On Saturday, October 5, friends of the FIDM Museum gathered at Fashion Island for a gala evening to benefit the FIDM Museum & Galleries and The Helen Larson Historic Fashion Collection Acquisition
Campaign. The grand finale of Style Week OC, this event was organized by the FIDM Museum Fashion Council, and attended by over 300 people. On arrival, guests were greeted by strolling violinists and an array of refreshing beverages. Two fashion shows, the Cadillac Couture Design Competition and the 2013 DEBUT Runway
Show, showcased the creativity of FIDM’s fashion design students. At the after party, hosted by Cadillac, guests enjoyed a martini bar and the stylish sounds of a jazz band.

Attendees competed for the opportunity to adopt objects from The Helen Larson Historic Fashion Collection. Four pairs of elegant 1920s evening shoes were adopted via auction, while the opportunity to adopt a hat worn by Queen Victoria was decided by raffle. These objects will remain at the FIDM Museum, but the name of the adopters will be published each time these historic objects are exhibited.

Thanks to each and every guest who attended the FABULOUS! Soirée! It was truly a fabulous and successful evening. Fashion Council is already hard at work planning next year’s event schedule; look forward to many more wonderful events hosted by this talented group. We’ll keep you up to date via our blog, so stay tuned for more information! In the meantime, enjoy these images from the FABULOUS! Soirée.

A festive atmosphere greeted guests.

The open-air runway at Fashion Island.

Cadillac Couture Designs by FIDM Advanced Fashion Design students. Cadillac challenged students to create evening gowns inspired by Cadillac car designs. Designs incorporate actual Cadillac car parts, and the silhouette of each dress echos the shape and line of a specific car.

Designers (L to R) Ericka Corona, Matt Kim, Blake Patterson, Judith Larrea, Mohamed Salaheldin with models wearing their Cadillac Couture Designs.

Blake Patterson was awarded 1st Place in the Cadillac Couture Design Competition. The award was accompanied by a check for $2,000.

Mohamed Salaheldin was voted the Cadillac Couture Design Competition Fan Favorite on Fashion Island’s Facebook page. He was awarded $500.

Design by Bradon McDonald, FIDM 2013 Debut Designer and Project Runway Finalist.

Design by Bradon McDonald, FIDM 2013 Debut Designer and Project Runway Finalist.

L to R: Octavius Terry (FIDM Debut Designer) and Bradon McDonald (FIDM Debut Designer and Project Runway Finalist).

L to R: Mona Lee Nesseth (Fashion Council Publicity Co-Chair), Mima Ransom (Fashion Council Chair), Barbara Bundy (FIDM Vice President and Director of the FIDM Museum), Karyn Shelly (Fashion Council Sponsorship Co-Chair), Kevin Jones (FIDM Museum Curator).

Olga Medvedeva (Fashion Council)

Cadillac Couture Design Competition models mug for the camera.

All images by Brandon Clark/ABImages.