Collegian Design Desk

By Erin Nalli

The Rocky Mountain Collegian

*Former Collegian designer Erin Nalli is now the Collegian’s fashion columnist.*

Welcome, to a little bit of insight to the marvelous world we call the fashion industry. It is a world that is always changing, one where no two seasons, lines or even individual pieces will ever be exactly the same. It is a world that every single one of you steps into each morning when you wake up. We are surrounded by fashion everywhere we go and in everything we do. I have been fortunate enough to catch a glimpse of this world in the reality of its operation.

A little background and terminology for those who need it, whenever you shop at a store that sells other brands, they probably get a great deal of their merchandise from a trade show.

A trade show is a massive production where vendors from a multitude of different manufacturers gather in one place and have meeting after meeting with buyers from retail outlets. Many department stores and boutiques carry other brands than their own. Buyers are the people who pick out, and, you guessed it, buy other brand name products to put on the racks in their own retail store and sell for a profit. These trade shows are a very big deal in the industry.

Now that we have our bases covered and you understand the basics on the purpose of a trade show, I can begin by stating that for the first time I was able to attend one of these events: the SIA Snow Show is an annual trade show for snow-sport merchandise held at the Colorado Convention Center. This specific trade show hosted more than 400 different snow-sport companies from all over the country that made their merchandise available for retailers to purchase.

Popular name brands were there such as Burton, The North Face, Patagonia, Vans, Ride Snowboards, Candy Grind, Grenade and Skull Candy. Smaller and newly emerging brands also made an appearance, such as S4 Optics who makes goggles and sunglasses and Homeschool Snowboarding which makes snowboarding outerwear.

Each of the vendors had its own area in the show, and many of them set it up to look like a showroom for the brand like you would see if you were to visit one of their stores. Some of the brands had a more extravagant area than others depending on their budget for the show. The showrooms displayed a variety of merchandise from skiing and snowboarding jackets and pants to sunglasses and goggles to actual skis and snowboards.

While the vendors had their individual style to go with the brand image, generally the theme of the products at the show were a very contemporary look.

No longer is outwear purely for function, but also for making a statement of the individual’s style. Colors are brighter and the fit is more formed to the body with the use of more technologically advanced materials and construction of outerwear.

The more advanced the materials of jackets and pants get, the less bulky, more comfortable and more stylish they become.

The whole area was flooded with retail buyers examining the products available for the upcoming season. Since this event happens only once a year, buyers were making very large purchases.

The associates working at each of the vendor booths were all friendly and willing to talk about their lines. They were open to sharing their stories about how they got started in the industry. Many people I spoke with were interested in knowing where I was from and what I was doing at the show. A good number of exhibitors at the show were from Colorado and went into the snow sport industry from their background in participating in the sports while growing up.

Attending the show was one of the greatest experiences in the beginnings of my fashion career.  I got to see first hand how the buying and trade show process works. I met a lot of industry professionals who gave me valuable information and advice in sharing how they got started in their businesses.

Fashion columnist Erin Nalli can be reached verve@collegian.com.

Hey CSU, just a quick note from Chief Designer Greg Mees:

Tonight was a night that we, the Collegian design team, knew was coming, yet somehow avoided the idea until we couldn’t anymore. 

Tonight, Jessica Gibbs designed her last verve section and last pages at The Rocky Mountain Collegian. Jessica is graduating next week from Colorado State University and therefore will be leaving the Collegian and moving on to greater challenges and adventures. 

Jessica always brings an lively and humorous energy to the newsroom when it is needed most.  Her clever phrases and crazy YouTube video finds make everyone in the newsroom laugh and really bring the late night group together. 

She has grown as a designer and it is so strange that she will not be designing news, or verve pages any longer. Also, Jessica will no longer be writing the bi-weekly fashion column. 

So with that, Jessica will be missed, however we are excited to see where she goes and what she tackles next!

From left: Design Editor Alexandra Sieh, designer Jessica Gibbs, Chief Designer Greg Mees.  Photos by Sam Noblett

By Jessica Gibbs

The Rocky Mountain Collegian

The year 2010 may be remembered for many things, like another year with a poor economy or the year of the iPad, but it’s always more fun to look back at the style of each year and reflect on how crazy some fashion choices were.

To start, let’s look at Her Majesty of pop music: Lady Gaga.

This woman has redefined style over and over again, never missing a beat and setting the standard for many in the music and fashion industry. For God’s sake, she showed up in a meat dress at the MTV Music Video Awards, not only making a statement politically but fashion-wise as well. That takes some serious thinking and guts –– no pun intended.

There are more chic choices she has made –– lest we forget the beautiful Alexander McQueen gowns she wore after his passing away. Lady Gaga was a huge fan of the designer and was given the privilege to wear his last collection. You may or may not like her music, but you have to give her credit for pushing the envelope in the fashion community.

Speaking of the late great Alexander McQueen, this beloved wild child of the fashion world unfortunately took his life this year right before London Fashion Week back in February.

McQueen was known for beautiful tailoring of women’s clothing and, of course, the tartan plaid that made him most famous. McQueen’s achievements include earning four British Designer of the Year awards and the Council of Fashion Designers of America’s International Designer of the Year award in 2003. He was a true artist and will truly be missed.

On a lighter note, New York Fashion Week moved its classic white tents from Bryant Park to the Lincoln Center. The move was due to space issues in the past years at Bryant Park.

The Lincoln Center provides more space and is also a hub for artists, so the venue seemed to be the perfect fit. The tents in the park will surely be missed, but the opportunity to shove more fashion into one place seems hard to pass up.

Finally, jeggings. One night skinny jeans and leggings decided to create a love child so the masses could enjoy the timelessness of jeans and the comfort of leggings.

The jegging may sound more ridiculous than it really is. If you can find a pair that don’t completely look like mom jeans and actually have pockets and what looks to be a zipper, you can fool pretty much anyone.

And don’t for one second think you can’t pull off the skinny jean or jegging for that matter, they give in places where you need it most and fit closely in the others, like around the calf and ankle.

Here’s to the jegging, making women comfortable in their jeans finally.

Fashion changes from season to season and is a true marker for cultural changes in our lives. Looking back at the years in our own style always brings back memories of our fashion faux pas or maybe the awesome night we had in one of our favorite outfits. Let fashion play a major part of your life because, looking back, it will always bring a smile or maybe an embarrassing laugh. Either way it’s all in good fun.

Fashion columnist Jessica Gibbs can be reached at verve@collegian.com.

By Jessica Gibbs

The Rocky Mountain Collegian

It happens every year: the decision of what to get someone for the holidays. Sure, it’s easy to shop for yourself, but what about your friend with an eclectic taste or for someone who seems to have everything? This list will hopefully lend some light when things start to get overwhelming and you just want to give up and buy a gift card. Do not go down that road, it is dark and thoughtless, and your friend knows it. Instead, consider something fashionable and personal so you can look like the bestest friend ever.

This list is divided into gifts for him and her, so ladies first.

She’s considered cool and always knows what’s new and fashionable. This is a tricky recipient, but there are some cool accessories to consider. An infinity scarf is a new fashionable take on the regular scarf because it does not have an end, hence the name. Wrap it around your neck a couple times and, voila, instant coolness. These scarves come in a variety of styles; some are very long loops so you can wrap it many times or they can be wide, chunky styles, which make for a very warm accessory. If you’re still not sure how it works don’t worry, she will.

Prep is back, but it’s not as obnoxious as it used to be. Prep has gone back to its roots with clean lines and bold colors. If you can’t afford pearls or even the nice fake ones, then a nice sweater set is the way to go. The sweater set is basically the backbone to any prepster’s wardrobe. Find a cardigan in a pastel color and then find the matching under-shirt of the same color. Cashmere is always a nice gesture and ensures quality. This is also a super easy gift to find anywhere where you might see a good deal. Many stores still have Black Friday sales going on.

Last is your friend who has everything: she is always showing off some new accessory or new shoes. Well, there is something out there that is sure to surprise her. Louis Vuitton came out with a collection of travel guides for major cities around the world including New York, Paris and Tokyo. An added bonus is it won’t cost you an arm and a leg to purchase. These little travel guides are chic and full of interesting information about each city with places eat, museums to visit and of course great shopping.

Now we move on to the gentlemen, some of the hardest people to shop for, it seems. You want to find a great gift without spending too much. Usually tech toys are at the top of the list, but we’re not all made of money, and you can’t wear a Playstation 3.

He may not realize it, but a great pair of leather gloves is practical and stylish. Most leather gloves come at a reasonable price and his hands will thank you after scraping the ice off his car. Styles to avoid would be big bulky gloves –– they should fit tightly on the hand. Also the ones with the elastic around the wrist look really tacky, so stay away from those. After you’ve given something to keep his hands warm, why not a cool sweater to go with?

Cardigans are making a comeback in men’s fashion. They’re not lame or ugly and can easily be worn with a T-shirt and jeans. Sweaters are easy gifts, and you’ll know if he likes it because he’ll be wearing it the next day. Find a light, jersey knit cardigan in a neutral color so it can go with a lot of clothes in his wardrobe, then it’s easy to put together something in the morning.

‘Tis the season for giving, and it is important to make sure your gifts are fashionable and fun.

Fashion columnist Jessica Gibbs can be reached at verve@collegian.com.

One of the Collegian designers also writes a bi-weekly fashion column. Here is the November 18, 2010 column: 

By Jessica Gibbs

The Rocky Mountain Collegian

Remember when you were young and the night before the first day of school you laid out your outfit?

This was no ordinary outfit; this was the first-day-of-school outfit. The one that would set the pace for who you were and what you wore for the rest of the school year –– or at least that’s what you had in mind.

When we go to our closet each morning and decide what to wear for the day we’re all saying something whether we want to or not. The way we dress says much more than we realize, and it is usually the first thing a stranger looks at to size you up. Everyone dresses for a reason, even if it is as minute as something to throw on before you rush out of the house.

For example, if you’re the type of person who wants to say “I don’t care about how I look, I’m above that,” (and we all know someone like this), you might actually just be saying half of that statement: you don’t care.

If you don’t care, then why should the rest of us? We’re not interested. The extreme opposite is prone to this thinking as well. Those of you who try so hard to latch on to every trend and, perhaps, overdress, send the message you’re trying too hard. And again, we’re not interested.

Sometimes we dress to fit into a certain crowd of people we identify with. This usually is an effective approach. We buy the types of clothes this group wears and we soon adopt the same attitudes further pushing us into a particular social group. Be on guard for posers though. You can spot them a mile away. These people also tend to fall into the over-dresser category; again, they’re trying too hard.

The goal is to find something that makes you happy and feel confident when you wear it.

When you wear something you love it shows, and other people can see it. The point is not to be fashion forward every day; we all have our off days, but to put some effort and pride into your daily wardrobe.

It may not seem fair that what we have on the outside seems more important at first glance than what’s inside us, but it is human nature to do so. So lay out your outfit the night before and hopefully it says something along the lines: “I am confident, strong, and most importantly, awesome.”

Fashion columnist Jessica Gibbs can be reached at verve@collegian.com.

One of the Collegian designers also writes a bi-weekly fashion column. Here is the November 4, 2010 column: 

By Jessica Gibbs

The Rocky Mountain Collegian

It would be a fair assumption to say men’s fashion is a much slower moving beast than that of the goliath that is women’s fashion.

This is not to say men’s style has not changed recently. There are many new styles that have crept up into the wardrobes of stylish guys.

For instance, there has been a shift toward a more put-together look. This doesn’t mean you have to wear dress clothes, just put some thought into your outfit.

Here are some easy pieces to put together before you head out the door. Don’t worry, it takes less than 10 minutes so you can still sleep up until you absolutely have to leave for class.

Legend has it guys like pockets––a lot of pockets. Since the weather is getting cooler, there is a remedy for both pockets and weather.

The cargo jacket has at least four pockets on the front and has a cool military look to it. 

Look for something a little structured that hits just below the waist. These jackets come in darker colors and khaki so you can wear them with just about anything.

Everyone loves their jeans, but maybe it’s time to give them a rest every once in a while. Corduroys are a good alternative and not as bad as when you were younger.

Believe it or not, cords can be cool as long as you find a pair that has a straight leg and in a navy, brown or olive green if you’re more daring. Try pairing them with a flannel shirt or a simple v-neck tee. 

To top it all off here is something for your feet.

Sneakers are awesome and come in all shapes and styles, but so do boots. Nothing fancy of course, just mid top boots will do. There are a variety of styles from a hiking boot to utilitarian, just nothing chunky or really tall. Boots are great for the winter, especially in the snow, and allow you to change it up from wearing sneakers.

Style should be nothing to worry about too much, just take a moment to put a look together you feel comfortable in. Perhaps you may even start to attract the ladies when they notice your cool new attire, because let’s be honest, that’s what truly matters.

Fashion columnist Jessica Gibbs can be reached at verve@collegian.com.