KEIZER IRIS FESTIVAL Fashion Icon

See the re-designed KIFFIs 2010 debut! (PIN CUSHIONS !?)

COUNT 'EM ---- 4

KIFFI - Original award to winning designer of the design that will appear on the poster next year.

BABY KIFFI - New award for the winning children's designer that will also appear on the poster next year. (sooo cute!)

Top Model KIFFI - Presentation counts. The model who works the winning design receives this award and appears on the poster wearing the winning design. (wait 'til you see these legs!)

Baby Top Model KIFFI - Similar to the Baby KIFFI award. Winning child model will appear on next year's poster wearing the winning design.

_{In 2006, Sylvia Ion entered a
competition sponsored by the magazine, DollCrafter. Everyone used
the same pattern supplied and the object was to design a festive
over-the-top doll that could be used as a party place- setting.
Her design was printed in the magazine along with 3-4 issues of more
contestants' creations. She did not win. Her husband Jim,
however, liked it very much. It reminded him of the animated
movie, Nightmare Before Christmas -- odd and quirky.}

_{In 2007, plans for the Keizer Iris Festival Fashion Show began to
emerge. Time was short so it was decided that the doll would be
given to the Best In Show at the event. After a few days of
laboring over an acronym, Sylvia came up with Keizer Iris Festival
Fashion Icon. It was the "icon" part that took the most time.
Since then the KIFFI (move over Oscar) has been registered as a
trademark. Much to Jim's disappointment, Sylvia did not show
her own fashion line that year, so she did not win and bring the KIFFI
back home as he had hoped. The doll went to a new home. So
the following Christmas, Sylvia made a replica of the first KIFFI and it
stands on the fireplace mantel again.}

_{In 2008 the KIFFI had its name and the year printed on the base.
Each year's KIFFI will be a little different from the others. This
is because they are hand made by Sylvia and she likes to experiment a
little. They all have some similarities too. Sylvia likes to
use vintage beads and old dried corsages that make the figures look a
little like boutique items -- or perhaps a vintage piece one might stand
on a dressing table to pin corsages to. Dried flowers and corsages
appear in various places around the artists house as well. And just to make things more fun this year, Sylvia constructed a
life-size KIFFI to be in the parade in 2008. The parade moved
along River Road in Keizer, Saturday morning before the fashion
show.}

_{This video shows part of the 2007
Keizer Iris Festival Fashion Show. This was not the current
FoodForFashion show but KIFFI made her first appearance at this show.}

_{In 2009 it became evident that the spectacular children's designs were
ignored by the judges because the instructions to choose a winner to use
on the next poster made a child winner impossible. The poster
might be mistaken as advertising a children's event. Sylvia had
wanted to redesign the KIFFI from the very hurried beginning so this was
now the time. The new BABY KIFFI design was completed now but did
not quite fit with the off-beat charm of the original KIFFI. So a
new, sleeker KIFFI was designed. While designing the new version,
Sylvia experimented with legs. The result was so clever that she
had to find a way to incorporate it into the show. Of course the
top model should receive it. But what if the best model is not
wearing the winning outfit? Hmmm. So the new rule is,
presentation has to count. The three contenders for the winning
design will now have a "walk off" of sorts. The best model will
tilt the scales and win the awards for her and the designers. (See
the new 20010 KIFFI versions at top of this page.)}