fashion published by The
Auburn Plainsman
SPRING AND SUMMER STYLES INSIDE
ROCKING THE RHINESTONE HELP FROM A RODEO MAN By EDUARDO MEDINA Community Writer A taxidermy cowboy-possum with a whip in one hand and a mini-pistol in the other lifelessly gazes at rodeo shoppers from atop a shelf in Bridges Boot Outlet. The owner, Curtis Jones, has kept the store running for 40 years, and his heavily bearded, denim-wearing, boot-straddling appearance makes for an authoritative voice on the latest Western-wear styles. He walks over to the back wall to start with the basics — jeans. “Most of your frat guys are going to recognize this jean,” Jones said while reaching for the light-wash 13MWZ, a jean often worn in the fraternity pledgeship season, but a massive selection against the wall has other options. The pre-washed jeans are the most reliable and popular pair to purchase, according to Jones. The soft interior and flexibility makes this a safe bet on the square-dance floor when the latest swooning Chris Stapleton track croons in or for when the rodeo spectator becomes a participant. Next, Jones pounces on to the rodeo-wearers most essential selection — the boots. In his store there is a zoological array of choices: ostrich next to alligator next to python. The python boots are mirrored across the store by a real 23-foot-long python skin mounted against the wall. These exotic leather boots start at $189 and go up to $529, but the pinnacle of rarity and expense ends with the boots made from a fish. The pirarucu are a giant, ancient, air-breathing fish from Amazonian rivers. According to Encyclopedia Britannica, the pirarucu grow to be 10 feet long and weigh 485 pounds. Their tongues and the roof of their mouths are jaggedly studded with teeth, giving one of the largest freshwater fishes in the world an even more menacing attribute. At Bridges Boot Outlet, the fish’s skin becomes an expensive, high-end leather boot that comes in deep black or burnt brown, and its exterior has a delicate softness similar to touching a warm blanket fresh out of the drier. “Most college kids don’t have that type of money, so I would recommend a regular black or brown leather boot that won’t break momma’s bank,” Jones said as he pointed to a different selection priced in the $100 range. If a splurging school-spirit kicks in, however, and mommas bank is hefty, there is the handmade, straight out of the U.S.A, Auburn print leather boot. Split between a dark, mocha colored leather in the forefoot region and a white leather upper with orange trimming and bold Au-
burn crest in the middle. This boot is worth more than most Auburn football game tickets at $455, but its a popular seller at the store. For those with a smaller budget, Jones recommened getting a square toed boot since the roundtoed has decreased in popularity recently, and a company he recommends purchasing from is Ariat, a respected boot brand founded by Pam Parker and Beth Cross. The two women started off working with Reebok and Avia, where they honed in their skills at developing comfortable and durable footwear before branching off to start their own footwear company — Ariat. They officially began producing boots for the horse-riding sports in 1997, and by 2007, the women’s company became the number one boot producer in the country. “A lot of the Ariat boot features are like tennis shoes, like having a removable insole and having comfort that is similar to a running shoe,” Jones said. A major complaint Jones hears from people apprehensive on buying boots is that they’re too hot and insulated, making for a sweaty, nasty smelling foot after a country night out. For those people, there is the Ariat VentTek Workhog, a gray boot with a breathable, green mesh material along the sides, allowing cool summer
» See RODEO, 6
‘I thrift for you’ Auburn student creates business from love for vintage clothes By OLIVIA WILKES Community Writer People tell Morgan Downey, junior in political science, thrift-store lover and owner of vintage clothing Etsy shop, ThreeEyedMinx, that they want to go thrifting with her. According to Downey, though, they actually don’t. “They come, and I take forever,” Downey said. “They’re so ready to go, and I’m not halfway done with the store. I have to turn over every single item.” Downey has a passion for picking retro pieces off the thrift store rack and getting them back onto vintage-wearers’ figures. Thrifting for vintage clothes has been an interest of Downey’s for years. “I like retro things from the past,” she said. “I think that they have a good story to them, and they make an outfit cooler I think when there’s some character to it.” Recently, Downey decided to turn her passion into a business and sell her vintage finds. While she had been considering this move for a while, she took the step and opened her Etsy store in January of this year. “It was kind of a New Year’s resolution for me to just go ahead and actually get it done,” Downey said. “I had all of these pieces that I’d found at antique malls or thrift stores. Sometimes they just don’t fit me or they don’t work or I get tired of them. You like to recycle clothes if you like fashion like I do, and the store is just a really good way for me to be creative.” Downey held a photo shoot for her vintage pieces, getting some of her friends to model for her and created her store the same day. “ThreeEyedMinx was born in pretty much one afternoon,” she said. Downey said she liked the word Minx, an outdated term for a flirtatious, cunning woman. The phrase ThreeEyed was inspired by her interest in crystals and the eye tattoo she has on one of her arms. Downey knows all the thrift stores in the Au-
burn area and said a surprising number of nice pieces can be found in Auburn thrift stores. Digging up good finds is easy for Downey. “But that’s because it’s such a passion of mine,” she said. “They are like, I’m a kid in a candy shop. They’re like a magic world to me.” Downey buys at antique malls and consignment shops, especially when she’s looking for name brand or higher-end pieces. As for picking which stores she frequents, Downey said they’re all hit or miss at different times of the year, and they get influxes of new items in. “There’s not really a process to picking it because you could find something amazing in some obscure place on the side of the road,” she said. “You just never know when you’re looking for vintage stuff.” Typically, Downey likes to hit a thrift store once or twice a week, though she doesn’t always go home with something. With all her experience, Downey has picked up some thrifting tips over the years. “Get a huge buggy and guard that buggy with your life,” she said. “If you like something, throw it in there. Even if you’re unsure about it because you will go to a dressing room, and you’ve just got to try it all on. But somebody will snag it, you’ll go back for it or you’ll lose it in a place like that.” Downey looks for a category of clothing outside where it’s typically found. “I look down all of the jeans because people disorganize it, and then it never goes back to its original place,” she said. “I really like the men’s section as well for shirts and flannels.” She also said that patience, passion and looking through every item are key to finding the good stuff at thrift stores. “I see a lot of people just glance at a rack and be like, nothing here catches my eye,” she said. “But you can’t really tell from all this mismatched mumbo jumbo without individually looking at each piece, and you’re not go-
ing to find anything that way.” Downey’s thorough shopping style pays off. She considers her greatest find to be probably either some Vera Wang booties or her personal denim jacket. Vintage to Downey means 90s and older. “The oldest thing in my repertoire right now is a Vanity Fair sheer nighty that I would put at say the 50s,” she said. “And it looks like a baby doll dress but it’s completely seethrough with lace.” Starting her vintage clothing business was not a completely smooth ride, however. Downey tried opening her Etsy store once before, but did not feel prepared enough to continue. “I had tried to rush it before and it didn’t go through and I actually deleted the account and so this is the second time,” she said. “The first time I did it I only uploaded a couple items, and then I was like, what am I doing? I was like, when I do it, I want to do it right, and so I just scrapped it for a later date.”
The second time, Downey put a lot of thought into the name, photography and other details before she debuted ThreeEyedMinx, and she recommends anyone wanting to start their own vintage clothing shop do the same. She also said it’s important to have a sizeable inventory to begin with. “Spend a lot of time thrifting and actually curate what you want because your shop needs to reflect what your image is and what your mission is, like you and what you want your customers to be like,” she said. Now, Downey said she is having a lot of fun. She’s only made one sale, but said that’s due to the store being new. Downey would love to one day expand her vintage clothing business, launching her own website and opening a physical store. “This is just like a passion project of mine that I wanted to see if I could do it and I’m having a lot of fun with it,” she said. “So right now I’m going to keep doing it until it’s not fun anymore.”
CONTRIBUTED BY MORGAN DOWNEY
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After a break her freshman year of college, Feely picked her creative blogging outlet back up. Part of her business is collaborations, Feely said. “That’s the biggest way that bloggers can grow,” Feely said. “It always has been, I feel like it always will be. It’s getting someone to put your name out there for you and allowing a larger audience to see your name whether that brand only has two, three, 4,000, 10,000, 100,000 more followers than you.” Feely said she views herself as more than her blog, even though that’s what others see her as. “I feel like, completely honestly, I feel like it has given me a completely different understanding of not only fashion but how your life can evolve based on just an image that you have on social media,” Feely said. Feely said a passion of hers outside of fashion is sustainability. “The impact that we have on the Earth is so huge, and something that we talk about in my major all the
time is the amount of stuff that we consume, in terms of clothing, is ridiculous, and we should not be buying that many things,” Feely said. In addition, Feely is a strong supporter of LGBTQ rights. Feely looks forward to her future life living in a big city where she believes she will have a larger platform to share her ardent support. This fall, Feely will be moving to New York City with a friend in the hopes of finding an internship in the fashion industry. “I definitely think it’s going to be refreshing,” Feely said. “I grew up traveling, and so I never wanted to live in the South. … I need to be in a city, even if I don’t live there 10 years from now.” Feely believes she wouldn’t have become such a success without the support of her friends and family, from taking pictures to general support. “I don’t really know if it would have ever gotten to the point that it is today without the people that have helped me get there,” Feely said.
Turning a passion for fashion into a business By HANNAH LESTER Campus Writer
A name familiar to many Auburn students — haileydaileyxo — is a fashion blog run mostly through Instagram by Hailey Feely, senior in apparel merchandising. “I started blogging just on Instagram, just using Instagram as a platform about four years ago, just starting as a hobby, not really thinking much of it,” Feely said. “But today, I definitely do it as more of a business.” When a blogger gains enough fans, companies will often send them products to try and give feedback on through their blog as a form of promotion. Feely considers herself an influencer through her Instagram feed. Feely began her blog in 2014 as a senior in highschool. Because Feely already had a deep love for fashion, she decided to turn that into an opportunity. “I had always been interested in fashion,” Feely said. “I would literally go home and make 30 different outfits for the whole month and write up exactly what I was wearing because I was so obsessed with clothing and the way it made me feel when I was at school.” Feely spoke with other bloggers and decided to go with the name haileydaileyxo because it wouldn’t fade from popularity as easily.
CONTRIBUTED BY HAILEY FEELY
Strike a pose CONTRIBUTED BY AUBURN MODEL BOARD
Auburn Modeling Board provides training for students By NATALIE BECKERINK Campus Editor
Spring
Experience on the catwalk — that’s what the Auburn Model Board is all about. Aspiring models in Auburn have a home to cultivate their passion through the Auburn Modeling Board, an organization on campus that provides training and opportunities in the modeling industry. Auburn Modeling Board is comprised of a variety of aspects. Each year, the organization puts together a philanthropy fashion show, “Couture for the Cure.” The event supports the East Alabama Medical Center Breast Cancer Foundation. The students have been regularly contacted by local photographers and companies in need of models. In addition to this, models are provided with tips and training as well as opportunities to develop friendships with others who share a common interest. The organization itself has been around for about a decade. Elizabeth Dumont, senior in apparel merchandising, has been a member since her freshman year and has noticed growth in herself from then until now. “I was so excited to learn there was a way to develop my modeling skills while in college,” Dumont
said. “I was very much a beginner but was given the chance to have my runway walk critiqued on a regular basis and participate in multiple fashion shows.” Dumont also spoke about how during her junior year she ran for fashion show coordinator, an executive position, which inspired her to continue her active participation during her senior year. “[Being fashion show coordinator] was a lot of fun and provided a lot of room for growth,” Dumont said. “From that experience as an exec, I knew I wanted to go farther this year with the board and had a vision for us moving into more print and growing in size.” Siobhan Johnson, junior in apparel design, was named the fashion show coordinator for the 2017– 2018 year and has also been greatly affected by Auburn Model Board. “I was a member of modeling board in previous years, and I finally decided that it was time for me to step it up a notch to help do what I love,” Johnson said. Johnson said taking on the fashion show and coordinating models was stressful and wore her out at times. She said the experience was worth the work, and she was grateful for her experience. “I love picking and choosing what model’s personality fits with the right boutique,” Johnson said.
Accessorizing It doesn’t have to be scary, guys
By NATHAN KING Assistant Sports Editor Unfortunately for image and style reputation quality in the college scene, it’s much easier for a guy to get dressed in the morning than a girl. Your typical college male can throw on a wrinkled formal shirt, some swim-trunk-esque khaki shorts and call it a day. If a girl did the same, it’d be chaos. However, simplicity doesn’t equal good fashion. Spending an extra two minutes thinking about your outfit in the morning will increase your “fashion sense” exponentially. At the height of these decisions should be your accessories. There are few basics, and a few aspects of accessorizing that not everyone is familiar with. However, even the basics — matching shoes to belt, non-conflicting pants-toshirt colors — don’t come easy to everyone, and they should. Your primary accessories are going to be your watches, sunglasses, socks and jewelry. Watches are simple: you slap one on your wrist that matches your outfit. Your watch should serve as an outward portrayal of where you
“However, simplicity doesn’t equal good fashion.”
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gusts to breeze in. Now comes the hats, in which the season and temperature play a factor. “Straw hats are for the summertime, felt hats are for the winter, but hats are just like people, you just have to check them out and see which one is for you.” Jones said. The tombstone hat with a slope down the middle and typically seen on top of John Wayne is Jone’s favorite, but for those with a modest country spirit, his store also sells caps that will go well with any rodeo outfit. Once the hat and boots are picked out, the easy part comes next, which is picking out a shirt. Plaid, plain white tees, flannel or flower-patterned shirts will all
work, according to Jones. Picking out a belt buckle is harder than finding a good simple shirt, and in this store, the belt buckles are as diverse as the boot selection — but definitely more animal friendly. A glass stand glimmers with belt buckles, each etched with varying symbols of bravado like a stallion, eagles, eagles and stallions together and the favorite: an American flag. The buckles are sold in elegant packaging and the shimmering metallic frames sprinkled with turquoise and red rhinestones give the section a twinkling aura under soft light, as if the buckles are the Western wear’s answer to Kay Jewelers. Being a buyer conscious sales-man, Jones will recommend a safer purchase here. “You don’t need a huge dinner plate belt buckle; a nice 3-4 inch will work,” Jones said. Copper-colored buckles costing around $30 will match most leather belts for women and men, Jones said.
want to fall on the spectrum of casual to formal. Basic, leather watches can work with a shirt and shorts. If you try to sport some fancier “ice” with a casual outfit, it’s going to conflict. Sunglasses might be the hardest choice. Like watches, it’s easy to pick up a pair of shades on your way out the door and not think anything of it. If your sunglasses are the type that are most of the time free — neon lenses, maybe a logo on the side — then they shouldn’t be combined with clothing you feel puts your best foot forward. Speaking of feet, covering them is an accessory that not everyone realizes is considered an outfit accentuation. Socks don’t have to necessarily match the shoes, they just can’t conflict heavily. In 2018, the trend of “crazy socks” is more prevalent than ever, so you don’t always have to be anal about it, considering brown and black socks aren’t always the most exciting accessory in the world. Jewelry is a category that most think belongs to only girls, but guys shouldn’t be afraid to boast it if they’ve got it. Necklaces and bracelets that have some bling aren’t common, but a ring or something like it won’t be looked down upon. Planning out your outfit the night before pays immense dividends in the end, but it should also include planning of accessories. But if you just throw on a wrinkled shirt from the laundry heap by default, that needs to change first.
The rhinestone belts are also a sure way to take the eye off the python-boots, or even complement it if going for the wild look. Once the aforementioned items are picked out, the ruckus of the rodeo will settle. Scary bull-riding festivities and even scarier jeanshorts rocking folk will ease away. Even after falling off the bull and hearing the crowd’s laughs and gasps after going face first into the dirt, no one will ever take away the title of fashion queens and kings of the rodeo.
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