A picture paints a thousand words, and the Central Michigan University apparel merchandise designers of the 16th annual Threads fashion show, showcased plenty more.

On Saturday, the Mount Pleasant Community gathered in Platcha Auditorium to view the artist-inspired designs, as the theme for this year’s show was “Out of the Gallery.”

Prior to the strut, the 18 individual designers, duos, and their models, were packed into two rooms frantically sharing mirrors before taking on the catwalk.

"Being cramped in such a small space is hectic, but fun,” said Fremont senior Kathleen McDonald. “There is a lot of different people and everyone has beautiful garments, so it's nice to see the work in progress."

Each designer showcased his or her latest designs that matched an artist-inspired painting. After months of preparation, Threads provided AMD students with the opportunity to display their collections, and for some, their last.

"This is my last time in threads and I really outdid myself,” said Karla Schulze, a Kalamazoo graduate student. “It was everything I wanted it to be. A good way to go out, with a bang – actually, with a twirl."

Shelby Township junior Janelle McLaughlin took part in her first-ever Threads show by modeling for Shulze in a sea-infused outfit.

"This is my first experience and the adrenaline rush brings out the excitement,” she said. “I like being on stage but it's exhausting. I am a marketing major, so I don't usually deal with this hectic capacity.”

With help from their designers, models endured countless hours of changing, running around, and perfecting their walk as early as Friday morning, more than 36 hours before the event.

"Mostly, I have liked meeting new people and being a part of the production,” said Mattawan junior Kelly Tuls. “There's so much talent and hard work from the designers, it's nice to experience it first hand.”

Organizing and running such an event is not without its own problematic issues that needed on-the-fly response.

In the midst of preparation at the final preproduction run through, a model had an allergic reaction and broke out in hives. She soon found out she was allergic to certain makeup brushes, and needed Benadryl to fight the allergy.

Adding to the list of issues, a few hours before the final show, a designer and model spent minutes sewing a model into a garment because the zipper broke.

Despite garments ripping, model displacement and time crunches, Threads 2014 was a success, as the two-hour show was sold out.

The Collection of the Year award, as well as the Senior Designer of the Year award, were given to Howell senior Kaitlin Slack, offering her an internship position under the famed New York fashion designer, Daniel Vosovic.

Vosovic, a finalist for the second season of Project Runway, made a guest appearance in critiquing the designs and delivered a speech.

He spoke about the importance of communication and networking, as real life experiences will teach you much more than any course ever will.

"I thought the show was fantastic for a lot of the small designers or young designers,” he said. “In my talk to the students (on Friday), I talked about the importance of really utilizing the network around you, right now. Long behold, I graduated from high school in 1999 and those connections are still coming back to make things happen."

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