As models draped in delicate wedding dresses with hair drenched in Redken hairspray forage through empty sushi boxes and layers of designer clothing for bobby pins, it appears as though the fashion show is about to begin.
Though three hours remain, the backstage area in Houston Hall's Hall of Flags is in a state of chaos.
Yet, three hours seems minimal when compared to the three months that students have spent working to organize the 12th annual Asian Pacific American Heritage Week fashion show.
Co-chaired by College senior Frances Li and College juniors Ai Vi Nguyen and Yuko Torihara, the show featured 24 rising Asian designers and 38 student models.
Designers included students from Penn, Drexel University and Parsons School of Design in New York, as well as professionals Shin Choi, Samantha Chang and Twinkle, among others.
"This year, we are focusing on promoting people who need to get their names out, not on people who are already established," said Li, who showcased her own original designs.
In addition to publicizing a variety of designers, organizers aimed at displaying an array of clothing types.
"This year, we have a range of clothing, from lingerie and sleepwear, to Speedos and swimwear, to casual wear, street wear, thuggy wear, wedding dresses and cocktail dresses," Li said.
Organizers recruited models through an audition process, College junior and model Saien Lai said.
"We had to walk for them with confidence," she said. "It was really nerve-wracking, because I'd never done something like this before, and they were like, 'Walk,' and I was like, 'What do you mean, walk?'"
But for some models, the nervousness associated with the audition process paled in comparison to wearing some of the clothing in front of an audience.
"We are [all embarrassed to go out in a bathing suit], but since everyone else is doing this and it is for a good cause, there is nothing embarrassing about showing off our heritage," said Johnny Wang, model and Wharton junior.
Wang said that as the culminating event of APAHW, the fashion show provides an entertaining and effective manner of sharing Asian-American heritage.
"Since this is the last APAHW event of the semester, we are trying our best to make a lasting impression on people's minds so they expect better events at next year's APAHW," he said.
Organizers charged $12 per ticket and sold at least 260 tickets, according to APAHW volunteers. Proceeds will benefit AIDS sufferers in the Asian-American community.
Audience member and Wharton junior Tom Elkins said the opportunity to see his friend model and to gain exposure to up-and-coming designers was worth the money.
"I think it is really good," he said. "I'm impressed at the scale of everything -- they went all out."
