Photography by The Studio On Main in LaCrosse, WI. 2016.
Illustrations by Madalyn Manzeck. 2016.
I distinctly remember the warm June evening that I was driving home from my cousin's engagement party and I received one of the most exciting phone calls with the best news from Courtney Pelot. She was calling to tell me she had a new title... Miss Wisconsin 2016! I think I screamed and definitely lost my cool for a couple of minutes. It was truly such exciting news because I knew how hard Courtney had worked to earn this well deserved title.
Courtney wasted no time and cut straight to business! She told me that there was a parade at Miss America where each contestant wore an outfit inspired by their home state and she wanted me to design her look. Needless to say, I was completely humbled and honored.
We chatted inspiration over rosé and arugula and prosciutto pizza at Il Ritrovo a week or so after she was crowned. It became very clear to both of us that UW-Madison would be our main source of inspiration especially since we were recent grads. The red "W" flower bed on University Avenue was always one of mine and Courtney's favorite features about the campus and decided to recreate it on her skirt and shoes.
Marchesa had always been one of Courtney's favorite designers so I wanted to incorporate their ruched, flowery fabric technique to emulate the texture of the flower bed. She opted for the heel design with the ruched fabric and straps that had Wisconsin themed charms dangling from them. We had so much fun working on this project together to create an outfit that not only was dazzling for Miss America but also was an homage to our alma mater. We both really loved how the completed outfit turned out and I truly cannot wait to share Miss Wisconsin's parade look with you all on Friday!
xoxo
Madalyn Joy