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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.