It's 6 p.m. Friday before the Synergy fashion show. Room 305 in Alison Hall West is a pool of designers and models preparing themselves for the daunting task of a dress rehearsal. The room is a mosaic of garments, dress forms, ironing boards and frenzied fashion students. Without a defining outfit on, it might be hard to distinguish senior designer Brenda Greene from the crowd.
Clad in a vintage purple T-shirt with a picture of Brenda Walsh from "Beverly Hills, 90210" on the front, slim, green cargo pants and green flip-flops, Greene playfully mocks herself - even if she doesn't mean to.
Tall and thin, the 22-year-old has the frame of a figure skater and the lean muscles of a runner, which is fitting because she qualifies as both. Along with being a graduating apparel design major, Greene is part of both the university's track and figure skating teams, which doesn't leave her with a lot of free time.
"I would rather do a lot of stuff because when I have free time I just get bored anyway," she says.
Greene's everyday life is a seemingly rigorous schedule of practices and projects, but she describes it with ease, as if playing two college sports with a full schedule of classes is completely normal.
"People always ask me how I do it and I really don't know,"she says. "I feel like when I'm busy, I'm more productive. During the summer, I'll plan on doing some projects and since I'm not as busy, I'll end up putting it off."
As the treasurer of Synergy, Greene is in charge of selling tickets and arranging the show's music.
As the dress rehearsal comes together, she calmly takes her place at the end of the impromptu runway, queuing models and designers until it is time for her to dress her own models who strut down the hallway to the Bodyrockers' song, "I Like the Way You Move." The designers deal with missing models and musical malfunctions, but Greene handles it like a seasoned pro.
Originally from Hanover, Mass., Greene discovered her interest in fashion from her interest in figure skating.
"I used to doodle and design my own skating dresses and then we took my designs to a woman who would take my designs and make them," she says. "It was cool to see my design actually made."
Greene says she is drawn to elaborate, colorful designs. Her attention to detail is apparent in the collection she chose for the fashion show.
The garments are from a project she did in class that focused on sustainability and transformation. Each piece can be converted into something else with the simple removal of button-on panels.
The collection utilizes two fabrics - a cream colored, textured blend and a pink, printed sheer silk. Greene's designs incorporate unusual lines with innovative color schemes and each piece is handmade. She even hand-braided every button loop using pulled thread from the sheer silk.
"I love really intricate designs and I get mad at myself because I think, 'What did I get myself into' when I design things," she says. "It is a lot of extra work but I like how it turns out in the end."
It is the extra attention to detail in tasks like embroidery that set Greene's designs apart from her classmates'. But, in tune with the rest of her life, she is up for the extra work.
"I like the extra challenge," she says. "If I didn't challenge myself I'd feel like I was copping out."
Some of Greene's favorite things to design are formal dresses, performance or active wear and figure skating outfits - representing her three passions. She also loves bright colors.
"When I go to a dance or something I refuse to wear black because I know everyone else is going to be wearing it," she says.
After graduation, Greene says she doesn't have any solid plans. In fact, her career choices are as varied as her lifestyle. Greene has applied for both Disney on Ice and as a designer for Free People, a brand of Urban Outfitters Inc.
She says she wants to do Disney on Ice for a year or so before she works in design.
When asked if she had to choose skating, running or designing for the rest of her life, she struggles with picking just one before settling on fashion.
"I'd do fashion because that's what I can make a career out of. But, you can't really take running away from me unless I lose a leg or something," Greene says.
"I like doing different things," she says. "I guess it's just my personality."
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