L
ike it or not, your style is indicative of the person you are. How you present yourself to the world can make a big difference in not only how other people see you, but how you see yourself. There’s a reason you might wear the same hoodie for six years or the same pair of jeans every day for a week straight. There’s a reason you want to look good and feel good. And here in the Valley, we have some of the most stylish people of all time. It doesn’t matter what kind of style is in or cool. Style is in-and-of-itself about pure self-expression. So get out there, do you, and work it... Valley style.
SUBMITTED PHOTO
Style on a budget B u y i n g u s e d c l o t h e s c a n b e e c o - f r i e n d ly, w a l l e t - f r i e n d ly, a n d s t y l i s h a l l at o n c e by y i a lo r
A
few years ago, I took my first leap toward a more eco-friendly closet, and I’ve been leaping ever since. There is something magical about giving new life to gently used clothes that may have otherwise ended up at the landfill. Of course, it helps to live in the Chippewa Valley, which has more than 20 thrifty shops. These treasure hunting grounds make it fun and affordable to experiment with trends and colors while creating a unique sense of style without sacrificing quality. From classic staples to high-end pieces, looking your best for less has never been this easy. If you’re wanting to pick up a pair of paisley pants for the yogi inside you along with something green and gold to show off your Packers spirit, then head on over to Savers, Goodwill, or Hope Gospel Mission Bargain Center. These places have a little bit of everything, from once-upon-a-time to what is currently trending. Their racks are filled with all the colors in the rainbow and every print in the book, making the hunt for that special item just as exciting as the find. These thrift shops also have an endless supply of patterned scarves, hats, and shoes to complete any look. Their special deals and tag sales on top of the already low prices makes buying used an excellent way to get more bang
for your buck. The Valley also has a number of shops that specialize in certain age groups and trends. That’s Adorable has a wide variety of clothes and accessories from cute swim wear and tees to all sorts of gear to prep kids for Old Man Winter. For teens and young adults, Plato’s Closet offers the latest styles and brand name designers at up to 70 percent off mall retail prices. They also have their popular grab bag event where buyers can stuff and roll as many clearance items into a bag for just $15. Those looking to wear a bit of nostalgia can discover some of the best gems at Good & Sturdy Vintage, which specializes in antique to 1980s everyday casual and work wear clothing for men and women. “I think some enjoy a connection to clothing that they may have worn when they were younger or they remember what their parents or grandparents wore,” says owner Jon Shemick. “T-shirts, for example, may commemorate a place or event from the past.” Some items are unique because they are rare to come across while others are more common, but as Shemick says, “Each one has specific wear and character that make them one-of-a-kind.” Used clothes and accessories are also perfect for crafting up a storm to spice up any style. You might come across a pattern or article of clothing
Good and Sturdy Vintage
you just can’t live without, but you don’t love how it’s presented or necessarily want to use it for its original purpose. So allow your creativity to run wild and recycle that old fabric. Cut out warm hats from old wool sweaters, paint those canvas shoes, and revamp that tee a hundred different ways into something new and totally you. People dig used clothes for a number of reasons, from wearing a piece of history to helping the community and environment. Whatever the reason, used clothes are perfect for creating a fashion-forward wardrobe, especially with so many thrifty shops in the Valley. You are guaranteed to find something old, something new, something affordable, and something in every hue.
VolumeOne.org 36 Sept. 16, 2015
“ I th i n k so m e e n j oy a co n n e c ti o n to c loth i n g th at th e y m ay h av e wo r n w h e n th e y w e r e yo u n g e r o r th e y r e m e m b e r w h at th e i r pa r e nt s wo r e . ” – JON SHEMICK, G O O D & S T U R D Y V I N TA G E
Passion for fashion UW - STOUT APPAREL PROGRAM WEAVE TOGETHER ARTISTIC DRIVE , TECHNICAL TRAINING b y T O M G I F F E Y, P H O T O BY A N D R E A PA U L S E T H
N
ew York, Paris, Milan … Menomonie? The juxtaposition of the small western Wisconsin city with the international capitals of fashion isn’t as unusual as it first appears. Menomonie’s UW-Stout is home to a highly regarded Apparel Design and Development Program, which hones students’ technical and creative skills for jobs with clothing designers and retailers around the world, including some with household names such as Calvin Klein to Ralph Lauren. “I like to say if you can name a place, we probably have alumni there,” explains Gindy Neidermyer, a UW-Stout professor and director of the program. These include nationally and internationally known brands such as J. Crew, Columbia, and Under Armour as well as Midwestern companies like Kohl’s, Lands’ End, Harley Davidson, and Stormy Kromer. “I do think the reputation of the program is highly known in the garment industry,” Neidermyer says. One could say a certain Midwestern sensibility is woven into UW-Stout’s program. The garments its graduates are creating aren’t impractical examples of haute couture worn by stick-thin runway models; they’re actual pieces of clothing meant to be worn by actual people. “We’re designing products for sale,” Neidermyer emphasizes. “We’re not designing pieces of art.” The vast majority of graduates from the program are recruited to be technical designers. “What that person really does is manage the concept of that design being mass produced,” Neidermyer says. That means overseeing pattern-making, fit sessions, sourcing materials, and factory manufacturing, as well as quality evaluation and customer satisfaction. “I really like the problem-solving aspects in a lot of our classes,” says Apparel Design and Development major Daniel Weispfenning. “You have to come
up with this design, you come up with a really cool detail, but then you actually have to figure out how to produce that.” Like many program majors, Weispfenning has taken resume- and skillbuilding internships (his was at the Adidas headquarters in Germany) and conducted research (into the visibility of colors on safety clothing). There are currently about 120 students in the program, which produces about 25 to 40 graduates a year. In recent years, the program has boasted a 100 percent job placement rate, with starting salaries average $40,000 annually. Among recent grads who’ve made their way into the fashion world is 2010 alumnus Laura Zingrone, a senior designer within the runway and collection design department for New York-based designer Michael Kors. Zingrone is enthusiastic about her UW-Stout education, saying it prepared her for the workforce. She singles out the program’s “approach of a technical design emphasis and wearable clothing” makes it unique. “Many people may be familiar with the design process from inspiration and looking through fashion magazines,” she says. “However, there is a far more complicated process to producing the clothing we wear. UW-Stout emphasizes technical aspects of design, such as flat pattern development, draping, garment construction, textiles, production, and quality analysis in order to create strong, knowledgeable professionals.” The program’s requirement of an industry internship and its international relationships – Zingrone studied abroad at the London College of Fashion – are extremely valuable, as is the annual Silhouettes fashion show, she adds. Each spring, the student-run Silhouettes show gives 50 designers – from freshmen through seniors – an opportunity to put their real-life creations on a real-life runway. To learn more about UW-Stout’s Apparel Design and Development program, visit www.uwstout.edu/programs/bsadd.
SILHOUETTES FASHION SHOW
VolumeOne.org 37 Sept. 16, 2015
Formal thinking, casual approach CASUAL ORE FORMAL WANTS CUSTOMERS TO WEAR COMFORTA B LE CREATIONS b y H O P E G R E E N E , P H O T O b y a nd r e a pa u l seth
C
know-how to create pieces that will last for asual Ore Formal ocgenerations, and with her generous and cupies a studio as bright playful style she demonstrates both how to and cheery as the busiinvest meaning into a lump of white gold ness’ punny name. In the and also how to create value around an showroom there you’ll find orphaned cufflink. both daily wear jewelry Casual Ore Formal offers artist-made and examples of top-shelf pieces, all done rings, earrings, cufflinks, pendants, and under the hand of Elizabeth Griggs, a more, both as ready-made finished pieces highly trained, committed, and enthusiasand as custom designs. Custom designs can tic artist. “People ask me how I knew that be as elaborate as personalized pieces for jewelry was what I wanted to do,” she says. an entire wedding party or as simple as a “For me it was more, ‘I know I’m an artist, single ring. Prices for work range anywhat’s my medium?’ ” She found it years where from $10 casual earrings to $2,000 ago while studying art at UW-Eau Claire, or more for custom engagement rings. when she picked up a metals class on a Creating custom engagement rings has whim just to fill out her summer schedule. been one of Griggs’ favorite types of work “After a week of this class I said, ‘I love recently. “It’s really neat for me to meet this! My hands are so happy when I’m creating with this. This is what I want to do for the rest of my life!’ ” Having work done at this downtown “ I wa n t e d t o ta l k t o Eau Claire studio is not like stepping into your usual jewelry store. Griggs underp e o p l e ov e r a ta b l e stands very well not only the craft of metalsmithing but also how jewelry can a n d r e a l ly m a k e i t a be infused with a deep meaning beyond c o n v e r s at i o n i n s t e a d its dollar value. “It was really important to me when designing this space to have o f j u s t a s a l e ov e r a a consultation table, because I wanted to talk to people over a table and really make c o u n t e r . ” it a conversation instead of just a sale over – E LI Z AB E T H G RI G G S , a counter,” she says. “I just love people C ASUAL ORE FORMAL and I love working with them.” She has the
VolumeOne.org 38 Sept. 16, 2015
SUBMITTED PHOTOS
with a person and kind of soak in what they’re saying,” she says. “Sometimes they bring example pictures of what they’re thinking. Sometimes I have an initial idea that I can draw out for them. And then it’s really cool to see the project blossom from there.” As an innovation to help in the designing process, she has created examples of her custom designs cast in sterling silver for customers to see and feel in person and use as springboards for designing their own new-fashioned heirlooms. Griggs’ love of people extends to a care for what people love. One of her lines, Vintage Reconstructed, involves re-setting or re-casting antique or family items with sentimental value into pieces for modern wear. She will meet you at her consultation table with your box of unwearable jewelry: clip-on earrings, single cufflinks, broken gold chains – things you’ve always loved that the people you loved wore. “Pour them out on the table,” she invites. “We can pick things out, talk about what meaning you have for them, and figure out something new.” Griggs says she loves to use her knowledge of both alternative and ancient metalsmithing techniques to create unexpected pieces. One customer recently brought in a simple curl of birchbark he picked up on a day he wanted to remember, and Griggs cast it into a silver ring. As down-to-earth about making a living as she is caught up by artistic vision, Griggs has worked hard to get to the place where she is now. Graduating in art and business from UW-Eau Claire in 2009, she opened Casual Ore Formal in 2011 and spent three years working out of a garage. She spent time studying metalsmithing further at Penland School of Crafts in North Carolina and Kilkenney School of Crafts in Ireland. In 2013 Griggs was awarded a studio residency by the Artist in Residence program at Eau Claire’s Christ Church Cathedral, and this year moved from there to her permanent retail location. Just last month, Casual Ore Formal received the runner-up prize in the Downtown Eau Claire Jumpstart Competition, recognizing contributions toward revitalizing the downtown area. Casual Ore Formal • jewelry and metalsmithing • 307 S. Farwell St., Suite 301 (penthouse), Eau Claire • (608) 780-2099 • www.casualoreformal.com • www.facebook.com/CasualOreFormal VolumeOne.org 39 Sept. 16, 2015