The Ball State Fashion Program

While being here at Ball State and a student under the Fashion Program, there are many different things that gets you started on a successful path to a chosen career. Both apparel design and fashion merchandising majors are offered and under both of programs, there are numerous teachers that care and help their students out as much as possible. Because of the smaller class sizes within our program, there becomes a more personal relationship that grows between the students and professors. because of this interpersonal relationship, students feel as if their teachers are more approachable and easier to talk to, which is always a plus when it comes to dealing with college professors. All of our fashion teachers are very knowledgeable when it comes to the subject they are teaching; also a plus because I am sure that we have all had that one professor who did not know one thing about the subject they were attempting to teach their class.

Besides for the teachers, all of the classes offered gives the students a first hand experiences in many subjects. Whether I am taking promotions, flat pattern, or visual merchandising, there are opportunities in each class to put the knowledge gained into a hands-on experience that gives students a greater idea of what they are actually learning. I don't know about my other classmates, but for myself, I am a visual learner and cannot sit and teach myself things out of a book. By being able to work on things hands-on, I am able to gain better knowledge of the topics being studied.

Besides for amazing teachers and classes, the fashion program also has a variety of field study programs that are offered. Each year a New York, Chicago or London trip is organized and it gives the students to experience fashion in a few of the world's major fashion hot spots. Unfortunately, I have not been able to attend any of these trips so far, so I cannot give a firsthand review of what these trips are like, but i think it would be amazing to attend one of these fabulous opportunities and experience fashion in a fashion capital of the world.

Peer - Review

As a part of this blog assignment, we were asked to look through our classmates' blogs and promote some of our favorites.

I first decided to look over my fellow co-leader, Desiree's, blog. Her blog just appeared soft and heartwarming as soon as the webpage loaded. Her blog, entitled "If You Believe Me" shows that she puts her full heart into everything she does and gives a true explanation of everything she displays on her page. My absolute favorite part of her blog is "The Like List". I had to laugh at her statement saying its not even November and she's already planning for the holidays. I am absolutely in love with each one of her items that she discusses for Christmas gifts. And after reading Desiree's review of LUSH makeup, I think that i will have to go and buy some for myself!

http://wonderingallthetime.blogspot.com/

Another blog that I particularly enjoyed reading is "abrownscript" by Ashley Brown. Ashley is a fun, free-spirited young lady, and her blog is not shy to show her true self and free spirit! My favorite part of her blog is the section over Halloween costumes. Halloween is one of my favorite times of the year, with the dressing up and fun times with friends, that I really enjoyed reading something that we both seemed to have in common. I just loved how she added in her homemade Halloween costume; I would much rather create and make my own costume than buy one that everyone else had. I also loved that she talked about Alice in Wonderland costumes. Ever since I was little I have been a fan of the childhood classic, but with the 2010 remake with Johnny Depp (who also happens to be one of my favorite actors), I have fallen in love with the classic story once again and had even considered being a character from this movie for Halloween!

http://abrownscript.blogspot.com/

It's Show Day!

As stated in a previous blog, our Fashion Promotions class completely set up and organized a fashion show as a way for the students to gain some self-experience as well as leadership skills for the future. We were told about our assignment shortly after the class had begun and the work process for the show started almost immediately. As a leader for the show, I worked with one other leader to guide the class in the correct directions in order for the show to come together peacefully and to make all the small pieces of the big picture fit together. The class was split up into five different groups so that all of the tasks of putting the show together would go smoothly.

After months of preparation, it was finally show day and the class was able to come together as a whole to make the day go as smoothly as possible. The house & tech committee as well as the leaders showed up at 7 a.m. on the day of the show to start the process of set up, with the rest of the class arriving at 8. While putting  everybody's helping hands together, the stage and set set-up was accomplished an hour quicker than expected, giving the class a little extra time to prepare and relax before the guests of the show started to arrive.

The final production of the should could not have turned out better if we had asked. Besides for a small minor glitch in the transition from the opening video to the live feed, everything as far as models, music, lighting, and everything else in between went as smooth as can be. The show opened with a video of one of our male classmates walking into an office elevator which led to our stage set elevator to open and have this same model walk out and begin our show. The crowd seemed to really enjoy the way we had tied our opening video in with the models. The entire show had an upbeat pace which also kept our viewers attention throughout the entire show.

I personally could not be more pleased wit the final production from my class. The whole class as a whole came together to get money sponsors, clothing donations for our models to wear, and to advertise and sell tickets to our event. If we had not had the group of students in our class that all work together so well, we would not have had an event that we were so proud of to display.

Part of our front stage set up.

Models getting their hair & makeup done backstage.

One of our models walking the runway during the show.

Within the fashion program at Ball State, it is required for all fashion students to take the Fashion Promotions class as an undergraduate. As a project for the class, we planned and organized a fashion show. Our class came together and created the company name of 27 Mannequins; representing the 27 students in the class. 27 Mannequins put together the "Taking Care of Business" fashion show which displayed outfits appropriate to wear in the 3 major parts of the business world: interview, day to day, and after hours. As a way to promote and get the word out about our show, our public relations position set up a Press Day. The event was a way for our class to mingle with fashion students outside of our class as well as giving the press a time to come and learn more about our show. As a way to get a feel of what our fashion show would be like, two of our student models came dressed in professional wear to display a couple looks of what the show would be based on. The video of last year's promotion class fashion show played at the press day event and there were also snack foods and refreshments provided. The press day was a success in the way that it got the word out about the upcoming show and gave our class a chance to sell tickets to the show. The snacks were amazing and the setup and decorations of the room were gorgeous. It was kind of sad that the press that was invited failed to show up and be apart of this great day, but or PR representative Ashley Meyers did a wonderful job of organizing the press day.

Fall into Winter Fashion

With the winter season right around the corner, its time to dig out your favorite hat and scarf and show the winter weather what you're made of.  Many people look at winter as the time for covering up with layers upon layers, but who said that this cannot be fashionable? Winter is the perfect opportunity for showing off your fashion sense with many of the hottest styles.


A favorite part of the winter fashion is the heavy sweaters and cardigans that are making another appearance. Remember that sweater that grandpa wore to every Christmas dinner? Well now is the time to adopt the cardigan and turn it into something new and exciting. Sweaters such as these are great to use as a coverup on the warmer fall days but as the winter winds come, they're perfect for keeping yourself warm. One way to wear these is to pair it with that favorite pair of skinny jeans in your closet and boots.

Boots are my next favorite thing about winter. Even though the "Ugg" look has seemed to faded as an overall winter "must-have," they're still just as popular around college campuses as they were a couple years ago. A major factor in this trend is the comfort and warmth that these boots supply to students to have to trek through snow on a daily basis while at school. But the boots that are making an appearance again this season are the ever popular ankle boots or the knee high boots. These are stylish and yet comfortable to wear almost anywhere and they add the perfect touch to that winter look.

And finally, my favorite accessory to wear on the coldest of days is that perfect scarf. Personally, I own  a scarf that would match almost any outfit. When people think of scarves, many thing of the thick, knitted scarves that grandma makes, but nowadays, they are available in every color and pattern imaginable as well as a variety of different fabrics. Scarves are perfect for adding a touch of color to an outfit as well has helping you bundle up in the brisk winter winds.

because the music allows us to express who we really are.

When looking back over the past 50 years, you can see what great influence that the popular recording artist have on peoples views of fashion. Everywhere you look, you see new artists with new styles coming up everywhere, and those styles are taken on by everyday people to create our modern day looks. Of course, there will always be the outrageous garment styles of Lady Gaga and such artist, but when taking a deeper look into the fashion worn by the music industry, you could see various styles that could easily become your own.

Taylor Swift has quickly became a role model for young women everywhere, but its not just her song lyrics that people notice. Everywhere Taylor Swift is seen, she always has a sense of class amongst herself. She is never seen as "trashy" or "out-of-line" by the public, much like other young recording artist around her age. She always seems to use a natural and simple make up choice to match her classy style.  At the young age of 20, she has already been pictured on some of fashion's leading magazines, such as Elle, Marie Claire, and In Style. She is proving to people everywhere that she is here and not about to leave anytime soon.

 

Another favorite of mine in the sense of fashion and music would be Rihanna. Coming into the industry looking like another one of the pop-music girls, she has quickly made her mark by standing out as a a leader in upcoming and current fashion. After her incident with ex boyfriend Chris Brown, I have been able to see a difference in her style choices. Her fashion has seemed to be more out of the box and with a small sense of not caring what others may seem to be thinking. With her vibrant new hair color and new fashion choices, she is quickly becoming a trendsetter and a top leader in the music industry.

And finally, when looking at the men of the music industry, John Mayer has always been a favorite of mine when observing fashion. He tends to come off with the boy next door mixed with a bad boy attitude. The addition of a full length sleeve on his left arm helps give John Mayer a rough looking edge. When attending a John Mayer concert or in any of his recent magazine photo shoots, he is always seen wearing casual attire. Whether it is a sports coat paired with jeans or a loose fitting t-shirt, jeans, and a bandana around his head, his style is something that could be worn by guys everywhere with out trying too hard. 

not just your average "man on the street"

When looking around a college campus, you will most likely see styles of all sorts. Whether you're walking from class to class or attending a meeting for your organization, not everybody dresses alike. Each person has their own definition of personal style. For example, when going to class I usually dress in cute casual, but never anything over-the-top. But being the fashion major that I am, I tend to always look around at everyone else's personal styles. Its not that I'm judging the way they are dressed, but usually looking for ideas for a new outfit of my own.

Many of the young adults on Ball State's campus tend to dress more comfortably for class. This is usually because the students are on campus for hours at a time and walk from class to class. When the weekend rolls around, the styles tend to go from day to night and change completely from what they were wearing to class on Monday morning.

I first decided to use KC Loer as an example of s simple style seen on a typical day of classes. I chose this outfit because it is a he looks comfortable for a long day of classes, but yet is still put together nicely and ready for the true fall weather. He said that he tends to throw random items from his closet together to create new styles that he has not yet worn. In the picture shown, KC is wearing a grey, 80s style sweatshirt, dark washed skinny jeans, and carmel brown ankle boots. He mentioned that since it was finally starting to feel like fall outside, he wanted to wear to bring out his boots for the first time this season. I particularly like this style because he wasn't trying too hard to impress anyone, yet he was still dressed nice and was comfortable walking to and from classes all day. He mentioned that some of his favorite stores to shop in are H&M and Urban Outfitters.

  While sitting in the library yesterday morning, I just happened to run into one of my newest sorority sisters, Katelyn Waters. She just happened to be there for a class meeting. She was also wearing some skinny jeans tucked into boots; this is a trend that I am expecting to see a lot of again after being carried over from last year's fall and winter seasons. Along with the boots and jeans she was wearing a classic graphic tee with a light-weight sweater over the top. A style like this is extremely cute for girls around campus and is perfect for the breezy fall days that are ahead. She is comfortable yet stylish on her day to basis. She is pictured carrying the signature coffee cup, which can be seen everywhere over the campus, held by almost everyone. To add her own personal spark, she is carrying a red tote bag that is printed with her sorority letters on the side. Bags like this are seen all across the campus carried by the girls of greek organizations while they are proudly showing off their greek letters.

Last night while I was coming home from my own sorority's chapter, I happened to run into my roommate, Emily Whyde, while she was leaving for her own chapter. Her particular meeting was a business chapter where they had to dress in "Pinnable Attire." To anyone in a Greek organization, this means that it is the professional dress clothing that you wear when able to wear your sorority or fraternity's pin. You would never wear your pin while wearing everyday clothes, only when dressed professionally. Emily's look for the meeting was a classy cute casual with a pair of classic black slacks while paired with a black shirt with a small floral print. This outfit was chosen because for her sorority's pin attire, they are not required to wear to wear anything to the extent of a dress suit, as long as they are dressed in a business-like attire. This could be compared to a night-time professional dress. Her hair was straightened and pinned back with a headband and she had minimal makeup on and was not over-doing her look.

And the final look that I have chosen was worn by Wade Germann. I happened to be out with a few friends when I ran into Wade. He was dressed in almost the same style that I see him dressed in for his classes. This particular day, he was wearing a pair of distressed dark wash jeans with a light grey Affliction hooded sweatshirt. Something as simple as this can be a day to night look that most guys could pull off and wear on a daily basis. There was nothing over the top about his outfit, yet he was still  very well put together and presentable.

Rebecca Taylor: Spring 2011 RTW

Rebecca Taylor's Spring 2011 collection directly showcases her signature feminine look. Personally, I have always loved the soft look of Rebecca Taylor's collections. Her collections are classy yet fun. When looking at her Spring 2011 collection, you know that this is a collection of signature Taylor looks with a hint of inspiration from the 1970s. She did not shy away from the denim pieces or the flowing skirts. The soft colors and the floral prints are also signs of where her inspiration came from.

One thing in particular that I personally really like about this collection are the colors that Rebecca Taylor used. The neutral toned colors tossed in with touches of denim are perfect for spring. The soft colors are not overpowering to the eye and create an eye-catching glow that is perfect for springtime weather. The variety of skirts that Rebecca Taylor is showing are another favorite of mine. From a denim pencil skirt to the shin-length flowy skirt, they are all great for various occasions. These pieces of the collection would be easily dressed up for work or dressed down for casual occasions. The mixing and matching of all of Rebecca Taylor's pieces is what makes her lines easy to wear for any occasion.