San Diego History Center and Mesa College present Fashion Redux 2025

The San Diego History Center and San Diego Mesa College presented the Fashion Redux 2025 on April 10. This marked the 14th year of this amazing collaboration, with guests attending the opening of the exhibit and excited to see the gramorand reveal. The evening featured the top four students from the draping class at Mesa College.

The theme for this year’s exhibit was “Grand Occasions.” The History Center showcased formal wear from 1940 to 1988 for the students to view. Students visited the History Center to study and sketch these vintage garments. They then drew inspiration from what they saw, designing a modern interpretation of the historic looks. Some of the students used two o Tres different garments to inspire their silhouette, style, or embellishments in their designs.

The five original garments brought out from the History Center’s Historic Clothing and Textile Collection included pieces from Hollywood costume designer Irene Sharaff, and fashion icons Zandra Rhodes and Norman Norell. One standout piece was designed by Bob Mackie y Amen Wardy for Jeanne Lawrence to wear to the 100th anniversary celebration at the Hotel del Coronado. Another was created by Gladys Scott for Charlotte Liggett to wear to the city’s oldest event, the Charity Ball.

Troy Munsey with model inspired by Zandra Rhodes Chinese Square dress seen in the background. He was awarded Best Transformative Design.

Vanessa Felix (right) with model. She was the People’s Choice Award winner and also the Most Creative Fabrication.

Designer Genesis Yanez (left) with her model. She was awarded Best Translation for a Historic Style. PHOTOS BY DIANA CAVAGNARO

Guests arrived for the evening to view this new exhibit. The four top students were present with models wearing their finished creations. The exhibit also displayed the five historic garments from the archives. During the opening, a Q&A panel gave the audience a chance to hear from the students about their design process and creative journey.

At the end of the evening, awards were given to the four talented students. The audience voted for the People’s Choice Award, which went to Vanessa Felix, who also won the Most Creative Fabrication. Troy Munsey received Best Transformative Design, and Edwin Alba was awarded Best Craftmanship. He impressed the audience by showing how the inside of his gown was made as beautiful as the outside. Genesis Yanez was honored with the Best Translation for a Historic Style.

Each student was given a one-year membership to the San Diego History Center, a $100 gift certificate at Sewing Machine Plus, and a special code to download an image of their choice from the History Centers Archive. For more information, visit sandiegohistorycenter.org.

Edwin Alba (right) with model wearing his design. He was awarded Best Craftmanship.

PRÓXIMOS EVENTOS

Friday, May 16 – 44thAnnual Golden Scissors Fashion Show from 5-7 p.m. on campus in the Mesa Quad. Runway show with students work. VIP reception begins at 4:30 p.m. For more information, visit https://bit.ly/447OlHj.

Saturday, May 31 – The Razkal Market y Fashion Show with 40-plus vendors. It will be at Queen Bee’s Art and Cultural Center from noon to 6 p.m. For tickets: https://bit.ly/42R4TlA.

Diana Cavagnaro is an internationally renowned Couture Milliner in Southern California. Learn more about our hat designer, teacher and podcaster at www.dianacavagnaro.co.