The University of Minnesota’s annual Senior Fashion Show is fast approaching. The show, InSight 2010, will take place February 6th, and is aiming to give the audience insight into the wide range of designers in the U of M’s senior class.

Leading off the show is designer, Carey Magnus. Magnus has grown into a designer who has acquired a specific direction, one that seems to work. She dreams up designs for primarily young women which merge trend, classic style, complimentary color palettes, and a distinguished attention to detail. Her recent semester spent in Italy has also allowed Magnus to add international flavor, and make it her own.

Recently, I sat down with Magnus and got a close look at what inspired her senior line and the anticipated future.

What is the aesthetic of your line?

When I look at it – a fresh clean wardrobe that takes classic elements and reworks them in an unexpected way. I think its realistic to say that these are all pieces you would want in your wardrobe, because they can be dressed up , dressed down, and in this economy that is beneficial. You could wear a piece to a social event or throw on the jacket on the way to work. Versatility – could be tailored for the work person, but could also be reworked to go out to social events.

How did you go about choosing models?

I wanted real people. Two of them model professionally, they are all students, it seemed realistic to have college age students. Girls with a natural beauty; their hair looks natural and are just naturally beautiful. I also liked the idea of people who had a natural wave to their hair.

From sketching to the final stitch, what point grew most stressful?

Fitting. Pattern making and coming up with designs is always hard to make a decision … but when it comes to putting the ideas into the garments and fitting them to a real body, you realize there are problems within the design… because you want it to fit correctly. Your vision could be completely skewed. The amount of work put into a 3.5 minute show puts an incredible amount of nerve on the designer. The show is called InSight because we only have 4 minutes to show our whole semester’s project, but people don’t realize what goes into it. We want to give insight into what we do in studio, what our sketches look like, etc.

Get an inside look here: http://mediamill.cla.umn.edu/mediamill/display/58221

Any aspirations for where this line could take you? Do you see it as your initial launch as a designer?

I think it is definitely a good representation of my style. After all my internships, my style has developed into this. In this economy, you need apparel that can be worn, not simply modeled. I believe these will work as vital pieces for my portfolio as truly wearable garments.

A preview into InSight 2010?

There are 14 designers… couture dresses , career wear, costume design, and evening dresses. Some very realistic – ready to wear pieces to avant garde. It’s thrilling between to see our design aesthetics develop within our “family” of designers. I am so excited to see all of our hard work and strengths fuse together in one final show.

Now, get your InSight, February 6th!

INSIGHT 2010 SENIOR FASHION SHOW
When: February 6th / 5:30 and 8 p.m.
Where: Rapson Hall, University of Minnesota

Purchase tickets at: http://register.cce.umn.edu/Course.pl?sect_key=183708