Grosse Pointe South Prepares for Annual Fashion Show

sophomore Ingrid Burton is making a homecoming dress. Next Tuesday she'll strut down the fashion runway to show it off. 

The 16-year-old is one of about 250 students who are participating in the school's annual Mother's Club Fashion Show. The elaborate production is a fundraiser for the club, which in turn uses the money to support three main areas: preservation, enrichment and scholarships, club President Pamela Flom said.

Burton is one of 14 female students from South's fashion and fabrics class constructing their own clothing to display during the show, teacher Taylor Barczk said. Some of the more advanced students design and construct their own pieces while those just entering the program concentrate more on completing an already existing pattern, Barczk said.

There are four levels of the class, she said, noting that she allows the students to select their own projects to heighten their interest and therefore level of learning. "I let the students pick what they want to make because they are highly, highly interested in what they want to create," she said.

The students are graded on this project, which is one of several in the classes. Earlier this year, the students completed a recycling project in which they had to use something that already existed and convert it into some piece of fashion, Barczk said.

One student made a quilt out of high school tee-shirts, she said. 

A variety of other students are participating as well, Flom said, listing off the jazz band, the chamber orchestra, the commercial foods class, the choir, student photographers, the National Honor Society and more than 100 students who will be models walking the runway.

Co-chair Barb Palazzolo really got creative with the theme for this year's fashion show converting The Devil Wears Prada movie to "The Devils Wear ... ," Flom said. It's especially fitting considering the school's mascot, the Blue Devils, Flom said.

The show has been around for as long as the school according to what Flom and others have discovered. She said the Mother's Club, which is a rather traditional name, includes any parents who want to help and often dads are involved. In its early days, Flom said, it was a Mother's Club tea that morphed into a fashion show. 

The students get out of school early and the models have their hair and makeup done before returning to walk the runway, Flom said. The goal is to raise $35,000, she said. 

Annually, the Mother's Club doles out about $56,000. Part of that money is given to the district when the building, which is designated as historic, needs updates. The club pays the difference between what a basic update would cost and the actual cost of restoring without removing or harming the historic nature, Flom said.

Another portion is given to students in the form of scholarships for graduating seniors. Most are given based on need but some merit scholarships are awarded, Flom said.

The last area the club focuses on is in the classroom. Teachers may apply for grants through the Mother's Club to enhance curriculum or pay for a particular project the students wouldn't otherwise be able to do, she said.

The other co-chair, Polly Tech, will be helping morph the gymnasium into a fashion show extravaganza, Flom said. Some decorating will begin Saturday, Tech said, and then continue through Tuesday morning.

"There is a lot of excitement this year," Flom said, noting that more than 60 parents are involved and dozens of local businesses are contributing to the show--from clothing retailers loaning out fashion outfits to salons donating the hairdos. 

More than 400 tickets have already been sold and the group will continue sales all the way until the show begins Tuesday, April 12 at noon. Eight local businesses will have a table set up in a shopping area before ticket holders enter the fashion show, Flom said. There will also be raffle ticket prizes and seats at the runway have already been sold out, she said. 

Tickets are $35 and can be purchased from Vicki Clevenger by calling 313-824-8246. Clevenger is the Mother's Club treasurer.