Dresses good enough to eat at US chocolate fashion show
WASHINGTON, June 22, 2010 - At first glance the train on the dress
designed by Maria Chaconas appeared to be made from crystals, and
the necklace sported by a former Miss DC looked as if it were
fashioned from beads and wood.
But the fluffy material trailing Chaconas's "Chronicles of
Narnia"-inspired White Witch dress was actually sugar, and the
baubles adorning the onetime Miss DC were a mixture of chocolate
and sugar.
At Monday's charity Des Alpes Chocolate Fashion Show, only the name
gave away what these culinary experts were really using to cook up
their dream gowns.
While walking down a runway swathed in confectionery might seem
challenging, none of the models had any trouble controlling their
costumes and Miss DC, who modeled a Cruella De Vil-inspired
costume, was even accompanied by a dalmatian.
The ninth annual Sweet Charity event, which benefits DC school
libraries, and the corresponding fashion show challenges local
chefs to take on the daunting task of creating an outfit from
edible treats.
Each outfit must correspond to an annually-selected theme --
"Literacy on the Silver Screen" being this year's task.
Katie Musser, a first-time competitor, took first place with her
Cruella De Vil-inspired creation, featuring a chocolate-covered
dress cinched with a chocolate belt, and a fur stole edged with
hanging chocolate balls.
"Everything about this challenge is hard," Musser said. "A lot of
chemistry is involved when creating an outfit. Chocolate when
making a dress is more complex, because it is going to start
melting as soon as she puts it on."
She found a way to combat the problem by backing every one of her
chocolate pieces with felt.
Chef Chad Dunkin used the theme for this year to create an outfit
inspired by Alfred Hitchcock's "The Birds."
He created chocolate-dipped crows, which he perched around the
model's dress, and designed a chocolate purse, only to have it melt
on the way to the show.
"The transport for me is the hardest part," he said. "It's hard to
work with chocolate because it melts."
Dunkin recommended that competitors try things out their outfits
first on dummies to work out what is feasible. "I don't think that
many people practice before they come," he said. "It can show when
you see parts starting to fall off."
Chaconas opted to avoid chocolate, using pulled sugar and pastiche
for her outfit.
"It's key to think about the materials and can they last for three
hours," she said. "You have to be in costume three hours before the
show starts and that is one of the most difficult parts about it."
by Hannah Hoffma