Local grads in Cincy show tonight, Friday

University of Cincinnati fashion professor Margie Voelker-Ferrier’ says there’s a reason her department puts so many resources and so much effort into its DAAPworks Annual Fashion Show.

The show not only represents the University of Cincinnati’s fashion design program and its student designers, but also the graduates that preceeded them.

On the advice of Stan Herman, then president of the Council of Fashion Designers of America,

“The value of the degree “goes up for every student no mater if you graduated in 1930 or 2014,” Voelker-Ferrier said. “People will measure against that.”

UC’s College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning (DAAP) upped its game in the 1990s and began using paid models as well as professional lighting and choreography.

About ten UC seniors from the Dayton area will have there work showcased in the 63rd annual fashion event featuring 300 garments from 60 students.

It is set to start 7:30 p.m. Friday at the University of Cincinnati Campus Recreation Center, 2600 Clifton Ave. in Cincinnati.

Tickets range from $40 to $150. They can be purchased by phone at (513) 477-3712 or online at Showclix.com.

Thursday’s 8 p.m. dress rehearsal is open to the public for a $10 admission.

UC senior Michelle Pappas recalled excitingly watching the fashion show as a freshman.

Now it is time for her class to shine.

“I have a lot of pride that I am showcasing everything I have learned in school,” the 2009 Troy High School graduate said. “My piece is a big part of who I am.”

Shayna Arnold’s collection was inspired by the beach cultured she witnessed in Sydney, Australia, where she worked for designer Dion Lee as part of UC’s renowned cooperative education program.

Arnold was ready for the show and for graduation Saturday.

“It is really important to be able to showcase your own individuality as a designer,” the Beavercreek High School grad said.

Laurie Wilson, the show’s director the past 16 years and an associate director of non-academic program at UC, said fashions will range from concept garments to wedding gowns to kid’s clothes to Lucy Ball-inspired pieces to aerial performers costumes to clothing for dogs — plus size and tiny pooches alike.

“We are going to have dogs on the runways,” she said. “The clothing diversity in the senor show is vast.”

Macy’s sponsors the show which will be live streamed at daap.uc.edu.

It is always new. It is always fresh,” Wilson said.

The following Dayton area UC students will also participate in the show:

• Kaley Madden of Springfield collection, “Trance/Shaman,” is made of eight outfits with about six layers each.

• Ryan Bartoo of Beavercreek’s “Brave New World” collection is inspired by dystopian themes like government surveillance and behavior conditioning.

• Jennifer Wilke of Springboro’s project description was not readily available.

• Calle Evans of Urbana’s eight ensembles collection is inspired by the crime novel “Ice Princess” by Swedish author Camilla Lackberg and by the painting “Le Jeune Martyr” by Paul Delaroce.

• Molly Hunsaker of Beavercreek’s thesis project is an art gallery and boutique called Belle Époque. Her 14 piece lingerie line is inspired by artist Cody Gunningham, a Springboro native.

• Caitlin Stahl of Bellbrook’s project description was not readily available.

• Hailey Nelson of Fairborn’s collection is titled “Hide + Seek” and is for children with sensory processing disorders.

Contact this blogger at arobinson@DaytonDailyNews.com or Twitter.com/DDNSmartMouth

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A mobile boutique, West Asheville’s fashion renaissance – Asheville Citizen

The biggest trend in Asheville fashion this spring?

It may have less to do with what to wear — and more to do with where it’s from. With the opening of three new retail spots near Haywood Road in a two-week period, the city’s center of chic is moving west.

The addition of the stylish shops, all with a focus on local and regional designers, will add another texture to West Asheville’s vintage and second-hand traditions, established by such stores as Twice Round and Reciprocity.

And in the case of Betties Mobile Boutique, fashion is also on the move on the west side. Celeste Adams, a longtime service industry professional, recently transformed a 7-by-10 foot 1972 Travelaire camper into a fashion accessories shop on wheels.

Betties Mobile Boutique will feature jewelry, scarves, headbands, purses, wallets and belts from a range of local and regional artists and businesses, such as Asheville jeweler Amber Hatchett, Nerdy and Hip, a local handbag company, and On the Inside, an Asheville lingerie brand.

She focused her selection on classic designs, she said: “I really wanted to showcase local and regional craftspeople, and have an emphasis on keeping our money in our community.”

Adams moved to West Asheville 10 years ago and is a bartender at the Double Crown, the Haywood Road bar that will host Betties Mobile Boutique’s grand opening May 4.

“When I moved over (to West Asheville), there was really nothing going on, other than Westville Pub and West End Bakery,” she said. “Nobody would just be out walking around. The biggest reason (I want to be in West Asheville) is because of the foot traffic. Haywood Road is special in that way because it didn’t turn into a larger road.”

Adams, who moved to Asheville in 1995, first considered launching a food truck last year (She also ran a concierge service called Busy Betties for a couple years — “Bettie” is sort of her entrepreneurial alter-ego).

But after doing her homework, Adams, a UNC Asheville graduate, determined the food truck was not the right route for her, partly because of its high startup costs. So she looked toward what may be Asheville’s next food truck, so to speak — the mobile boutique.

It’s a concept that has already caught on in larger cities that Asheville often looks toward, such as Austin, Charleston and San Francisco.

Adams decided to showcase original, handmade accessories because she wants to celebrate Asheville’s vibrant arts scene. It also is “more my personality.”

“I am going to get to express all the sides of me,” she said. One side? Bright, bold, fun — with a wink toward the kitsch.

“It’s a total roadside attraction,” she said. She’s rolling out some AstroTurf, unfolding lawn chairs and hanging Christmas lights on the outside. Customers can relax alongside the pink flamingos, sipping lemonade outside the camper.

The inside is a total other side of Adams. “The inside will be really sleek, modern and simple,” she said. “It’s too small to have it crazy on the inside.”

Adams is still determining her shop schedule and location, noting that she will focus on West Asheville. The grand opening is from noon-5 p.m. May 4 at the Double Crown, 375 Haywood Road. “Over time, I am going to do festivals, markets, special events and private shopping parties,” she said.

Follow her on www.facebook.com/bettiesmobileboutique or www.bettiesmobileboutique.com.

Rhetorical Factory

Local fashion designer Bethany Adams started out just looking for a place to do laundry. And now, she’s celebrating the grand opening of a retail store for her line, Rhetorical Factory.

Adams wanted a workspace where she could easily and efficiently wash vintage clothing, which is the foundation of her one-of-a-kind vintage and recycled clothing line. (Adams then adds thoughtful screen prints to these items, all done from photographs she takes of sentiment objects and tools, like a typewriter.)

The idea evolved, however, into a full-fledged studio, retail — which will feature her work and other “100 percent good” artists and designers — and community space at 444 Haywood Road. The shop will host events, such as Mending Mondays, when sliding scale mending services will be available.

“It’s a really nice spot; it’s a wonderful community,” Adams said. “I’m already getting used to talking to people all day long. … It’s where our community is in a big way.”

The shop’s grand opening is from 4-9 p.m. April 29, with a ribbon cutting and mountain music by the Bog Turtles. For more, visit http://rhetoricalfactory.com.

Shelter Collective

Karie Reinertson, an Asheville handbag designer, developed her business mostly online, and through various national and local shows and fairs, like the biannual Big Crafty.

Reinertson’s work appears in boutiques, but she missed having the face-to-face interaction with her customer, and feeling like she was truly part of the Asheville community.

So Reinertson traded a more private space in the Wedge for the new studio and retail space, Shelter Collective, at 7 Brevard Road, a block from bustling Haywood Road. The shop, which is also the production space for partner and designer Rob Maddox, opened April 22.

The shop represents artists, craftspeople, makers and designers primarily in Asheville, with a few from across the country. The artist selection displays the duo’s interests in the “intersection of design, art and craft.” The shop is open from 11-7 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, or by appointment. For more, visit www.shopsheltercollective.com.

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