Volume 17, Number 26 Thursday, July 5, 2001 Fashion. .behind the scenes by Maggie Beyer It wasn’t Paris, but it could have been. The lights, the music, that special flair that professional models have when they take to the runway. .posing, preening, prancing to upbeat rhythms. .all in original knock-your-eye out cre- ations made by students, on their way to fashion careers. AND, to top it off, a grand finale of bridal fashions by Lazaro, designer for stars and celebrity elite, back home where it all began for him, in Chicago, where he would receive the Illinois Institute of Art’s 2001 Fashion Award. It was an invitation too tempting to resist. .a trip to Chicago on May 24th with friend Fischchen O’Shea of Michiana Shores to see the 6th Annual Student Fashion Show presented by the Illinois Institute of Art in the Holiday Inn ballroom of Chicago’s Apparel Mart. It was a special day for Fischchen, not only were many of her stu- dents in fashion design and construction classes pre- senting on the runway, but it would be a time of reunion A show stopper by Lazaro. with a former student, Lazaro Perez, who received the first of his many awards as “Best New Bridal Designer” while he was still her student. Fashion Continued on Page 2 Happy hugs and a reunion as teacher Fischchen O’Shea greets former student, eminent bridal designer, Lazaro. Traditionally, the Lazaro look for brides. Page 2 July 5, 2001 911 Franklin Street • Michigan City, IN 46360 219/879-0088 • FAX 219/879-8070 In Case Of Emergency, Dial e-mail: News/Articles - [email protected] email: Classifieds - [email protected] http://www.bbpnet.com/Beacher/ Published and Printed by THE BEACHER BUSINESS PRINTERS Delivered weekly, free of charge to Birch Tree Farms, Duneland Beach, Grand Beach, Hidden 911 Shores, Long Beach, Michiana Shores, Michiana MI and Shoreland Hills. The Beacher is also Subscription Rates delivered to public places in Michigan City, New Buffalo, LaPorte and Sheridan Beach. 1 year $26 6 months $14 3 months $8 1 month $3 Fashion Continued from Page 1 Lazaro has gone on to receive what is known as the Oscar of fashion awards for the Year 2000 award as bridal designer of the year, repeating his same 1999 honor. When Lazaro was a student, the college was known as the Ray College of Design (before that the Ray-Vogue School) and became known as the Illinois Institute of Art when it joined Art Institutes International in 1995, an institution with campuses in 16 major cities across the United States. Wade Ray, son of the orig- inal owner, and his sister, Ruth Bremner, have a home in the Dunes area and are currently having an exhibition of their art work at the Institute. Before the big fashion show event at 8 p.m., class- es went on as usual for Fischchen and her students; Designer Lazaro with Illinois Institute of Art president Saundra VanDyke well, maybe not quite as usual. There had been a pre- (right) and Madeleine Slutsky, director of career services. liminary show that afternoon, there would be a recep- tion before the evening show, and excitement was in Say the name Lazaro and you think of sweeping bridal gowns, the air. Students popped in and out, sharing comments; the kind that dreams are made of, highlighting the pages of fashion magazines. And now, Lazaro said, he is expanding others were putting finishing touches on the outfits into evening wear, currently working on “something” for they would wear that evening when they would be pre- Gloria Estefan. Known as a master of construction and sented to the hundreds of people present at the show. detail, Lazaro said he remembered his former teacher insist- This was their debut. .they were the designers! ing he learn to do it “the right way” first before attempting They had made them, each and every stitch, and the to experiment. “She probably thought I was a little hard-head- Chicago fashion world would be watching. ed, but we always communicated wonderfully.” After graduating in 1987, Cuban-born Lazaro said his first job was doing alterations in a bridal salon, The Ultimate Bride on Oak Street. His advice to young people is to “do any- thing”. “That’s what I did,” he said, “and I was put in the posi- tion to be recognized by one of the designers. He offered me a job and was the one who took me to New York. I did any- thing, from picking up pins to sweeping the floor until I was offered another job to create a line for a collection that was very successful. I’ve been with my publicly owned company now for nine years and it’s given me the chance to just explode. There are now over 200 people working on my cre- ations. It’s just means working your way up through the years.” What’s the biggest change Lazaro has seen in those years? “I think it’s the bareness,” he said. “We’ve seen everything from high necks and long sleeves going to short sleeves, now everything is pretty much spaghetti straps and strapless. Everything is getting a little fuller, a little less tapered, a lit- tle more a-line. And for my clientele, I do what I’m known for, a lot of intricate beadwork, lovely fabrics. (Fischchen noted that even as a student he always used fabulous fabrics, like an embroidered Indian sari he used for one student design). Today, Lazaro said that 80% of his fabrics come from Italy, the beadwork from India, all the laces are French. What the newest for brides? “Color,” Lazaro emphatical- ly stated. “Why can’t a bride wear red?” To show it could be possible, he included one in his creations for the fashion show finale. The Illinois Institute of Art located in Chicago’s Apparel Mart. July 5, 2001 Page 3 Open ‘til 7 p.m. Evenings www.littlehousefashions.comElegant Apparel for the [email protected] Conscious Woman Women’s Apparel What does it feel like Fashion faculty instructor when your work will be on Fischchen O’Shea with students All Summer Clearance parade? Sara Halladay, a Rosalia Moreci and Haidee senior, who will have ensem- Guigayoma. bles in street wear in the up to show, said, “It’s frustrat- ing, but it’s exciting. Frustrating because it’s out of your control as to whether 50% off your clothes are going to be presented as you feel they should be presented. It’s in somebody else’s hands.” After seeing the afternoon show, Sara felt she was just too critical. Sara Halladay worked so long “I’ve been working on this “she couldn’t bear another for so long,” she said, “That minute”. by now I just want to throw it out the window.” Rosalia Moreci from Over Oakbrook has sportswear in the fashion show, and brave- 300 ly challenges Lazaro with a wedding gown creation. As dresses good as Lazaro’s? “Pretty good,” she said. It took her to several months to design it. “I just kind of wung it choose together,” she said. “But as I worked, it kind of changed from it and I just wung it around.” (Wung must be a new word among the young; they laughed when I asked them Sizes 4P - 24W to explain. If it hasn’t made Webster’s, I get the mean- ing.) When she saw her bridal gown in the after- noon show, Rosalia said “I felt as if I were getting mar- Tent Sale BARGAINS ried myself. I was so ner- vous.” She needn’t have 75% off Last Sale Price been. At the evening show, with hordes of her family present (they own Roberto’s Meet Us For Lunch And A Style Show Ristorante on Spring Road), THURSDAY, JULY 5 - ROSKOE’S, LA PORTE her bridal gown was a WEDNESDAY, JULY 11 - HANNAH’S, NEW BUFFALO smash, and her sportswear 409 Alexander Street LaPorte, IN 326-8602 took 1st Place. Her dream, 409On Alexander Hwy 35 - 5 Street Blocks LaPorte,South of LincolnwayIN 326-8602 her own boutique. Rosalia Moreci’s bridal creation On Hwy 35Turn - 5 Right Blocks on SouthAlexander of Lincolnway that “made her feel like a bride Monday - FridayTurn Right 9:30 toon 7 Alexander Saturday 9:30 to 5 Monday-Friday 10 to 6 Saturday 9:30 to 5 Fashion Continued on Page 4 herself”. Page 4 July 5, 2001 Fashion Continued from Page 3 Haidee Guigayoma from the Philippines, has lived in Chicago for five years and showed a collection she calls “City Chic” of black stretch vinyl painted with silver accents. She received her inspiration she said, while browsing in the Institute’s library when she saw a 40’s design for a neckline she loved, and she took her design from that. Christina Kirts said she took her design from the fabric itself, a plaid that she cut on the bias. Some of Fischchen’s students Black vinyl and hand-painted velvet by student Haidee Guigayoma. Christine Kirts used bias and diagonal cuts for her runway creations. Jessica Wobbekind with her exhibit on computer-enhanced textile concepts. Student Award winner, a sporting look by Rosalia Moreci. Raquel Daley was Fashion faculty innovation itself in her teacher for almost 20 creation of tucked black years, Jacqueline vinyl and wired stand-up Johnson copied the collar, award-winning in its suit she wore to the class. reception from one worn by Marilyn Monroe in “How to Marry a Millionaire”.