Photo credit: Randy Brooke

Designer: Ronnie E. Escalante Jr. (from Bulacan Philippines by way of San Francisco) gets his BFA in Fashion Design.

Inspiration: Boudicca, Queen of the Iceni.

My interpretation: Adhering to Mr. Escalante’s inspiration, I saw the looks of a dark glamorous Queen floating down the runway. It was majorly fierce, dramatic and red carpet ready.

He’s a winner! Escalante was the second recepient of the coveted Rucci internship, sharing the crown with Alyssa Prentice. I even saw Rucci get really excited when he saw the gown pictured above.

Gowns galore: In a show that was bursting at the seams with sportswear, Escalante’s evening wear gave the audience something new to “ooh” and “aah” at. The gowns were spectacular and watching them gave a gorgeous jolt of ferocious delight.

Overall critique: Even though the collection was composed of a simple black palette, the strength of the collection is as dominant as the uprising that the “Queen of the Iceni” led.

Photo credit: Randy Brooke

Designer: Claiming Moutain View, CA and Centennial, CO as her native cities, Alyssa Prentice gives us her collection for her BFA in Fashion Design.

Inspiration: Geometry

My interpretation: Sleek, calm, cool and collected. Suitable for a no-fuss lady who knows how to look good with fabulously minimalist style. Set to the backdrop of a neutral color palette, the inspiration of geometry certainly shines through with flawless lines and and congruent angles. And P.S. I loved the chunky bangle bracelets.

It has to be good if Rucci noticed her: Alyssa Prentice was one of the two students chosen to be taken under the wing of designer extraordinaire, Ralph Rucci - I can see why.

Overall critique: Who knew that Geometry could be so brilliantly stylish?

Photo credit: Randy Brooke

Designer: Sook-yeoung Kwon from Seoul South Korea. BFA in Fashion and Textile Design.

Inspiration: Young culture and music.

My interpretation: Miss Kwon pretty much hit the nail on the head with this one. Her rebellious B-girl meets “Mad Max” collection certainly defines a techno-grunge youth culture.

M.I.A. would be proud: Dance hall electronica denizen, M.I.A. is the first thing I thought of as soon as the first look stepped out on to the runway. I could totally see her rocking this urban glam mix of straight jacket-like coats, shocking stripes and funky fresh furs.

Overall critique: Urban hipster coolness to the 10th power.

Photo credit: Randy Brooke

Designers: The dynamic duo of Eric Steven Tan representing Jakarta, Indonesia/Singapore (BFA in Menswear Design) and Katrina Noelle Cordiale representing Truckee/Orinda (BFA Textile Design).

Inspiration: Prisoners of war.

My interpretation: It was very “Vagabond in the Hamptons.” The funky play on plaid (which I loved) and the third world jailhouse prints were apparent results from the designers’ inspiration.

He’s a tramp: The mix-matchy patterns worked to the collection’s advantage. They kept it simple, but didn’t go over the top, which gave wearble tramp-chic pieces.

Stop smirking: The model pictured above did his job fairly well - but he needed to stop smirking. He has this “look at me, I’m cute” smirk that never left his face with each look he showcased down the runway. Sometimes, it took the focus off of the garment. At one point, he winked at Ralph Rucci. Tyson Beckford would not be happy about that.

Overall critique: These prints and tailored pieces give “prisoners of war” some stylish flair.

Photo credit: Randy Brooke

Designer: Jesse Wardlow, a Livermore/Petaluma native with a BFA in Fashion Design under her belt.

Inspiration: Sketches and 1960s mod kids.

My interpretation: I don’t really see an obvious translation of mod here, but I trust the designer enough to believe it’s some where in the collection. I was getting the impression of a haystack honey (please note the use of hay twigs) that reads foreign language fashion mags while milking a cow.

The pleated hometown girl: The color palette is springy and fresh with a hometown girl feeling flowing through it’s veins. Each garment had strategic details - pleats, tucks, drapes, folds - all of them gave interesting shapes that were fun and flirty.

Overall critique: A funky romp in the hay for the All-American girl.

Designer: Queena Hsiao-Jung Liu, Tawain native with a BFA in Fashion and Knitwear Design.

Inspiration: Work of Antoni Gaudi and Josep Maria Jujol.

My interpretation: Bohemian style urban knitster style, dipped in rich, yet funky blueberry tones.

Is this too Maude? Sure, some of the garments may be suitable for the androgynous Maude of retro “Nick at Nite” television - but they are constructed with such modern sensibility that they don’t look too retro. They have contemporary style that translates to all type of women.

Overall critique: The boho-chic style makes erases all comparisons to retirement home knitting circle.

Designers: Another collaborative collection from Liina Gruener (BFA Fashion Design) and Marjorie Cox (BFA Textile Design).

Inspiration: Gruener: Fairy tales, “Alice in Wonderland” and Tim Burton. Cox: Magnified lace and sidewalks.

My interpretation: Fairy tales? Check. Alice in Wonderland? Check. Tim Burton? Check. Magnified lace and sidewalks? Check and check. My interpretation of this storybook collection doesn’t stray too far away from the designers’.

Is this too silly? Despite having dresses that resemble a more stylish version of those high-haired ladies from that crazy polygamist compound, no, this collection isn’t too silly. I know that their inspiration is coming from a good place. This is straight up conceptual and avant garde. I don’t think you are supposed to have an uptight approach to these cardboard cut-out garments and ceramic accessories.

Overall critique They were like living dolls out of some warped fantasy land. If they wanted to convey a feeling of Tim Burton, they certainly achieved it.

Photo credit: Randy Brooke

Designers: This was a collaborative collection coming from the brains of Cecilia Rivera Aragon (BFA Menswear Design), Thomas-Ray Eccles (BFA Menswear Design) and Scott McFarland (MFA Knitwear Design). The collection was dedicated to Linus Mendenhall (he designed two of the fabrics in the collection), a designer and instructor at the School of Fashion who passed away last September.

Inspiration: Aragon: Birds of Paradise; Eccles: Ecological consciousness; McFarland: City of San Francisco.

My interpretation: You know all those homoerotic ads in Abercrombie & Fitch where guys are in knitwear and doing things like kayaking and having snowball fights? Well, this collection gives the middle finger to all that.

Child-like wonder: I didn’t exactly see a literal interpretation of all of their inspirations, but whatever - I enjoyed how this collection because it didn’t take itself too seriously. It’s fun tongue-in-cheek stuffed animal designs bring out the kid in me but at the same time, some of it is rock and roll chic - just take a look at the look above.

Overall critique: It may be a bit silly, but if you take a closer look, some of the knitwear is phenomenally funky!

Photo credit: Randy Brooke

Designer: This Turkey native (the country, not the food) is a getting her BFA Fashion Design degree.

Inspiration: Chaos.

My interpreation: At first glance, the the word, “chaos” doesn’t come into mind. The collection was more like organized, high-end chaos. The detailing is where you can find a touch of subtle chaos: tucks, bunches, interesting lines - it’s all wearable. But maybe it’s the dark color palette that gives it a chaotic feel. The dress above almost reminds me of a fabulous mushroom cloud of smoke that has been turned upside down.

Overall critique: If this is how a chaotic world would dress, then I don’t think the world needs to be worried about looking fierce.

Photo credit: Randy Brooke

Designer: A hybrid California native (Los Angeles and Lake Tahoe), Lisa Nicole Harbottle goes for her BFA in Fashion Design.

Inspiration: Feminism versus fetishism.

My interpretation: Sexy shapes suitable for menacing high-power women slinked down the runway and led to some garments that oozed the style of a sophisticated dominatrix.

Is that latex?: There was something really deceiving about this collection. It looked sophisticated and elegant, suitable for a proper lady, but there was this wink-wink, nudge-nudge that made me think these woman had a naughty side - especially the last garment (pictured above). Was that latex? It made me feel unbelievably randy.

Overall critique: A tasteful collection that juggled the concept of feminism and festishism with charm.