Sun Feb 12 2012
Kent State University faculty and students will play a central role in the inauguration of Gov. Ted Strickland, designing and accessorizing outfits for Frances Strickland to wear at the inaugural ceremonies.
Faculty from KSU's School of Fashion Design and Merchandising will dress Ohio's first lady in a suit and an inaugural ball gown. A faculty member and students from the School of Art created a hand-woven shawl that coordinates with the gown.
"Mrs. Strickland chose the designs with the state of Ohio in mind and wanted to keep this project in the state to help designers in Ohio," says Linda Ohrn-McDaniel, co-designer of the suit and inaugural gown, and assistant professor in Kent State's Fashion School.
Ohrn-McDaniel and Sherry Schofield-Tomschin, associate fashion professor, were contacted in December to design the suit and the gown.
"Mrs. Strickland decided that she needed a gown and suit for the inauguration ceremonies and knew that getting something special and unique was important," says Schofield-Tomschin. "Her requests were minimal. She wanted a fairly traditional suit and a gown in a purple shade."
The two designers collaborated on the design, creating and submitting sketches and a half-size prototype for Strickland to choose the styles she most liked.
After meeting with Strickland for her initial fitting, the designers tweaked their original concepts and started work on a cobalt blue, wool satin gabardine suit and a gown in a dusty amethyst silk crepe material.
The gown features Swavorski crystals and liquid crystal-based sequins donated by Kent-based, AlphaMicron Inc., a company specializing in liquid crystal applications that has strong ties with the university's Liquid Crystal Institute.
An especially unique "pattern" of embroidery on the gown, not being revealed until the evening of the inaugural ball, places the amount of design work poured into the piece at an estimated 300 hours.
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