What?

• An art competition featuring dresses created from repurposed, upcycled, or recycled materials.

• Inspiration and ideas here

Who?

• High school art students

When?

• Tuesday, October 13th, 2020

Where?

• Stafford County Annex Building, 210 E 3rd Ave, St John, KS 67576

Competition Details

All dresses must be completed in full prior to competition this year. Schools may have as many entries as desired. Dresses must be worn by a live model and will be professionally photographed.

Covid Regulations

Schools will be scheduled for different arrival times to have dresses judged and photographed and will leave as soon as the judging of their dresses is finished. Students/teachers will be required to wear masks, with the exception of models during picture taking and judging. Surfaces and door handles will be sanitized between each school. There will be no hair and makeup this year or any meals/snacks.

Categories

Dresses must be constructed in full prior to the competition this year due to covid restrictions. All dresses will be judged against one another.

• Dresses may be constructed from new, used, or recycled materials that have been repurposed for this competition

• Dresses may be built over an existing dress or freeform directly on the model (wearing appropriate under garments)

Additional Details

• Entries consist of a dress and one student to model each dress. You may have one to four artists working together to create each dress.

• While in the past hair and makeup have been provided for models, courtesy of HCC Cosmetology School, due to covid restrictions, models will need to arrive with their hair and makeup already styled.

• Models will have access to the restrooms to change into their dresses when they arrive to the competition.

Food

• Due to covid restrictions, meals and snacks won’t be provided this year.
  
  

Fine Print

• All dresses must be appropriate. You should be able to wear the dress to prom.

• Judging: By entering this competition, participants agree to waive any right to claim any ambiguity or error in the judge’s decisions, and agree to be bound by all rulings of the judges, whose decisions are final. 

• One adult sponsor should be present for every fifteen students

• Disruptive or destructive behavior will not be tolerated.

Registration

FAQs

Do dresses need to be made in advance?

Yes. All dresses will have to be completely constructed in advance this year, due to covid restrictions.

Are dresses constructed by a single student or a group of students?

This is up to you. Some of the more elaborate dresses may benefit from having more hands assisting, whereas others may work better in smaller numbers. We recommend no more than three students working on each dress; however, four is acceptable.

Can men’s fashion be designed for the competition?

Yes. Men’s and women’s fashion are both allowed. They will compete against each other, not in separate categories, however.

Do dresses have to be created from used materials?

No. Dresses can be created from any kind of repurposed material, whether it is new, used, recycled, etc. Remember, this is not a textiles competition, so please try to stay away from traditional fabrics and sewing so that everyone can enjoy the spirit of the competition.

Can dresses be created on top of existing dresses/clothing?

Yes. Dresses can be constructed on top of existing dresses or designed free form. Again, please change and modify dresses in sticking with the spirit of the competition. We want to see your creative designs, not your original clothing.

Do dresses have to be displayed on a live model?

Yes. All entries must be worn by a live model who will model the dress during judging and professional portraits.

Do models have to be art students?

No. Models can be any high school student, not necessarily an art student. You will need to bring your own models for the competition.

What accessories are allowed for the competition?

You can accessorize with regular heels and jewelry, or you can design/alter them to fit your creation (for instance, students made a dress from popcorn bags and adorned the shoes with actual popcorn and created all of the jewelry from popcorn as well in last year’s competition).

Accessories you may want to consider embellishing/designing include an umbrella, purse, hair pieces, hat, jewelry, shoes, etc. Decking your model’s accessories out with your theme shows additional creativity and attention to detail that judges love.

Our school doesn’t have an art program. Can we still compete?

Yes. Absolutely. We’d love for your students to have the opportunity to participate in this event. As long as they have a sponsor and are registered, you’re good to go.

What do you recommend models wear?

We had models wear spandex volleyball shorts and a well-fitted spaghetti strap that they didn’t mind being covered in duct tape. Just make sure whatever they wear is appropriate as there will be guys and girls present. These garments shouldn’t be visible once the dress is on, however, in the same way that one typically attempts to hide undergarments.

What materials can be used for these dresses?

Check out this Pinterest board for some of our favorites. Anything down this line would be perfect for this competition, or you can always come up with your own idea.

Do you have any helpful tips or recommendations about building the dresses?

Think about curves when creating your style. We spent a lot of time researching newspaper dresses before deciding on the design we wanted to do. The most flattering dresses were those that created/accentuated curves, rather than appearing so straight up and down.

What do we do for lunch?

We will not be serving food this year, due to covid restrictions; however, Tiger Town Pizza will be open if you’d like to order pizza for your students on the way home.

Are models able to get in and out of the dress?

This year that’s going to be a must, since dresses will have to be constructed in advance for models to put on for the judging and pictures, so you may give some thought as to how you’ll make this work.