The flip side of Durango’s reputation as the low-fashion capital of the world was on display Thursday at Durango High School, where students modeled tuxedos and prom dresses for the big night April 5.
Their smart, trendy apparel contrasted with the perception of outsiders that a clean shirt and blue jeans without a hole in the knee are acceptable as night-out garb in Durango.
Ten girls and five boys, to the applause of peers and parents, sashayed down a fashion runway set up in the school’s commons area.
“This is the first year for our club,” said president Jennifer Welbourn, a senior planning a career in fashion design and merchandising.
She did commentary – and some ad-lib comments – on the style worn by the models as they made their way in pairs down and back on the runway.
“She’s been real interested in clothes and style for a long time,” said mom Melody Welbourn. “Probably since age 4.”
The Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising Club on campus is named for the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising, a for-profit college in Los Angeles, that offers courses in fashion, interior and graphic design, beauty and entertainment.
“Jennifer came up with the idea of forming the club,” said Kurt Zeiner, the DHS faculty adviser. “We’re only 4 months old.”
Club members spent two to three weeks planning the fashion show, Zeiner said. They set up the runways Wednesday after school, he said.
Zeiner said he knows nothing about fashion, but his interest stems from getting scholarship money for students interested in a career in fashion design.
“These club members are passionate about the industry,” Zeiner said. “What motivates me is that I can match students with scholarship money.”
A number of Durango High School graduates are at the FIDM now, Zeiner said.
Zeiner teaches economics and college planning at DHS.
Occasions, Hair Fusion and Sixth Street Hair Salon, provided the prom dresses and tuxedos and hairstyling for the models.
daler@durangoherald.com
