Have shows like Project Runway and America’s Next Top Model got you itching to jump up off your thrift store couch and strut your stuff? Do you often feel like your own little version of Stacy London and Clinton Kelly walking around telling everyone what not to wear? Why not take a hint from Baylor Law School’s Rory Brewton and stage your very own law school fashion show?
Brewton, a 2L at Baylor Law School, worked in fashion public relations before entering law school, and these days, she jumps at any chance she gets to combine her fashion know-how with her legal education. When she graduates in 2008, she hopes to go into either civil/general litigation or entertainment law and maybe even work as an entertainment agent.
Brewton left her job in fashion public relations in search of something more stimulating and challenging. She was looking for a job in which she would be surrounded by intellectual people who were working toward something that would make a difference in the world. With these characteristics in mind, she came across the field of law and decided it was exactly what she was looking for.
“The world of fashion, lifestyle, and entertainment PR can be very shallow, and some of the people you tend to encounter are not the type of people I wanted to spend my career surrounded by,” she said. “While it was so much fun, it might have gotten old after awhile because there is not much of a challenge involved. Law presents me with an interesting challenge and is more fulfilling.”
Brewton first learned that the law school fashion show was in the making when she read about it in law professor Mark Osler’s blog, Osler’s Razor. Upon reading the news, she was thrilled. For a girl looking to combine fashion and the law, a law school fashion show sounded like the best of both worlds. Needless to say, she immediately got involved.
Held in early October 2006, the fashion show was staged by two female law student models (one of which was Brewton herself) and two male law student models. It was judged by a panel of three female law professors, three male law professors, a federal judge, the school’s assistant dean, and a practicing attorney from the area. During the show, the models showed off outfits that would be appropriate for different legal-life scenarios; the panel of judges provided commentary on why the outfits were appropriate and suggested other options, as well. In addition, slides with examples of inappropriate attire were shown, and the panel commented on why these outfits were not appropriate.
Clothes for the event were donated by Ann Taylor Loft and Dillard’s, and Brewton even wore some of her own clothes, which she said she felt were comparable to or better than the Ann Taylor Loft clothes that were donated.
The show was broken up according to five main categories: courtroom, client meeting, daily office attire, casual firm function, dinner with a partner/client, and formal firm function. The lights dimmed over the audience, and the group of law students, faculty, and family members grew silent in anticipation. Then, suddenly, as a spotlight lit up the runway, the first model took the stage. Placing one foot in front of the other, she paced and turned, stopped and stared, smiling into the crowd. Baylor’s law school fashion show had begun.
“Professor Mark Osler opened with a welcome,” Brewton said. “Then Assistant Dean Leah Jackson gave an intro speech on fashion in the legal community and the purpose behind the show and in general what your goal is when you are dressing—some general dos and don’ts. She also discussed other behavior issues that come into play for a young lawyer in the legal community—alcohol, flirtation, etc. Then Professor Kristin Simpson took over as the commentator/narrator.”