This article appeared in Newsday on June 28, 2021 written by Rachel Weiss and Chelsea Irizarry

 

When senior prom was approaching, S. Ashton Rosato was hit with inspiration in the form of a cunning, vengeful, and arguably the most fashionable Disney antagonist: Cruella de Vil.

 

Rosato said he had always been fascinated with Cruella, the Dalmation-snatching dame depicted in "One Hundred and One Dalmatians" in 1961. But more recently, the 18-year-old was taken with Emma Stone’s cinematic portrayal of the character in "Cruella," the origin story of the villainess.

 

For two years, Rosato has been taking fashion design and merchandising classes in the Bixhorn Technical Center at Eastern Suffolk BOCES, alongside his studies at Connetquot High School. So for prom, he had a plan: to design his own attire, inspired by Cruella.

"I learned so much and I wanted to be able to take that and use it in real life," he said. "So I decided to make my own dress."

 

His vision was to "do something a little special and a little extra." Rosato had already toyed with this fashion inspiration in the past. One year for Halloween, he created a "gender-bent version" of a Cruella costume, he said.

 

"I want to make a really classy gown using black and white," Rosato said on May 26. Prom was less than a month away, and he had his mock-up done. Soon, he would start sewing. "I’ll throw in some gold and come up with something really nice, with Cruella-inspired hair: half black, half white."

 

 

To achieve this part of the look, Rosato purchased a white wig and dyed half of it black to match Stone’s curly updo in the film. As for the gown, it’s white and floor-length with splashes of black and flecks of gold. Rosato spotted the fabric while sourcing materials in New York City.

 

"I wanted to go for subtle, yet statement," he said.

 

Rosato first fell in love with fashion design in his ninth grade art class. His friend taught him how to draw characters, and Rosato started having fun coming up with outfits for them to wear. Little did he know, that would become his passion and professional pursuit.

 

"I'm so picky when it comes to what I want to wear," Rosato said on June 9. At this point, his gown was coming together. He sewed the fabric mostly by machine; next came the hand-stitching for the lining. Fifteen hours of work had gone into the creation so far, with around 15 to 25 to go before the prom on June 21, he estimated. All of the sewing and stitching took place right in Rosato's home in Ronkonkoma. He turned a space in his dining room into his workshop.

 

"I just knew that if I really wanted to love it, I would have to be the one to create it."

 

In addition to his own dress, Rosato sewed prom attire for two of his friends. For one, he created two-tone pants. One leg features a checkered pattern, with pinstripes on the other side. For his other friend, Taylor Austin, Rosato designed and sewed another gown. This one is purple and decked out in tiny, silver beading and accentuated with red and white flower appliques.

 

 

"I wanted to make my own dress," said Austin, 17. "But then I thought, ‘Why make my own dress when I could have someone extremely talented put my vision into fabric?’ "

 

Austin came up with some ideas for what she wanted her gown to look like, but also asked Rosato to add in his own special touches. With the gown, she sported her own pair of gray and white Converse sneakers.

 

"I’m just really happy he agreed to make my prom dress for me, with my ideas," Austin said.

 

 

On the big night, Rosato posed for pre-prom photos in front of his house, excited to show off his masterpiece, and relieved that it came together. Prom was held at East Wind Long Island in Wading River.

 

Rosato added a sheer black sleeve to one side of the gown and a shimmery gold cape to the other. He walked in a pair of snakeskin high heels, and behind him, a stunning 10-foot train followed. Rosato completed his prom look with a smoky eye, winged eyeliner and black-and-white lipstick.

 

In total, it took Rosato more than 40 hours to sew the gown.

 

 

"I’m hoping to make a huge statement and just pretty much catch everybody’s eye," he said with a warm smile, in contrast to the villainess he was honoring that night.

 

In the fall, Rosato will keep the momentum going as a student at FIT in Manhattan. He hopes to focus on designing evening wear while there.

 

He’s happy that he’s discovered exactly what he wants to do with his life.

 

"When I’m in my zone sewing, I forget the world around me, and I’m happy doing it," Rosato said.

 

 

The Academy Fashion Design students recently traveled to NYC to visit Virgin Fabrics. "The students' objective there was to select, negotiate and purchase fabric that would be appropriate for custom garments they will be creating the patterns for and then sewing,” said Teacher Joyce Simms.

   

Students will model the garments they created at an upcoming fashion show in early April.

A guest speaker from the Academy of Art University in San Francisco recently visited the Fashion Merchandising program at BTC. She discussed the university’s courses of study, showed students a Power Point presentation, answered questions, and helped to get students excited about higher education and next steps for a career in fashion.

 

 

 

The Fashion Merchandising & Design students modeled the garments they designed and created as they walked the runway at the Fran Cook Competition, held at the Clarion Hotel, Ronkonkoma, on May 21, 2018.  Shown below are highlights from the night's event.  We would like to congratulate the Fashion Merchandising & Design Students on their outstanding, unique and creative designs.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Students’ Work Featured at Ooh La La on Main Street

 

 

The Fashion Merchandising Students from the Eastern Long Island Academy of Applied Technology in Bellport recently put their creative expertise to use by designing the window displays at Ooh La La on Main Street in Sayville. The Eastern Long Island Academy of Applied Technology is the Career and Technical Education Program at Eastern Suffolk BOCES.

 

Students visited the boutique, developed their ideas back in the classroom, returned to the store to have the manager review their sketches, and went to work after they received approval. They chose new clothing to spotlight in the window, in addition to accessories and props, and constructed approximately two dozen oversized paper flowers to hang at various lengths to create an overflowing cascade effect. Intricate floral designs were also painted on the inside of the windows. Said Fashion Merchandising Teacher Joyce Sims, “This project provided my students with authentic firsthand experience. They used decor to showcase new items in the store, and inexpensive materials such as paint and tissue paper to make the window design pop and grab the attention of passersby. They worked as a team to bring their ideas to fruition and we’re grateful to Ooh La La for giving them this opportunity.”

Students Create New Designs from Multiple Pieces for America Recycles Day

      

The Fashion Merchandising students at the Long Island Academy helped to bring attention to America Recycles Day on November 15, which was created to raise awareness about recycling and purchasing recycled products. Students worked in partnership with Savers in Holbrook to “upcycle,” or compose innovative fashions by repurposing pieces from many garments found at the store. The Fashion Merchandising class is part of the Eastern Long Island Academy of Applied Technology, the Career and Technical Education Program of Eastern Suffolk BOCES.

      

The class visited the store last month and each student chose a variety of clothing to bring back to the workshop to produce new apparel utilizing pieces from multiple items, demonstrating how ordinary products can be upcycled into something new. Jackets, dresses, and shirts now bear only a vague resemblance to their original form as they sport new textures, materials, and asymmetric shapes. One student covered the bodice of a woman’s  sweater with a half dozen men’s ties, another put a clear vinyl panel on the back of a denim jacket and wrote her name on it in three languages, and a third embellished a leopard print jacket with contrasting zebra print and faux fuchsia fur. Their next-generation designs debuted in the store on November 15 and are available for purchase. Said Joyce Simms, Fashion Merchandising teacher, “My students took a lot away from this assignment. They engaged in project-based learning to refine their sewing and garment construction skills, and also learned the value of looking at clothing to see possibilities that others might not, which in the end, allowed them to bring awareness to America Recycles Day.”

 

      

 

   

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LI Academy Fashion Student to Appear on "Project Runway Junior"

 Career and Tech Ed Program Helps Him Hone His Craft

 

CHRISTOPHER RUSSO COMPETED ON PROJECT RUNWAY JUNIOR

ON THE LIFETIME CHANNEL 

 

 

 

 CONGRATULATIONS CHRISTOPHER RUSSO!