Layla Blahnik-Thoune’s Fashion Blog

By: Layla Blahnik-Thoune

Even after being told to drop her fashion minor, first-time designer Rachel Zauel persisted and created her first collection for this year’s Threads Fashion Show.

Zauel’s journey from spectator to model, and finally, to designer her sophomore year was the main inspiration for this collection.

“I was just thinking about who I am now, versus who I was when I went to my first Threads show,” she said.

Styling for a more campy feel, Zauel created three body pieces that are not everyday items, but aren’t unwearable either.

Black mesh coverings grace each look representing fears that have held her back creatively. Having struggled with criticism in the past, Zauel wanted to show her personal growth by uncovering herself and pulling back the mesh with each outfit.

“I just wanted to show the process and transitioning (from) being buried under all of these things that scared me or what people had said to me that would hold me back, to fully representing the end of it with it all behind me.”

The eye-catching, colorful polyester fabric helps drive the story home. Illustrating her true self, the body pieces are comprised of underwear-like bottoms and a more bandeau, cropped look for the tops. Contributing a bodysuit with a beautiful cape for the last look, Zauel’s first collection ends, but her fashion journey continues.

For this assignment, I wanted to experiment with colored light that I could control. At home, I have very little photography equipment, so I layered cling wrap onto my sister’s phone and used a green Sharpie to color the light. It took a lot of practice and patience to get the light to the perfect place. I like the light in this picture because the light falls onto the darker side of the face just enough to establish that half but not to completely light it, which was my intention.

Known for his often whimsical and elegant designs, Christian Siriano turned to edgy- punk for his 2020-21 Ready-to-Wear collection.

Everything from the accessories to the backdrop aided in building a punk-like atmosphere. The bright pink background created a contrast with the darker clothes in the first quarter of the show. A range of blacks and greys mixed with metallic looks gave off an elegant but sharp appearance to set the tone for the rest of the show.

Something that almost every model had in common was their hair and makeup. A look that cannot be described as anything but middle schooler edge, kept a constant throughout the changing pieces. A black heart on the cheek, bright purple glossy lips for the females, and a staple of any pre-teen, blue and pink chalk-like hairstreaks, brought down the unwearable feel to some of the more intense looks.

As the collection deepened, color was slowly being introduced into the pieces. A bright, shiny purple top that matched the lip color of some of the models, was only the beginning. A slew of purples, pinks, yellows, blues, and greens began to grace the models.

The edgy look from earlier began to die down as the metal-made accessories like chains became few and far between. They were beginning to be replaced by purses and hats to diverge from the heavier punk feel to create a more elegant look.

Mostly focused on women, the few male models kept the edge despite the more elegant turn. With tight-fitting tops and displays of their torsos, the men kept the darker looks constant. Wide fitting pants and boots topped with chains and chokers were a staple.

The women, on the other hand, ranged from ball gowns to pantsuits to trench coats and everything in between. Playing with all different textures seemed like a goal of Siriano’s. Although there was a continual theme of shiny and metallic fabric, the variety was not scarce. Feathers and latex were only a few features to the collection.

Finishing in style was a must. Unwearable to the average person, these pieces of art were curved with cutouts adding sharp lines and edges. Rounding out the show was Canadian model Coco Rocha, adding a sculpture-like aesthetic. Playing with the lines of the piece, Rocha worked the runway giving the audience closure to the New York Fashion Week highlight.

Written By: Tiffany Trumbo, Alysha Lewis, Layla Blahnik-Thoune Shot By: Tiffany Trumbo

Style is everything in today’s world of fashion. However you define your style, sporty eyewear may be making its way into your closet sooner then you thought.

Sporty, oversized eyewear’s claim to fame comes from the industry of recreational sports like NASCAR, Motor-cross, and even the Olympics. Brands like Oakley and Nike have paved the way for this trend, fusing streetwear and luxury within the market of modern, sporting eyewear.

Other brands such as Prada and Heron Preston have integrated this trend even further into the luxury market. Famous influencer and artist Riff Raff is known for incorporating this look into his everyday style. Even Kim Kardashian and Gigi Hadid have been spotted modeling the industrial sensation as well, incorporating the eyewear into their minimalist, high-fashion looks. With features in Vogue and Highsnobeity, sporty eyewear is a mentionable trend. 

Sporty sunglasses are bold and make a statement. The eyewear can be paired with just about anything from shorts and slack to winter coats and summer t-shirts. No matter the price, sporty eyewear will elevate any outfit.

This style of eyewear is sure to get some attention encompassing bold colors and large-sized industrial frames. For functionality purposes sports made eyewear protects your eyes from the sun and fits your face fully. If that’s not enough, sporty eyewear can be worn year-round, summer through winter, making it irresistibly stylish and well designed.

Whether you pair this trend with a luxury look or streetwear swag, these glasses will take your style to the next level. Will you be wearing this look too, or will you be moving on to the next big thing?

Outside the Kiva in Moore Hall, I waited to interview Ashley Straub, the Co-Producer of the show Summit Sessions Live.

When Straub walked into the hallway where I was waiting, she radiated with confidence. Straub gave me a big smile and led me into the back of Moore Hall.

From everyone that I have spoken to, Straub seems like a very focused and diligent person.

“She’s quick-witted and hard-working,” Katherine Fulcher said, a member of the SSL crew. “She is a great front runner and leader to have on the SSL team.”

Summit Sessions Live is a one-hour television show, shot in the back of Moore Hall, where local artists are showcased.

Normally, the first half an hour of the show is a band and the second half is a singer-songwriter. The show welcomes all different genres and they have hosted artists on the show such as rap artists, a Gypsy band, and rock bands.

The show recently won a first-place award in the Digital Experience category presented by the Michigan Association of Broadcasters. This category showcases live television broadcasts that incorporate different aspects into their show. On SSL, the broadcast includes a social media segment, where the audience can ask the artists questions.

Not only does SSL create an opportunity for broadcasting students to put their camera skills to practice, it also allows graphic designers, audio students, and other BCA students to hone in their specific areas of interest.

“The cool thing about it is that it ties all of the BCA students together,” said Straub, “[SSL] is a simulcasted show, so we broadcast it on MHTV and we also stream it on YouTube as well as we stream it live on [The Mountain 91.5], one of the radio stations here on campus.”

As well as being streamed across multiple different platforms, SSL brings together different programs that are stationed within Moore Hall.

“Also, something special about the show is that Moore Media Records, or MMR, mixes all of our sounds for the bands.”

As for Straub, she has played a lot of different roles throughout her time on the show.

“When I first joined SSL, I was the floor director,” Straub said. “So, I helped queue the host, I would make sure the studio floor was all ready to go for the time we needed to get going, and I was basically the mouth of the director who was in the control room.”

With the loss of the graduate assistant last year who was running the show, Straub stepped up with a fellow crew member to become co-executive producers.

“We work with the artist relations director from MMR to book our talent, as well as we coordinate the crew, and we reach out to the bands and make sure that everyone is prepped for their rehearsals on Thursdays.”

Straub told me about a special show that they will be putting together later this season.

“We are in our fifth season and the show has grown a lot,” said Straub. “In the middle of the season, we are going to take a look back at the rest of our seasons to kind of highlight some of our best artists and to show people what we do since it is such a fun show that we do here.”

Last Friday was SSL’s first airing of the semester and it will be recorded live every Friday. You can watch the live stream on the MHTV YouTube channel or listen to it on The Mountain 91.5. You can also go to the MHTV’s YouTube page and take a look back at all of their previous shows.