This Sunday at the Portland Art Museum (doors at 6:30, show at 7:30), the Art Institute of Portland is holding its 10th anniversary fashion show featuring work from students, graduating seniors, and alumni. This year’s crop is looking pretty fresh; I’ll be profiling some of the graduating seniors in the days leading up to the event. Next up:

SHANNON KELLY

After establishing a background in painting, Shannon Kelly has now turned to menswear, an area of design that always seems primed for fresh ideas, many of which end up looking… questionable. Kelly’s approach for her senior collection was pragmatic: She sent a survey to virtually every guy she knew, quizzing them on what they were looking for in clothing, what they had the hardest time finding, and who their favorite fashion icons were. What came back were complaints about finding clothing that fit slim enough, had a lot of pockets, was easy to care for (washable, didn’t need to be ironed), could transition in and out of the office, and would travel well.

Although responses to Kelly’s “fashion icons” question were spotty (Steve McQueen was the only one she could recall), this collection takes pages from Harrison Fords’s roles in Indiana Jones and Blade Runner.

Kelly has been doing some designing for the local motorcycle and scooter riding apparel company Corazzo, and imagines herself perhaps doing technical design for a local company.

Interested parties may contact Shannon Kelly via email.

Photos by Jeff T Smith