When a survey of female Cornell University students revealed their preferences in formal evening gowns, three Cornell textile and apparel students set out to grant their wishes. The students not only designed and sewed a set of outfits to the specifications revealed in the survey, but they also consulted with a professional patternmaker/grader to have the patterns refined and graded for all sizes.

Five formals, all designed with the common themes of low backs, cowl necks and thin straps, are now available -- made to order in sizes 4 to 20 in colors such as red, black, copper and silver -- exclusively at Gala on The Commons, a formalwear dress shop in downtown Ithaca.

"Three of our students earned independent credit [in the class Textiles and Apparel 401, Empirical Research] by doing research into what Cornell students wanted in formalwear and then designing the gowns accordingly," said Susan Ashdown, Cornell associate professor of textiles and apparel.

The trio of students surveyed 139 Cornell women between the ages of 18 and 25 and interviewed a focus group of 12 to find out what the young women were looking for in formalwear. The survey found that the students wanted silk or satin strapless or thin-strapped, ankle-length formal gowns that emphasized their backs, necks and bust.

"It is a whole other world once you step outside the academics of design," said Lindsay Lyman-Clarke, a senior textiles and apparel major from Richmond, Vt., and one of the students involved in the project. "We had to learn a whole different language to work with a real business. Instead of designing for art only, we had to keep in mind that these dresses needed to be produced and sold inexpensively but had to be popular enough to be profitable. It was invaluable to look at this industry from another point of view. Though we always think about our market and cost and so on while we are designing, it is a whole different thing for it to be a real retail venture." From a large set of styles designed by Lyman-Clarke with juniors Lucy Dunne and Jamie Milhrad, a group of Cornell sorority women and acquaintances of the student designers, the owner of Gala on The Commons and faculty members chose the final set of designs. The student designers then sewed samples, developed the appropriate patterns, determined the choice of the color palette and helped with the selection of fabrics.

The dresses are sold at Gala and will be modeled in the store's annual bridal show at the Tompkins County Airport, Sunday, Jan. 14, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The student project was proposed by Patti Ronsvalle, owner of Gala on The Commons. Interested in education and in the development of young practitioners in the industry, Ronsvalle said she wanted to sponsor a project in which students experienced the reality of retailing and saw how a product they designed would be seen in the marketplace.

"I approached Cornell with the idea of students designing dresses for Gala for two reasons," Ronsvalle said. "I was not positive what Cornell and Ithaca College students were looking for in formalwear; I had the feeling I wasn't exactly on target ... what better way to meet customer needs than to ask them directly? Secondly, I find it gratifying to offer students a bird's--eye view of a business and retail reality, rather than the relatively narrow scope often seen in classroom teaching." Ronsvalle paid for the fabric for the samples and for the patterns to be graded, an investment of about $5,000.

"There are so many unforeseen problems that you only discover in working with people in the 'real' world," said Dunne, a textiles and apparel major from Delmar, N.Y., with a concentration in design and fiber science. "Ironing out all the bugs was such a process, and although it wasn't always the most pleasant, it was very educational. This experience gave me a new perspective on the reality of the apparel industry and designing in it."

Dunne, who currently is working on a project with the U.S. Navy in protective clothing science, hopes for a career in functional apparel design; and both she and Milhrad will spend the spring semester in Paris working in apparel design.