Marist College, Forrest Simms also has the privilege to be an assistant to the head of the fashion department, Radley Cramer.  

His schedule was always jam packed, but he always seemed to have time to work on his menswear garment.  And it definitely paid off.

Although Forrest only had one design to make for this year, he put forth all of his effort into this one piece.  At the 8 p.m. show, he was awarded Best Freshman Design! Congratulations Forrest!  Above, model James Napoli proudly wears Forrest's winning piece.  

Here you can see the minute details of Forrest's design.  He uses pleating on the shoulders and wraps an innovative "scarf" around the neck, to be work in a variety of ways.  When I asked Forrest how he would sell this shirt in the real world, he responded with "professionalism."  "The shirt can be worn in a variety of ways, and its streamlined silhouette helps to accentuate the professionalism of the garment." 

Finishing Touches

Twelve hours ago, Sara and I, armed with our Digital SLRs and official Silver Needle press passes, hurried to our seats amidst the crowd of fashionistas, men and women alike.  The hushed and excited voices of the Silver Needle Production team swirled around us.

"Ladies and gentlemen, please take your seats."  

Twelve hours and nearly 800 pictures later, the two of us are tirelessly editing, assembling, and piecing together the best of The 25 Annual Silver Needle Fashion Show and Awards. 

Stay Tuned!

Before we do, here's a sneak peak of freshman designer Forrest Simms putting the finishing touches on his innovative and unique garment that was seen by all last night.

(And if you're really anxious to see some of the action from last night, check out The Poughkeepsie Journal's photo gallery and article covering the show!)

Meet our freshman fashion designer, Forrest Simms!

We will be following Forrest throughout the semester as he creates his first piece for the Silver Needle Fashion Show and becomes accustomed to life at Marist.

Age: 18
Hometown: Denver, Colorado
Favorite Color: Turquoise
Favorite designer: Galliano and Versace are my personal favorite designers. As far as inspiration I tend to look to iconic women like Marilyn Monroe or Betty White. I like woman who lived during a given time period but made their style their own.
Why did you choose Marist for fashion? 
I actually heard about Marist from a friend who went here and liked it a lot. I knew I wanted to go to school for design.
What are your essentials for a day in the lab?
I need to have my planner to keep track of everything. As a freshman I am only making one piece for the show, but I am an assistant to the directors of the Fashion Show Production class so I am in the Fashion Department quite a bit.