Designer Interview: Mia Dinorcia’s Victorian Vision

Mia Dino photographed by Garrett Botsch for Roam Boulder's REVERIE

Mia Dinorcia is a student at the University of Colorado Boulder, one of the Creative Directors of Roam, and a Depop student ambassador. Dinorcia’s designs for “Ringmaster” explore the fashion history of the circus world. 

“The circus flourished into what we know today with the 'Big Top' tent and traveling shows during the Victorian era, as well as performer costumes and the notorious Circus Ring during the Rococo era.” 

Dinorcia’s inspiration for Ringmaster pulls from historical Victorian and Rococo era designs while also pulling from modern iterations of these eras explored through “Lolita style.” 

“I also took inspiration from styles that persistently take influence from these periods. My main inspiration for my pieces was the “Gothic Lolita” style. It is a subsect of the larger form of Japanese fashion rooted in the street style movement of the 80s. While there are many ‘rules’ of what constitutes Lolita fashion, my pieces fail to adhere to these rules, and that’s why I say they are inspired by, yet not labeled as, Gothic Lolita pieces.” 

While integrating these different styles into her pieces for a unique fusion of fashion history, Dinorcia stays true to the Victorian and Rococo eras with the structure of her pieces. 

“I mainly incorporated Rococo and Victorian elements of the styles, such as the petticoat and layered skirt aesthetic. Taking inspiration from these time periods and this specific fashion movement (Gothic Lolita) allowed me to divert from the traditional interpretation of feminine dress in a circus and militant atmosphere.” 

Mia Dino photographed by Garrett Botsch for Roam Boulder's REVERIE

Dinorcia’s interpretation of the theme “Ringmaster” pulls focus toward the militant silhouettes featured in the historical aesthetics of the circus while further exploring different substyles in her interpretation of “Ringmaster.” 

“The theme incorporates not only militant and circus aesthetics but also features a combination of the two. I decided to go the combination route. In order to incorporate the militant aesthetic, I took elements from the substyle “ouji,” including elements like shoulder capes, double-row buttons and long-tailed coats. By combining this with Victorian elements of corsetry, ruffles and lace, I was able to combine feminine and masculine aesthetics in one look that captures a mix of circus and militant sentiments.”

This is Mia Dinorcia's second year having her designs showcased in the Roam Boulder fashion show. She is excited for the audience to see the way that set design has been utilized for this year's fashion show to bring the “Ringmaster” vision to life. 

“I’m most excited for people to see the more intricate set designs of the show, which differ from what we’ve done in the past. Our previous shows have used the models’ walks and the looks themselves to do most of the work. With this theme, we were able to introduce simultaneous aspects of set design and makeup to create the extravagance that complements the hard work of the models and designers. I’m excited to see the audience’s reaction to the dynamism of the show.” 

Come see Dinorcia’s designs and vision come to life in Roam’s 2025 fashion show, Ringmaster.