Summary by Sara Black

Kay King discussed fashion from a Texas viewpoint, incorporating her experiences in the fashion industry. Kay started her discussion with a parody on the Ten Commandments titled "11 Commandments of Fashion". The 11 commandments were aimed at women from Texas that have more gaudy and flashy style than we are used to on the East Coast. My personal favorite commandment was #5, "spare us thy spare tire."

Kay is a member of the Fashion Group International. She brought us a number of slides that captured the most reoccurring themes of spring/summer 2001. Kay said that to some people it seemed like a season of madness, to others it was a landmark season of renewal, and to almost all it seemed a time to define the new women of the Millennium.

Bullet bras, black and white color palettes, the off-the-shoulder look, uniforms, wrappings, and kimonos were seen over and over for S/S 2001. Leather and suede were being pushed for the first time as spring looks. Images included leather shorts, halters and lightweight jackets. Kay described two of the themes of the season as "the topsy-turvy look" and "sweet young things". Accessories were seen throughout. We saw belts and shoes as outrageous as any of the outfits that were worn on the runway. Kay told us that the accessory industry has grown to a 3.6 billion dollar business in the United States alone.

Not all of these outrageous looks would work in the real world, but Kay had a few predictions as to which ones will make it to the mass market. Black and white is sure to translate. Strong shoulders, shirt dresses, full skirts, wrappings, the short look, leather and suede spring outfits, and "jersey anything" all have good chances of success.

 The rest of the lecture was dedicated to discussion of Kay's experiences. She told us that she agrees with most of what Terri Agins wrote in her book The End of Fashion. She also told us about her travels to other countries and how surprised she was to find out that in many other parts of the world people still wear traditional garb. Kay has designed costumes for amusement parts and even professional cheerleaders. She has her own business and helped to create a curriculum for a college in Houston where she still works today.