Spring 2009 TREND EVENT

By Jesse Negrete

FGI panel discussion tackled hard-hitting issues affecting the fashion industry. The panel discussion was lead by FIDM Library Assistant Jesse Negrete. The panel was com- posed of esteemed FIDM faculty members: Mimi & Red Boutique owner, Rhondda Be- gley, CCJ Merchandising Consultant/ Founder, JoAnn Jack as well as Stylexplor- ers.com & Catalyst Advertising Founder, Brian Hawkins.

During this depressed economic period pan- elists stressed the importance of marketing & promotion especially for small business own- ers. The panel was optimistic towards San Diego's future and it's ability to offer a unique fashion experience.

Each panel member agreed that the apparel industry needs to adopt stronger "green" initia- tives to help cut down on waste and pollution of the environment. The panel advised fashion professionals to become well acquainted with their consumer and to find ways of customizing goods & services in or- der to distinguish themselves from their competition. (more on page 7)

Upcoming Events Refer to FGI-SD web site for details on FGI Events

Saturday, April 4th: Soroptimist International of San Diego "Up Up and Away," annual luncheon, awards cere- mony, and fashion show presented by Gretchen Produc- Thursday, May 21st: San Diego Symphony’s Symphonic tions at the San Diego Marriott. For info (858) 277-2988 Style Event starting at 6:00PM at Neiman-Marcus Fashion Valley. H. Stern jewelry and Natura Bisse skin care part- Sunday, April 26th: Spring Bridal Bazaar with fashion ner to present fabulous jewelry, beauty and fashions to show presented by Gretchen Productions at the Del Mar benefit the San Diego Symphony Education and Outreach Fairgrounds. Three shows presented throughout the day. program. $125.00 per person. Contact FGI member & For info: (760) 334-5500 Chair for this event: [email protected]

Tuesday, April 28th: FGI Fall Trend, 6:00 PM at Point Friday, May 15th: 2009 Golden Scissors Awards & Loma Nazarene University, Fermanien Center, Fashion Show at the Town and Country Convention 3900 Lomaland Dr., San Diego, 92106 Center. For info: call Andrea Marx at (619) 388-2206

Wednesday, April 29th: Vista Hill Foundation annual bou- TBD: May Mixer tique, luncheon, and fashion show at the Manchester Grand Hyatt. Fashion show presented by Gretchen Pro- Saturday, May 30th: San Diego’s It Fashion Show-”Liquid ductions featuring styles from a variety of upscale San Runway” starting at 6:00PM at the Hard Rock Hotel On Diego boutiques. For info: (858) 514-5153 Fifth Avenue, San Diego, CA 92101 presented by The Art Institute of California. For reservations contact: www.ailiquidrunway.com

New Member Profile

and Mary Louise Parker. Building wardrobe and selecting period pieces provided a stepping stone to working with the action sports retailer Billa- bong. Working as a liaison to the partnership vendors, Ms. Leahy established strong loyalties within the contractor community in Southern Cali- fornia. Leahy then helped fortify Hurley Interna- tional’s premiere surf line with a $40 million open- ing year. A talented concept designer, Jacquee Leahy turned her focus to produce seasonal lines on the team at Ashworth Inc., the world’s leading golf-wear manufacturer. Ms. Leahy was asked to join Sears as a freelance artist in 2002 working in product development for the nation’s third largest J ACQUEE LEAHY retailer. Under the Sears umbrella, Leahy worked in a multifaceted capacity serving as a color spe- Following in the footsteps of Halston, Jacquee cialist and textile CAD artist along with special Leahy graduated from the School of the Art Insti- projects for catalogue development. tute of Chicago with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Fashion Design. A twenty- year veteran in the Ms. Leahy began teaching at the Art Institute of fashion industry, Leahy began her career in 1987 California San Diego’s Fashion program in Sep- as a stylist for Inside Chicago magazine. This ex- tember 2006. Helping to launch the first BFA perience lead her to a career as a feature film fashion program in San Diego, Jacquee brings costume designer, working with Miramax studios her wealth of knowledge in various industry roles along side celebrities such as: Peter O’Toole, to enhance student understanding of the oppor- Ben Affleck, Liev Schrieber, Rose Mc Gowan, tunities the apparel industry offers. Members on the Go….

“Black Tie Party”

“ Zandra”

Lights, Camera, Fashions! Golden Hangers Gleam

Fashion Careers College (FCC) pre- sented the 22nd Annual Golden Hanger Fashion Awards Gala Satur- day, Nov. 8 at the Town & Country Re- sort and Convention Center. The evening began with a lovely cocktail reception and fashionable boutique shopping. Golden Hanger Chair and FCC Founder Pat O’Connor welcomed the guests and introduced international fashion designer Zandra Rhodes, who was Honorary Chair.

Leonard Simpson, KUSI “Style Guy,” was celebrity auctioneer for the event. Fabulous items were auctioned off, such as dinner for eight prepared by Rhodes at her elegant beach- front home.

County Supervisor Pam Slater- Price was given a special award for her philanthropic and community leadership. Additional honorees for the evening included Nicki Starr of Civil Disobedience Boutique, Mani M. Nagasubramanian of RD&M (Retail Design & Merchandising), Bangalore, India, and Rick Coburn of Factory Vintage.

Sandra Maas of KUSI Channel 9 News was Mistress of Ceremonies for the night and began by introducing the Make- A-Wish segment, which is always an audience favorite. FCC students de- sign creations for celebrities and Make-A-Wish children. They came down the runway tugging on everyone’s heartstrings. The theme for the evening was “Lights, Camera and Fashion!” (con’t. pg 10)

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New Member Profile Julie Fought

Julie graduated from Point Loma Nazarene University with a degree in Fashion Merchandising and Busi- ness Administration. While a student, Julie interned with designer: Zandra Rhodes and helped Zandra create luxurious gowns. She also interned with Gretchen Productions, a fashion show production com- pany. This was her true passion- fashion shows.

After college she worked for a prestigious interior design firm, but decided that fashion was where she belonged and pursued a position as a Store Manager of a retail store. After gaining sufficient retail experi- ence, Julie moved on to Gretchen Productions where she had continued to work on occasion since col- lege. She is currently working as the Office Manager and manages the entire production process for the company. Julie does the fashion styling along with Gretchen for the many shows Gretchen Productions produces each year... adding just the right touches with accessories and glam. She is also responsible for set designs, music choices, and model selection. She is a great asset to the company and hope to continue working for Gretchen Productions into the future.

More...Members on the Go!

“10 Best Dressed”

“Missoni”

More Trend….

Message from the Co-Regional Directors

We are thrilled and also very honored to be the Co-Regional Directors of FGI San Diego. We will be trying to strengthen the group, increase membership and also develop new and creative programming. Judy has been a member of Fashion Group since early in her career in Denver Colorado and George has been working alongside Diana Cavagnaro since the Early 1990’s. The people and programs of FGI have always been an integral part of our professional and personal lives, thus it is a pleasure to give of our time to insure that FGI San Diego remains a strong and viable group.

We invite you to join us for many of the events planned for the year such as the “Icons of Fashion” Luncheon and Fash- ion Show honoring John Paul DeJoria of John Paul Mitchell that was presented on March 24th by Palm Springs FGI!

On Tuesday March 31 we hope you were able to join us for our first FGI mixer at Basic from 5:00pm-7:00pm located at 410 Tenth Ave. downtown. It provided Fashion Professionals including designers, retailers, stylists, PR experts, and media professionals a place to meet, network and exchange business cards and ideas.

We look forward to seeing everyone at our upcoming events! Judy & George

Showing Off Gifts and Having a Great Time at….

The Christmas Party!

Addicted to Beauty!

Dianne York and Dr. Lee are collaborating on a new Reality TV Show. The name of the show is “Addicted to Beauty” and they have filmed 8 episodes. The cameras have been filming Dianne and Dr. Lee’s

activities bringing reality TV to our own back yard. Each week is a new story and will be shooting several episodes in La Jolla. The network channel, Oxygen, will air this exciting show sometime this Spring. For the exact date for this new Reality TV series, stay tuned!

Addicted to Cashmere!

Have you checked out the February San Diego Magazine Yet? FGI member Lena Evans was one of 11 local designers featured on the San Diego Fashion scene. Her customers include Cameron Diaz and Fergie. Take a peek at Lena in San Diego Magazine or visit: www.jadephoenixdesigns.com

15% Discount for FGI Members

MEMBER Stephanie’s Unique 20% Discount for TO Shoe Boutique Designer Millinery MEMBER 5630 La Jolla Blvd. For FGI Members Only DISCOUNTS San Diego For appointment: Contact Please clip coupons

Diana Cavagnaro (619) 239-4287 when shopping with our FGI member business…. 15% Discount for

Adrien Isaak Events & Catering Contact 20% Discount to Judy Welty (619) 344-3856

The Little Italy Inn

For FGI Members Only

http://www.littleitalyhotel.com Mineral Makeup Available at Fine Stores and on the Internet

Changes Plastic Surgery Spa Spa 858 Www.dygcosmetics.com Purchase 5 or more products and receive 15% off your entire purchase!

“Ten Best Dressed ”

FGI Friends of Fashion, Sally B Thornton was on The Best Dressed List of 2008. Leonard Simpson “The Style Guy” presented the award at the “Dressed to the Nth Degree” luncheon & fashion show at the U S Grant Ho- tel. Kudos to Sally, she is truly one of San Diego’s treas- ures.

Others winners were Valerie Cooper, Daran Grimm, Mary Beth Kellee, Michala Lawrence, Ferne McCuen, Esther Jane Paul, Natalie Daryl Walter, Feben Yohannes, Bar- bara ZoBell, Michael Bixler, Harry Cooper, Todd Figi, Bertrand Hug, Scott Johnston, Jessie Knight Jr., Rueben Poon, David Reick, Jonathan Shiff, and Dean Spanos. Simpson announced the winners at a press party held at Mr. A’s overlooking the San Diego skyline!

More on Golden Hangers…..

Three screens were set up and 60-second clips from movies played before each segment in the fashion show. The music from each movie played as the models came down the catwalk. The line-up showcased the designs of FCC students. The audience went wild as bare- chested men came down the catwalk. Each of these good-looking guys had a collar around his neck and was being led by a stylish model in animal prints. This was a huge crowd-pleaser and definitely one of the highlights of the evening. The show finale was the inspirational designs of paintings from the collection at the Timken Museum of Art. These clever vignettes from different movies were coordinated by Tanya McAnear and produced by Jim Crawford. Proceeds from the evening go to the Make-A-Wish Foundation, which grants the wishes of children with life threatening medical conditions to enrich the human experience with hope, strength and joy. For more information, visit www.wishsandiego.org. The evening also gives proceeds to Variety Children’s Lifeline Charity, a nonprofit dedicated to improving the lives of children around the world. For info, visit www.varietychildrenscharity.org. ■

A Rebirth of FIDM Downtown

The Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising (FIDM) hosted an open house on Saturday, Nov. 8th at its new location, 350 Tenth Ave. Downtown, in the Diamond View Tower. After visiting the new campus, 750 prospective students were bused to the Westin Horton Plaza Hotel for a fast-paced and well choreographed fashion show. Each segment showcased a different advanced fashion de- sign student. A video clip about each student was highlighted, then a line of their creations was shown on the runway. This show was inspiring for the hopeful audience. Denise Baca, campus and admissions director, welcomed the eager crowd. Denise mentioned to everyone that FIDM graduate Leanne Marshall won a recent “” competition. The big announcement was that the show we were about to see would be part of the presidential inaugural luncheon in Washington, D.C. in January.

A special open house was set up on Wednesday, Nov. 19 for visitors to the new campus. Interna- tional architect Clive Wilkinson, who designed this cutting-edge campus, was in attendance. Mayor Jerry Sanders was on hand to welcome FIDM to this new location. , an FIDM graduate and teacher, was there to greet the guests. You might remember Nick as a popular “Project Run- way” contestant in its second season. During the evening, Nick showcased his designs on models that mingled with the crowd and kept changing from one stylish design to another. This new innova- tive campus is located on the third floor of the Diamond View Tower and overlooks Petco Park. For more information, visit www.fidm.edu.

Mayor Jerry Sanders with FGI member and Campus Director Denise Baca

2009 Board Members THANK YOU!

Regional Directors Judy Welty & George Bates The current FGI Board of Directors and the membership

Secretary……………………..Lynell Lynch want to THANK Grace Decker and Sherry Bittner, Treasurer……………………..Judy Thacker Membership Chairs…………Chrissy Burns former Regional Directors and the Board for their Stephanie Whitlock Program Chair……………….Julie Fought service in 2007 and 2008. Education Chairs…………… Kathy Taylor Under their leadership many new members joined Jeffri Salisbury Nominations Chair…………..Gretchen Burns FGI—San Diego and a mix of new and traditional events Hospitality Chair……………. Elizabeth Samford Communications Chair……...Ivette Navarro were held. From the initial retreat at the Loma Santa Fe Public Relations……………. .Riean Sy Lena Evans Country Club came a host of ideas that set their service Student Liaison………………Lizz Russell Historian………………………Sandi Smith in motion. Members enjoyed Trend events with panels of Newsletter Chair……………..Diana Cavagnaro experts and lively discussions, seeing Issey Miyake hon- Newsletter Editor………….…Judy Thacker ored at USD, attending “Day at the Races, were excited Friends of Fashion Group to network at the “Mix It Up” events, and be part of Advisory Board member Olga Krasnoff’s book launching at Bloomingdales. Darlene Davies Joyce Glazer Other exciting opportunities included the mid-winter con- Jeanne Jones Lael Kovtun Jeanne Lucia Phyllis Parrish ference in Sydney Australia and the launch of FGI-Focus Kristi Pieper Mary G. Walker Bonnie Wright Yolanda Walther and Passport to Style for scholarship donations. Charlotte Jacobs Meade Sally Thornton Thank you again for your dedication and achievements for FGI-San Diego!

Newsletter Chair —Diana Cavagnaro P.O. Box 711836 San Diego, CA 92171-1836