Mid-semester crunch: AMID students test their creativity
Earlier this semester, Live at IU introduced readers to James DiMartino and Cheri' McDowell, seniors in the department of Apparel Merchandising and Interior Design whose careers are about to take off. (Click here for article: http://newsinfo.iu.edu/web/page/normal/6474.html). We checked in with them mid-semester to see how they are progressing on some of their toughest assignments yet: designing a restaurant and clothing items that meet the strictest professional standards.
Cheri McDowell is designing a restaurant for the "Mass Ave" neighborhood in Indianapolis.
Cheri' McDowell's "Luxe Kitchen"
Students in McDowell's Comprehensive Design class were given an assignment to design a restaurant for Indianapolis's "Mass Ave" that seats 100 and offers a casual yet sophisticated experience in keeping with the neighborhood's artistic vibe. From the entry to the bar, from the seating area to the restrooms, from the kitchen to the fire exits to the manager's office, every element needed functionality, flow and memorable style elements to create a unique ambiance.
McDowell's take on the project exemplifies her "vintagey modern" style. Dark wood and cream-colored walls contrast with vibrant purple on the chairs' upholstery. Live grass grows from two half-walls in the dining area, while a crystal chandelier dangles above the entry. Clean lines dominate the furniture and structural walls, but a damask print on the booths and above the bar adds an element of Byzantine grandeur. Even the name she chose for the restaurant -- Luxe Kitchen -- blends the ornate with the practical, demonstrating her commitment to a balance of old-world and new-world sensibilities.
The style elements only reflect the surface of the design, however. In a restaurant, efficiency is of primary importance, McDowell said. Leaving servers room to enter and exit the kitchen and reach the bar and dining areas without colliding, backing up the dishwashing areas to the bathrooms in order to share plumbing, and spacing the fire exits to allow for traffic control in the event of an emergency were among her primary considerations.
Controlling acoustics is another challenge in a restaurant environment. She said, "You want the customers to be able to hear the other people at their table but not the restrooms or the kitchen or a conversation across the room."
McDowell also chose fabrics, paints and structural components to enable certification through Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, a rating system that supports "green" or sustainable buildings.
"Sustainability is just now becoming a bigger consideration for designers," she said. Working in an environmentally conscious mode will serve her well as she seeks out her first professional position.
Live at IU will check in with McDowell at the end of the semester to see what's in store for her spring internship in Indianapolis.
DiMartino. James DiMartino.
James Bond is the inspiration for DiMartino's emerging clothing line, for which he needs to create 15 ensembles as part of his Individualized Major in Fashion Design. Global glamour and streamlined sophistication are central themes in his ensembles, with rich detailing and a sleek fit as staple elements of his designs. Live at IU caught up with DiMartino during fittings for two of the pieces he'll debut at the end of the semester.
IU student James DiMartino works on a James Bond inspired dress he is designing for his Individualized Major in Fashion Design.
"The design can really change during the fitting," he explained while pinning a mandarin collar onto a dress worn by his friend and model Ann Buck. No matter how much time a designer puts into conceiving of a garment, he says, "You never really know if it's going to work until you get it on the person."
For Buck's dress, DiMartino asked a friend who was visiting China to bring him back several samples of silk. He chose a red silk with gold brocade, and will add gold piping and frog closures that he intends to make by hand. He estimates spending about 30 hours of hands-on work on the dress.
The Asian-inspired dress clearly evokes the globetrotting allure of the 007 films, but even international espionage requires practical basics like a sturdy pair of shorts. For these, DiMartino has drawn on his roommate Jon Coombs to model in his final fashion show. Shorts require all the same tailoring as pants, DiMartino says, with finishing touches at the fly and waistband requiring a great deal of time and finesse. The shorts are the first item of menswear that he has fitted to someone other than himself, he said.
We'll check in with DiMartino at the end of the semester to see some of the finished pieces, and find out how his first experiment in selling his original designs -- a line of T-shirts with multicolor graphics -- is being received in Bloomington.
Indiana University's Department of Apparel Merchandising and Interior Design (http://www.indiana.edu/~amid) is a multidisciplinary academic environment within the university's College of Arts and Sciences that helps motivated students shape their futures in retail and design fields. The department's educational programs offer a blend of academic theory combined with practical knowledge and skill-building techniques to encourage critical, independent thinking by students and prepare graduates to be leaders in their chosen fields. AMID enrolled more than 460 undergraduate majors in the fall 2007 semester.
