The 2013 Goodwill Runway Show Re-Design Contest was chock-full of competition, seeing 14 finalists strut their stuff, showcasing original designs made of re-purposed items purchased at Goodwill. The judges had their work cut out for them, but these four style superstars were named best in their respective categories.
Kirsten Keim-Shendge
Birdsboro, PAMen’s Shirt Re-MixDay Job: Marketing Manager at Bellco Federal Credit Union
Q: Describe your design: the pieces you used and how you came up with the idea.
I like the quality of men’s shirts, so that is what attracted me to this category. I picked up two shirts from Goodwill that complemented each other, a stripe and a solid in the same color story. I wasn’t sure what to do with them, but as I was flipping through a magazine I saw a picture of Sarah Jessica Parker.
I thought of her iconic tutu from Sex and the City and thought I would try to create something like that. I had tulle from a bridesmaid dress, so I used that underneath the men’s shirts to create a short, fun skirt.
Q: When did you start design or “re-design?” Tell us about your first piece.
If you go really far back, I started designing dresses for my Barbie dolls as a kid. My mom was a quilter, so she always had fabric around. The first dress I made for my Barbie was cut from a brown polyester ‘70s patterned fabric that my mom was planning to use to make a handbag. I guess that was the start of me being crafty.
Q: What inspires your designs and your personal fashion?
My personal fashion is more classic, like Ann Taylor, but I also like to find treasures from Goodwill. I think about half of my wardrobe consists of interesting or designer pieces I have picked up while shopping there. I get design inspiration from magazines, and I also do my own sketches when I am trying to come up with ideas to make jewelry or for the Re-Design Contest. Outside of that, I don’t have a lot of time to do design other than some jewelry and my kids’ Halloween costumes.
Q: What are your future design plans?
I love the Runway Show and the Re-Design contest, so I definitely plan to enter again!
Q: If you didn't have any time or money constraints, what would be your design or re-design “dream project?”
I would design high-end dresses, like for designer runway shows or the red carpet. I would love to use interesting fabrics that may look pretty normal from a distance but up close have such detail that it is unexpected. I love beaded dresses, with intricate patterns that make each dress totally unique.
Suzannah Melhourn
Sinking Spring, PASocial Media FavoriteDay Job: Full-time Stay-at-Home MomDay Job: Marketing Manager at Bellco Federal Credit Union
Q: Describe your design: the pieces you used and how you came up with the idea.
I decided to make a dress for my older daughter, so I thought about what the popular styles in children’s clothes were at the time. I considered how I could take a stylish look and change it up a bit. I knew I wanted to do the Men’s Shirt Remix, because I knew I could come up with something using men’s shirts. Once I had a design in mind, I picked out some shirts and played around with placing the patterns.
Q: When did you start design or “re-design?” Tell us about your first piece.
About 10 years ago I started doing costume design for the local theater. We would purchase items from Goodwill and re-design them into period costumes. My first design for theater was a dress for the play The Three Musketeers. This contest was the first time I designed something for personal use.
Q: What inspires your designs and your personal fashion?
It’s a combination of what I see around me that is attractive and what looks good on me. The theater design is more for the art. My personal design is not avant garde or anything; I wear more classic pieces that I can get a lot of wear out of, nothing too fashion-forward.
Q: What are your future design plans?
I had a lot of fun with the Re-Design Contest and I would love to do it again next year. I also hope to do more work with the theater in the future.
Q: If you didn't have any time or money constraints, what would be your design or re-design “dream project?”
I would love to open a costume shop. For theater costumes, but also for people who are looking for custom designs to fit them. A lot of people want costumes of characters from movies or TV but don’t know how to make them. I don’t just do a design, but I make sure it is a design that is catered to the fit of the person who will be wearing it; sometimes it needs to be changed a little bit in order to make it look best on that individual.
Yvonne Monaghan
Mechanicsburg, PAAccessories Re-Design WinnerDay Job: Interior Designer
Q: Describe your design: the pieces you used and how you came up with the idea.
I saw a beautiful pair of shoes in Goodwill; they were in immaculate condition. They had three different panels, and I had seen a design in a magazine with paneling and thought it was a good idea. I had some pieces of fabric that I used to cover each of the panels, and I added the jewel to the top and that was it.
Q: When did you start design or “re-design?”Tell us about your first piece.
Well, I half-way did a sweater once, but I never actually wore it so I guess that doesn’t count. I designed a jacket that I cut up and then re-designed with a flower appliqué that I made out of lace fabric. That one I have actually worn, so I guess that would be the first one that would count. I have received compliments every time I have worn it.
Q: What inspires your designs and your personal fashion?
I love beautiful things, something that is beautiful and just strikes me when I see it. In fashion, I like things that are unique but not bizarre, if that makes any sense. I want it to stand out, but not be totally bizarre. I like things that have a vintage feel, but are modern. I wouldn’t wear a Victorian dress or anything, but I like that as inspiration – lace and vintage fabrics.
Q: What are your future design plans?
I plan to open my own design store in the future. I am an interior designer, so it would be more of a home-based store, but I would like to include fashion and jewelry in it, too.
Q: If you didn't have any time or money constraints, what would be your design or re-design “dream project?”
A wedding dress. I would love to do a wedding dress. Or a sofa, but that would be too big of a project. I don’t think I could do that.
Susan Golembiski
Reading, PAAvant GardeDay Job: Fashion Designer & Adjunct Professor at Albright College
Q: Describe your design: the pieces you used and how you came up with the idea.
I knew I wanted to make a gown of some kind. I decided to use denim because you would never expect to see denim in a wedding gown. I used 20 pairs of jeans from Goodwill to create the mermaid skirt and added lace embellishment. I topped it off with a neck cuff, to make it really stand out.
Q: When did you start design or “re-design?” Tell us about your first piece.
I started sewing at age 11. I made a pair of patchwork overalls with an apple appliqué on the front.
Q: What inspires your designs and your personal fashion?
I am inspired by decades past; I like to take the best from each decade and call it a classic.
Q: What are your future design plans?
I’ve started my own custom bridal line, working out of my GoggleWorks Studio. I would like for the women of Reading to see that they can be different and can have a gown that they love made exactly how they want it and within their budget, rather than running right to a bridal shop to buy a dress that hundreds of other brides will wear that year.
Q: If you didn't have any time or money constraints, what would be your design or re-design “dream project?”
I would like to do something like Natalie Chanin did in her hometown in Alabama. She was a designer in New York who decided she needed skilled workers to make her one-of-a-kind designs. So she moved back to the town where she grew up, where a lot of women who had worked in the old textile mills were out of work. She hired them and with their skill and her design she has made Alabama Chanin, a high-end, internationally known brand. I would love to do that in Reading, to create something that could have such a high impact on our town.
BY AMANDA ACUNA | PHOTOS BY TANIA COLAMARINO, AMA PHOTOGRAPHY
