Most RPI students are aware of the McNeil Room’s ability to take on the form and function needed by the various clubs that continuously hold events within its walls. The McNeil Room’s latest adaptation involved the assembly of a runway to accommodate the Black Students Alliance annual fashion show. Entitled “Forbidden Fruit,” the show highlighted the adventurous fashions of talented designers and the deft modeling and runway navigation of RPI’s own stunning students.
While the fashion show contained the modish collections of six designers, it was not simply an evening of fashion, but also displayed a wide spectrum of talent. A dance team performed and there was a beat boxing segment, during which a student from Siena produced drumbeats using his mouth. An unofficial dance-off was mixed in, and I am fairly certain that it was won by an amazing duo of girls aged six and eight, who challenged the student participant. Other highlights included a musical performance by a pianist and a saxophone player, as well as a segment of freestyle rap.
Despite being a school that is more often measured by the number of it’s dorks rather than the looks of those dorks, RPI has an impressive number of good-looking people in its student body. These attractive students swaggered and strolled down what one participant described as a “wobbly” runway. The packed audience snapped pictures, applauded, laughed, hollered, and cheered.
Hosted by seniors Lamaar Walker and Kerrissa Lynch, the fashion show was well-organized and well-run. Despite getting off to a somewhat late start, the wait was well worth it. From the beginning to the end of the production, the show ran smoothly, with each segment of the evening flowing easily from one to the next.
When Walker made an announcement to the unidentified Poly writer in the audience asking that nothing negative be written about the fashions that were shown during the course of the evening, I quietly laughed to myself. I wear sweats to class every day, I thought; how could I possibly critique fashion and not sound like a hypocrite? “You probably wouldn’t go out of the house dressed [how some of the models are dressed], but hey, some people do,” Walker said, and I agreed.
It was difficult to judge who had more fun over the course of the evening—the models or the audience. While they may have claimed to be nervous, the models gobbled up the loud cheering and hooting, which encouraged them to worry less about getting to the end of the runway and remembering which way to turn.
The models during the swimsuit portion of the show were especially brave, and even exuberant. One male model walked to the end of the runway before ripping off a white ribbed tank top, dramatically displaying to the audience the tight gold shimmer swimsuit he was wearing. Other models twirled, danced, or simply smiled, displaying their eagerness to not only model, but also perform.
The Nigerian Students Association was also involved with the production of the fashion show. They supplied traditional African clothing, which was worn by students alongside the collections of the featured designers.
The fashion show was one of several annual events held in celebration of Black History Month. At the beginning of the event, Brandace King ’06 sang “Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing,” which is often called the African-American National Anthem.
