By the time Yukinari Yao had reached his 60s, he had a lifetime of design-related accomplishments under his belt: He studied architecture in Italy, was an award-winning floral designer in New York City and owned a successful jewelry business with his sister.

But a series of robberies left the jewelry business decimated, and at a time when many are planning their retirement, Yao found himself starting over from scratch.

So he went to work, creating clothing after he had a dream about being a clothing designer - and soon found himself among the movers and shakers of the fashion industry, according to Lori Gann-Smith, fashion design professor at Brenau University who also curates the school's historical clothing collection. Starting today - and in a special fashion show on Thursday - the bright formal dresses and structured suits will be on display to the public.

Brenau is one of only two places in the country to see the work of this designer; other pieces have been sent to universities in China, where Yao spent much of his childhood.

"It's interesting stuff; it's pretty over the top but if you think of it in the context of a big gala evening, it's really not that over the top," Gann-Smith said last week as she was unpacking and preparing to steam the garments on display. "A lot of the suits have architectural details, and he was very into things that could be worn in different ways."

Gann-Smith pointed to a houndstooth suit with a cape that pulls back and buttons into an origami shape. Some formal dresses in the collection on loan at Brenau have intricately sewn flowers, patches of different fabric worked into the design or yards of beading and lace.

The clothing on display in the Leo Castelli gallery, just inside the John S. Burd Center on Academy Street in Gainesville, is set up so visitors can walk around the entire garment, taking in the work that went into the front, back and sides of the piece. Some pieces look relatively reserved from one side - something a state dignitary might wear to a dinner - but the other side of the dress reveals a web of see-through lace up to the stomach.

"It's a very interesting group of work, and he's a very interesting man," Gann-Smith said. "He trained as an architect in Italy, but when he finally came to the U.S. he ended up doing some window displays and working for Pan American Airlines doing some displays and trade shows.

"He did whatever needed to be done whenever he felt he needed to step into an artistic role."

A fashion show highlighting a cross section of his work will take place Thursday in the Burd Center. Gann-Smith said she tried to pick pieces that represented his work in both tailoring suits and formal embellishments.

"It's a fun show and it's going to look very bright, very theatrical," she said. "It makes a statement from far away, but when you get up close to it ... a lot of times there are little surprising touches on the back or the sides."

Megan Chafin, a senior fashion merchandising major at Brenau, is coordinating the fashion show. That means lining up the models, organizing hair and makeup and even matching the music and food to the mood of the show.

Chafin has modeled in other student fashion shows at Brenau and helped organize one on her own last spring. The opportunity to work with a professional designer's collection, though, has her stepping up her game, she said.

"I try to incorporate the music and the food and the personalities; everything has to blend," she said. "It will be fun to see how this one turns out."

One aspect of the preparations include assigning a model to a dress that fits her personality.

"You have to look like you love the outfit you're in. The designer put you in that garment to sell it, and if you have that sour look on your face, you're not going to sell it because people think you don't like that outfit," Chafin said. "Personality is very important. You have to go with the flow and have fun and be comfortable with yourself and your body."

But that should be easy, Gann-Smith said. Yao's clothing works with a woman's hourglass shape - albeit a very, very thin one - and the colors are vibrant yet elegant.

"I think he really loved women and loved making them look glamorous," she said. "We called the exhibition ‘Elegance and Strength' because all of his designs are very, very elegant. But I think he also wanted to present women in a strong context, and I think also he had so much strength to begin again when he was 60 years old.

"It's sort of a double meaning there."