Project IMA Dresses For Success

If any doubt remained about Indy being home to a bourgeoning fashion community, Project IMA squashed it with a stiletto heel last night. Hundreds of the city’s best-dressed denizens lined up outside the museum’s Toby theater for not one, but two sold-out shows. As with the previous installments of the gala in 2008 and 2010, this year’s event pitted amateur and professional designers against one another, with a panel of judges—not to mention a vocal audience—evaluating their wares on the catwalk. And as with any fashion show, it was a mix of the stylish and outrageous (I’m looking at you, designer of the dress made from what looked like a child’s swimming pool). The three standouts were Greg Dugdale’s colorful nylon party dress, Nikki Blaine’s long brown dress with a high, feathered collar, and Margarita Mileva’s rubber band ensemble. Mileva ultimately took first place. Organized by IMA curatorial assistant Petra Slinkard and inspired by the museum’s current exhibition An American Legacy: Norell, Blass, Halston, and Sprouse, the fashion show served as an excellent reminder to see the upstairs exhibit before it closes Jan. 27.

Photos courtesy IMA