Newspaper Page Text
l
%* The BluePrint
SpelmanPaper@gmail.com Nov/Dec 2013
FASHION & Beauty
YouTube Gurus:
Beauty Channels on the Rise
By: Lauren Coggins C’2014
With the vast popularity of YouTube and the many
categories of videos that the site has to offer, it is only
fitting that there is an audience of fashion aficionados
scouring each channel for information. Luckily to
their avail, there is an entire subculture of YouTubers
that are devoted to satisfying their beauty needs. The
days of visiting a beauty counter for tips are long gone,
as viewers can now receive instruction by watching
make-up tutorials. Whether you need ideas for an
outfit, or want to achieve a certain hairstyle, a channel
that caters to your desires is almost guaranteed.
When it comes to healthy living and natural hair
maintenance, Fran, known as HeyFranHey on YouTube,
is your go to girl. Her channel provides do it yourself
tips on beauty, hair care, fitness, and nutrition, with
instruction on how to make natural concoctions at
home. Fran also uses a range of low cost products
so that application of her techniques can be easily
achieved. Her channel is perfect for college students
who are budgeting or working with minimal funds.
If viewers need more assistance in the beauty
department and want instruction on how to achieve
different makeup looks, then YouTube channel
ItsMyRayeRaye has the perfect tips and tricks. She
describes her personal beauty regimen while providing
product recommendations and easy instruction. The
YouTube channel BeautyCrush also covers similar
topics while adding fashion advice and a British twist.
Senior Biology major Karyn Coleman is a
subscriber to some of these channels and searches
them depending on the advice she needs.
“I learned how to apply most of my makeup by
watching YouTube videos,” Coleman said. “They help
me figure out what products to use before I go out
and buy them.”
With so many different choices, there are
hundreds of videos made to share hair, fashion,
and skincare secrets. If you have not had a chance
to familiarize yourself with the YouTube beauty
community, these channels are a great starting point.
CAU HOMECOMING
FASHION SHOW RECAP
By: Houston Scott C’2015
The Clark Atlanta University (CAU) homecoming
fashion show in October entitled “Mt. Olympus”
took place in the CAU gym. The show, which was
inspired by Greek mythology, consisted of seven
scenes captioned with god and goddess names.
The flowing trains, white gowns, royal headdress
and hairstyles were cohesive. Even though it was
a CAU production, there were several Spelman and
Morehouse College students who participated as
models.
During the middle of the show there was a
musical performance by artist Natasha Mosely. She
wore a black and white striped, jersey mesh and
leather dress paired with knee-high black boots.
Following the performance was the “walk off-
sponsored by Uppity Negro clothing line. The hosts
invited 20 male and female participants on stage to
walk the runway. The crowd decided with applause
which two models were the strongest. Those two
then “walked to the death” for the title. The winner
received clothing from the sponsor as well as
bragging rights.
The finale was announced as an auction piece
on CAU designer Stephanie Gordelle’s website. A
portion of the proceeds were donated to a breast
cancer research foundation. The show included a
wide variety of different prints, looks, and materials.
The overarching trends throughout were: black and
white color combination, fringes, metallic material,
body chains, zebra print, denim, color blocked
panels, mesh, and silk garments.
To see some of Gordelle’s work visit her
website: www.stephaniegordelle.com.
LAYERING FOR FALL:
Fashionable for Fall
By: Chelsey Washington CAU C’2015
As fall slowly transitions into lower
temperatures and darker evenings, the
need to bundle up and remain fashionable
becomes a must.
Skinny jeans season may be year
round but as temperatures drop, boyfriend
jeans allow for a relaxed and comfortable
look. These jeans are baggy enough to put
thermals underneath for additional warmth
yet still look feminine and trendy.
Layering for fall can be quite fun, and
this season allows for experimentation with
various patterns, prints, colors and textures.
Here are some fall fashion trends that are
sure to keep you warm and cozy, all awhile
remaining stylish:
Accessories:
Snood scarf
Knit beanie
Leather gloves
Faux fur earmuffs
Russian fur hat
Print scarf
Funky patterned socks
High-knee cable knit socks
Opaque tights
Circle/Infinity scarf
Outerwear:
Puffy coat with faux fur-lined hood
Pea coat
Oversized cardigan
Denim jacket
Solid colored blazer
Camo-print jacket
Long wool coat
Varsity jacket
Faux fur vest
Windbreaker
Leather motorcycle jacket
Fleece cape
Tops:
Striped turtleneck
Tunic
Denim shirt
Flannel shirt
Long sleeve cotton top
Thriffed sweater
Sweater dress
Infinitely Bene;
A Spotlight on Local Business Owners
By: Lauren N. Hawkins C’2014
Michelle Blue, a recent graduate of the
University of Georgia, studied abroad in Ghana her
sophomore year. She was extremely touched by the
young women she met through
the Lifeline Project; a center that
helps take teenager girls off the
street and teaches them a trade
so that they become financially
independent. When Blue returned
back to the U.S. she wanted
others to be inspired by these
girls who, “had nothing, but still
had so much joy and love,” as she
puts it.
After conversing with her best
friend Sasha Matthews about her
experience, the two decided to
go into business together and formed Infinitely
Bene. They chose to use Bene, a prefix that means
good in multiple languages, in their company name
because it represents what they hoped their brand
would stand for.
The clothing line, Infinitely Bene currently has
an array of Infinity scarves made
from the beautiful West African
inspired prints that Michelle saw
in Ghana. Fifteen percent of Bene’s
profits help with the continuation
of the Lifeline program and
development for young girls.
Since its launch, the clothing line
has gotten great exposure in the
Atlanta area and received great
feedback on its products and
cause.
To accompany their initiative
to support the Lifeline Project
in Ghana, Blue and Matthews started the Be
Benevolent movement. The movement serves as
reminder to be kind and love the people you come
in contact with every day as a way to give back to
the world in non-financial ways.
Blue is very passionate about her fashion
line and cause. She says one of the challenges
of being an entrepreneur was going from being
an undergraduate student to being to her own
boss. Although her studies in marketing and
fashion merchandising were helpful, she says her
experience with the line has been “something that
school does not teach you.”
When asked if she had any advice for young
women interested in the fashion industry or
becoming an entrepreneur she responded, “Stay
focused, surround yourself with motivated and
driven people, and get experience”. Michelle has
had the opportunity to attend the 2013 Mercedes
Benz Fashion Week. She currently works with a
new publicist and is looking forward to interviews
with Teen Vogue and Marie Claire later this year.
Infinitely Bene is an example of two
young women, who set a goal for themselves and
invested in their passion. The infinity scarves can
be purchased at http://infinitelybene.com/ and are
also featured in boutiques in Buckhead and Virginia
Highlands.For more information on the clothing
line and its mission visit www.infinitelybene.com
or email inquiries to info@infinitelybene.com.
IS JC PENNEY’S GOING
OUT OF BUSINESS?
By: Houston Scott C’2015
Fashion executives have been predicting that
that JC Penney’s (JCP) may go out of business
by the end of the year. Their sales percentage
numbers are lower than ever before. The
company has hired three CEOs, changed
strategies, and renovated numerous stores.
But ultimately, JCP has never recovered from
losing their original customer base when it
tried to appeal to a younger audience.
In 2011 JCP fired its CEO Myron Ullman,
a promotional retailer. His successor Ron
Johnson, the former Senior Vice President
of Retail Operations at Apple Inc., took over
his duties. When Johnson Johnson took over,
he essentially alienated the target customer
from the store. The baby boomer class was
the age range of shoppers that had the most
spending power at JCP. Johnson took away
the promotional strategy to attract a new,
younger customer.
After 15 months of Johnson taking the wheel
of the sinking ship, JCP fired the Apple expert
and re-hired Ullman.
Promotional strategies of coupons and
sales are what the target customer for JCP
was looking for. They knew they could save
money with the company and therefore gained
customer loyalty that way.
However Johnson wanted to “churn and
burn” the inventory so he thought it was best
to get rid of that technique because the gross
margin moves very slowly that way. Johnson
decided to put different merchandise in the
stores to attract teenagers and young adults.
This resulted in the loyal customers confusion
and abandonment of the store. They no longer
could find the items they wanted.
Johnson tried to appeal to youth through a
series of endeavors. The store included Denim
Bars to help shoppers find the perfect jeans,
employees with iPod Touch devices, hand
held devices to ring up purchases and search
for additional sizes or styles on J.C. Penney’s
site at a customer’s request, and smaller
selection of product with a higher price (like
a boutique).
Johnson also put a same sex couple in
some of the advertisements to show
comfortableness with an alternative lifestyle.
This was not perceived well by the majority,
conservative older customers that loved JCP.
Johnson completely switched to a different
demographics’ values-a demographic that
didn’t shop in the store.
As a result, JCP’s stocks have been
plummeting. Their comparable store sales
percentage numbers from year to date are
as low as -31.7%. They have lost millions
of dollars because of sales and used billions
because Johnson renovated about half of the
chains while he was with the company. With
Ullman’s second shot at turning this around,
he is faced with many dilemmas.
One solution proposed to prevent the store
from financial ruin is to close some of the
1,100 stores, especially those that have not
been remodeled. Something that hinders this
solution are the “mall covenants” that require
anchor stores (like Macy’s, Bloomingdales,
JCP, Sears, etc) to stay in the mall for as long
as 20-25 years. Breaking those contracts
would bring massive fees on JCP that could
bankrupt them immediately.
Will our generation see JC Penney’s go out of
business? The future doesn’t look too bright.
People in the industry are taking bets on which
month they will shut their doors forever.
HOLIDAY FRENZY:
Online Shopping
By. Karys Belger C2016
Particularly during the holiday season, shopping
can seem like a daunting task. To relieve some of
the stress many people shop online, however online
shopping can also become a stressful task. Online
shoppers often have to navigate through hundreds of
sales, be able to discern secure payment sites from
non-secure sites, as well actually find the perfect item.
Fear not. Below are a few tips and tricks to help you
online shop without breaking the bank or losing your
senses.
Shopping on secure websites is the best way
to ensure that your private information does not
get compromised. Secure or encrypted websites
will typically start with “https”. The “s” at the ends
means that website is a secure one. It’s also smart to
research the website’s privacy or security policies. If
the website does not say that they do not release their
customer’s private information, be extremely cautious.
Also, never give out your social security number. If a
website asks for it, mostly likely it’s a scam.
When it comes to buying clothes online, it is
best to know your size. Not a rough estimate of what
you think you are but an actual measurement. Most
websites have a size chart to help decide what size bet
suits you. Remember, a size small in one brand could
be a large in another. Using an U.S. based merchant is
the best way to ensure there are no size discrepancies.
When ordering something for an event, try to
order at least three weeks in advance. This will give
you enough time to return the item or make any
necessary changes or alterations. Also, you won’t
have to pay extra money for expedited shipping which
means more money in your pocket.
Another piece of advice is to read customer
reviews. The more feedback something has, the
better. It could either help you make a fabulous
choice or save you from making a big mistake. Few
or no customer reviews isn’t a bad thing, but you be
cautious on the particular sites. Ultimately, use your
shopper’s common sense. If something doesn’t feel
right, then most likely it isn’t.