Students Cap Off Fashion Week

Although the shows of New York Fashion Week ended more than a month ago, Harvard students had the opportunity to try out runway-ready looks at Eleganza’s Rent the Runway Trunk Show on Saturday afternoon.

The event, held in the Adams Upper Common Room, was the final event in Harvard’s first ever Fashion Week. This was the second year that Eleganza hosted the trunk show in conjunction with Rent the Runway. Rent The Runway is an online service created by two Harvard Business School alumni that applies the Netflix model to the fashion industry, offering short-term rentals of designer dresses to customers at a fraction of the retail price.

“It’s a great way to look fabulous without cluttering your closet,” said Schuyler L. Polk ’14, a producer of Eleganza 2012.

Saturday’s trunk show featured a rack of Rent the Runway dresses in various styles, colors, and sizes, which attendees were encouraged to try on.

Eleganza members were on hand to offer advice, guide coordinating decisions, and explain how the online service works.

Eleganza provided laptops at the event, enabling students who had found the perfect dress to begin the rental process, sign up for the website, or simply browse other gown options.

The event capped off Harvard’s inaugural Fashion Week, which featured a slew of events put on by a variety of fashion-oriented student groups.

At the kick-off event held on Wednesday in Harvard Hall, Identities screened “The September Issue,” a documentary following Vogue Editor-in-Chief Anna Wintour as the magazine produced its 2007 fall fashion issue. The Vestis Council held their blog relaunch party on Thursday night, and the South Asian Association hosted Andaaz: A South Asian Fashion Show on Friday.

Organizers of Saturday’s trunk show said they were hopeful that Fashion Week would return in future years.

“I hope that it sticks around and evolves into more of a tradition,” said Polk. “Next year, maybe we could have a career fashion panel or another fashion show.”