Dolled Up
Chessna Fernald’s fantastic frippery
By Augusta Olsen
Exciting clothing design often features an element of fantasy to achieve a memorable look. Chessna Fernald will share her fantastic vision with Omaha again this year as she prepares to show her newest clothing collection at Omaha Fashion Week on Wednesday, Aug. 24. Fernald, a 21-year-old Omaha native, is participating in OFW for the second time, following up a busy year of sketching, stitching, fantasizing and manifesting.
Fernald made a fashion name for herself in Omaha last fall and this spring with her playful, unique designs. Inspired by hordes of counter-culture trends, Fernald has taken some of the better elements found in goth, Lolita, fantasy and club wear and expressed them in frocks and ensembles that ultimately impress as more couture than costume. Fernald says she is inspired by the darker aspects of fringe culture, but it is not entirely evident in her collections, which definitely lean toward a coquettish Lolita aesthetic with a fun and feminine feel.
The self-taught designer uses a variety of techniques and approaches, including creating her own patterns, altering patterns and creating her own accessories. The Central High School graduate works part-time at Fairy Tail Costumes, a job which regularly supplements her imaginative designs with new ideas. Since participating in OFW last fall, Fernald has been in several local shows this year, including WALK at the Waiting Room Lounge and Fashion in Detritus at the old Diamond Bar.
After OFW this year, Fernald will participate in at least one more show this fall before she moves to New Orleans. Fernald is excited to explore the deep, dark secrets of that city’s cultural scene, so catch her here while you can at Nomad Lounge next Wednesday or at her fashion Facebook page.
Shout: How did you start in fashion design?
Fernald: I’ve been making clothing now for a while, since junior high. I started doing fashion shows last year, and before that I mostly designed for myself. I took a few classes, but I already knew most of it, my grandma taught me how to sew. She also encouraged me to apply for Omaha Fashion Week last year.
What got you sewing in junior high and high school?
When I got out of Catholic school, it was my first time not wearing uniforms, so I was like, “OK, I can wear whatever I want.” But when I looked at the clothing available, I didn’t see anything I wanted, so I thought I will make my own stuff. A lot of times I would really like something, but it wasn’t available around here, so I would make it myself.
It seems that your style may be new to some people in Omaha, but there is a broad culture elsewhere that is in tune with it.
Yes, the Japanese scene with all of the alternative clothing they have there, I was always inspired by that. And now in Australia they have a really big alternative scene, too, that’s really cool, so I’m influenced by that a little bit. They do circusy goth kind of stuff, it’s really interesting and theatrical. Also the rockabilly scene, which is kind of prominent here, but in other places like Europe and Japan it’s a lot more popular, and I really like that.
What is your focus for your collection for this fall?
The theme of my collection this year is “Doll Hospital.” I’m doing more of a medical-themed look. I have a lot of pastels and white. I’m trying to do something a little bit different than what I’ve done before. It’s very clean cut, hard edges. A lot of people have described me as edgy or goth, but I have such a wide range of inspirations, I try to branch out and do different things. There are a few pieces that are kind of inspired by (Lolita), but this collection is more form-fitting, not as much of the silhouette of Lolita. Some of it would be more casual or ready-to-wear depending on how you pieced it together, but most of it is more of that dramatic look that is mostly just for the runway. This collection is not as dark, I tried to make it more stark. It’s dramatic but in a different way. Some of it could be considered clubwear, and in bigger cities, parties go on where people would actually wear it out.
How did you decide upon that theme?
I am really interested in medical stuff. I collect medical things. I have a gurney, a hospital bed.
Really? In your room?
Yes.
Do you sleep on it?
Yes, it’s pretty comfortable.
How long have you been doing that?
About a year. I got it at a thrift store. I was so excited, I was like, “This is the best thing I ever bought!” I have a couple of friends who also collect medical stuff. I figured it might be one of my last shows in Omaha so I want to make it memorable, so I want to do something I’m really interested in.
What other kinds of medical stuff do you collect?
I have a wheelchair. I have a lot of instruments. I have a lot of anatomy posters and fake skulls. I have dental instruments, scalpels, etc. People might think it’s odd, but I guess everything I do is kind of odd. I eventually want to go to school to become a dental assistant, so it’s not totally strange, I have an interest in it.
What is one of your favorite things you have ever made?
I really like my cage skirt. I have made a couple of them, and they are always well-received. I really like my bunny hat, too. I’ve never shown it, but I really like it.
Do you have hobbies outside of fashion design and collecting medical paraphernalia?
Yeah, I sew a lot and work a lot, and when I’m not doing that, I play video games a lot. Of course, that inspires me too, to see the outfits in video games. I’m like, oh my God, I want to make armor now.
Is there any music that influences you?
Oh yeah. I listen to a lot of different stuff. I’ll listen to rockabilly music, and I want to make ‘50s housedresses. Working at the costume store doesn’t help with that…we have a lot of vintage clothing there. I’ll listen to ‘80s dark wave, different stuff. I tried to listen to certain things when I am making a specific collection.
Do you design only for women?
No, it’s mostly for women, but I try to throw in a few menswear pieces. I have 11 pieces in this year’s show, three of them are menswear.
Do you do custom orders?
I have done a few commissions. I have been really busy and have not been able to do any recently, but I have done a couple. My most recent commission is for a Halloween costume. It’s one of those oversized Japanese outfits, like pajamas for monsters, but it’s cute. I also work with a drag queen, Mary Jane Elite, and I help him with his costumes.
Do you have a preference for materials? Anything you gravitate toward?
For this show, I have been using more unorthodox materials. I’ve used rubber rug backing, vinyls. I’ve been using some hardware, metal tape and different things. I would say it is more steampunk than industrial, how steampunk will use hardware, but it doesn’t really fit into either category. I am slightly afraid of color, so I use it sparingly. I’m sure one day I will come out with a collection that is very colorful, but I’m just not ready yet.
What’s been the most rewarding part of your fashion work this year?
I think just getting to know people in the scene, building up a network of different people. The scene is just so supportive, everyone seems so friendly, it’s a really nice community to have.
Photos:
(left)
models: Brooke Haltli and Seth Stauffer
photographer: Blacksheep Photography
hair/makeup: Gossip Salon
(right)
model: Katherine Neary
photographer: Wolfgang Kaufman
hair/makeup: Sirens