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Fashion Statements

Photo by KELVIN MA/staff

Alesia Gill, 15, left, and Jaleesa Daniels, 19, walk the runway during the Jefferson High Fashion Academy's annual show on Oct. 16, 2007.

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By JAMIE PILARCZYK, The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 20, 2007

Updated: 10/18/2007 08:46 pm

Additional Photos

WEST TAMPA - The bass boomed. Music was loud. Strobe lights flickered like lightning in the auditorium.

It wasn't a dance party. It was a class assignment.

The Avant Garde: Dare to be Different fashion show, held Tuesday during the two lunch periods, was hosted by the International Fashion and Retail Marketing Academy at Jefferson High School and had the students dancing in their seats.

'We wanted it to be diverse,' said junior Vernescia Williams, 16, during the run-through 30 minutes before showtime. They chose the songs - a selection of reggae, rock, R&B and hip-hop - to appeal to the crowd and reflect the unusual clothing styles.

Dressed in outfits picked from Plato's Closet and Old Navy, the 30 models sauntered down the aisles at timed intervals, turning with attitude, looking at their partners' faces highlighted with green eye shadow. Their style was punk meets prep. It was 'America's Next Top Model,' high-school style.

Students sold more than 200 $2 tickets to the back-to-back shows as a fundraiser to purchase supplies for show sets, mannequins, equipment for window displays and to pay for state competitions. The students partnered with Florida Blood Services to promote their school blood drives, and several area restaurants donated gift certificates for drawings held after the shows.

'All of our academies are designed to bridge school and the workplace,' said Terri Fox, lead teacher and director of business partnerships at Jefferson. The magnet program is made up of six academies that encompass the Center for International Studies. Almost half of Jefferson's 2,000 students are enrolled in the academies, which include hospitality, business finance and travel and resort operations.

'Our goal is to open their eyes to college and work experiences that aren't $6.50 an hour,' said Porter Cusmano, director of the fashion and marketing academy. 'We want to tell them it's a reality.'

Junior Jorge Chavez, 16, said he is considering joining the military after graduating but had fun organizing the show.

If football players and friendly students had participated as models, they would draw bigger crowds, he said. However, the competition is strict, and only 30 out of the 200 who tried out were chosen.

'No one wants to see just skinny, tall girls walk,' said junior Elaine Calleja, 17, who wants to be a model, businesswoman and fashion coordinator. 'We wanted everyone to have a chance.'

Different body shapes and sizes, different cultures and ages of the models played into the fashion show's theme.

'Even if the kids don't know what it means, I wanted to use 'Avant Garde,'' Calleja said. 'People should look it up because it means unique and unusual.'

Junior Laquida Jennings, 17, wants to start a clothing line for voluptuous girls. She was one of two emcees at Tuesday's show and encouraged the diversity in models.

Jeraldy Stephanis, 17, said she hopes students walk away having absorbed one message.

'You don't have to follow everyone else. You can have your own style and work it,' Stephanis said. 'Just be you.'

Reporter Jamie Pilarczyk can be reached at (813) 835-2114 or jpilarczyk@tampatrib.com.

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