The creation that is getting fashion designer Teresa Evans some recent attention is a dress she would never wear herself.
Because it is made out of candy wrappers.
Evans, a Buffalo Grove native and Columbia College graduate, is one of five participants in the Unconventional Candy Wrapper Dress Competition at Candyality in Chicago’s Water Tower Place. Her final product — an A-line silhouette dress made of red Clark Bar wrappers sewn to a basic fabric undergarment —went on display at the store on Nov. 18, and will remain up until Dec. 31. The other competitors hail from Pennsylvania, Texas and North Carolina; whoever gathers the most votes during the in-store competition wins $500.
After sketching a new, A-line look, Evans taped, sewed and stitched her work together. She said someone could wear it, for a while at least. But it is getting her plenty of attention.
“I did it just for fun, but now they keep emailing me about people wanting to interview me.”
Q: What got you into fashion?
A: From when I was a very young girl, I was very into art, and being creative. I would paint, I would make drawings. I was an ice skater for a time, and my favorite part was getting my new costume. At 15, I just started sketching out clothes. I would show them to my grandmother, like “This is what I want.” She would say “You know, you can help me make it.” I just couldn’t picture myself doing anything else.
Q: Little bits of plastic wrapper are not what anyone makes clothes out of. How did you put this together?
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A: It was definitely a little frustrating at times. I’d mark certain points on the dress form, and then put it on a flat surface, and then connect the dots. I sewed a basic fabric undergarment to form a dress. I pinned all these different wrappers in the way I wanted them to be. The wrappers on the top of my dress are only being held by a few stitches. I was running out of time, honestly, by the time I got to the bottom, so after sewing the top layer on, I just taped the rest to the skirt, and then I sewed and attached the skirt.
Q: What does a fashion student wear herself? Who’s making good stuff these days?
A: Oh, my…I don’t even own anything by any of these people. Celine is one. Michael Kors. Chanel, obviously. I’m a big fan of the classics, but I like the smaller labels, too. Rag & Bone. And, Express, even though it’s a chain. It’s a great place to get basic stuff you need.
Twitter: @RonnieAtPioneer