In 2003 the Lawrence Journal World published an article from the Miami Herald about high school students creating a fashion show out of “Publix” brown bags. This article reached the eyes of former art teacher Carolyn Berry.

According to photography teacher, Marsha Poholsky, Berry started Free State’s Brown Bag Fashion Show for her AP 2-D Design class. After a few years of the event being exclusive to Berry’s AP class, the Brown Bag Fashion Show spread to all advanced art classes.

Over a decade later the Brown Bag Fashion Show remains a staple in the arts department. Students from art mediums like photography and drawing take part in the show. This year the theme of the show was Mythology.

I was given the opportunity to model for junior advanced photography student Isabelle Krones in this year’s Brown Bag Fashion Show. All of the art students-turned-designers took plain brown bags and turned them into a collection that was almost unrecognizable.

Being a model, I thought it would be a rather easy since I was not the one turning a bag into a work of art. I was actually very wrong. Wearing someone’s month-long project is very nerve wracking and the fear of ripping my dress apart actually haunted my dreams.

That being said, I kept track of my satirical train of thought throughout the morning of the show, and decided to share.

6:30– I wake up to the full volume, death-grip sound of my morning alarm. Although, the noise makes me want to rip off my face, I refrain, because beauty is calling me.

6:45– After using my acne fighting face wash and brushing my pearly-whites I mosey on over to my dresser chalked full of expensive makeup to enhance features.

7:00– Since, I am a mermaid, it’s essential to unlock my inner Project Runway and go for the dewy, highlighted, underwater elegance.

7:15– Because my skin is virtually perfect, it doesn’t take a lot of makeup to look actually perfect, so I hit the road.

7:25– Most people would go to Starbuck’s before a big show, but as a model, my body is a temple and Starbuck’s doesn’t have anything sacred, so I get green juice in the morning.

7:40– When I was 13 I was scouted for some Kansas City modeling agency that wanted me to do Walgreen ads, so I know a thing or two about modeling: always be early, which is exactly what I was.

7:45– By this time I’m standing in my dressing room in my proper undergarments, as my designer, junior Isabelle Krones, staples me into my outfit. I’m only 17, so I’m not eligible for Project Runway yet, but I imagine that when I do make the show, there will be challenges just like this.

8:15– I’m finally stapled into my dress and begin walking the hallway to get to the start of the runway. I was required to walk up a flight of stairs, which could have been detrimental to my brown bag dress, but I’m pretty much a pro, so it was fine.

8:30– The show begins and I can feel the lights and the cameras more and more as I get closer to the stage.

8:40– I finally take the runway and officially return to modeling after a nearly four year hiatus.

8:50– My revival show has ended and my time as a mermaid has ended. There are bagels without cream cheese that I can indulge in now, knowing that it will be significantly harder to rip denim in comparison to paper.

See more Brown Bag Fashion show outfits here:

Gallery • 8 Photos

Ali Dodd