virginia museum of fine arts "teen Stylin' program"
The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts annually hosts a "Teen Stylin" program where middle and high school students compete in a fashion show. Their designs are based on artwork that is displayed in the museum and must also incorporate the fashion show's theme. Lauryn took part in the 2019 and the 2021 Teen Stylin fashion shows.
This garment was inspired by the sculpture Buddha's Hand, and the theme for the 2019 show was Adornment. Lauryn made sure to capture the garments elegant stature in the simple, flowy dress the breezed through the runway. She made Buddha's hands come off of the model's shoulders to represent Buddha's godly hands reaching towards the sky, and sprinkled some of his otherworldly being as rhinestones throughout the dress. She upscaled a pair of gloves to make the look classy and graceful.
Inspired my french fashion, Eileen Gray's Screen, and the 2021 theme Tempo, Lauryn created a ball gown made out of bubble wrap, paper-maché, newspaper, duct tape, and wire. This was Lauryn's first time making a garment that consisted of unconventional materials, and she learned greatly through trial and error. With duct tape, she was able to create a bodice and then overlaid it with paper maché to make the outermost layer of the dress smooth. She made bows out of ribbon to go on the hips and for shoulder straps. She made a necklace that had her dream clothing company EMPRESS on it, ornamented with pearls and diamond beads. Lauryn had an amazing time being a part of Virginia Museum of Fine Arts' "Teen Stylin" program and has learned so much from her experiences.
