As a first-year student designer, I was assigned a color-blocking theme for the 32nd annual Cornell Fashion Collective (CFC) runway show on March 12, 2016. For this extra-curricular design project, I created a gown out of Odessa Stretch Crepe fabric in Cornell's colors. I chose black for the sides, due to its sophistication and slimming effect. I used Cornell red for the godets as a pop of color when my model strutted down the runway before a crowd of more than 2,000 attendees. The white provided a definitive contrast to the black to exaggerate the look of the gown’s shape. I designed the gown for the college student target market to wear to a "formal date night" -- which requires a dress less formal than the name implies. Creating this gown without a pattern posed significant challenges because at that point my curriculum only had been in designing baby wear. This first-year CFC design truly became a trial by fire, but I felt my design survived and thrived despite the flames!