Tim Westbrook is all about the spoons.

Not in the putting-food-in-your-mouth kind of way. No, more in a using-them-to-make-incredible-dresses kind of way.

A sophomore fashion design student, Westbrook has been interested in clothes since he was a little boy playing with Barbies. Unlike most Barbie-loving little boys, Westbrook was mostly interested in creating clothes for the dolls, not just buying outfits.

‘I had 23 Barbies, so I had a 23-state Barbie beauty pageant with them,’ said Westbrook. ‘I’d make their gowns out of things like sheets. My mom would say ‘There’s something there.”

It was that creativity that made his parents take notice of his potential future in design. After a Christmas morning in which Westbrook ran to his sister’s present pile, the family enrolled Westbrook in sewing classes when he was in third grade, which complemented the hand sewing he had been doing with his grandmother since age 5 or 6.

‘My parents were always really supportive of everything,’ said Westbrook.

That support reached a new level when it came time for high school. Westbrook’s local high school in the very small Wanakena, N.Y., had cancelled its drama program, initially destroying Westbrook’s hope of designing costumes for the school play. In order to give him more opportunity, Westbrook’s mother rented an apartment in Canton, N.Y., – two hours from their home – so he could go to a different school and have a better education with more prospects.

Throughout high school, Westbrook was able to costume a number of plays at both the high school and middle school in the area, with shows ranging from ‘Annie Get Your Gun’ to Disney’s ‘Aladdin Jr.’ Meanwhile, he interned during his junior and senior years in the costume shop at St. Lawrence University in Canton, Mass. His mom took a job in Canton, and the two went home often on weekends to see Westbrook’s father.

‘They did it because it was cheaper than boarding school,’ said Westbrook. ‘That’s support.’

After being accepted into the fashion design program at SU, continuing his education was a natural step for Westbrook. In his freshman year, he took the normal first-year fashion classes, but his sophomore year was a different situation entirely. Last semester, Westbrook took a heavy course load, as well as other responsibilities.

Still in his sophomore year, Westbrook is the vice president of FADS – the Fashion Association of Design Students, a student group made mostly of fashion design majors. This year alone, Westbrook has helped organize three major projects for the group, including two fashion shows.

‘Senior year, fashion students have to put out their own money in order to pay for their final collections,’ Westbrook said. ‘All the money we make in FADS goes to a scholarship to subsidize the cost.’

Another of Westbrook’s projects is getting SU fashion students involved at NYC Fashion Week. This year he helped 15 girls attend the Jill Stewart show. He’s currently working on next year’s events, already making contacts at Isaac Mizrahi, Kate Spade, Michael Kors and Donna Karan – just to name a few of the most famous.

Westbrook’s personal designs are also a top priority. Influenced by John Galliano and Alexander McQueen, Westbrook works with classic silhouettes, giving them a modern twist.

‘I like stuff that’s breathtaking. You’ve got this old silhouette with a structured bodice,’ Westbrook said. ‘And then, oh! There’s some sheer, and you can see her legs!’

For now, Westbrook is focusing on putting identity in each piece, what he calls ‘dressing your personality.’ For him, sometimes that means questioning the status quo.

‘I’m moving in the sculptural direction. Recently I draped mesh over chiffon for this dress, and my professor thought it was awful at first. Then she said I proved her wrong,’ said Westbrook. ‘I like experimentation – like why can’t an evening gown be made of grass? But at the same time, I like subtle femininity – something that doesn’t hurt if you look at it too long.’

[email protected]

Published on April 5, 2009 at 12:00 pm