Product Runway marries fashion and interior design

In "The Sound of Music," governess Maria whipped up play clothes for the seven von Trapp children from old green and cream drapes. In "Enchanted," Princess Giselle pulled a modern Maria, making herself dresses from McDreamy's curtains after landing in New York. But for the designers of Product Runway, drapes are the equivalent of fashion child's play.

The Product Runway design teams are grappling with material meant for a house, including furniture upholstery, glass tile and metallic sheet plastic, and turning it into haute couture. Architects, interior designers and manufacturer representatives have been drawing, cutting and sewing materials usually found on sofas, on an entryway floor or in the kitchen.

Creations by 19 teams will be unveiled Friday for Product Runway, a sold-out fundraiser for the Interior Design Coalition of Washington.

Celebrity judges including Jack Mackenroth from Bravo's "Project Runway" and Matt Lorenz from "Top Design" will appraise the work, judging it on creativity, construction and presentation, among other criteria.

Teams were asked to use as much interior material as possible in the construction of their garments, and use of material counts in the judging. At least one made from upholstery fabric weighs more than 50 pounds, said Christina Stewart, an interior designer involved with the event.

"They are being really innovative with the use of materials, the backing of carpet, pieces of chairs that are cut into intricate patterns and materials," she said. "It's really amazing."

Callison architect and interior designer Stephen Busto and his designers have been wrestling with tile since they were paired in January with United Tile, a Northwest retailer.

The process for fashion design is similar to the one for architecture and interior design, with lots of collaboration, creative brainstorming and considerations about how people use space, Busto said. But constructing for the body was a new challenge for the team. Fashion also cycles through color and shape trends much more quickly than architecture or interior design.

"In architecture and interior design, you're trying to be timeless, but in fashion you're trying to be of the moment," Busto said. "You have 15 or 30 or 60 seconds [on the runway] to describe your entire idea, whereas a building will be there forever, and an interior for 10 years. You kind of have to be more concise."

The team wanted to address a current theme that would resonate. In early sessions, they tossed around thoughts like security cameras, reality television, pageantry and tattoos.

They settled upon a dress that tries to convey the Pacific Northwest and its beauty along with commentary on how people are spoiling the environment. The dress includes tracings from a topographical map of the area and tiles made from sustainably certified wood and recycled glass.

"She has that purity, but is carrying all the sins of our past," said interior designer Tatjana Milovic. "But she gives us hope for the future. She is all these things."

The dress is structured around waterproofing underlayment, a translucent polyester material used in tiling. Milovic cut the material into strips, then knitted it into a short, strapless white dress bound by a corset up the back.

The dress is complemented by a long, trailing cape dyed in variations of mocha and traced with metallic tattoos of Puget Sound topography, including Green Lake, the Duwamish River and Lake Washington. More than 300 coffee, white and beige tiles that represent neighborhoods glitter around the edges.

Kate Jessup, United Tile's showroom manager, has experience with mosaics and glued wood tile to the cloth and sewed on glass pieces. She envisioned an aerial view of Seattle neighborhoods as she put the cape together.

"I love fashion," she said. "It was a no-brainer when I heard about it. We've had so much fun."

Nicole Tsong: 206-464-2150 or ntsong@seattletimes.com