The Judging Day Diary

The fashion show is barely a week away, and I am loving every second of it. For this post I thought I would give you a backstage look into judging from a personal standpoint through my eyes.

Fashion Show judging swarmed the Nesbitt Lobby this past Thursday. All of Nesbitt lobby / Chapman Court was curtained off for dressing areas to get the models dressed and ready to walk in front of a panel of 10 judges all looking to give awards to the best designer in several different categories ranging from best menswear, most creative collection, most sale-able collection, best jewelry and so much more. To give you an idea of how hard the D&M’s worked on Judging from set up to clean up...my feet and legs were sore the next day...and I run all the time.

With that being said, it really is the best kind of exhaustion when you feel so accomplished afterward. It was buzzing chaos from the start; from bringing the rolling racks down from the 5th floor, to organizing them in a spatially effective manner, to making sure each designer gave the dressers instructions to getting the child models into their outfits and lined up on time (oy vey), it was like a massive flashback to working on the school plays in high school and being backstage an hour before "showtime" is called, except a million times more incredible. After we worked out one or two or three or four glitches, there were moments when we worked like a well-oiled machine; everyone knew where they were supposed to be and what they were supposed to be doing. I was placed right in the middle of this machine. Along with Roberta Gruber I had the perfect position smack dab in between the dressing area and the judging area. While I made sure models lined up, checked that the next collection was ready to go, gave models instructions before they walked and took notes of any comments Roberta had, there was a constant unwavering thought in the back of my head that this is one experience I know I will never forget, and it is something that is sure to dictate how I handle myself in my future career. Judging was a great moment for Fashion Show 2011 as excitement took over and all of our hard work finally started to make a clear shape before our eyes, and all the garments and collections really looked spectacular and unique.

The show is this Saturday June 4th at the Urban Outfitters Headquarters in the Philadelphia Naval Yard, I PROMISE you don’t want to miss it!!!!

Get tickets online Drexel.edu/westphal or in the Nesbitt Lobby everyday in between 12pm and 2pm (Tuesday in creese)

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Artful Accessories

As judging day for the Fashion Show looms on the horizon, we have to make sure every detail that goes into the dressing of every look is well taken care of. A big piece of this is keeping track of the accessories, including jewelry, shoes, handbags, and headpieces, which are very prominent in this year's show. Headpieces in the show this year include antlers, crowns, neon wigs, and more (getting excited just from hearing this? I know you are).

I have personally always been an accessory hoarder, fueling my addiction with endless chunky rings, layered necklaces, beaded clutches, large leather totes, piles of sandals and boots, braided belts, and multiple pairs of plastic and metal sunglasses. The best thing about accessories, is that each piece is like an individual work of art that brings the spice to a wardrobe. Collecting simple clothes to pair with bright, chunky, leather, or beaded accessories gives the closet a long lasting versatility. A beautiful accessory can last a lifetime.

To get us excited for the TRULY unique accessories walking down the runway on June 4th, I thought I would show you some of my favorite and most unique accessories for Spring!

Moo Piyasombatkul: Baroque Eyewear
It's always fun to see something completely new in fashion that you genuinely have never seen before. That's how I felt when I saw this eye wear in the new issue of Vogue. Moo studied Jewelry Design in college and just revealed her debut collection entitled: "Baroque Eyes." She explored porcelain craftsmanship and used Baroque inspiration and aesthetics to create something outstandingly original and lighthearted.

Her inspiration statement: "Polishing away vintage dust over antique furniture and transforming with a dramatic contemporary twist"































































Prada: Cruise Collection 2011/12 Handbags

Prada handbags have always been a coveted accessory by women everywhere, and the handbags of this collection are sure to be just as desired. However, these handbags are not the typical glamorous design of Prada, but they are just as fantastic and well designed. Instead these bags bring fresh light colors with unique fabrics such as linen, straw, and leather twisted or braided straps. These bags are perfect for spring and summer with jean shorts and a tank top or a little sundress. They are truly the perfect accessory for warm weather.

The collection took inspiration from Gypsies and 70's style the result of which is a little bit chic and a little bit quirky. This collection makes the ridiculous look fabulous!












































Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen: Spring 2011 Shoes

There are no words for how whimsically fantastic the shoes were in the Spring 2011 collection for Alexander McQueen. The shoes are both completely wearable and completely unique. These are the kinds of shoes that serve as a statement piece for any ensemble. Burton explored carved platforms, feathers, butterflies, gold toed boots, buckles and metal. The results were breathtaking and thought provoking.
By the way, if you haven't seen the full collection, trust me it's worth a look

































































Proenza Schouler: Resort 2011 Collection Jewelry

Ok, so let's skip over the part where you make fun of me for my clear unwavering obsession with these guys and fast forward to talking about their incredibly cool bungee chord and rope jewelry. This collection was inspired by their trip to India, but was fused together with the style of women today. The two described the collection as something that's in tune with the public right now and cool girls that walk the streets of New York and the beaches of Montauk. The brand is all about looking effortlessly cool and having unique pieces that become a part of you forever. So it's only fitting that McCollough and Hernandez find a way to make chic, fun, trendy jewelry out of rope, chords and stones. The jewelry feels like the DIY jewelry that you make poolside in the summer with your best friends (except much cooler of course) and is perfect to go with all the bright colors for spring and summer. Needless to say it has a hefty price tag, but it is certainly something I will be trying to recreate on my own!







































Don't forget to buy your tickets to the Drexel Fashion Show, being sold in the Nesbitt Lobby every week day 12pm-2pm and in the Creese Student Center Lobby every Tuesday 12pm-2pm, or at drexel.edu/westphal

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Walk Like A Model

Recently, we had model go-sees for the Fashion Show. Our entire class sat in the main auditorium while several models lined up to strut their stuff on the stage in hopes of making it into our show. I think we all felt a little weird at first at the idea sitting in judgment of how these models walked, stood, looked, posed, and dressed, but needless to say we had a TON of fun. There was definitely some blushing in the room among our D&M’s when the male models took the stage.

Watching the models walk, the biggest issue that stood out to me was when the model was clearly thinking too much about their movements and just generally trying way too hard. A model’s runway walk should look easy and natural, but many of these models made it look like a chore. The perfect balance when walking is definitely hard to achieve, but the less you think about it the better. Eyes should be looking forward, shoulders should be relatively still, arms shouldn’t be swinging crazily just as much as your body allows them to move naturally; for women it’s better to keep your upper arms somewhat close to your body and let the bottom part of the arm swing, men should just let their arms swing naturally. Hands should stay open but not robotic. Legs…it’s all about legs: men should walk naturally but take slightly longer strides, women also take longer strides but should make sure to put one foot in front of the other, this movement will allow the hips to sway, allowing for the proper arm swing. There are definitely a lot of logistics but they come easier if you don’t think about it.

Oh yeah! One more thing: STAND UP STRAIGHT. A good walk is ruined by a slouch.

Add a lot of confidence and you are runway ready!

My favorite model of the day was Camille from Reinhard. Camille had walked in the PIFA show; so we knew she was a shoe-in, but we had her walk anyway just so that we could all experience a natural and beautiful walk. Camille is classy, beautiful, stylish and effortless. She made everything look easy proving that she was meant for the runway.






















A great story from the go-sees that shows how being natural and not trying too hard can really help is the Shane story. The Shane story will forever be a great memory from this year’s show. During a lull in models, a middle aged man steps into the room and asks us if we’re accepting young men for auditions as well and tells us that his son has interest and is here looking at Drexel for school next year and would love to audition for us. We say why not, let him walk! When Shane gets up on stage, he kindly informs us that he’s never walked before. He has a head-shot with him as he is pursuing acting. Shane does his walk and it is easy, balanced, and poised. We all sit there shocked as Shane just put several professional male models to shame.









Yes you can train models to improve on their walk, but a good portion of it comes from having a naturally relaxed easy breezy attitude that transfers onto the runway.

Check out some of the most famous models in the world walk below:

Linda Evangelista


Kate Moss



Gisele Bundchen



Naomi Campbell



If you haven't gotten your fashion show tickets yet be sure to stop by the Nesbitt lobby during the week 12pm-2pm or go to drexel.edu/westphal

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