Her ethnicity, religion, family, friends, boyfriend -- even spring itself and other designers -- influenced her creativity, she said.

Tickets are available in advance for $6 in room 150 of the Applied Technology Building at Ball State. They also will be available for $8 at the door.

Schonbachler said she designed clothing "that is fun, in style and comfortable," such as a pair of leggings and a kimono tunic top made of a lightweight knit fabric.

Or a pair of gauchos and a tube top with sequence trimming, also made of lightweight knit.

"These garments are meant to be worn as casual separates," said the Upland native now living in Muncie.

She plans on wearing the garments herself.

Inspiration can come from many places, even little things in life that are taken for granted, according to apparel design student Kelli Warren of Brookston, whose fashions were inspired by the board game Clue.

"I already had one dress made and it went from there," she said, referring to her designs depicting characters Col. Mustard, Mr. Green, Professor Plum, Ms. Scarlet, Mrs. White and Mrs. Peacock. "However, I did all my designs as dresses, so technically all the male characters are females in my line."

In Sunday's show, she will have a princess-seamed dress with an outer shell of "mustard-colored" polyester material that was intended for curtains. The lining is made from black polyester material. Metal buttons detail the straps and back vents of the dress.

Mother Nature often inspires Amanda Schneckloth, apparel design student from Flora.

"Nature really captures my attention and is a big part of my inspiration," she said, "from the colors of the earth and sky to the shapes of trees and even to the way the water in the creeks flow. It's all very intriguing and inspiring to me."

Her creation, a brown moleskin, semi-formal dress, has a gold lame waistband and gold top stitching.

It's "intended to be worn to several different types of events, including weddings, black-tie events, and even proms," she said. "I made the dress to wear myself and actually plan to wear it to a wedding this summer."

The design helps the wearer "secure self-assurance, making them feel both confident and sexy," she added.

Proceeds of the fashion show, coordinated also by merchandising students, will go to the National Eating Disorders Association.

"We felt that contributing to an organization that focuses on improving confidence about body image and maintenance of a healthy weight was appropriate due to the thinning of the fashion industry worldwide," said Candace Ackerman, fashion merchandising student.