Sometimes, revenge is a dress best served hot on a catwalk.
That's certainly the attitude of local fashion designer Cyndi Rose.
Cyndi, 24, will debut The Sweetest Revenge clothing line at the stroke of midnight Friday at the Empire Club, 1417 R St. I chatted with her the other day about the inspiration for her collection, and it has everything to do with her desire to make it as a fashion designer - and to send a message to a guy who once did her wrong.
"My company is called The Sweetest Revenge because it was all about finding inspiration from a broken heart," she says. "My boyfriend and I were friends through high school and then we developed a relationship - until he left me in 2004. It was a rocky, rocky breakup."
To top it off, the guy left Cyndi with this parting shot: "You'll never be successful."
So, Cyndi enrolled in the design program at UC Davis. She took a break this year to do her collection, which she's been contemplating and sketching for about three years.
"This particular line is a fusion of club wear with vintage fashion," Cyndi says. "The first part of the collection features the bright pinks, then it progresses until you get to the wines, berries and, eventually, black."
Fifteen models will show the line. And, get this, Cyndi auditioned them by asking if they've ever had their hearts broken or experienced a huge disappointment.
"I was encouraging them to express that, to take something painful and turn it into something beautiful," she says.
Cyndi has big plans for the future: a Valentine's Day collection, for example. And she hopes to start a Sweetest Revenge blog soon.
She says she chose the Empire for her big night because it's a hot party venue and, well, this show is all about celebrating a now-mended heart.
Want to go? Doors open at 9 p.m. Friday. The cover charge is $15 for folks 18 to 20, $10 for those 21 and over.
As for the ex-beau? Cyndi says he now lives in San Diego.
She admits that at one point after their breakup, she headed to SoCal and spent three weeks looking for an outfit, just in case she might run into him!
"I didn't," she says, "but that's when I decided, heck, I've always wanted to be a designer. From that point forward, you can see my ex in my clothes - your exes would want you back if they saw you in them!"
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