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Sandar

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What is “Sandar”? Sandar is the Hindu word for beautiful; it was also the name of my scene in the 34th annual fashion show at GCC, Fata Morgana. My vision was that everyone comes from different backgrounds and we all have our own beauty. I chose a Hindu word because it links to me personally, as I was born in India. As you can see, this year I was lucky enough to have fourteen beautiful brides. I was originally generously given 17 dresses from Mary Ann Carr, owner of M.A Carr Bridal in Orchard Park.

Last year I was lucky enough to work with another student on the bridal scene. I thought that producing a scene on my own this year was going to be easy but, I was wrong. This year I originally had 24 models. Due to last minute complications with models I ended up with 14 girls and 5 guys. I was able to have a successful scene with the help of my intern, Maggie Gabalski.

I worked on choreography with the help of my paired couple models, who came up with cute poses to do with each other. I was never able get everything completely perfect due to models not showing up. My first rehearsal 9 out of my 24 models showed up. My second rehearsal I had 15 out of my 24 models there. I had friends step in for help as well as models walking a couple times. I also never had my models walk with their dresses on until Friday evening; even then we didn’t have everyone there. Thankfully my models that didn’t show up to all the rehearsals were able to learn the timing and walk on Friday’s rehearsals. I had to repeatedly extend my song to the point that it was almost a 6 minute scene.

The day of the show went a lot smoother than I expected. I started my day at 7 AM making my way to Dunkin Donuts to pick up two dozen bagels for my models. I had everyone but the guys show up at 8 AM for hair and makeup. Everyone looked like they were sleep-walking, models wore their hair in buns and were clad in sweatpants. Eventually everyone was in hair and makeup. Some models didn’t like their look, but no matter what they were going to match my vision whether they liked it or not. After lunch everyone was in a better mood.

By the time the three o’clock show started nerves were coming, not just for me, but everyone. We started the show a little later than we expected. I had my models and intern go backstage when we were called to go down while I waited for my other models from other scenes to come to our room to quickly get dressed. These three girls were literally run-away brides, running from the stage to the third floor back to the stage. We waited patiently for our scene to hit the runway. We finally were up. Everyone was still nervous and all I could say was “smile”. From the moment my first two models walked the stage I knew it was going to be an amazing scene. At the end of the scene I had my models walk out and then I followed. I remember last year I had a mini panic attack walking the stage but this year was so much easier. I remember seeing people I knew and waving at them from on stage.

After the three o’clock show I knew that the seven o’clock show would be just as great. I was right, this time I felt the show was even better. My models where a lot more relaxed, even though some of them didn’t do the most important thing, smile. I couldn’t be more proud of my models and myself. It was a long process but seeing my models on stage and having people congratulate me made it all worth it. “Sandar” could not have happened without M.A Carr Bridal, Jill Monroe, Charles Men’s shop, Mary Kay, my hair stylists, my intern, my models, and this school’s amazing fashion program.Untitled

This blog was contributed by Fashion Merchandising Student Lekha Anderson.

Dreams, Designs, and Dress Forms

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As in previous years, PGM, the leading dress form manufacturer in the United States, has once again committed to supporting the growth of the aspiring fashion designers who attend Genesee Community College. PGM has made the generous donation of three dress forms to three design students with very promising futures. The winners of the dress forms are as follows: Ryan Welker, Amber Coan, and Cathy Morales.

All of the dress form winners are fashion design students who plan to continue pursuing their love for all things design at four year institutions in the fall. One of the winners in particular, Ryan Welker, plans to put his dress form to use while studying at Buffalo State College. When reached for comment, Ryan expressed nothing but gratitude for winning such an amazing prize, “I am really glad I won! I plan to further my sewing knowledge, and create beautiful garments with this dress form.”

Fashion Design students Ryan, Amber, and Cathy with their PGM dress forms.

Fashion Design students Ryan, Amber, and Cathy with their PGM dress forms.

Congratulations Ryan, Amber, and Cathy! We are all anxious to see the designs you create in the near future.

On behalf of the Fashion Programs at GCC we would like to extend thanks to PGM Dress Forms for the donations of these three dress forms to the fashion design students at GCC, as well as for the donation of additional dress forms to the program itself.

-Ami Cornell

Fata Morgana: Where Creativities Meet

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As we finished the 34th annual Fata Morgana fashion show, all of the fashion students felt triumphant and relaxed. We shared various emotions, such as fear, anxiousness, excitement, nervousness, and accomplishment. These particular feelings are felt only by students who strived hard to prepare for the fashion show. It will be an absolutely unforgettable memory for all of us.

Fashion Merchandising student Kana Tatsumi modeling jewelry she made herself, and a dress by Fashion Design Student Abby Wilcox

Fashion Merchandising student Kana Tatsumi modeling jewelry she made herself, and a gown by Fashion Design Student Abby Wilcox.

In GCC’s 33rd annual fashion show, Ethereal, I was a model for Abby Wilcox. It was quite a good experience, but I only saw the surface of the fashion show. I did not know how hard showcasing a fashion show was. This year, I had the opportunity to work with Abby again as a jewelry designer and model. It was the first time I made suitable jewelry for luxury dresses. I struggled considering both the concept of the scene, Oasis, and the theme, Fata Morgana. The dresses of Oasis are classic and elegant in style, and the theme of Fata Morgana is inspired by exotic styles. This is why I was mostly inspired by ancient Egypt for my jewelry, and I mainly used interlinking chains. Using bunches of gold chains made my jewelry look luxurious and glamorous. The powerful success I have made for this show is the chemistry of exotic jewelry and classic dresses. I also considered the models’ appearance, height, the color of their hair, skin color, and eye color in order to make them look more stunning with my jewelry. I believe the twenty-one pieces of jewelry added a fascinating accent to the scene.

By participating as a jewelry designer and model, I gained technical skills both as a creator and a performer. Both experiences were priceless and allowed me to understand different perspectives. I am sure this opportunity will lead me onto a good career path as a jewelry designer. As a model, I think models’ posing, posture, and facial expressions can be a huge accent on a runway. Before the show started, I was thrilled with how beautiful all of the models were with classic dresses by talented designer Abby Wilcox, creative hair styles by David Gerard, amazing make-up by Amanda Marsala, and jewelry by myself. The fabulous work was finally created when all of the creativities met as one. I was so happy to work with many talented people. I really appreciated this opportunity and support I received from many people, because of this I was able to successfully complete the biggest project of my life thus far.
I am selling my jewelry on Etsy, and you can check out my jewelry brand, Jenny Minette, on Facebook via this link: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jenny-Minette/1432798540278417

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This blog was contributed by Fashion Merchandising Student Kana Tatsumi.

My GCC Experience

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Screen Shot 2015-04-26 at 10.30.31 PMHello, my name is Sayo Watanabe, and I am from Japan. I have longed to study abroad in the United States since I was in junior high school. So, now I am glad that I have experienced a lot while studying at GCC. There are many great things that can happen to you as a result of studying abroad, the following are just a few things that I have experienced!

1. Become More Independent

I was dependent on my parents and friends for support while I was living in Japan. At first It was difficult for me to be on my own because it was hard for me to clarify my thinking and consider my own opinion. I did encounter situations that needed to be remedied while at GCC, but I tried to solve these problems by myself. Now, I have become an active person and I can act on my own feelings better than before.

2. Broaden Your Horizons

When I lived in College Village, my roommates were American, Korean, and Vietnamese. I experienced various cultural differences at that time. I may not have been able to experience that kind of diversity in Japan. Now I know foreign cultures, and have learned to accept individual cultures. This was a wonderful experience for me.

3. Meeting People

I’m lucky to have had a lot of fantastic professors, roommates, classmates, and friends. I am shy, and I am not great at having conversations with people. But, I was able to gain confidence and began talking to more people than before, because the people who I have met at GCC have all been friendly.

I have had a  variety of experiences while studying at GCC. I have learned the importance of cultural differences, self-improvement, and connecting to people. I believe that these experiences have led to the growth of confidence with myself, and it’s all because of my decision to study abroad at GCC.

This blog was contributed by GCC Student Sayo Watanabe.

A Show Not To Be Missed

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Fata Morgana is just hours away! Final preparations and decorations are being made for GCC’s biggest event of the year. The stage is set, and decorations have begun to go up in the forum. Set up has also begun in the cafeteria for the reception that will immediately follow each show.

As well as refreshments at the reception, there will also be many vendors selling various items. This year, there are more vendors than ever before. Vendors selling jewelry, make up, and various gifts will all be a part of Fata Morgana. In addition, there are opportunities for guests to participate in activities. Perhaps the most exciting, and most fitting activity with the theme will be tarot card reading. This will be done by New Age Circle Club.

GCC will have two shows on April 25th. There will be an afternoon show at 3:00, and an evening show at 7:00. Friends, family and members of the community are all encouraged to attend. This is one show you do not want to miss!

This blog was contributed by GCC student Emily Pelton.

An Idea Becomes A Reality

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Recently, the sophomore fashion students at GCC decided that they should create a t-shirt that would serve as an illustrative way of interpreting the Fata Morgana fashion show, not only for themselves but for the Tourism & Hospitality students as well. The problems faced with creating a garment that is innovative, stylish, communicative, versatile, and unisex are really quite visible; initially,no one could agree upon an idea. A plethora of designs were pitched, yet no one unanimously agreed upon a design that they would be proud to wear around the halls of GCC.

Fashion Design student Jocelyn Eade pictured with her fabulous t-shirt design and Fashion Merchandising student Lekha Anderson.

Fashion Design student Jocelyn Eade pictured with her fabulous t-shirt design and Fashion Merchandising student Lekha Anderson.

Enter Jocelyn Eade, a talented sophomore design student. With two simple sketches, Jocelyn managed to provide a design that was everything that the fashion students were looking for. The shirts just arrived yesterday, and it was clear that everyone was overjoyed with the final result.

Special thanks to Brian Kemp at T-Shirts Etc for turning one student’s idea into a fantastic shirt, as well as to Jocelyn Eade for lending her expertise in design to such a challenge!

-Ami Cornell

Keeping It Cohesive

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Genesee Community College’s 34th annual fashion show Fata Morgana is now only one short day away. The fashion and hospitality students have been working tirelessly to make this years fashion show a fantastic success. This year’s theme is Fata Morgana. A Fata Morgana is defined as a rapidly changing and complex form of superior mirage/optical phenomenon that is seen in the narrow band right above the horizon.

giphyThe merchandising and design students have created a very detail oriented fashion show presenting very relevant and enticing merchandise. The scenes featured in this years fashion show is as follows:

  1. Battlefield- Designed and Coordinated by Amber Coan
  2. Among the Wildflowers- Coordinated by Taylor Bunch & Katie Strong with apparel by Lord & Taylor and Gymboree
  3. Transcendence- Coordinated by Angelique Porey & Sara Elliott with apparel by Porey
  4. Inevitable- Coordinated by DJ Simmons with apparel by LovelyWholesale
  5. Bare- Coordinated by Jocelyn Eade & Eunice Goeun Park with apparel by Eade
  6. Bri-Jhn- Coordinated by Brittany Breedlove with apparel by B.B.
  7. Minuit Désert By T. LaShaé- Coordinated by Tiffany Hill & Chiho Nakayama with apparel by T. LaShaé and jewelry by Na’kaylas Jewelry Box
  8. Festival Haze- Coordinated by Ami Cornell & Kylie Dunn with apparel by Buffalo David Bitton and Lord & Taylor
  9. Oasis- Coordinated and Designed by Abby Lee Wilcox with jewelry by Kana Tatsumi
  10. Opulence- Coordinated and Designed by Catherine Morales
  11. Veni Vidi Vici- Coordinated by Ariana Sneed with apparel by Candace Cooper
  12. Sandar- Coordinated by Lekha Anderson with apparel by Charles Men’s Shop and M.A. Carr Bridal

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The Tourism and Hospitality Management students took the theme Fata Morgana and ran with it. Transforming the cafeteria into a superior mirage, they have worked many hours making the reception immaculate, with a menu and decorations that you would have to see to believe. In addition there will be coffee donated from Tim Horton’s along with a large assortment of food spreads including veggie dips, cheese and crackers, hummus and so much more. After the show you can also stop over and enter to win a door prize, or even purchase something that you just saw on the runway moments ago!

Fata Morgana is sure to be an unforgettable experience so get your tickets now!

Tickets for western New York’s largest and longest running fashion show are being sold Fridays 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the forum at the Batavia campus or by calling (585) 343-0055 ext. 6616.

Tickets for western New York’s largest and longest running fashion show are being sold Fridays 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the forum at the Batavia campus or by calling (585) 343-0055 ext. 6616.

This blog was contributed by Fashion Merchandising Student Ariana Sneed.

Online Classes At GCC

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Screen Shot 2015-04-22 at 12.44.37 PMI’m taking one online class currently. I never took an online class, except for this class, ever. Therefore, I was a little worried to participate in this online class, because it was not clear to me how the class would go. I even had thoughts that the online class would not be helpful for my own learning. But, I soon found that my original assumptions were wrong. Rather, I found some benefits about taking the online class. This class is a little harder for me, because I have a lot of work to do independently. But, I manage to enjoy it while maintaining a strong work ethic.

The Value of Taking Online Classes At GCC

  • Screen Shot 2015-04-22 at 12.44.22 PMYou can share many ideas with your classmate through discussion. It’s a good lesson in communication.
  •  It helps you to learn the material more deeply.
  • You can study at your own pace.
  •  You can check your Blackboard Account more frequently and try to join in the discussion as much as possible.
  •  It might cause you to join in the class more actively than taking it in the class, because you are required to share your thoughts and comments with other students.
  •  You can absorb information, even from ideas of students, and it will lead you to consider other points of view.

These are some of the many values of taking an online class At GCC. What I can say now is that online classes are beneficial to my own learning, gaining knowledge, and even keeping up my passion to learn. To be honest, two years have passed since I came to GCC. Even now, sometimes, I can’t catch what my professor or classmate says, exactly, because English is my second language and I may possibly miss some important parts of the class. But, I manage to be focused in my classes and enjoy the everyday learning environment. I found online classes are not so hard for me, because I can see what my classmates think about the discussion. I feel that I am able to keep up with the class and joining in the class steadily, positively and actively. In addition to this, this class gave me confidence. Usually, I rarely offer my opinion during class, because I’m shy and I’m hesitant out of fear of making mistakes. Therefore, when I received comments and agreement about my thoughts from online classmates, I was glad to get a response. Online classes definitely help to keep my motivation to learn, study, and absorb more!

This blog was contributed by GCC Student Kiho Minami.

Learning Spanish At GCC

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¡Hola! Me llamo Miku.

Soy de Japon. Tengo una clase de español en GCC, y la clase es muy divertida. Afortunadamente, mi profesora Elizabeth es muy simpática, servicial y bonitaJ La clase es un poco difícil para mí, porque estudio español con inglés. ¡Pero, me gusta mucho la clase de español!

¡Gracias Elizabeth!

This semester I am taking SPA 101. Learning Spanish has been one of my dreams since high school, so I am really enjoying my Spanish class! There are many great professors at GCC, and I am currently taking Spanish with Elizabeth, who is counted among them!

How fun and valuable is learning Spanish in Elizabeth’s class?

I am having fun in every Spanish class. In the Spanish class, my professor, Elizabeth, teaches us by playing games and working in groups. She always tries to use Spanish as much as possible, so we can all practice listening to Spanish. Also, to memorize vocabulary, it is important to speak with people rather than just writing. We try to speak Spanish as much as possible with playing games, so I think her class is very effective, helpful, and also a lot of fun. She always welcomes questions, so after class, I ask questions and also we talk about our cultures. She has lived in Europe before, so she tells all of us interesting things about her experiences in Europe, too. It is really a fun and valuable time for me to talk about different cultures.

Learning a third language VS. a second language

As I am a Japanese student, my mother language is Japanese. My second language is English, and now my third language is Spanish. It is a new challenge for me to learn Spanish from English. Learning a third language is very different from learning a second language. It was not what I expected. Spanish and English are similar to each other, because they both have a formal alphabet, so it is difficult for me to keep up with American students. Because I’m not used to reading the alphabet, I can’t read quickly like the American students. Also, some Spanish words are really similar to English, so other students can understand the word even if we have not learned it yet. That is why I need more time than Americans to review and prepare for the next class. However, I also have an advantage to learning a third language. As I have been learning English for a long time, I am getting used to learning other languages, and I understand the best ways for me to learn Spanish. Even though I need more time to prepare, I do not feel that it is too difficult to learn Spanish, because Elizabeth will help me!

Thanks to my nice professor, Elizabeth, I enjoy every Spanish class, and learn Spanish effectively even though I am not used to learning with English, and it is difficult to keep up with the class. GCC offers more Spanish classes, and I think other Spanish professors are also nice and helpful just like Elizabeth! So why not take a Spanish class at GCC?

This blog was contributed by GCC Student Miku Ishikawa.

Committee Chaos

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288830c6-3ded-4d0d-86ea-8ed79c50d820 2Well, with the date of the fashion show almost upon us, everyone is currently working their hearts out sewing, coordinating choreography, and wrangling their models together. But what about the committees? There are five committees responsible for producing the 34th annual fashion show at GCC, they include: Public Relations, Front of The House, Back of The House, Planning, and Finance.

The Public Relations committee is a crucial part of Fata Morgana, and is also the committee I am a part of. The Public Relations committee is responsible for producing all of the tweets, hashtags, posters, tickets, and the flyers for the model tryouts in the beginning of the semester. The P.R. committee also promotes the show in order to ensure record attendance and awareness. A lot of work goes into working on the P.R. committee from coordinating everyone so that we can get the program together and sent to the printer on time, to completing radio interviews.

The Front of the House committee is in charge of all of the decorations, they made the middle-eastern inspired archway for the runway, hand-painted the decorations on the sides of the runway, and finalized the runway layout.

The Back of the House committee is in charge of all of the models, specifically they must make sure that models don’t have any gum in their mouths, assigning dressing rooms, getting photographers signed and contracted, making sure everyone is quiet backstage when it’s show time. In addition to all of these responsibilities, the Back of the House committee also has the very important job of telling each scene when its time for their cue.

The Planning committee is one of the most important committees in the show, they take care of picking the scenes, music selections, they make sure things run as smooth as possible, and they hold people accountable. Everyone has their own part to play in the production of Fata Morgana.

Each scene makes the show come together and without the help that we provide one another this show would be impossible to produce. Sometimes we may not agree on things, but in the end we all want to produce the best fashion show in the history of GCC, and in Western New York, and that is what we hope to provide this Saturday!

This blog was contributed by Fashion Design Student Ryan Welker.