By ALESHA CAPONE
************Catholic Regional College student Danielle La Macchia has won first place in the wearable art category of the Apex Australia Young Teenage Fashion Awards. 109187 Picture: JOE MASTROIANNI********************
IT WAS a case of viva Italia when teenager Danielle La Macchia sashayed down the runway at the Apex Australia Young Teenage Fashion Awards last month.
The 17-year-old received first place in the competition’s wearable art category at both a state and national level.
For the contest, Danielle designed a dress consisting of 13 decks of Italian playing cards which were cut up, laminated, double-taped and sewn onto fabric.
Her 16-year-old sister Natasha drew symbols from the cards onto Danielle’s body as part of the catwalk presentation.
As a student of the Catholic Regional College in Sydenham, Danielle this year completed a Certificate II in Applied Fashion Design and Technology.
Teacher Julianna Paci said all her Year 12 students were encouraged to enter the Apex awards.
Danielle’s fellow student Elyse MacDonald placed first in the state in the evening wear section of the awards.
“It’s a very competitive and very high-end fashion competition held at the Whitehouse Institute of Design,” Ms Paci said.
Danielle said her Italian heritage provided the inspiration for her award-winning outfit.
“I was playing Briscola (an Italian card game) with my Dad and brothers, and it kind of just came to me to make a dress out of cards,” she said.
But Danielle said she had no idea she would win at the Apex contest.
“Once I saw the other dresses there, I thought I had no chance,” she said.
As part of her prize Danielle won a $600 Myer gift voucher, an additional $100 voucher, a scholarship award to the Whitehouse Institute and an Apex event management internship.
Danielle thanked Natasha, her mother Connie and family friend Silvana for helping her throughout the creative process.
She also expressed gratitude to Mondo Music in Carlton, which sponsored her and supplied the Italian cards which made up the dress.
Next year Danielle will study event management at the William Angliss Institute.
