Distortion: A U of M Fashion Show

DISTORTION: A U OF M FASHION SHOW

 Distortion: the alteration of the original shape of an object, image, or sound and the title of the 2011 Senior Fashion Show at the University of Minnesota. This year presented four to five looks of each of the eighteen senior designers. From lingerie to Zac Posen-inspired you were guaranteed to find a variety of personal styles.

 Dress to impress If you’re not in heels and wearing the latest trends or have complete confidence in yourself you might as well turn around and walk right out the door. Every girl in the building which is hosting this year’s Fashion show is dressed to impress and had their peripheral vision on full effect. I couldn’t tell you how many girls I saw giving the head to toe gaze to each other. But once the show started all eyes were finally on the models.
A Few to Remember Instead of running through all eighteen designers and their looks I’m going to take you through a few who I think you’ll be seeing a lot of. What a way to start the show! Elise Diebel’s collection of 5 was feminine, colorful, and definitely high-fashion. She used a lot of bright colors like pinks and yellows adding an 80’s touch. What makes her line so unique? Almost all of her fabrics are hand dyed or custom printed adding a personal touch. Carol Lee another amongst my favorites. Her line was inspired by architecture and everyday life experiences. The details and high fashion look make her really stand out. I see a lot of talent in her collections and she’s not afraid to do something out of the ordinary, which will make a great
designer. People just don’t want to see the same thing and she’s got that spunk to give the people what they want. Jessica St.George is the other senior designer who I thought had a fun, unique style. She is all about highlighting a woman’s shape, which explains all of her belted-at-waist looks showing off the smallest part of a woman’s body. What I call "jungle themed" is fun, yet neutral with a lot of greens and neutrals and to top it off she adds a head band to all of her models.
Look out for all eighteen of the up and coming designers to pop up in small boutiques or maybe in a Macy’s one day. These eighteen really have some talent and bring a fresh and young interpretation of fashion to the modern world.

University of Minnesota Fashion Show. February 19, 2011.

By: Nia Johnson February 24, 2011

A Dream Job You Can't Just Dream to Get

A Dream Job You Can’t Just Dream to Get

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Take Lisha Odney’s position for example. She’s what Target calls an Art Buyer. However, it’s not the kind of Art she buys that you hang on your wall, it’s the art you create in a catalog. She’s the one who does the casting calls, budgets, and finds the photographer and location for Target’s photo shoots. There are only a few in her position and "it wasn’t easy to get there," Lisha says. She graduated from the University of Minnesota about 6 years ago with a degree in Retail Merchandising. She started right away with Target as a Sr. Business Analyst which isn’t where most people start out. "They hire merchandise coordinators by the hundreds and that’s where everyone starts out, except me. I knew I was better than that," says Lisha with her hard work to prove she could start off higher in the company she did just that as a Senior Business Analyst. After just one year in that position she was promoted to an Art Buyer. "I didn’t just apply for the position, it doesn’t work that way. I had to prove I could be in the position and put my name in their ear over and over, so when the position opened up they thought of me. It’s not a position they post externally or even internally," says Mrs. Odney. Moving up in Target Corp is all about proving you can do the work and going after it yourself because it doesn’t just fall in your lap.
So what does she actually do on a day-to-day basis? The most important and time consuming part is making the budget for the photo shoots. She has to figure out if they can go to Los Angeles or even New York City for the shoot or if they only have enough in the budget to do it locally. Most of the shoots Lisha told me are actually done locally. They will, however, go to New York or L.A. to find talent aka models. Like the models below. Once they found talent from either city they will keep them in their own database so when future shoots come up they don’t have to continue to go out to other agencies to find models they will just contact the ones they have used in previous shoots. Sometimes they will work with product only and no models although it’s harder to get them to pose just right.


Take these next photos for example of work by Lisha with patio furniture.
Being an Art Buyer may sound like a dream come true, but it consists of a lot of traveling and meeting important deadlines on a daily basis. Plus it’s a position you have to prove you can do. This job may sound fabulous especially to a Minnesotan, but can you make a dream come true?


Interview. Lisha Odney. February 24, 2011.

By: Nia Johnson There are hundreds of positions at Target Corporation located right here in Minneapolis and the majority of them you probably never knew existed. A Dream Job You Can’t Just Dream to Get 2 | P a g e

A Peak Into The Professional Profile of Sara Giles

Young, Beautiful, 

Successful…

A Peak Into The Professional Profile of Sara Giles

“Monday, Monday, Monday...” a title from a song by band Tegan and Sara and also a well known saying that expresses the fact that the dreaded Monday is here and the beginning of another work or school week begins. Most Mondays for me are tiring and full of work and preparation to get myself through the week, but this Monday I got the honor to have lunch with an old friend Sara Giles from Belle Plaine, MN and currently the Product Development Manager at Creative Apparel Concepts downtown. I met Sara when she came up to my family’s resort for vacation one summer when I was fifteen. It had been years since I seen her last and I was excited to hear about her ventures and the impact she’s having on the fashion industry in Minneapolis.
After exchanging a few emails, we decided to meet at C.A.C. offices downtown Monday, January 31st. She gave me a brief tour of the offices and informed me on the different departments within the company. It was very interesting to get a private “Behind The Scenes” look and get one-on-one interaction with such a talented and successful person in the industry. Following the tour, we left the offices and went down the street for lunch at a local bar and grill. We chatted away professional and friendly about topics for about an hour before she had to get back to work.
Sara attended Belle Plaine High School and graduated in 2004, which led her to Stout in Wisconsin to further her growing interest in Fashion Design. Although not directly related to design, she told me that some of her favorite classes were biology, principles of marketing, leadership, and portfolio. During the last semester of her senior year she heard about a fashion design internship for Express through one of her classmates and immediately went for it. She described the interviewing process as very casual and relaxed. “They were very excited and interested in what was coming out of the Mid-West” she said. She got the job as men’s casual bottoms-woven’s designer intern from June 1st, 2008 to June 20th, 2008. Shortly after being hired on as an intern she saw a position open for assistant designer for men’s knits and sweaters and eagerly went after it and got promoted! For the assistant designer position, it was a meeting separately with the senior knits designer, senior sweater designer, and the creative director for both knits and sweaters. She stayed under that title from June 22th, 2008 to June 20th, 2009.
I asked Sara what her most favorite and least favorite thing about Express was and she replied by saying, “I have many favorite things about Express: trending, seeing high end brands and finding ways to make it our own, the team – they were my family out there, full of energy, excited about their jobs.  My least favorite thing was the layoffs that we experienced halfway through.  I did not get laid off, but just being a part of that experience was difficult.”
Sara was leaning towards moving back to Minneapolis and heard about a company called, Creative Apparel Concepts and a job opening in Product Development Manager. She was frequently going back and forth from New York to Minnesota so it was convenient for her when applying for the position at this Minneapolis based company. After sending her resume and going through the interview process she was offered the job as a Product Development and Sourcing Manager and started in December of 2009. Creative Apparel Concepts was established in 2000 and is a screen-printing, commercial printing, and custom T-shirt company located in the Warehouse District in Minneapolis, MN. Some of their biggest clients are Wal-Mart, Gander Mountain, Harley Davidson and Munki Munki. Sara does sourcing for the products and works with the product development team overseeing that they are making the shirt right, up to code, and according to direction. Her day is filled with numbers, fabrics, sizes, innovated ideas, clients, meetings, and staying on top of deadlines. Sara says her biggest struggle within her job at Creative Apparel Concepts is, “ Managing time. Since it is a small company, everyone is required to carry more than their workload. In the midst of managing all things we want to establish processes but with very little time, this takes the back burner or personal time, unfortunately.” One of her favorite things are the people she works with who really made going to work a lot easier.
In our finals words to each other regarding her job at C.A.C. Sara expressed the rise in cotton prices and how difficult, but rewarding it is to manage the negotiating and financial responsibilities she holds in her position. “During this crazy economy the apparel industry is being hit very hard. The cotton prices are at an all time high, oil prices are sky rocketing therefore man-made fiber prices are increasing, political unrest in many areas of the world and the never ending labor unrest everywhere. Negotiating prices needs to occur within 24 hours to hold a price, which is how fast prices are moving on yarns. We are truly making history right now and it is amazing, stressful and interesting to see all the changes and how each company is coping” My last question I asked Sara is where she saw herself in five years she replied by saying, “I dream big! I see myself owning my own bridal business, carrying lines as well as doing custom designs and alterations.”

Jen Cortez: The Hive Salon Co-Owner, Vegan, & Hair Ninja by Kasi White

The talented Mrs. Jen Cortez is embarking on another exciting adventure, this time for all to share. So if you're one who wants go to a salon that is environmentally aware and responsible, and provides amazing services and artistry, you'll definitely want to check out The Hive Salon, co-owned by Jen Cortez and   Rebecca   Bighley, opening this Spring in  this Spring in Northeast Minneapolis.

I am lucky enough to know Jen through a friend and was able to finagle some of her valuable time in an email interview Q & A. Her bubbly, yet determined personality was unmistakable throughout her responses making for a delightful read.

When I say embarking on another exciting adventure, I am of course implying that there was a first exciting adventure, which is referring to Jen's fortuitous rendezvous with Lady Gaga. I wanted to know how the situation came about to create the 'hair-phones' for Lady Gaga and of course what it was like meeting the now legendary pop-star, so I asked Jen.

She colorfully responded, “The hair-phones were a funny situation. A dear client who works for Best Buy Corporate mentioned that Ms. Gaga would be stopping through for a meet and greet. The client herself had been rocking the platinum blond bob look for years and was constantly compared looks-wise to Lady Gaga; what started out as a joke about making the client a giant hair-bow to wear upon meeting Lady Gaga ended with me constructing a pair of headphones out of hair for Gaga herself!

When I finally presented them to her I almost peed when she immediately popped them on her head and declared she loved them! Lady Gaga is a very articulate little thing. She hadn’t exploded quite as much as she has now, but she came off as very humble, devoted to her fan base, and very much aware of herself and how she wanted to be seen. Also, her butt is amazing. Just saying.”

So who exactly is Mrs. Jen Cortez? Here's a little insight on the inside world of this eclectic new business   owner. I first inquired about the ever  important question of her favorite places to shop. She answered, “I honestly don’t get to shop nearly as much as I’d like but when I do go I love to start with a trip to Rewind, Blacklist, or B-Squad for a good vintage hunt. I Like You is the next best thing since sliced bread when it comes to gifts, hair do-dads, and trinkets.”
   
The next subject that was touched on involves one of Jen's favorite subjects: food. Knowing that Jen is pretty much obsessed with food I wanted to know where her favorites places to stop for a bite were. The thrill in her feedback was crystal clear as she responds, “Food!? Yum! The King and I Thai has been a staple in my diet for the last 10 years, the palatial made with mock duck, and the tequila gimlets are amazing! I LOVE Indian food, but good vegan Indian food is hard to find in Minneapolis—an oxymoron I know. It’s out of the way but Dosa King serves up some reasonably priced and delicious Indian food.    

The bakery at The Wedge Co-op is to die for; they make these amazing little vegan cupcakes, and I swear they’re made for me because they never put too much frosting on top! Also, the Jasmine Deli makes killer cheap  pho and bunh mi, and their sister restaurant Jasmine 26 has the yummiest lemon-grass noodle salad and salt and pepper fried tofu.”  

Wanting to dig a little deeper into the life of Mrs. Cortez, I was curious to know else she does with her time. Jen responded, “Cooking and eating. Before The Hive went from a plan on paper to a real tangible consumer of time and energy, I blogged regularly about vegan food and wrote recipes. (You can check them out @www.midwestvaygun.wordpress.com)  If I wasn’t doing hair I think I would have pursued culinary arts or baking and pastries.”    

Jen's home life consists of Dan, her husband of 3 years, and their 3 cats, Boo, Peter, and Stewart. When I asked about having any pets, Jen was especially enlivened  in her reply affirming, “if I had my way I’d rescue and keep anything shorter than me!”
   
Being as talented as Jen is, one must wonder how they would like to be remembered, so I asked her. Jen countered, “As the world record holder for the most  cupcakes eaten at one time, or just as a really nice lady with a lot of cats.” It's fairly obvious that Jen has quite the sense of humor.
   
Another fun fact I was agog to know about Jen was what other time she would want to live during and the reasoning behind it. Her reply was rich with a love of vintage fashions, “I love the forties and fifties; there was this everyday glamour that you don’t get anymore. Women used to always have their hair and their faces done and would put an effort into their  clothing. Now it seems no matter where I go women in sweats, messy hair tied in a bun, and Uggs bombard me!”           
   
Another major topic that surfaced in the interview was that of The Hive and business advice. I wanted to know what kind of advice she might have for someone wanting to start their own business. Her advice, “Do your research, be patient, and double, triple, quadruple check your numbers!”
   
I then was interested in her start-up process and wanted know what she thought the most important concept that she learned was. Jen concluded, “Writing your business plan will be one of the hardest papers you ever write, but the most rewarding thing you will complete. The rest really, is easy.”
   

I wanted to what Jen wants the public to know about The Hive Salon. Her response was, “the Hive is an anomaly of a salon. I wanted a salon that was run by fashion forward individuals who also cared about the environment, chemical exposure, organics, local farming, etc.—not just hair. I also wanted a salon that was run as fairly as possible; I’m not running a salon to make a million dollars or to end up in a magazine.
   
All employees pay to work at and are in the salon because they share the same ethics and beliefs—not because the salon is “cool” or is in a convenient area. Each stylist gets to decide how many hours they want to work in a week, and how much compensation they want for it. In a traditional salon, your boss gets a 50-70% cut of your earnings, and the environment tends to be 'More! More! More! Sell! Sell!  Sell!'  I wanted to be as far away from that mentality  as possible. Lastly, at The Hive, we don’t just sell a “natural” shampoo and call ourselves a “green” salon. We actively seek out the safest, minimally toxic products available whether it’s our retail, hair colorants, straightening treatments, or our cleaning products. We will continue to evolve our offerings as superior alternatives come along.” In this intriguing excerpt from The Hive's Facebook page, “we recycle all of our hair foils, waste and paper and send our hair clippings to Matter of Trust to help clean up nasty oil spills,” you can plainly see The Hive's dedication to providing environmental solutions.
   
To have accomplished business ownership at such a young age is quite a feat. It is clear that Mrs. Cortez possesses a powerful passion and love for life. She wants to share her musings with others by way of The Hive Salon, in addition to her blog, Midwest Vaygun. So if you're hungry and in need of dinner tonight, try out one of Jen's delicious vegan recipes like the Spicy Tofu "Pad Thai". If you're in need of a fresh new look you must be sure to stop by and check out The Hive Salon located: 400 NE Lowry Ave, Minneapolis, MN, 55413.

Want to know more?

• http://www.thehivesalon.com
• http://www.facebook.com/thehivesalon
• http://www.jencortez.com/
• www.midwestvaygun.wordpress.com
• http://matteroftrust.org/
• www.kingandithai.com
• www.rewindminneapolis.com
• http://www.blacklistvintage.com/
• http://www.ilikeyouonline.com/
• http://ameliaville.com/
• bsweetfoto.com

Find Ferocious Fashions at a Feral Affair by Kasi White

Move over Minneapolis, Menomonie is making magic in the fashion world with their 2nd annual Pardon Fashion Show dubbed “A Feral Affair”. This feisty fashion phenomenon took place on February 5th, 2011 at The Raw Deal in Menomonie, Wisconsin.

The Raw Deal is a restaurant serving exclusively raw and vegan foods, coffee and specialty beers. The venue provided the perfect stage for the designers to exhibit their fashions. This event was created and organized by UW Stout students Lindsey Baker and Raine Nimmer, in hopes of showcasing local designs and bringing attention to the local businesses around Menomonie, Wisconsin.

Photo by Jeremy Nelson

 A Feral Affair featured the designs of 20 local designers from the Chippewa Valley area, most of whom attend UW Stout in Menomonie, Wisconsin for Fashion Design, with the exception of Adrienne Yancy from Plymouth, Minnesota. Yancy has also showcased her designs at New York's Fashion Week under her label ArielSimone, with designs available on Etsy; how cool is that? The designs featured in the fashion show varied from ready-to-wear to swimwear to formal and wedding dresses; some more avant garde than others.

We arrived to the show at 6:15, with the doors opening at 6:30. It's a good thing we arrived as early as we did since the line ended up wrapping around the building and down the block. The Raw Deal was definitely the place to be in Menomonie on this particular night; I was even told by a Menomonielocal, that she has never seen an event create such a crowd. The 2011 Pardon Fashion Show: A Feral Affair has certainly proved to be the event of the year for Menomonie, Wisconsin.

Photo by Jeremy Nelson

Opening the show in line with the fashion show's title, “A Feral Affair”, a group of models costumed in all black with immense, overpowering wildlife antlers attached to their backsides, crept out and slunk around the runway in an animalistic manner, setting the mood for the rest of the show.

A Feral Affair brought with it many ferocious designs but among those displayed on the catwalk I notice some reoccurring themes that kept popping up throughout the show. The first design detail that I noticed multiple times was asymmetrical shoulders, along with one shouldered garments. In addition to the asymmetry on the shoulders, a lot of outfits featured accentuated shoulder designs, as well as fancy embellishments.

Photo by Jeremy Nelson

The second theme that I noticed throughout the event was the use of natural elements, which I believe played along nicely with the title of the show. Besides the massive use of antlers to start off the show, I also observed the use of feathers in quite a few designs; especially as an accessory in a head piece, in addition to the feathers, there were also a few design which made use of animal print.

As you can see our small fashion community in the Minneapolis area stretches much further than just Minnesota but also into the western side of Wisconsin; which undoubtedly gives us fashionista's a much larger range of what we live for.

Want to know more? Check it out here:

• arielsimone.etsy.com
• rawdeal-wi.com
• www.facebook.com/pages/Pardon-Fashion-Show/164811122562

Distorting the Unexpected by: Jamie Paulson

Daring. Dreamy. Dangerous. Dominate. Distortion. “These students will alter the ideas we have about fashion,” Robyne Robinson, the MC for the event, stated. On Saturday February 20th, eighteen Seniors participated in the Distortion: Senior Fashion Show at the University of Minnesota and did just that. The night started off with a sophomore exhibition which gave the audience a sneak peak of what to expect from that class in two years. The Junior class followed with a preview of what their senior fashion show will look like. After teasing the audience with these fashions, it was time to begin the main event. Out of eighteen, three designers inspired me and really took my breath away.

Nature as Design

The first designer to catch my attention, Carol Lee, was inspired by modern architecture and everyday life experiences. Attention to detail and well crafted pieces stood out from the rest of the pack. In one of her outfits, Lee had a military green jumper that she juxtaposed with a powder blue and white striped fabric on the cropped halter top. The oversized accessories did not overpower the silhouette of the garment. In another piece, Lee took an a-line, strapless mini-dress and layered it with pieces of plastic to create a spider web design on the front of the dress and down the arm. This attention to detail definitely sets Lee apart from the other designers.

Fashion is a Battlefield

Feminine power was a dominating theme in the designs from Niki English. Her futuristic designs gave the feel of a cross between a warrior battlefield and a matrix. English focused on proportion to create drama in her designs. One dress featured a structured collar accented with black studs that resembled reptilian armor. A plunging back gave the otherwise warrior inspired dress sex appeal. A balance of texture, structure, and femininity would give any woman a sense of power while wearing one of these pieces. English’s designs would not only dominate on the runway, they would turn heads on any given city street.

Born this Way

Lady Gaga, meet your new designer, Autumn Kirchman. Kirchman, a self-proclaimed free-thinking, revolutionary designer, makes fashions that are daring and push boundaries. The creativity in her designs comes from music, literature, surrealist art, and pop culture. One design Lady Gaga would jump into was a Little White Dress. Tiered ruffles created a bell shaped skirt while the top is more simplistic until you look at the mini cape the model was wearing. A feather and lace capelet paired with a feather and lace hat and mask combination brought a dramatic flair to an otherwise simply classic dress. One ready-to-wear outfit included a pleated skirt and structured black leather jacket. Accentuated with a lace collar, this outfit reminisces on the flirtiness of Marilyn Monroe and the roughness of a biker babe. Look for her dramatic designs on a Grammy or Oscar Awards red carpet one day soon.

The Next Wave

From the feathers to leather, fur, and plastic, these designers are ready to dive into the fashion world. Each designers interpretation of the fashion world will help propel them to the next level. I look forward to seeing to what these designers and the University of Minnesota’s College of Design School will have to offer in the coming years. The Senior class left some big shoes to fill, and from the looks of it, the sophomores and juniors will give them a run for their money. There was a definite distortion of fashion. A nice mix of daring, dreamy, dangerous, and dominate designs.

"It's Not the Clothes You Wear, But How You Wear Them": True Whit Readers Dress the Part by Christina Ammermann

Although it’s hard to identify why some reality stars are actually famous, Whitney Port doesn’t fit that description. The twenty-something blonde is no stranger to the fashion scene.

First seen as Lauren Conrad’s sidekick for a Teen Vogue internship on The Hills, she quickly moved up the ranks and made it clear to gurus like Diane Von Furstenberg and Kelly Cutrone that she had an intense passion, not to mention undeniable talent for designing.

After recognizing some success, Whitney launched an impressive clothing line in 2009, which she calls Whitney Eve. The starlet already had quite the following after her reality television life so when she wrote her book, True Whit, it was no surprise that her fans fell in love with that too.

Port wrapped up a lengthy book signing tour across America at the Mall of America last weekend. The event drew exactly the crowd you’d expect; from young teens who’d give their left arm to be like Whitney, to ladies her age who have followed her since her first appearance on MTV.

Whitney Port’s clothing line is flirty and feminine and can be described as casual and easy-to-wear. She designs the pieces to fall easily on the body and fit a variety of shapes seemingly effortlessly.

Her fans showed up to her book signing Saturday wearing pieces that looked like they could be straight out of her collection. It was actually easy to pick Whitney’s influence out on most of the people standing in line to meet her.

The loose flowing hair, simplistic patterns, and comfortable fabrics are all things Whitney would see when she looks in the mirror.

Whitney’s followers were dressed in simplistic patterns, with a casual air about them. The girl-next-door vibe is the perfect category to place most of them. This makes sense, since Whitney herself can easily be described as such.

Her book, True Whit, has become a go-to guide for all things fashion, a subject Whitney’s clearly got some rapport in. It extends beyond that, discussing how to rearrange your closet, to makeup, cooking, and even some dating advice!

Her line is now in its fourth season and undoubtedly showcases her talent and creativity to a perfect science.

Interested in her pieces or want to find out more?? Visit her site (http://whitneyport.celebuzz.com/) or look for her online and in high-end boutiques.

It’s impossible to not love this sweethearted girl, but it’s even harder to not pay attention to someone who’s paved their own path in a world where the odds of doing that are too slim to see. Clearly she has quite the following, and there’s obviously reason for that. Check her out!!

How Do I Know??
True Whit Book Signing. Mall of America, Minneapolis, MN. 12 Feb. 2011.
Whitney Port Official Web Site – Photos, Blog, News, Bio. Web. 10 Mar. 2011. .