Fashion Finale

Five seniors showcase their work at the annual UH fashion show before graduating into the commercial marketplace

IN FASHION, clarity of vision, execution and a firm grip on the zeitgeist separate the stars from the wannabes. Execution can be bought but the other two are gifts.

'A COMMON THREAD' University of Hawaii at Manoa Apparel Product Design and Merchandising department annual Senior Designer Show: Place: Sheraton Waikiki Molokai Ballroom Time: 11:30 a.m. Sunday Tickets: $35 pre-sale E-mail: uhmfashionshow@gmail.com

Seniors from the University of Hawaii at Manoa will share their vision with the public during the school's annual fashion show, this year entitled "A Common Thread," before going out and testing their mettle in the marketplace.

Here's a look at their inspirations:

Tina Vines: The feminine and sophisticated silhouettes of the 1950s and a love of bright colors and prints inspire her "Tutti Fruitti" collection. She's combined the two elements to create items for the women she sees as "sexy and classy, with a fun and funky twist."

Lisa Xiao: Hailing from four generations of seamstresses, Xiao's travel to exotic places and love of the theater -- her MFA is in theater costumes -- helped her devise the collection "Mademoiselle X." She combines floral prints and textured fabric in classical styles inspired by Southeast Asia's garden teahouses and restaurants.

Jenna Weiss: The designer's inner hedonist led to the philosophy that "the way fabric feels is almost as important as the garment itself." She especially loves the drape and feel of knits in creating versatile outfits that can be dressed up or down for easy modern chic. Her Kauai upbringing also had something to do with the laid-back aesthetic of her line, dubbed "Stretch Appeal."

Dana Kawamura: An illustrator since grade school, Kawamura's interest in drawing ultimately led to anime and manga, through which she explores the use of line and color to depict mood. Her "Princess Line" combines elements of fantasy and Asian design with a touch of asymmetry.

Sandy K. Suzuki: The flowers, greenery and freshness of the spring season fill Suzuki's "Elegance in Spring" collection, as breezy and evocative as the gentle flow of a garment around a woman as she walks, or a flower nodding in a gentle wind. Suzuki, whose earliest fashion experiment was designing a blue-sequined, one-shouldered evening gown for her Barbie doll, continues to create designs intended to heighten a woman's feminine appeal.

Dan Weaver: For Weaver, sewing is part of a continuum of his artistic studies, which started with drawing, painting and poetry. He says he "loves how all types of art can feed off of each other to reach an ultimate form of expression." His line itself is called "Continuum," reflecting the ideal of the womanly 1940s silhouette, with its nipped waistlines and details such as exterior pockets and buttons, while also embracing the modernity of street fashion.