Liz Lentz's opening design. All photos courtesy Marymount. Photos by Moshe B. Zuman.

As fashion lovers, we’d happily spend all our days attending student fashion shows—the energy, enthusiasm, and raw talent displayed by young designers are often unrivaled anywhere else. This year’s Marymount senior show, titled Portfolio in Motion, didn’t disappoint: A flurry of sophisticated designs, styled with a fun retro-meets-futuristic TV theme, had us immediately coveting a long list of innovative styles we’d gladly wear to our next big soiree.

Liz Lentz opened the show with a fantastic purple-and-silver dress made of overlapping petal shapes, while Lynn Matthysse and Ramona Doyle followed with an ultra-voluminous skirt and lace-ruffled tiered dress, respectively—both of which would look amazing at any high-end event. Farah Jafarzadeh also offered an excellent take on lace, a short black cocktail dress with sheer, voluminous, peasant-style lace sleeves.

There were also demonstrations of impeccable craftsmanship, including Vesna Kustudic’s tailored take on the high-waisted trend with ruffled taffeta pants, Heather Hlywiak’s pleated black-leather strapless dress, and Nicole Zimnoch’s cream strapless dress with a gorgeous pickup skirt.

Menswear was also edgy and fun, with a definite emphasis on tailored vests (Jafarzadeh’s camel-colored version had a particularly innovative collar) and sleek styles.

In the show’s finale, Christina Proulx’s ruffle-adorned cocktail collection, Matthysse’s exquisitely detailed evening gowns, and Kustudic’s retro-meets-funky looks were standouts of the fun and fresh student show.

Of course, you don’t have to take our word for it. See the photos below for more highlights from the Marymount runway.

Want to see more photos from Washington events and parties? Click here for Washingtonian.com's photo slideshow page.

See our interview with Cynthia Rowley at Marymount here.

Check out some of the fashionistas who attended the show here.

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