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Ms. Vayne's challenge inspires freaky fashion

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By CLOE CABRERA

ccabrera@tampatrib.com

Published: October 30, 2009

There are two ghoulishly glamorous additions to House of Vayne's Halloween haute couture collection.

Last weekend, Howl-O-Scream 2009's iconic Ms. Vayne (she's the lead vampire in the Howl-O-Scream television commercials) challenged local fashion designers from Tampa's International Academy of Design and Technology to create an ensemble inspired by the House of Vayne and constructed entirely out of zippers.

Ten students took the challenge. The field was narrowed to five for the contest.

When the fog cleared, top honors went to Joleane Santiago, who designed a dark, Gothic formal ball gown, and Ioulia Svyatogor's sexy red number with spiked bustier. They each received perfect scores.
Svyatogor used 120 yards of zippers, 100 spikes, studs, beads and rhinestones to create the dress she calls "Cyber Fly Trap."

"It took me about two weeks to make it," said Svyatogor, 33, a native of Russia. "I figured red would be a good color because they're vampires. It really hurt my hand because they (the studs) were tough to put on."

Santiago's Victorian corset and panier creation took nine days to create and more than 30 yards of zippers.

"I love designing Goth clothing," said Santiago, a Brooklyn native who custom-made her zippers. "I lost a lot of sleep trying to meet the deadline."

The winning designs were selected by a panel of experts from Howl-O-Scream and audience applause. Each winner received a professional photo shoot of their designs and a Howl-O-Scream prize package.

Reporter Cloe Cabrera can be reached at (813) 259-7656.

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