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MATTHEW TERRY'S DESIGN MAKES IT TO NEW YORK RUNWAY
By Jona Ison
"That's a great sweater," Matthew Terry says, impersonating Rodney Dangerfield in Caddyshack. "You get a bowl of soup with that sweater? But it looks good on you. No offense." As a senior fashion design major and as an artist in residence in the Verder Hall Studio, Terry has many opinions on fashion. He even constructed a bulletin board titled "The World of Fashion as Determined by Matt - a.k.a. Matt's opinion is all that matters to him and him alone! But, hey! You're reading this anyway." In March, Terry returned from New York, where he created a polar fleece outfit with designer Sylvia Heisel for the master apprentice program. In August, he won a scholarship after re-designing his senior line in one day based on a mere swatch of fabric. Terry admits his tastes are extravagant - he has an affinity for cashmere. His friends and instructors regard him as one of the most promising designers in his class. On his board, "World of Fashion," terry praises designer Yohji Yamamoto as the most modern designer of the decade because he combines Japanese design aesthetic and Christian Dior's style. He says Yamamoto's designs reflect what people will be wearing in the new millennium. He doesn't think so highly of Gucci's hippie designs for this year. "Hippie equals bad," Terry says. "Here's the equation: One ugly, boring Kmart top that even a Gucci tag wouldn't make a fashion basic. Plus one pair of holey, ill-fitting jeans with embroidery (did I mention these were also ugly? Hey, consistency!). Plus one pair of beaded shoes, which are admittedly rather cute, equals one absolutely unwearable outfit. Where are the black, sexy clothes we all drooled over last season?" Terry works among a clutter of markers, pens and marker paper at his drafting table in the Verder studio. The Violent Femmes sing in the background as he draws a line consisting of at least three garments that are cohesive in design elements and construction. One of his figures has "Frieda" written above her.
"Oh, she's a woman artist," Terry says, turning to his bookshelf to grab a book titled "National Gallery of Art." He flips through to find an example of her work, then returns to his own designs. Two other tables encompass his corner of space by the door. The tables hold knitting supplies, magazines, sketch books, a sewing machine, a serger and empty cups from the Prentice Hall Cafeteria. Under the tables are boxes of patterns and fabrics Terry says he likes, but really has no use for. There is also a paint pan, brush and roller left over from last semester when he painted the register in his room proud parrot (a fluorescent green). His area walls contain various fashion ads, a napkin that reads, "Hungry? Fashion-conscious? Mmm… fashion student good," and a poster of the pop band Hanson. Terry says he loves Hanson like he loves having his stomach pumped. "Yeah, my girls put it there, and I left it because they were so amused," Terry referring to the fashion students he advises in the studio.
Terry doesn't mind begin only one of two men in the senior fashion class. "It doesn't matter if you're male or female, as long as you prove yourself and your dedication," he says. "I love fashion, so that's what I want to do." He made a conscious decision to pursue fashion his sophomore year because he enjoys being creative, and fashion provides an outlet for this creativity. "He goes for expensive looks," says Tiffany Merritt, senior fashion design major. "It can't be mistaken for something at Dots." Josie Gleason, one of "Matt's girls" and a sophomore, says she enjoys spending time with him. She recalls a time they went shopping at Off 5th Saks Fitfth Avenue in the Aurora Premium Outlets. "He convinced me to buy a pair of shoes I didn't need," Gleason says laughing. "Because he couldn't buy them. He's crazy and funny. He's a goofy guy."
CASHMERE FIXIATIONS Terry walks into the studio waving a bag from Off 5th, and another $189 on his nearly maxed out Master Card. "I have cashmere sweatpants," he says proudly. "And a new cashmere sweater." In August, he applied for a scholarship for beaded fabric worth $400 a yard. The stipulation was that he had one day to re-design his senior line based on a swatch of the fabric. His designs were chosen, along with those of another student. "He did a really good job using that fabric," says Melanie Carrico, assistant professor of fashion design and merchandising, who oversees the construction of the senior lines. "He did some sportswear pieces, like skirts and tanks, instead of all evening gowns. Everything is very well-done and looks really cohesive." After the school's April fashion show, Sarajvet Imports, the company sponsoring the scholarship, will use his pieces in promotional ads for one year. "It's a winning situation for the school, the company and myself because we all get publicity," Terry says. However, several things went wrong. The fabric arrived much later than expected, and terry says the construction was shoddy and incorrect. The sequins were black instead of silver, the shades of embroidery were wrong and spaced too widely, and the bead designs were not as packed as the original. All Terry had left of the original swatch was sent to be replicated, but it was lost in the mail. The second half was sent to replace it. "That's when I snapped," Terry says. "I had waited so long for this elusive fabric. When I walked into the office to pick it up my jaw hit the floor. I almost cried. In fact, I did cry at home, later." He sent for new fabric that had to be re-beaded by hand. "If everything had gone better, I wouldn't have taken my fateful trip to Saks," he says. "Instead of therapy, I just go to Saks." He wore his new cashmere sweater to speak with Elizabeth Rhodes, director of the Shannon Rodgers and Jerry Sliverman school of Fashion Design and Merchandising. Sympathetic to Terry's problem, she told him she would talk to the school's contact with the company. The next day, Terry could relax because the fabric would be re-beaded and air-mailed to his house by Christmas Eve. The fabric was late, but the second time it was nearly perfect. "I grabbed the package, a pillowcase with a label taped to it, and hugged it," he says. Terry returned to the studio to construct his first clothing piece from the long-awaited fabric. After cutting the fabric, he sat hunched over the fabric to remove the sequins and beads along the edges so he wouldn't break the needle when sewing. Sewing the slip dress together took five minutes, but re-beading the seams took uncountable, painstaking hours. Fortunately, Terry had prior experience working in an altering shop with beaded dresses. "Why you got to be so mean?" he asks, looking at the fabric. He takes time out to go for a beer with some friends. The next evening, Terry worked in the studio again. While he worked, he talked and gave advice to "his girls." "We always make trouble together," says senior classmate Maggie Paquet as she works on the muslin for her senior line. "He's a schemer and makes you buy stuff you can't afford." Terry and Paquet took a minibreak to dance around the studio. He twirled her around, dipped her, did a little strut, then placed her in the trash can. "Matt's a fun-loving person, very professional and confident in what he does," Merritt says. "I remember I showed him a picture I had drawn of a female in a bathing suit. She was facing the back looking over her shoulder. It looked like her head was going to come off. He loved it and said when he gets rich he's going to frame it. I thought that was really cute." EXCELLENCE IN EXTRAVAGANCE Terry began making his own clothes during his junior year at Austintown Fitch High School, near Youngstown, because he couldn't afford what he wanted.
"My taste was a little more extravagant than was offered at the local mall," he says. "I did it to learn how to sew." Terry's own wardrobe includes burnt-orange and silver hologram pants. Some of his pants he sewed himself. He owns black sweaters galore, mostly cashmere. He is a self-proclaimed fabric snob. He says he would own cashmere underwear, but imagine the lint balls. He owns at least three pairs of Doc Martens. Terry's personal designs were first recognized at his sophomore fashion show. Rhodes says Terry had been very depressed because he didn't think he had what it takes to be a designer. Charles Kleibacker was at the show looking for a piece to display at the Columbus Museum of Art when he decided he liked Terry's dress. Rhodes says Kleibacker had been telling her he really liked the navy blue bias dress, and she couldn't figure out which one he was talking about. "Finally I realized, 'That's Matthew Terry's dress. He's only a sophomore,'" Rhodes says. "He (Kleibacker) looked at me and said, 'Well, does that matter, Elizabeth? I could pick a senior.' I told him no." Even Terry was shocked. "I was so flabbergasted that my garment was on display with amazing creations from designers I adore and idolize," Terry says. Terry's inspiration comes from textiles, historic costumes and his knowledge of art history. "He's a bit anal," Merritt says. "There's a part of me that wishes I were the same way." His diligence must be working because he consistently wins awards for his work. "He keeps floating to the top," Rhodes says. "We're proud of him." Carrico says she would like to see more students with Terry's qualities walk through the doors. "I don't have to help him out much in the classes, which is nice," Carrico says. "It's really been a pleasure getting to know Matthew these past few years." Merritt has big expectations for Terry in the next 10 years. "I see him owning a business," she says. "He has far too much confidence to take orders for very long. I think he'll be one of those designers who are constantly on TV and in the newspaper. I'd be happy to see him and be able to say I went to school with him, that I studied with this guy." Terry's expectations for himself are a bit more conservative. "I'll be in a cardboard box on Madison Avenue in my Gucci boots and a pair of raggedy cashmere sweatpants," he says." "Actually, I hope to have an assistant designer position and live with Maggie in New York. We won't have anybody to love us, so we'll get cats and a fern." |
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