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At Largo's Trashy Fashion show, trash is tres chic

In print: Wednesday, April 23, 2008

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ADVERTISEMENT [Atoyia Deans | Times] Jenny Shelby wears a dress designed by Silvy Bataku and made from newspaper bags. It won second place. At Largo Cultural Center’s Trashy Fashion show, Dina Ramos models an outfit she designed. Her frock is made out of banner vinyl. At Largo Cultural Center’s Trashy Fashion show, Dina Ramos models an outfit she designed. Her frock is made out of banner vinyl. Alexandra Tuisku wears a hat she made from compact discs and cardboard. More than 30 designers competed for the title of Trashiest designer and $300 in prize money at the fashion show on Tuesday. Tiffany Price wears a corset made from Coca-Cola boxes. The outfit was designed by Joanne Jaindl.

There was a suit made entirely out of Coca-Cola cans — more than 100 in all. A girl collected gum packets for more than a year and turned them into a bustier. Used mesh bags became gloves, coffee filters became layers of ruffles on a wedding dress and old newspapers were stitched into a purse.

The garments at the first Largo Trashy Fashion show Tuesday were as beautiful as they were creative. The event was held at 7 p.m. at the Largo Cultural Center. More than 30 designers competed for the title of Trashiest designer and $300 in prize money.

The only rule? Each entry had to be made of at least 75 percent recycled material.

The winning designer was Erin Roberts, 23, who crocheted plastic bags into a dress. She said it took her more than a month to create.

Second place went to the Largo High School National Art Honors Society for a frock fashioned from plastic newspaper bags. And third went to Madeline Wilks, 10, a fourth-grader at Ridgecrest Elementary School, for her dress made of dryer sheets.