In preparation for next week’s events, here is a summary of the featured designers.
Wednesday, October 19
7pm Rogersliu (ro-jah-loo)
Created by Christopher Rogers and Julie Liu, sixteen-year-old juniors from Baton Rouge Magnet High School, Rogersliu is a visually stimulating line designed to be both romantic and contemporary. Daring hemlines, plays on proportion, and experimentation with fabric opacity are design elements found in many of the collections. By infusing two opposite ideas – strength and fragility – Rogersliu is able to rea a diverse group of consumers.
8:30pm Blackout by Ashlie Ming
A true southern girl at heart, Ashlie Ming moved to the Big Easy after attending school in and experiencing Los Angeles, where she created Blackout. The Blackout collections are outrageous and bold, and are designed to show women that their imagination is limitless, and your wardrobe should match the adventures of which you dream.
Thursday, October 20
6:30pm Varela + Brooks
Launched in January 2011, Varela + Brooks is the creation of Isabel Varela and Ashlee Brooks Patton, both southern girls seeking to create pieces for the countless women who face challenges regarding fit or style. The label carries cocktail and evening dresses, separates and outerwear for women. Each piece reflects the inspirations and personalities of the two designers – Ashlee’s whimsical softness and Isabel’s sensibility.
8pm Matthew Arthur Apparel Architecture
Founded in 2008, Matthew Arthur Apparel is “a brand for the chemically imbalanced”, a fashion line inspired from Arthur’s New Orleans lifestyle, which he describes as rich in culture with an “unapologetic attitude”.
Friday, October 21
6:30pm Annie Griffin
Sisters and natives of Memphis, Tennessee, Annie Griffin and Robin Gerber founded their label in August of 2009 with the hopes of creating pieces designed with southern flair. The collection’s designs are inspired by Annie’s retro flair, love of color, and desire to be comfortable while chic. At attainable prices and locations in nearly one hundred boutiques nationwide, women around the country are able to purchase these pieces reminiscent of an earlier era and evoke a stylish confidence.
8pm Amanda deLeon
Louisiana native and avant-garde designer Amanda deLeon is an avid surfer and lover of the ocean, which is evident in her Spring/Summer 2012 collection. A graduate of Louisiana Tech University, deLeon has an architectural background, which can be seen in her designs that are structural by nature. Although her pieces are detailed, they are feminine as well with the intention of giving women “confidence in finding their own way to express their points of view about design, art and life”.
9:30pm Jolie + Elizabeth
Jolie Bensen, New Orleans born and raised, and Sarah Elizabeth Dewey, born in New Orleans but raised in Dallas, are true southern girls who gave up their fast-paced Manhattan lives for the Big Easy. Unimpressed with forced trends in the fashion world, the Jolie + Elizabeth collection includes dresses that stay true to timeless southern style. To these designers, “trends come and go, but a true Southern girl knows good style and good attitude go hand in hand”.
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Tulane chapter.