Tulane Fashion Club, a student fashion organization, has become a truly special part of the Tulane community. Snapshots of stylish student-worn looks flood the TU Fashion Instagram, and the annual fashion show makes campus a little more colorful.
This year’s show took place on Sunday, April 21, in the Kendall Cram Lecture Hall. The show took over a year to plan, and the club is already brainstorming for next year’s show.
Barbara Malamut, executive director, has been a driving force in Tulane Fashion. From a young age, she sketched ideas and reworked her mom’s old clothes. As a junior in high school, she attended fashion school. She joined the Tulane Fashion club as a sophomore and started the shows that year.
“I think the shows are a really great way to get students involved, and one of my favorite aspects is seeing the growth of everyone in the club,” she said. “When I was a sophomore, I trained students who were younger than me, and it’s really rewarding to see many of them now as officers in the club. I love working with my team — they make all the hard work worthwhile. They refer to me as ‘mom’ and come to me with questions and for advice, which I deeply cherish. Having that position of trust and seeing what we’ve grown together is truly my favorite part.”
The theme of this year’s show was “4 Seasons.” The parade down the runway started with spring, symbolizing budding beginnings, life and prosperity and ended with winter, mirroring endings and death.
The designers beautifully mimicked natural life through the seasons. With outfits including “butterfly” in the spring, “Amalfi Coast” in the summer, “cozy crochet” in the fall and “blizzard” in the winter, each look is crafted carefully to emulate these fleeting moments in time.
What makes this show different from a traditional fashion show is the seasonal culture portrayed in it, along with a theatrical component to bring the looks to life. For example, the “apple orchard” look featured a model holding an apple and pretending to eat it.
“Is the end goal to make a pretty outfit or to send a message?” Malamut said. “The message is a lot more important to us than the wearability of the clothes … The looks are just fun and I like that — it’s very Met Gala-esque in that way.”
The music and magical stylistic touches made the “4 Seasons” show a whimsical, colorful experience. Every detail of the looks was intentional. Face gemstones and glitter bedazzled the models’ makeup, and statement jewelry matched outfits. Notably, a bright pink flower choker in the “May flowers” look complemented the pink heels and pops of color throughout the dress.
There were many dazzling accessories across the different looks. The “April showers” look featured an umbrella. The “phoenix fire” look included gold flake face-detailing and orange feathers, and the “hot cocoa” look showcased a fluffy white top hat, along with a matching coat and heels adorned with a feathered plume to mimic marshmallows.
Since the first show in 2021, to the fourth — this year’s show — the Tulane Fashion community has worked hard and continues to bring its A-game. Tulane fashion has continued to grow excitement around their presence, and their fashion show has become an annual tradition that many students look forward to.
“I care about the show, I feel like it’s my baby that we all brought to life,” Malamut said, “and I know my team is already thinking about what they’re doing next year when I graduate and what the theme is going to be … I see all of our hard work in these shows as part of a larger purpose. I want this community to continue growing at Tulane.”
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