OBSESSION: Queen of the Jungle Confessions

The dreams of children live and grow without real-world constraints: When I grow up I'm going to be a doctor. Fireman, Actress, Lawyer—you get the drift. As a young girl, my aspirations differed greatly from my playground companions, who dreamed of being veterinarians, teachers, musicians. My main goal in life: to become synonymous with the image of the leopard.

I don't remember what motivated me to seek out all things leopard. I just remember great moments of leopard influence.

1991, age 3: On my first trip to the cinema, I see 101 Dalmatians. I run up to the screen to touch Cruella DeVil.

1994, age 6: With my grandmother, I fall asleep watching The Nanny every week. In my mind, Fran Drescher's character Miss Fine (and her preference for all things animal print) epitomized my adult aspirations.

1996, age 7: I purchase my first leopard-print ensemble at the Children's Place: a leopard dress with a black-vinyl jacket. My life changed forever.

Ever since the second grade, I incorporated some form of the feline into my outfits. The cheetah and the tiger make cameos, but the leopard dominates my wardrobe. Confronting the wild, I challenge the conventionality of Hollister and Polo with my courageous fashion statements — leopard overalls, leopard pants, leopard skirts. I know these symbols of the primitive and the exotic walk a thin line between class and promiscuity, and I guard that line when I assemble my attire each day.

But regardless of my daily fashion decisions, I remain contemporary, current. Each season, animal print reappears on the runway. From Dolce and Gabanna advertisements in Vogue to synthetic tunics at Forever 21, spots possess a stronghold on the fashion industry and an appeal that transcends age limits. Adolescent girls and businesswomen alike flirt with my prized pet. However, nothing threatens my relationship with the animal. We share a secret understanding, a special bond. I like to think I did not choose the leopard. The leopard chose me.

CRUSH: Classic Clothes

Are we facing a fashion return to America's puritan roots?
Check out this sound slide to find out.

EXPERIENCE: Rhoda Dendron

Rhoda Dendron is easily one of the most trendy places to shop on the SU Campus. Check out this sound slide to see for yourself.

A-LIST: Amazing Masters and Muses

As a designer, I know how the power of a person that inspires you to create. Friend, fellow creator, beauty, and brain, junior advertising design major Anya Dabroski filled that role for me and made me curious about the world's more famous inspiration-creation connections. Consider my list of the Top Seven Masters and Muses of all time:

7. Karl Lagerfeld and Claudia Schiffer

6. Jean Paul Gaultier and Madonna

5. Gianni Versace and sister Donatella

4. Paul Poiret and wife Denise

3. Ann Demeulemeester and Patti Smith

2. Coco Chanel and Coco Chanel

1. Christian Dior and Mitzah Bricard

PROFILE: Big Papi's Favorite Lid-Maker

Wearing that Yankees or Red Sox hat makes you about as standout stylish as wearing an orange t-shirt from Marshall Street to a basketball game. But 21-year-old senior illustration major Chris Giorgio is transforming team pride into a signature fashion statement that gives sports lovers statement-status toppers, and his designs have attracted one high-profile hitter in the process.

Giorgio started drawing at the age of three and carried this artistic passion with him to S.U. “Everyone always says ‘oh you’re an illustration major. So what, like books?’” says Giorgio. But contrary to common assumptions, Giorgio plans to use his illustration education at S.U. in a future career in fashion.

When he was a sophomore, a friend suggested Giorgio use his drawing talent to customize hats. The friend knew a girl who used her artistic talents to create one-of-a-kind headbands and bracelets. Giorgio acted on the suggestion and bought a white hat from Lids and some Sharpie markers. He illustrated his first Boston Red Sox themed hat in honor of his favorite baseball team. Just last week, Giorgio completed the third hat in a series that he sold to David Ortiz, the home-run record holding hitter for the Sox.

Giorgio estimates he’s produced about 30 hats (all one-of-a-kind), and he has five orders to create by Christmas, which, with finals coming up, won’t be an easy feat. Each wearable masterpiece starts with a plain white hat from Lids, a box of Sharpies, and a computer file of images and information about various sports teams’ histories, players, and logos that Giorgio keeps on his laptop. Each hat takes about 15 hours and costs $150.

Giorgio is still searching for a brand name for his designs and says HeyZeus remains a contender. “I just didn’t want to call it ‘Chris Giorgio,’” he says. “I don’t know why, but I just don’t think it’s cool. Everyone’s always like, ‘that’s such a designer name!’ but there’s already Giorgio Armani.” Even so, Giorgio’s new website still stands as chrisgiorgio.com, but it too remains in the beginning stages.

In the future, Giorgio says he wants to find a way to mass-produce his designs, but the detail and the personality of his hats might make that an impossibility. He also wants to expand beyond hats. Over the summer, Giorgio hand painted several Marie Antoinette themed leather handbags for a store on Newbury Street in Boston. “I don’t know what I’m going to do when I graduate, but I would definitely do something like that,” says Giorgio. “Anything in the fashion world.”

EXPERIENCE: Origins to the Rescue

After six hours of classes, I head to Carousel Mall for a little afternoon delight. I wear sweats, a sorority tee, and my Ted Baker glasses. My body aches and my eyes feel as heavy as the doors of Macy’s. Inside, I dig through my purse to find some chap stick. My lips burn and sting. I lick my lips as I dig through my large satchel. Just as I walk by the Origins counter, I drop my large leopard bag, and my whole life explodes onto the tile floor.

A young sales woman in a little green Origins apron runs over. She helps me pick up my life. “Missy! You look a little worn out today,” the cute little brunette says as she helps me. “What’s wrong?”

I explain my stressful day and how I couldn’t find my chap stick. I’ve never been an Origins fan with one major exception: their chap stick became a minor addiction in high school. “Honey, I’m gonna give you a little makeover,” the Origins helper says. “I think you deserve a little pampering.”

Em, the saleswomen, sits me down in director-style chair and grabs a cotton ball, pours a little A Perfect World Liquid moisture with White Tea ($21) on it, and then sweeps it against my makeup-free face. She tells me it helps to hydrate my dry skin during this cold winter weather.



She grabs the Lip Remedy Soothing Lip Saver ($12) and exclaims, “I am so sorry I didn’t get you this first your lips must hate me.” I giggle a little as she runs it over my lips.



‘So now that your skin feels a little better is there anything else that you might need this winter season” she asks.

I reply: “Well my eyes get really puffy in the cold air. I’m from California and I still don’t think that my skin likes it here.” She runs over to her counter of goodies and grabs the No Puffery cooling mask for puffy eyes ($21). She places it next to me and explains the direction on the back.



She walks back over to the counter and grabs a few makeup essentials. She quickly covers up my dark circles under my eyes with concealer then covers my face with powder and bronzer. She adds some mascara and screams, “Wah-laah!’

I give her my Visa to buy the liquid moisture, lip remedy, and puffy eye mask. I thank her for brightening my day and walk out into the rest of the mall with a little skip and a little less schlump.

TRIPLE THREAT: Logo Lust

Varsity Pizza on Marshall Street isn’t the only place on campus that serves up genuine Americana and iconic school spirit these days. The Syracuse University Bookstore now sells vintage inspired collegiate fashions through T.Dalton’s Varsity Club clothing line. With The Express in theaters immortalizing Ernie Davis’ time at Syracuse and his quest to become the first African-American to win the Heisman Trophy, consider sporting a piece of clothing that captures a time when SU had a winning football team. Everything from cozy knit sweaters and scarves in ‘Cuse colors, to rugby tees, and hoodies feature the historic block S logo that Davis proudly wore while charging down the field to glory. Sure, the sweaters cost some coin, but that’s the beauty of a bookstore SUpercard account.

1. Zip Up #44 Knit Hoodie ($52.99)




2. Vintage Rugby ($54.99)



3. Ripped Block S Thermal ($39.99)

HOW TO: Fierce Frizz Fighters

The stylists at Industry, the only Syracuse hair emporium to sell cultish premiere hair line Bumble and Bumble, recommend a three-step process to fight winter frizz and dryness.

1. For starters, switch to a moisture-rich shampoo. Bumble and Bumble’s Gentle ($20) works well for dry, damaged, or chemically treated hair.
2. For conditioner, try Bumble and Bumble’s Super Rich ($21). The formula of the conditioner is a must in the chilly Syracuse winters. “It really is what it says – it’s super rich and moisturizing,” says Industry manager Giovanni Giardina.


3. If, despite that electricity-inducing weather and the horrors of winter hat hair, you long for a chic, frizz-free style, consider a dab of Bumble and Bumble’s Brilliantine ($20).
Stylists caution that you only need a touch of this silicone-based formula. If you use too much, you risk the greasies; use just a little, and you’ll get your money’s worth – and silky, shiny hair to boot.

REVIEW: Industrial Style Secret

With the semester winding down and the holiday season fast approaching, it’s time to step up the style. No one wants to go home to friends and family with the same hair that’s as frizzy and as we are frazzled during the last week of school.

Fortunately, the stylists at Armory Square’s Industry (121 Walton St.; 315-476-0015) know about Hill hair horrors and how to save them. They also tend to the tresses of many of the local, on-air broadcast talent for the NBC Channel 3 news team. In addition to beauty school, each of the eight stylists at Industry participates in an intensive apprenticeship program for at least a year, and each receives training at the prestigious Bumble and Bumble University in New York City, which means a great ‘do, no matter which stylist you choose.

Manhattanites will feel right at home at Industry, the only salon in Syracuse to sell the cultish Bumble and Bumble line of hair products, which sit prominently in the simple, modern lobby, where clients listen to groovy alternative rock tunes, thumb through design magazines, and sip on water, coffee or tea while they wait.

Industry’s black-and-chrome fixtures and backlit mirrors make the inside of the salon almost as sleek as the hairstyles they create.


Michelle Rath, a veteran stylist for 18 years, says the seasons in Syracuse serve as change catalysts for clients. “People like to go dark for the winter,” Rath says. “A lot of people did that ‘Posh Spice’ haircut, and everyone is growing it out now.”

Rath says more and more people are asking for edgier urban looks. “I’m seeing a lot of rock and roll looks,” she says. “A lot of layers, and a lot of bangs, too.” After all, it’s only rock ‘n’ and roll (and hair), and we like it.

LOOK FOR LESS: I See Red!

Holiday parties await you. Forget the little black dress.
Stars love the loud hue, and you should too.
But since we lack a million-dollar sugar daddy (Katie), or a mega-successful TV show(Heidi),and since the only red carpet we’ll see is the holiday doormat at grandma’s house for the holiday’s, we suggest these looks instead. Best of all, once you embrace this bold color and grow accustomed to turning some heads, you can wear these even after the holiday cheer evaporates (Valentine’s Day here we come).

1) Ruby Roxy One Shoulder Mini Dress -$68
2) Natalia Knit Dress -$34.50
3) Bow Tank Dress- $39.50

STREET STYLE: Pure and Simple

Junior Retail Management Major Lisa Cassese loves to look chic. She always wants to look polished but price drives her fashion decisions.
Favorite Item She’s Wearing: “I like my top. I got it at Target. It was a steal and decent fashion.”
Fashion Icon: “I like laid back fashion. Rachel Bilson and Kate Hudson.”
Trend She Loves to Hate: “I like leggings but I don’t like how people use them.”

HOW TO: Click on Vintage

As I write this, I’m bidding on 17 vintage items on E-bay. In less than a day, this vintage 80's blue avant garde swing cape wool coat could be mine for $25 dollars. An empty hanger hangs in my closet, waiting its arrival. I consider myself an expert. The proof: an 80's strapless sweater mini dress I nabbed for $9.99. Follow these tips on finding the perfect leather bomber jacket or a vintage ‘80s black tuxedo military skinny blazer.

1. Remember: Items go to the highest bidders. The seller sets a time limit (five days, for example), and users get the opportunity to bid on an item. I need to stress ONE POINT: If you dream about this item or skecth it in your notebook during your spare time,make sure you make a great maximum bid. Of course you need a budget, but these things are one-of-a-kind pieces you won’t find anywhere else.

2. Most of the vintage items I’ve looked at recently sold for less than $70. Keep this in mind when making your maximum bid, but if you can’t stop thinking about the item, it’s worth the bid.

3. Return to the places where you’ve found your favorite pieces. The following stores top my list:
*Thriftwares
*Lullie Vintage
*Art House Vintage
*Ohio Vintage
*MamaStone Vintage
4. One more thing: Even if you are outbid, you can return and place another offer. Check back frequently to see if someone else stole your dream coat, and always fight for the one you love.

PROFILE: Jewelry Maker with the Midas Touch

If you forced Carolyn Gang, SU alumna and president of Seiden Gang, an upscale jewelry company featured in stores like Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus, to identify one reason she became a jewelry entrepreneur, she might say gold. In 1980, gold cost $800 an ounce (today the price stands at about $732), and people wanted a big look with out having to pay big dollars. She began making and selling hollow, beaded bracelets to her friends at the local country clubs and offices. The bracelets sold well, and word of Carolyn's designs spread. That success taught her a lesson and prompted her to go into the gold business. Diamonds, art, real estate, and other manufactured items require a buyer. Not gold. Just melt and sell.

Carolyn grew up in New Rochelle, New York in an upper-middle-class family. Her father had his own accounting practice, and she developed an interest in business as a youngster. She came to Syracuse University as a history major with the intent of becoming a teacher. “The expectation that parents, at least mine, had for daughters rather than sons was to be a teacher or a nurse, get married and have children,” she says. “My brother was supposed to go into my father's business.”

After graduating from Syracuse in three and a half years, Carolyn received her master's degree in education at Bank Street College in New York. Despite her degree, Carolyn knew the structure and routine of teaching held little appeal.
After two sons and a divorce, Carolyn decided to start a new business in her home of Scarsdale, N.Y. “I wanted to be somebody other than my father's daughter, my husband's wife, and my children's mother. I needed to have my own identity,” she says. “I wanted to be financially independent and not have to rely on someone else financially, as I had been doing all my life.”


Carolyn takes her inspiration from motifs and designs of past cultures and civilizations, particularly the ancient Greeks. She says her days spent designing and crafting jewelry feel more like fun than work. Her Love of Life collection features pendants, bracelets, earrings, and rings. All pieces are made with 18K gold and precious stones, including diamonds. The exquisite Love of Life ring in 18K yellow gold with diamond enhancements adds sparkle to any outfit ($4,545, http://store.jrdunn.com/seiden-gang-jewelry-s/965.htm). The Classic Life’s Circle Small enhancer in 18K gold with diamonds on a leather cord scream sophistication and style when worn to work or out on the town ($2,925, http://store.jrdunn.com/seiden-gang-jewelry-s/965.htm).

Carolyn spends a great deal of her time working on advertising and sales and travels all over the United States, particularly to New York City, for jewelry shows. Carolyn loves the fact that she can start trends with her jewelry, but she considers her pieces timeless. “My jewelry is classic,” she says. “It will last forever.” And if you drop $2,400 for a ring or $20K for a necklace, it better be (Seidengang.com).

TRIPLE THREAT: Plaid Persistence

Built around a theme of recycled couture, last week's Jet Black Fashion Show features the work of Syracuse University fashion-design students, who utilized a range of materials from vintage furs to unconventional textiles such as straw upholstery. Glitz and glam rang as staple elements of the exaggerated designs, but the use of plaid and old men's shirts dominated the runway.





Designer Courtney Zapor paid homage to the Catholic school girl with a belted asymmetric dress design. Zapor's design featured navy plaid wool accented by a gathered white dress shirt across the bust. A pocket detail on a fairly exposed bum added an edge as model Annie Boardman held a dramatic stance evoking the crucifix. Zapor enjoys taking risks (besides the exposed bum, she styled the ensemble with rosary beads).

Designer Asli Whitham took her inspiration from Old Hollywood glamour with the perfect cocktail dress modeled by Karina Mariotti (and reminiscent of Ava Gardner in the 1930s), which featured a detachable fur stole juxtaposed on plaid taffeta. Perhaps a historical analysis of how the Great Depression limited fashion choices of the female sphere, Whitman makes the best out of her recycled fabrics, disguising the original functions of her materials.

In an over-the-top creation of men's shirts, designer Kaitlyn Carpenter reinterpreted Seattle grunge circa 1991. Layering a mass volume of multi-color plaids, Carpenter suggested boho femininity in her free-flowing design worn by Elizabeth Baker. A touch of black leather escalated the pretty-in-punk feel. Perhaps it's time to welcome the next generation of Riot Grrrl on to the scene.

HOW TO: Dress for Excess

Minus gifts, glitter, and a potential midnight kiss, Thanksgiving easily earns the award for frumpiest holiday. Plus all that food, few distractions, and the abundance of lounge opportunities make glamour a stretch (so to speak). But we encourage you to think ahead and avoid the classic T-Day fashion disaster — unbuttoning your jeans so that extra helping of mashed taters doesn’t contribute to the world’s worst muffin top. This Thanksgiving consider this styles that encourage lounging and accommodate second helpings.
1. Leggings with a flowing tunic over and flats like this Tory Burch outfit.



2. A wrap dress to cover up your little tummy like this Diane Von Furstenberg dress.



3. A simple chiffon ruffle empire waist dress that floats away from the body like this one from Forever 21.

TRIPLE THREAT: Purple Reign

Consider the first snowfall an invitation to accessorize with some bang. Few colors deliver a bigger punch than purple (cases in point: Prince, Jimi Hendrix, and a lot of royalty considered this Color Number One). Let these slurge accessories signal the regal in you.

1. Coach’s lambskin with cashmere lining in Aubergine for ($98)



2. Steve Madden’s Bonanza Tall Shafted flat boots ($89.95)



3. Kate Spade’s belmont n/s lella ostrich embossed calfskin clutch ($221)

EXPERIENCE: The Brains Behind Salty

Triple Threat: Gossip Girl Headlights

Gossip Girl delivers more than fashionable drama. It also provides a lot of headband eye candy. Blair Waldorf sports a collection of the classic head statements in almost every episode. Lauded as the quintessential accessory since the show’s debut, Blair knows how to wear a variety of incarnations from the everyday headband, the trendy headband, to the high-society (every girl’s must-have) night headband. From satin to wire, bows to prints, Miss Waldorf’s head is always accessorized to a T. But non-fictionalized girls may struggle to replicate the power band. The Secret: Go to the real-life New York accessory designer Jennifer Behr, the fashionable talent behind many of Queen B’s signature headbands. She offers an array of stunning headpieces including the ones seen on the show. Visit her website: http://www.jenniferbehr.com/ Jennifer Behr headbands are also available at: Intermix, Saks, Barneys, and Bendels.

Whether scheming or playing innocent, it’s hard for even the most critical onlooker to tell in this simple little number. This adorable cream colored piece features two rosettes on a silk satin wrap. In addition to cream, it also comes in dusted lilac, royal purple, prussian, pewter and black. ($152).

Don’t skimp on the details. This bold flowered headband is as over-the-top as Miss Waldorf herself. A sculpted hand-pressed patent orchid floats right above the ear on a skinny headband. The patent petals are embossed with all the delicate details of orchid leaves. A real Waldorf never fails to blossom. ($198)
A girl who sparkles never forgets how to shine. Bedazzle your Chuck Bass with this Jennifer Behr Victorian Crystal piece. A cluster of Swarovski crystal, reminiscent of a diamond-loaded antique broach, sits on a silk satin headwrap, finished at the back with elastic.

D.I.Y.: Shred Baby Shred

This November it’s all about shred. Capitalize on this street-wear inspired look and transform any old tee from rags to riches.

The Essentials:
-A t-shirt,tank,etc.
-Scissors
-A seam ripper (optional, you could use a mechanical pencil or your fingers instead)
-A vivid imagination
-A lot of time

The Procedure:
1. Trim the hem off your shirt and stretch the raw edge to loosen the threads.



2. Using a seam ripper (pencil or fingers), begin to pull at the threads running horizontal to the hem of the garment. (Aside: Don't tear the threads, just pull them loose. You will see them unravel as you pull.) The first couple threads may break, but keep pulling until you have several threads loose.

3. Determine how wide you want your shredded section to be. Pull out a longer section of thread if you want a wider panel of shredded fabric. You can always create more panels later on.



4. Once you have several pulled threads, ditch the seam ripper and just use your fingers to pull on the thread and more should rip out. Some threads may break along the way. Not to worry. Just keep pulling.

5. Continue ripping until you reach the top of the garment or the height you desire. If you notice that the shredded panel of fabric tapers in as you go higher, backtrack and find where the thread is not pulled all the way across. Pick and pull at the spot until it comes undone and continue the pulling process.

6. Repeat and make multiple panels until you are satisfied.