“The great thing about fashion shows is that just about anything goes,” said senior Nattie Larson as she added the finishing touches to her hair and makeup before Ames High School’s annual fashion show on Thursday, February 28th. That statement soon proved true as models walked the runway wearing outfits made out of wrappers from pop bottles, playing cards, ties, and even duct tape. Painted banners and doors lining the stage along with a mix of funky music created the perfect setting for a fierce show. “It had an 80’s underground atmosphere this year,” said Larson, who enjoyed dancing behind the curtains with the rest of the models and fashion designers as they waited to go down the runway. The Ames High School fashion show helps students to show what they love to do: design and make clothes. “It really gives students a platform to be creative and show off their talents,” said Larson. Many students alter old clothes they have to give them a completely new look, while others go for a bit of a bigger challenge by making their clothes completely from scratch. Seniors Elena Nieves-Doyle and Laura King were in charge of coordinating the show this year. Both have participated in the show in previous years, which prepared them well. “In my opinion, this year was the best out of the four years I have been involved. During the week before the show, we had two rehearsals so the models could practice their walks, which really helped. I think everyone really enjoyed it,” Nieves-Doyle said. The two seniors spent the whole month of February preparing for the show. They repainted banners and props, mixed music, held meetings and rehearsals, and still found time to create their own stylish fashions for the show. The two made a few last minute changes to the walk this year, which helped the show stand out among previous years. “We had models dance in the back instead of pose. It made everyone more energized and they got into the whole thing a lot more,” Nieves-Doyle said. Their hard work seemed to pay off this year, setting high standards for next year. Many of the designers agreed that one can never start his or her designs too soon because they take a lot of time — and one never knows when things could go wrong. With this in mind, it’s high time to get out your needle and thread and begin your designs for next year.