Fashion NewsletterMercyhurst Fashion Merchandising

10 Places You Just Can’t Miss!

Bridal BlissFeathers, Flowers, Glam

March 2011

London

Fashion is ArtA Glimpse into Jen Craven’sIllustrator Class

Back to the 70swith the 2011Spring Trends!

Design by Angelina Viveralli

Must Sees in1. Tower of London

2. The London Eye

4. Big Ben & Parliament

5. Buckingham Palace

3. The Tube

The Tower of London is the most extraordinary, historic castle in London. This castle contains several towers, each home to many famous exhibits such as the Crown Jewels and the King’s Armour.

The London Eye is a must do. As the tallest ferris wheel in the world, this half-hour ride is worth every penny. The incredible view of the entire city is a once in a lifetime experience.

The Tube is the easiest way of getting around London. This underground system mirrors the New York Subway with an easy to understand map of the different lines. Make sure to “mind the gap” when stepping off the tube.

As two of the most famous landmarks in London they are together a must see. The gorgeous architecture is a picture perfect scene right on the River Thames. This site is most beautiful at night when everything is lit up creating a reflection on the river.

Home to royals Queen Elizabeth, Prince Charles, Prince Harry, Prince William, and his soon to be wife Kate Middleton, this palace is just as extravagant as the press shows it. Just to be in the presence of such royalty is amazing. At 11 a.m. visitors can see the Changing of the Guards, which is also a must see. The gardens sur-rounding the palace, St. James Park and Green Park, are wonderful to walk through especially on a nice day.

By Lindsey Groginski

6. Harrods

10. Trafalgar Square & The National Gallery

8. Kensington Palace

7. Notting Hill

9. Victoria & Albert Museum

This high end department store located on Brompton Road in Knightsbridge lies amidst the best shopping in London. Har-rods features only the best high end designers. The gorgeous clothes are exhibited next to large screens showing the lastest fashion shows by the designer. The building alone is worth see-ing. Harrods also offers places for excellent food and high tea.

Save a trip to Notting Hill for Saturday morning. The Not-ting Hill Market is the best for souvenirs, antiques, and fresh food. Notting Hill, a town worth seeing itself, is lined with vendors that offer cheap clothes and jewelry, perfect for fashionistas. This part of London is also home to the best restaurant for London’s famous fish and chips, Geales.

Kensington Palace was the home of Princess Diana and is now transformed into an enchanted palace. This fashion and art exhibit is definitely a must see. The rooms are transformed into pieces of artwork, showing off gowns and other garments worn by the royal princesses throughtout history. The Victoria and Albert

mueseum is perfect for fashion lovers. With amazing fashion, costume, jewlery, and textiles (only to name a few,) exhibits include many amazing pieces definitely worth spending time seeing. The fashion gallery is the best exhibit including amaz-ing gowns from the 18th century. The textiles and jewelry showcases together are also exhibits one should not overlook while at this museum.

You can’t leave London without spending a day inTrafalgar Square. The infamous Trafalgar Square is home to beautiful fountains and the National Gallery art museum. For anyone who loves artwork this is a must see. The National Gallery houses over 2,000 works representing the world’s major artistic periods from 1250-1900.

Back to the 70s!By Alex Peters

What’s “in” for spring 2011? The 70s! We all know that fashion reoccurs, and this spring the 70s are back. From bell-bottoms to a new twist on maxi dresses, you can put together some awe-some outfits for the warming weather. One of my favorite upcoming trends for spring is lace clothing. This classic style is in the forefront for spring and is being seen in many different ways, from small, unique lace appli-qués, to allover lace mini dresses. Another one of my favorite upcoming trends is bell-bottoms. The skinny jean has been in for a couple years now, and consumers are starting to move toward newer jean styles. Both clas-

sic bell-bottoms and wide-leg pants are going to be seen a lot this spring.

For anyone out there who likes to be creative and sew, here is an awesome way to combine spring’s new trends of lace and bell-bot-tom. Start by making about a 6-8 inch slit at the bottom inseam of your skinny or straight leg jeans, and insert a long triangle, or godet, of your favorite lace, making them into an original pair of creative bell-bottoms. Pair these new pants with an off-the-shoulder slouchy crop top and some flip flops for a casually trendy outfit.

Some other trends being seen for spring are stripes, crop tops, and sheer maxi

dresses paired with brightly colored spandex under-neath. Another interesting trend that will be appear-ing in the coming months is mixed and matched prints. It is important not to get too crazy, however. Most stylists agree that an “anything goes” attitude is a popular choice, but stick-ing to one or two colors when mixing and matching is the best way to still look put together.

So, those are a few of the hot items that will be trendy for spring! Have fun making a statement this spring with great looks that are both trendy and comfortable.

If you have ever gone through an old photo album that featured your mom or dad from way back when, then you have probably uttered the words “Oh my God, what are you wearing?” And their response: “That was so ‘in’ back then.” Despite their justifying how fash-ionable they were at the time, we still make a quiet promise to ourselves to never dress like they once did. It is hard enough to believe that leisure suits and bellbottoms were ever a product of demand, or that neck scarves were a must-have accessory, and it is even harder to believe that those items would ever be in style again. Nevertheless, they made their mark in fashion history in a big way and it seems as though they are coming back for more.

Designers like Marc Jacobs, Etro and Fendi stepped back in time for their 1970s inspired spring lines, as floor graz-ing skirts, bellbottoms, and peasant blouses flood-ed the runway in a wave of fashion flashbacks. But the floral prints and the platform shoes did not come alone. While some designers went for hippie chic, others, like Burberry Prorsum and Balmain, toughened up with shows that rocked. The punk-rock craze that took over the late 70s was back in full swing, as iconic pieces like studded leather jackets and ripped denim dominated their Spring ’11 shows.

So maybe we owe our parents an apology. I mean, we can’t exactly take credit for the trends of a past generation, but this season, we can em-brace them.

What’s in for Spring 2011

Fashionistas always want to start building up their seasonal wardrobes in advance since every season’s trends evolve and emerge. For spring 2011, sheer, lace, crochet, macramé, and bell bottoms have returned. These are just a few of the trends that consumers will be seeing in the upcoming months.

Sheer apparel is a big trend this spring. It is being seen in many categories, including skirts, dresses, and blouses. Some women are even feeling bold enough to wear sexy lingerie under-neath a sheer dress. On the runway, Anna Sui displayed a flirty, sheer dress, which would be perfect to wear around the beach.

Lace is another hot trend this year. Oscar de

la Renta recently show-cased a gorgeous black lace fairytale-like dress in his spring collection. There is a lot of beautiful lace detail in apparel, whether the style is elegant or flirtatious. Sheer and lace elements are often paired together for an unexpected twist. For most people, however, one lace item is usually enough; lace should not be overdone.

Crochet and macramé is another evolving trend. Macramé is made by knot-ting the main fabric to create visual effect. It is a craft most often associated with 19th century sailors, who made all kinds of macramé objects in their spare time. Macramé is perfect for beachwear, as it possesses a laid-back, relaxed feel. As a 2011 fashion trend, these

techniques are all about complexity, quality, and a luxurious edge.

A final spring 2011 trend worth noting is bell bottom pants. Skinny jeans have become so common today that they no lon-ger make a statement for many consumers. Skinny jeans are not out of style, but rather bell bottoms are proving to be the hot spring trend for both men and women. This trend is not a return of the boyfriend fit we saw in 2008 and 2009. The bell bottoms for spring are slim through the thigh and flare out starting at the knee cap.

In all, the trend report for spring 2011 is sure to mix up your wardrobe with new pieces and styles.

By Breanna Carris

Far OutBy Jess Gawthrop

in Students Illustrator CollectionsTalent and Creativity Shine

A Conversation withMercyhurst Instructor:

Jen Craven

Cozy peacoats, trendy yoga apparel, cut-out swimsuits, sexy lingerie, and vintage-inspired menswear. These things describe the fashion collections produced by the Mercyhurst students who took the Adobe Il-lustrator for Fashion course this past winter term. The fashion department started offering the Illustrator course four years ago, in response to the ever-growing popularity and use of the program for many careers in the fashion industry.

Since its introduction to the fashion program, the Illustrator course has been its own entity; a class dedicated to the learning and applica-tion of the software, focused more on the creative aspects of the fashion industry. Students had daily in-class projects, and then spent a great deal of the term work-ing on their final collections: a 6-8 piece collection of apparel in a chosen market of the industry. Beginning in the next academic year, the Illustrator course will be combined with another existing course, Product

Line Development. In this new course, students will combine the creative side of the Illustrator program with the business side of product line development. Not only will students be required to design their collections, but they will also have to research trends, demographic information, as well as speci-fications, standards, sizing, and pricing.

Following the culmina-tion of this past winter term, I sat down with the Illustra-tor students to chat about their experience in the class.

What were your feelings going into the class from day one?Jess Hall: I was worried because I didn’t feel comfort-able with the program and I was nervous that I wouldn’t get the hang of it. Heather Neighoff: I was excited!Michele Colangelo: I was a bit nervous, but as the days and lessons went on, it became easier and I actually began to enjoy the work I was creating.Angelina Viveralli: I was excited to learn how to use Illustrator and was looking forward to what I could make once I actually learned about the tools and techniques.

What was your favorite aspect of the class?HN: Definitely making the final product line. JH: I like that I have a skill now that I feel comfortable using, and a final project that I worked really hard on and would feel good taking to an interview. MC: I enjoyed taking the idea of making a fabric swatch and turning it into an actual garment with a print.

What was your favorite project that you created?MC: My favorite was rec-reating the best and worst-dressed of the red carpet. It was fun to recreate people’s fashion do’s and don’ts.JH: I liked creating the cro-qui [body form] of myself.AV: My favorite was the worst dressed list.

What would you tell future students who will be taking the course?JH: I would definitely sug-gest taking the class, and I would tell them that it is the type of fashion class you would want to take for the creative aspect. It is impor-tant to learn all the business sides of the industry, but I enjoyed just being able to be creative and work on projects and designs without

having to worry about study-ing and tests.AV: Everything takes longer than you think it will. Don’t wait to do simple tasks for the final, like printing, be-cause it could end up taking you hours.MC: You will come out knowing so much more than when you came in! Also, I think it will be extremely beneficial for those of us who wish to work in product line or such in the future.HN: Just have fun, don’t get frustrated. Step away from it [Illustrator] and come back when it starts to bug you.

How do you feel this class has helped or prepared you for other classes or a pos-sible future career?MC: Most merchandising majors don’t tend to work with the hands-on elements of the industry, so this course helps in giving us a “one up” on other applicants for jobs. AV: This class is really help-ful for students interested in Technical Design and Prod-uct Line Development.JH: I feel like it has helped prepare me for a future career. I don’t plan to work as a technical designer or designer of any kind, but just having a knowledge of the program was helpful.

in Students Illustrator Collections

Angelina Viveralli

Courtney Lemmo

Heather Neighoff

Michele Colangelo

Jess Hall

Erin’s AdjustmentBy Erin Knepper, Sophomore

College. A word that most students would as-sociate with a new found freedom and a fresh start. Many students however, often have a hard time adjusting to unfamiliar places. Many will go from a constructed lifestyle, involving the same routine day after day, to an unfamil-iarity, loneliness, adjusting to new learning techniques, and those long dreadful nights of studying. In short, college can be quite an adjustment.

When I first came to Mercyhurst as a freshman, I had many doubts and asked myself questions such as, “Is this the place for me? Am I in the right major?” For someone like me, who struggles with a learn-ing disability, I was often skeptical. I spent my first two days at Mercyhurst sad and attached to my phone, hoping my mom would call with words of encour-agement. I kept thinking to myself that I was never going to make it three hours away from home.

It was a couple of days before classes when the freshmen met with the professors in their majors to learn more about the program and classes. As soon as the professors started talking, I felt relief. These teachers did not fit the stereotypical image of the college professor I had once imagined. Instead, they were very bubbly, friendly, and easy to talk to. From then on my classes did not seem so intimidating. I befriended the people in my major and began to feel more confident.

I became most adjusted to the program by the sup-port of my teachers, which made me feel like more than just a number. They knew each student by name and they answered any questions I had. I found comfort in the fact that they made me feel at home. Suddenly “three hours away” did not seem like such a journey. Now I rarely go home, and with the help of the staff in the Learning Dif-ferences Office, and of course the fashion department, I finally feel that I am in the right place and the right major.

Although college can be a difficult adjustment, meeting the right people can change a student’s outlook and opinions about college life. Last year, I did not think I would make it this far. Now, a year later, I could not imagine being anywhere else. Despite all of the obstacles and bumps along the way, I know this is the place for me.

Jenna’s ExperienceBy Jenna Smaldino, Freshman

I will never forget the moment before my parents drove away on freshman move-in day when they left me with three state-ments: “We love you, work hard, and we’ll see you over fall break.” I was excited beyond belief to finally be on my own at college, but as I watched my parents drive away, it hit me that fall break was a month and a half away! I began to get nervous about my time away from my family and friends, but before I knew it, mid-October had arrived, and I was back at home for a long week-end. Since I have been at Mercyhurst, I have learned so much about myself as a friend, a student, and an individual. I have met numerous people and have already made life-long friendships. My classes have all challenged me, and

I have created a strong re-lationship with my fashion professors during the past few months. The people involved with the fashion program at Mercyhurst have made my transition from high school to col-lege very trouble-free. The relationships between the professors and students in the fashion department is very personable. There has not been a single person –in the library, cafeteria, bookstore, or class – that I have come in contact with that has not been extremely generous, thoughtful, and respectful. Everyone on campus has a happy and welcoming feeling, which brings me to the conclu-sion that my time at Mer-cyhurst for the past two trimesters has been noth-ing but great. I love where I am and cannot wait for the next three years!

My Freshman Year ExperienceBy Kerry Roberts

Being a fashion mer-chandising major at Mer-cyhurst keeps me pretty busy. This is something I have learned pretty quickly during my freshman year in the program. While classes do keep me busy, I have also found that I enjoy what I’m doing. This is one thing that I like most about my freshman year. I always knew I had an interest in fashion, but was never able to fully develop my interest or knowledge in high school. However, after coming to Mercy-hurst, I have been able to learn more about fashion and build a better under-standing of the fashion industry.

During my first fash-ion class at Mercyhurst, In-troduction to the Fashion Industry, I began to get an overview of the fashion in-dustry as a whole and what I can expect to learn over the next four years. In ad-dition, I started to become aware of how many differ-ent aspects there are to the industry and the variety of careers that graduates can enter with a degree in Fashion Merchandising. It made me want to learn more about possible jobs and futures that I can have after I graduate, and made me excited to continue to study such a fascinating field. As the year continued into winter term all fresh-men were required to take

a course called Contem-porary Fashion Analysis. This course allows students to study different aspects of clothing, such as style, texture, and designs. This class has definitely become one of my favorites because I learned about things I al-ways wished I knew about, such as the technical terms for the styles of clothes that I was wearing, and why cer-tain things look better on some people than on others. During this course, I found myself getting excited to go to class and continue to learn.

It is not just classes that have made freshman year such a great experience. It is all the new opportuni-ties and experiences that I have had. Coming to

college for the first time is an experience in itself, but being a part of the fashion department at Mercyhurst is like coming into a family. I learned very quickly that all of the students are so close and genuinely wanted me to feel welcome in the school. One of the best ways to see this was to join the Fashion Merchandising Club and become involved with activities. By joining, I got to know other students who have similar interests as me, and I also had the chance to talk to professionals in the industry who were once just students like me. It is a great feeling to connect with new people and see that I am not the only one feel-ing overwhelmed or scared about being in college for the

first time. I am also getting the opportunity to travel with the club. This year over spring break the club planned on traveling to New York City (trip was cancelled due to bad weather), which would have been a great way to see the influence of fash-ion and the insides of the industry in a major fashion capital.

As I near the end of my freshman year I am able to look back and say that I am so happy with my choice to study fashion at Mercyhurst and am looking forward to the next four years. I hope to continue to build my knowledge of the fashion industry and continue to take advantage of all the opportunities.

.....Here comes theBride

By: Amelia Barbato, Megan Stepnoski,

and Angelina Viveralli

Old Hollywood style and glamour are the Fall ’11 trends to expect. “Girls love mermaids, they love that slim silhouette, or the big ball gown,” says Alyssa Greenwood, sales representa-tive for Allure Bridals. “Styles and looks are really changing this year; the more glitz and glam, the better.”

Designers such as Al-lure and Justin Alexander have taken on the full ball gown style head on. Their designs incorporate fantastic beadwork, full, ruffled and rouched skirts, as well as some modern trends. The mermaid shape has also come back full force. Mori Lee and Allure have rec-ognized this reoccurrence. Their looks include glamor-ous beads and feminine lace, as well as extreme fit-and-flare and gradual fullness. Greenwood explains how different the bridal indus-try is from ready to wear fashion. “Bridal is a whole different ball of wax. It runs opposite of what ready-to-wear is as far as seasons and your buying times for the most part,” she says. “On the other hand, it mirrors ready to wear as well in the area of design. For instance, if you’re seeing ruffles being popular in ready-to-wear you’re going to see that trans-pose over to bridal that next season.”

Not only is the timing aspect different but also the business portion. Many bridal shops differ from traditional retail settings that many consumers are familiar

with. Bridal Elegance, a small family owned business in Erie, PA, is an example. At this shop, the owners do all the buying, merchandis-ing, and forecasting. By being able to work so closely with the people who make these decisions, the employ-ees are able to learn so much more about the fashion industry than they would at any other retail job.

Last year, the owners of Bridal Elegance decided to expand. The Premier Prom Shoppe was opened a few doors down. The Shoppe carries designers such as Tony Bowls who has designed gowns for Miss America as well as count-less other pageants; Mori Lee, who always has a new spin on the classic ball gown shape; and Night Moves by Allure who has the best fit-and-flare styles.

As for accessories, the more sparkle, the better: feathers in the hair, matching shoes with lots of rhine-stones, and maybe even a floral accent here or there. The bright colors of the 80s are making a big comeback in all shapes and styles. Stores are seeing success with vibrant purples, lime greens, cobalt blues, and fuchsia pinks. As of March 1, Bridal Elegance had already sold over 300 prom dresses, with each one being regis-tered so that it is only sold to each high school once. At the Prom Shoppe and Bridal Elegance, the owners and employees recognize how important prom girls are to their business. Most prom moms think it may be too early to think about this, but many of the prom shoppers become the store’s future brides. Bridal Elegance and

the Prom Shoppe feel that it is important to treat these buyers with respect and give them a memorable experi-ence so that they create a lifetime customer with brand loyalty.

Besides all of the glitz and glamour, working in the bridal and prom industry is very demanding. Employees must please the bride as well as her mom and whomever else she may bring with her. However, by being involved with the business process, it gets employees more involved with the company so that they have a genuine interest in the success of the business. The employ-ees at Bridal Elegance and the Prom Shoppe all have learned so much more about the fashion industry by working in the retail sector, and they will likely have an advantage when pursuing their careers of choice.

*The three authors are juniors in the fashion program and are all employed at Bridal Elegance in Erie, PA.

Feathers, Flowers, & Glam

Juniors, Megan Stepnoski and Amelia Barbato model Bridal Elegance gowns

EditorLindsey Groginski

ContributersAlex Peters

Amelia BarbatoAmy Weaver-KaulisAngelina Viveralli

Breanna CarisErin Knepper

Jenna SmaldinoJess GawthropKerry Roberts

Kseniya KampovaMegan Stepnoski

AdvisorJen Craven

A Russian novel of appliquéd lace, red poppies and graceful silhouettes. This is one way to describe up-and-coming designer Erdem Moralioglu’s style. This young, London-based designer creates breathtak-ing designs with digitally manipulated prints, intense-ly colored patterns and the

most delicate of materials. Featured in Harper’s Bazaar’s February issue as “Fashion’s Rising Star,” this designer is worth the fashion industry’s attention. Details are what set Moralioglu apart. His Spring 2011 line, inspired by the Ballet Russes, is an amazing collage of bloom-ing prints and romantic lace. Moralioglu looks to all things for inspiration, including music, movies, books and art, but credits his mother as his greatest influence as she introduced him to a roman-ticized idea of life, which is clearly reflected in his designs season after season. To get inspired and see what’s hot for spring, you can find more information at www.erdem.co.uk.

Erdem MoraliogluBy Kseniya Kampova

Since smart phones are the must have accessory of our times, it only seems fitting that there are now a vast array of fashion related applications for fashionistas to access with the touch of a finger. Here is a list of some of the most popular fashion apps available for the iPhone, iPod touch, and the iPad:

If you love seeing fash-ion at its best right on the runway, then you will want to download the free Style.com app that allows users to view the best of everything

the fashion world has to of-fer. You can browse through hundreds of runway photos from New York, Milan, Paris, and London. “Style.com’s” archives date back 10 years, so you can view photos of the runways from many seasons past for inspiration.

Do you or a friend need sometimes need fashion advice? Should you wear the flats or the wedges with that hem length? The Glamour Ask a Stylist is another free app which allows you to take a picture of your outfit and/

or send a question di-rectly to editors at Glamour magazine. Supposedly you’ll receive an answer in minutes. You can also share your question publicly and get advice from other users all over the country, helping you solve any wardrobe dilemma.

If it is a wardrobe-organizing app that you are looking for, the Stylebook app ($3.99) is your answer. This app lets you upload photos from your closet, tag and categorize everything you own, plan out what you’ll wear in the coming month, and track how many times you’ve worn each piece. Unlike similar apps, Stylebook allows you to move, assemble, and resize pieces from your wardrobe right on the screen, layering outfits to see exactly how they might look.

Are you a blog junkie? If so, the chicfeed is the free app for you! Chicfeed pulls

together photos from many of the web’s best street style blogs and allows you to view them in slideshow form. You can set your preferences to include feeds from all or just a few of blogs like The Sartorialist, Face Hunter, Jak and Jill Blog, Cherry Blossom Girl, LookBook and Altamira. Each photo has a link that takes you directly to the site for more photos. It is the perfect app for fashion students who are looking to find the next big fashion trend before it shows up at the chain stores in your local mall.

If you don’t own an iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad, do not fret! Black-berry users can visit www.appworld.blackberry.com and Android users can visit www.market.android.com to look through the many fash-ion apps that each of these smartphones have to offer.

By Amy Weaver-Kaulis