it is a new fashion blog

Student passion for fashion can translate into cash for important causes, as both Dakota and Chippewa Valley High School organizations have found.

Chippewa Valley High School’s Athletic Booster Club will host its 23rd annual Dinner and Fashion Show on Jan. 28 from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. at The Mirage Elegant Banquets and Catering in Clinton Township.

Mary Kur, a coordinator for the show and a parent volunteer with the boosters, said proceeds from the event will benefit the Chippewa Valley High School Athletic Boosters to fund scholarships.

“We have many raffle baskets and also a raffle of gift cards and 50/50,” Kur said.

Guests of honor at the fashion show will be Nichole Wouters, a teacher at the school who is fighting cancer, Kur said. The boosters will be accepting donations for Wouters at the event as well, according to Kur.

Models at the show are senior varsity athletes, or seniors who have participated in a varsity sport during their high school career, according to Kur. Fashions will be supplied by Wesner Tuxedo in Sterling Heights and Joani’s Fashion Boutique in Shelby Township, Kur said.

A Rock the Runway fashion show hosted by Dakota High School’s student government was held on Jan. 13 at 7 p.m. in the Macomb Township school’s auditorium.

“Any students at Dakota High School are eligible to model. They just filled out an interest form by the due date and we selected as many models as we had available outfits. There is no cost to the student to model for the event,” Dakota teacher and student government advisor Kelly Herberholz said.

Seventy-seven students modeled in the show, two student government participants served as models/hosts, and seven teachers from the school also served as models, according to Herberholz, who said eight stores sponsored clothing for the event, including the school’s store Cougar Den, The Spoiled Girl, Wesner Tuxedo, Joani’s Fashion Boutique and more. Paul Mitchell The School Michigan in Sterling Heights provided hair and makeup for the models.

Dakota High School’s student government currently has about 75 students, Herberholz said.

“Student government members plan the event from beginning to end,” Herberholz said. “Planning for the event began in October. Students worked in four different committees to plan different aspects of the event. They organized the student and staff models, found clothing stores that wanted to participate, asked local businesses for donations and advertised for the event.”

On the date of the show, student government members were present to hand out programs, sell tickets at the door, organize models, prepare clothing and other duties, Herberholz added.

“We had a variety of prize baskets that were available. We had donations from over 35 local businesses. Attendees at the event could purchase tickets for an opportunity to win a prize,” Herberholz said.

The student government has hosted a Rock the Runway fashion show for seven years according to Herberholz. This year ticket cost was a $5 donation.

“The show raises money for a different charity each year. This year all proceeds from the event will be donated to the MASC/MAHS State Charity of the Year, which is the National Alliance on Mental Illness – Michigan…” Herberholz said.Read more at:queenieau.com | formal dresses sydney

The increased discussion on handlooms, we assume, has brought in more awareness and helped people distinguish different weaves and techniques. And, out of the blue someone asks ‘is ikat a print or a weave?’

Information is available in public domain, through published books and online, on the evolution of ikat, its different types across the world and in India. Occasionally, in handloom melas or even at Hyderabad Literature Festival in 2017, a weaver from Pochampally was brought in to demonstrate ikat weaving on a pit loom and explain to anyone who might be interested, the process of making ikat — right from the preparation of yarn.

Understanding that despite the availability of information, there’s still a window to explain the process to people in an easy-to-follow pictorial method, Hyderabad-based photographer Rajesh Pamnani worked on ‘Ikat: The soul of the ethnic fabric’. The pictorial book was printed by Telangana Tourism and circulated to guests attending select sessions at the Global Entrepreneurship Summit 2017.

While the wider printing and circulation of this book is still in process, Pamnani has decided to unveil his work on his website (pamnani.info) and the 32-page booklet can be downloaded for free in pdf format.

Pamnani has been visiting Pochampally for nearly 25 years, first as a student, bird watcher and budding photographer and of late to help his daughter and designer Sonal Pamnani source fabric from the region.

When he looked around, he found books detailing the Indonesian ikat methods but relatively less information on Indian ikat — spread across Orissa, Gujarat and Telangana. Once he decided to focus on Pochampally ikat from Telangana, he and his staff spent three months in the region, documenting the ikat process from the yarn to the fabric.

“When I visited Pochampally in the 80s, I would easily spot at least 2000 to 3000 looms in the villages. There are fewer looms today, mostly worked on by middle aged weavers since the younger generation has taken on other jobs in the city,” says Pamnani.

‘Ikat: The soul of the ethnic fabric’ begins with a brief account of ikat’s history in India, Indonesia, Japan and later in Europe.

Pamnani answers the question ‘why is ikat unique’ as he takes us into homes of weavers. “Their life revolves around weaving,” he states. A cluster of 80 villages in Pochampally have mastered the art of weaving ikat which involves ‘resist dyeing of yarn’ as opposed to ‘resist dyeing the cloth in bandhani and batik’ to achieve specific patterns. Koyalagudam is one of the busiest weaving villages and makes thousands of metres of ikat each month.

The book details every step pictorially. It begins with drawing the design on paper, working it out on graph paper to get precise measurements. A master weaver then translates this design to the warp and weft.A charka is used to wind the yarn on the bobbin (warp) and pirn (weft).

The warping machine or aasu is used to prepare the warp yarn while the weft yarn is done on the chitik frame.The photo journey proceeds to explain the interlacing of warp and weft to make the fabric using a pit loom and also the dyeing process. An infographic shows the evolution of pit loom.

Pamnani feels his ikat journey has scope for further research. “I was curious to know the meaning of the different motifs. For example a wave-like pattern indicates water. When I began to question the growth of each design many weavers didn’t have the answers. Maybe that’s an area I can further explore,” he says.Read more at:long formal dresses | bridesmaid dresses

“If you’re coming in here looking for drama, then I’m not the girl for you,” says Jacqueline Au, creative director of The Lab of Fairy Tales Bridal, indicating the exquisite collection of dresses hanging in her three-month-old showroom. “I offer something unique to brides on the biggest day of their life. If you’re looking for a big, poufy statement outfit, this is not the place for you.”

Duly noted. Au studied politics and graduated from the London School of Economics with a degree in international relations, and went on to do her Masters “even though I knew I wanted to be in fashion”. Her CV boasts stints at Gucci, Céline and Lane Crawford.

Did her education inform her career? “Most definitely. I’m very straightforward. I had my first interview at Gucci, and my boss asked, ‘Why should I hire you? You don’t do any fashion.’ I said, fashion in the end is a business and I have that analytical side for you and I love fashion so I’m the best person you can hire.” She was hired on the spot.

She went on to Lane Crawford and then Céline, where she had time to breathe and think, while simultaneously preparing for her own wedding. “Fashion in Hong Kong is in line with all the capitals – except in bridal. Here, it’s very dated. Even the set-up, the way they sell you the gown, is very much like, ‘Say yes to the dress!’ – very stuck in the ’80s. Every day we’re wearing, Haider, Givenchy, Céline – and on your wedding day, you’re wearing a cupcake!”

Her boutique stands in defiance of that confectionery trend and you’ll find yourself mesmerised by the gossamer gowns, the elegant silhouettes and the finesse of her finely curated collection. “My job defines me. I have the privilege of saying that.”Read more at:black formal dresses | QueenieAu