UC Davis Women's Cardiovascular Medicine Program
Red Dress Collection 2010

Designer’s statement: The heart and the color red are the themes of this red dress. To me, these are the symbols of power and passion. I designed a red dress for an urban woman and to show her power, health and energy. The heart is the focal point of the dress, and the flower-shaped fabrics illustrate the beauty and health of women.

Designer’s statement: My inspiration is a female gladiator fighting heart disease. I incorporated both medical and fashion aspects by using cheese cloth fabric/gauze for the top bodice and satin for the bottom. Although the red dress is a campaign for heart disease, I sought to incorporate my own style. As a result, I designed a one-shoulder dress. The dress has a slit in the middle because I wanted it to be different from others. In addition, I added a train to make the dress look elegant and powerful.

Designer’s statement: The inspiration for my dress is an anatomical heart. I chose to do this in remembrance of a band instructor from my high school marching band who passed away abruptly from heart failure.

Designer’s statement: Heart disease is the number-one cause of death among women and, of these deaths, African-American women fall victim at higher rates than other races. Through creativity, young women of color can be made aware of this disease and start at a young age to take care of themselves and stay free of heart disease. I want to build awareness among young, African-American women in my own little creative way.

Designer’s statement: I was inspired by red roses, which branched out to an analogy I made about the heart. The heart is like a rose. It is strong, like the thrones on the stem. But can be weak like the petals, if not taken cared of. So when a woman wears this dress, I want here to feel as lovely and strong as a rose. But I do not want her to feel weak -- so take care of the heart, and love life.

Designer’s statement: This dress design comes from my research on Carnaby Street Mod fashion circa 1960-1965 and poppies. I combined this research with a narrative expressing strength and fragility. The dress is a testament to the seemingly fragile elegance that is one of a woman’s many great strengths. The outer dress is made of silk organza, which is sheer but one of nature’s strongest fabrics, with wool poppies felted to it.

Designer’s statement: My design was inspired by stories of women who have heart disease despite practicing healthy habits. The arms are emphasized because they are symbols of strength. Even though the arms are strong, they are still not fully protected by the fabrics. The opening at the top of the sleeves and sheer fabric for the lower sleeves represent those vulnerabilities. I hope this design will remind everyone to not take their health for granted.

Designer’s statement: Encircling the natural curves of a woman, this piece allowed me to trace the genuine beauty of women and recognize their inner strength, which is made possible by the beating of their hearts. To convey the importance of keeping the heart healthy and protected, I used the texture of lace as a symbolic reference to the veins that provide essential blood needed for every beat in life. The buttons are symbols of the risks we take when not considering our heart health, as they may become undone at any time. Along with embracing the natural femininity of women, my inspiration came from a desire to explore new materials.

Designer’s statement: This dress is inspired by a family member who has a type of heart disease called dilated cardiomyopathy. This is a condition where the heart is enlarged and not pumping strongly. Because she has cardiomyopathy, she has fatigue, shortness of breath and poor exercise tolerance. Because her heart is enlarged, she can have abnormal heart rhythms. A cardiac defibrillator inside her chest prevents sudden cardiac death. An implantable cardioverter defibrillator monitors her heart rhythm and provides an electric shock to her heart if her heartbeat becomes dangerously abnormal. These are the reasons why I chose the QRS complex, which displays the heartbeat on an EKG monitor — a symbol of heart rhythm — in the design of this red dress. The ribbon pattern across the chest between the solid red satin below and the mesh chiffon above utilizes the heart rhythm pattern shown on the EKG monitor.