Meet CL’s Newest Intern: Megan Godsil

Name: Megan Godsil

 Position: PR Intern

 University: Southern Arkansas University

 

Major: Marketing

 

Organizational Involvement: SAU SIFE, President Ambassador, Volleyball

 

Pets: None

 

Nickname: I don’t have one…

 

Dream Job: Marketing for Northface

 

Favorite color: Yellow

 

Favorite candy: Hot Tamales

 

Favorite movie: Italian Job

 

Favorite cuisine: Burrito

 

Favorite season: Summer

 

Coffee vs Tea -Tea

 

PC vs Mac -Mac

 

Coke vs Pepsi -Coke

 

Stripes vs Polka Dots- Stripes

 

3 words to describe me: quirky, fun, outgoing

 

3 words to describe my style: casual, classic, cute

 

You will find on my desk: candles, calendar

 

You will find on my DVR/Tivo: Suits, NCIS, Burn Notice, and White Collar

 

You will find on my Ipod: Reggae

 

You will find in my refrigerator: Leftovers, vegies

 

I have a slight obsession with: Pillows

 

I dislike: being late

 

My friends would say I am: adorably awkward, outgoing, and helpful

 

I am most happy when: I’m in my nice comfy bed

 

Most people are surprised to know I: am a big huge nerd.

 

A classy co-ed is: someone who is up to date on fashion, lifestyles, and current trends; someone who is studious, involved and driven; but also someone who is down to earth that is relatable.

 

 

Megan Godsil is a junior at Southern Arkansas University majoring in Marketing. When she’s not studying, you can find her on the volleyball court.

 

 

 

 

25 Facts About Senior Editor, Tiana Blue

Name: Tiana Blue

Position: Senior Editor/Features Writer

University: Rising junior at Penn State University

 

Organizational involvement: Currently none now that I am transitioning up to Penn State’s main campus, University Park, after two years at our Altoona campus. I’m looking to start fresh my junior year and possibly go Greek!

Pets: How sad is it (literally) that I’ve never had one?

Nicknames: Someone once told me they’d call me “spider” because of how long my legs looked and how high I jumped when doing a jete in dance class several years ago. Throughout the years, though, it seems nickname’s for me become anything involving the color blue. Or, people will simply call me by my last name, which really is Blue. Awesome, right?!

Dream job: Working for a major men’s lifestyle magazine (which I am technically doing at the moment, just as an intern).

Favorite color: I have a tough time deciding and have even gone as far as taking online quizzes to figure it out. I’ve narrowed it down to blue (go figure) and pink. I always denied that blue could potentially be my favorite color because I’ve gotten the question “Is blue your favorite color?” countless times since childhood. Pink just makes me happy.

Favorite candy: Sweet Tarts and Starburst: rotting my teeth since I was a pre-teen. I don’t want to just choose one!

Favorite movie: Animated–The Little Mermaid. With real people–Clueless.

Favorite cuisine: Anything edible.

Favorite season: The end of summer heading into fall. The weather is perfect and everyone’s happy!

Coffee vs. Tea: Tea is definitely gross. Coffee wins!

PC vs. Mac: I’m looking to join the Mac side of life, but I have a PC for now. I’m indifferent on this question.

Coke vs. Pepsi: Coke, for sure.

Stripes vs. polka dots: I didn’t notice this until my roommate pointed it out, but I’m actually a little obsessed with striped things.

 

3 words to describe me: Tall, stylish, dedicated.

3 words to describe my style: Stilettos, tucked-in (see shirt in left photo), and city.

You will find on my desk: Fashion magazines, my giant book of graffiti (I love graffiti art), a cup full of coins I’ve saved throughout the year… The last interesting thing would be my “Manila Envelope of Memories,” containing tons of items I’d collected during sophomore year that I connect to, of course, special memories. 

You will find on my DVR/Tivo: Nothing, since I don’t have either.

You will find on my iPod: I primarily listen to Pandora. I don’t have enough motivation to get my own music after having to wipe-out all my songs due to a virus a while back. But I have Mark Rose’s cd “Wonderful Trouble” and the soundtrack from an event I went to along with variations of techno, house, and dubstep songs I stole from my brother about a year after having to delete all my music. I’ve been scarred ever since! 

You will find in my refrigerator: (According to my dorm fridge) Chinese food, yogurt, chocolate, and variations of to-go boxes from dinners. 

I have a slight obsession with: See aforementioned discussion about stripes. That, and shoes.

 

I dislike: When people don’t have goals or do have goals, but don’t strive for them.

My friends would say I am: Motivated, laid back, and easy to talk to.

I am most happy when: I’m around people who fully accept me and when I’m in New York all while simultaneously writing, because writing is my biggest passion.

Most people are surprised to know I am: 5’9

A classy co-ed is: A respectable woman, one who is tolerant of all kinds of people, stylish in her own rite, undoubtedly confident, and goes after what she desires. She sets her eyes on many prizes and works hard to obtain all of them. If this is you, welcome to the team.

Tiana Blue is a senior editor and features writer  for College Lifestyles. She enjoys bargains, a good empanada, being New York-bred, and taking off her stilettos after a long day’s work. 

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What To Pack For A 3-Day Weekend

Off for a weekend trip this Memorial Day? Check out our handy guide on what to pack!

 

 

1. Bottoms: Jeans, Shorts, Skirt.

Assuming you’re gone for 3 days, 3 bottoms are all you need. Jeans go with everything and can be worn more than once, which is perfect for a vacation, especially if there’s a chance you’ll stay there longer than expected. Shorts are a summer staple, and a mid-length skirt can be dressed up or down to suit the occasion.

2. Tops: Cardigan, Tank, 2 T-Shirts.

On a weekend trip away, layering can be your best friend. Especially in the summer, when the days are super-hot and the nights can get surprisingly cold. So bring 2 regular tops, but add a tank and a cardigan for layering purposes. Also, bring both tops and bottoms in neutral colors so it’s easier to match.

3. Shoes: Gladiator Sandals, Heels.

In the summer, gladiator sandals will take you pretty much anywhere. On the off chance they won’t, bring a pair of simple heels. Just make sure to keep your toes prettily pedicured.

4. Bags: Clutch, Tote.

A clutch and an everyday bag are all you need on vacation. If you’re headed to the beach, try a straw tote. If you’re lucky, you’ll have a tote large enough to carry all your items to your destination.

5. Makeup + Accessories: Bright and Few.

Just because your tops and bottoms are neutral doesn’t mean your entire outfit has to be boring. Try brightening up your look with your makeup and accessories. Just don’t go overboard – think a couple of statement pieces, not your entire closet.

6. Miscellaneous: Sunglasses, Extra Underwear, Swimsuit, Chargers.

Sunglasses and a swimsuit are summer staples that everybody always forgets. Bring the swimsuit even if a pool or beach are not in your plans – you never know when you might need it. As for the extra underwear? If you end up staying an extra day, it’s the one thing you’re really going to want.  The chargers go without saying, if you’re bringing any kind of electronics (iPod, cell phone, laptop).

What do you normally bring on a 3-day weekend? Let us know in the comments!

Sasha Graffagna is a junior at New York University studying Journalism and Comparative Literature. She is currently on exchange at La Universidad del Sagrado Corazón in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

CL Interviews Sisters on the Runway

 

Three best friends from New Jersey never imagined by the time they were college seniors, they would have organized more than a dozen fashion shows. Gabriela Graham, Juliana Colangelo, and Elizabeth Eddy are the co-founders of Sister’s on the Runway. Each year the ladies plan a fashion show to raise money and awareness about domestic violence. Since beginning the organization in 2005, they have raised over $50,000 for women and children affected by this issue. CL had the chance to chat with Gabriela, Juliana and Elizabeth about how the organization began and their plans to keep raising awareness in the future.

 

CL:  How did Sisters on the Runway begin?

Juliana Colangelo- We started the fashion show as sophomores in high school. As a class we were assigned community service hours and we thought about putting on an event. Liz, Gabi and I really wanted to do something on our own because it was hard to get things done with that many people. I really liked the idea of a fashion show because it was different and we were all a little interested in fashion especially Liz. We wanted to do something involving women’s issue, so we chose domestic violence.

CL:  What made Sisters on the Runway combine domestic violence and fashion?  

Gabriela Graham- Fashion is something that is very relatable. It gets people very excited and gets people coming out to different events because they want to see different styles and to see people modeling. Domestic violence is oftentimes something that people don’t really want to tackle because it’s very serious and scary and people don’t want to sit down and talk about that. So with linking it with such a relatable topic such as fashion we were able to really open that platform and really have a discussion about domestic violence and lead people into it so they weren’t so intimidated by this dark cloud. We wanted people to become aware that it can really affect anybody and it doesn’t matter your race or economic level or culture. We try to break down that stereotype with Sisters on the Runway.

 

CL:  Did you know that combining fashion with a cause like domestic violence would work so well?

Juliana Colangelo- I thought that fashion and domestic violence combined would be interesting because that’s not something you would see put together. Also a lot of times fashion perpetuates negative images of women so we wanted to show that being beautiful and embracing different bod types was ok.

CL:  Has volunteering always been something you and the other ladies had an interest in?

Elizabeth Eddy- Yes, definitely. We were volunteering at a shelter before the project began so when as sophomores in high school we were asked to do a community service project as a class, we really jumped on it. Two of my friends suggested a fashion show but it kind of got shot down so we decided to go our separate ways. We put on our first event and it was extremely successful, it was one of the biggest student-run events to come out of our high school. It was really nice. It was initially a school project but it became our own thing after that.

CL:  Did you ladies always have an interest in fashion?  

Elizabeth Eddy- We chose fashion not because it was something we were really interested in but because it was something that involved a lot of people, it was something that people get really excited about and it was very social. We chose domestic violence because it is a topic that isn’t talked about a lot. It affects one in four women so it’s something that is sadly very prominent in our society

CL:  What kind of reactions do you get when people find out what Sisters on the Runway is doing?

Gabriela Graham- We received really great feedback. It’s starting really important and difficult conversations between people of different ages and geographical regions. People have come forward and said that I have dealt with something like this or my friend has dealt with something like this or I have seen something like this and I didn’t know it was so common or there were places I could go for help. [Our program] has made people feel more comfortable talking about this issue. We also try to stress that this is not just male to female but can also be female to male, there really are no boundaries to whom or where the violence can occur.

CL:  What life lessons would you say this has taught you?

Gabriela Graham- Time management because we have done these events solely involved with school and work. It has also helped me with people skills; whether we are working with volunteers or models etc. it also it helps me really understand what domestic violence is and who it is this money is going to. We have visited and volunteered at shelters to help us get a better understanding of what this issue really does to a person. We had the opportunity to work with children and we would sit and play with them while their moms were out looking for jobs. These kids had no idea what was going on. But it also helped us understand the severity of the situation. When we were 17, a shelter we were volunteering at gave us a woman’s address but told us please don’t give it to anyone else because that was the woman’s safe house. That’s when we really realized that this is a serious issue we are getting involved in.

CL:  What can we expect to see from Sisters in the future?

Gabriela Graham- We would love to make it a non-profit organization in the next 2 years. That would make it easier to link up with other organizations. Right now, we just want to keep spreading our message. [Our program] is at a couple of high schools and university’s right now. We just want to keep getting the word out. Our generation really needs to take matters into our own hands and make changes in our communities.

CL:  Are you ladies working on any upcoming projects?

Elizabeth Eddy- We would like to continue doing fashion shows. We have done about 13 already and two more coming up in the spring. We currently have three different chapters; one at the University of Massachusetts, one at Montclair High School and one at Parsons School of Design. Two more schools are also currently in the process of developing a Sisters on the Runway chapter.

CL:  How could someone get involved with Sisters on the Runway? What kind of opportunities do you offer?

Gabriela Graham- If anyone is interested in volunteering or modeling or becoming a designer we feature in our fashion show send us an email. At the last event, we had about 15 student designers and we are always looking for more.

 

If you would like to get involved with Sisters on the Runway contact them at benefit@sistersotherunway.org and check out their website http://sistersontherunway.org/for more information. 

 

______________________________________________________________________________________

Minyvonne Burke is a fashion and lifestyle writer for College Lifestyles ™. She graduated from Point Park University and is currently pursuing her master’s degree at Hofstra University. She loves online shopping, cute bags and NYC.

Top Ten Summer Fashion Trends

Hi ladies! It’s my favorite time of year again…summer! After a long year of school work, it’s time break free and relax. Although may of us have internships and jobs, it’s also a time to have fun, go to concerts, barbecues, festivals and many more places. This week CL shares with you the top ten summer fashion trends.

 

4. Bright and Pastel Pants – A spring trend heading over into summer! Perfect way to brighten up a look! A versatile look that could be worn to work if paired with  a colorful trousers a white collared shirt.

5. Florals – A great trend that can be worn on weekends and in the office. Floral shirts are cute! This season the best pieces from the floral trend are the shorts and pants. Floral pants and pastel blazer are a great combination for the weather right now!

6. One Piece Bathing Suits – Great trend this season, especially for those of us that ae not quite ready for bikini weather! The geometrical patterns and different shapes are fashionable and body flattering.

7. Knit Pullovers – As posted about before Knit pullovers are good to be worn with shorts and also as cover ups.

8. High Waisted Shorts (excuse the recycled look! But it’s still a great example.) High waisted shorts are also investment pieces for the summer. A personal summer project of mine, is DIY shorts. Try adding different studs and jewels for an edgy look like Rihanna(pictured below). They also looks great with t shirts and bra let’s.

9. Platforms – Platforms are a huge trend this year. Instead of the usual wedge spice up your look with a platform!

 

10. Sneakers – Lastly, thanks to Coachella fashion and Isabel Marant’s wedged sneaker (pictured below) are a huge trend this season. I’m so happy cute sneakers are coming back for comfort! This season they’re different styles by a few designers including Jeremy Scott for Adidas, Isabel Marant, Marc Jacobs and more. Some are a bit pricey, but consider them to be investment pieces.

 

Shanae Hatchett is a sophomore English major with a minor in Public Relations at Hampton University. She is obsessed with fashion,shopping, magazines, celebrity drama, and reality tv all while wearing cute shoes with a caramel macchiato in hand.

Graduation Outfits: How to be Affordably Stunning on Your Day

 Above are three dresses from Lauren Conrad’s collection for Kohl’s. With the dresses running from $40-$60 each, they are afforadble, gorgous and look extremely flattering on all body types! Now, onto shoes!

If you’re going with a neutral dress, the pop of bright color is a must for shoes. Whether you like high heels like the pink Candie’s above (top left, $19.99) or flat sandals like Jennifer Lopez’ sandals (bottom right, $44.99), bright colors will add so much– especially when you can’t see your dress & just see that potato-sack gown!

If your dress has its own pop of color and you want to go subdtle with accessories, you can go with nude or black! A great pair of nude wedges are Simply Vera by Vera Wang (top right, $39.97). If nude isn’t for you, a classy pair of black high heels always looks great, like the LC Lauren Conrad heels (bottom left, $39.99).

With these great deals from Kohl’s, it’s simple to create a GREAT outfit for your important day (and still have money to go out for drinks with your family after)!

 

 

This post was written by Emily Longeretta, a senior editorial intern for CollegeLifestyles (TM). She is graduating from SUNY Oswego May 12 and is heading to New York City to pursue a career in journalism and public relations. With passion for sports, entertainment and ofcourse great fashion, she hopes to be extermely successful and thanks everyone who helped her get here.

Guy v. Girl Pretty: Summer Trends

When a guy digs a girl’s style, he’ll often let her know through compliments. But how do we know he’s not just being nice and actually hates it? I talked with four college guys to get the scoop on what’s in and what’s out in their mind. This summer, many items are trending that could make or break an outfit. Read on to see the boys sound off on what makes a classy co-ed’s wardrobe wearable for summer.

 

 

Cross body bags

“If you really need to carry your life with you, the cross-body shoulder bag is probably a very practical way of doing this. You could carry your makeup, keys, wallet, a book, camera, phone, and of course the random assortment of other things any modern day Mary Poppins would need. Yes, I said Mary Poppins. Let’s be honest, even Julie Andrews was sporting this in good fashion in the 1960s classic. Now, you just add a strap and through it across your chest. I personally think the less a woman has to carry with her, the better. It shows confidence and you can stand up straight without killing your back all day with giant purse. Also, please don’t put little dogs in purses this size, or any size. Don’t carry tiny dogs with you ladies. Not sexy.” – Jake, 25

“More commonly known to men as boob separators. Yeah they’re fine.” -Robert, 24

“I don’t know how I feel about these. I like leather ones.” -Michael, 23

 

Floral hair accessories 

“I think flower accessories in girls’ hair can be a risky decision for most girls. There are two problems: picking the right flower and having the facial bone structure to pull it off.” -Jake, 25

“Flowers in your hair look really cute … if you’re nine.” -Orrin, 21

“Desperate for attention. Plus they are ugly and feathers look nicer.” -Robert, 24

“I don’t care for them much, but girls love them for some reason.” -Michael, 23

 

Aviator sunglasses

“Aviators are alright, I guess, if you’re looking to date a NASCAR fan or find yourself picking up pilots. They can work on some girls, yes. The problem here is recognizing your bone structure once again. If you have very defined facial features, don’t wear aviators. Let your features speak for themselves. More men find that attractive.” -Jake, 25

“Everyone looks good wearing aviators.” -Orrin, 21

“They just hide their face because A. they are trying to hide a bruise or B. they have a pimple or something they dont want people to see.” -Robert, 24

“I think they’re played out for the most part but a lot of girls can still wear them tastefully.” -Michael, 23

 

Jean vests 

“Jean vests are retro. Yes, I get it. If I wanted to see them though, I would hop in my Delorean, shoot up to 88 miles per hour and travel back to the late 80s or early 90s. Jean jackets, jean vests, pretty much jean anything says you’ve lost yourself in your parent’s closet for too long to convince yourself that looks good. Keep jeans on your legs where they belong.” -Jake, 25

“Jeans are meant to be worn on the bottom. Not the top.” -Orrin, 21

“They make those? I don’t think I have ever seen them. But I’m a sucker for jean anything so I probably would like it.” -Robert, 24

“I like them. Basically if you wear them, others realize that you have style because there has to be some thought behind a denim vest.” -Michael, 23

 

What do you think of these trends? Does your boyfriend or guy friends like when you wear them? Comment below!

Next week, I will show you what aSociete sent me to try on! 

 

 

Jessica Fecteau is a senior fashion, etiquette and apartment/dorm life writer and is a sophomore at Central Michigan University. Jessica loves fashion magazines, listening to indie/folk music and traveling to big cities.

 

Top Three Picks for Summer Wedding Dresses

Along with the sunshine, summer break and sun tans often comes a slew of summer weddings. The season of affirming love comes in many different styles. With the summer heat, it can sometimes be a struggle to keep your style a little more chic and a little less sweaty. No matter the type of wedding, it is often hot before the big “I do’s” and especially warm for those who attend weddings outside. To keep your cool while attending a summer wedding, check out my picks for the season. This summer is all about cut-outs, sheer and floral print.

Beach Wedding

The colorful blue floral will pop against any sandy backdrop. Find it in your size at urbanoutfitters.com.

 

Black Tie

Although I wore this dress to a banquet, it’s also perfect for a formal wedding. The all black sheath dress is conservative but sassy with the sheer back. It’s also great to accessorize with.

 

 

Casual

A low-key wedding doesn’t mean your outfit has to be overly laid back. Try on this LC Lauren Conrad dress with a flirty floral print to dance the night away in.

 

Are you attending any summer weddings? What do you have planned to wear? Comment below, lovely ladies!

 

Jessica Fecteau is a senior fashion, etiquette and apartment/dorm life writer and is a sophomore at Central Michigan University. Jessica loves fashion magazines, listening to indie/folk music and traveling to big cities.

Sunny’s Sanctuary: May Flowers– Floral Prints for Spring and Summer

Happy May CL fashionistas! There is so much to be celebrating: graduations, internships, moving out, moving away which means there is a lot going on in everybody’s closets. In Sunny’s Sanctuary, May’s weather patterns happen to be taking a life of their own. As the saying goes April showers, bring May flowers, and the flowers have sprung in Sunny’s Sanctuary. My closet is filled with a variety of floral prints, especially amongst blouses. Check out how I mixed three different floral printed tops for a sunny spring stroll, or a summer night out!

Spices and Tulips:

This colorful blouse is not a typical floral pattern; rather than yellow dandelions or over-sized pink flowers, the top is covered with a mix of fragile tulips. The design of the floral pattern is unique in the sense that you have to look closely to notice that they are flowers, and the mix of colors may turn people off at first, but once it’s on it just works. The colors remind me of jars filled with a beautiful mix of exotic spices! I snatched this from the local Francesca’s at Partridge Creek.

Top: Francesca’s

Mid-rise Jeans: Love Culture

Necklace: Forever 21

Wedges: Charlotte Russe

Belt: ALDO

Pastels XL:

A little about me: I was born in Dallas, Texas, and although I consider myself a native Michigander I can’t let go of one innate part of the south. The large, bold prints! They say everything is bigger in Texas, and the XL flowers on this H&M blouse is sufficient evidence for the little bit of Texan I still have left. The reason that this blouse is one of my favorite florals is because of the lovely combo between the subtle pastel colors with the large bold prints. Now if this top had the spicy bright colors that the other top had, it simply could not work. But this top was a match made in pattern heaven. I paired the top with ankle-length, high-waisted dress pants and black patent leather stilettos from Zara. The blouse’s print is easy to mix and match; dress it daytime down with white or light pink pants, and dress it up with a hot pink or black skirt/pants.

Top: H&M

High-waisted Pants: H&M

Shoes: Zara

Necklace: Forever 21

Navy and Nudes

I styled this outfit around the pants, instead of the top. I am obsessed with high-waisted pants, and these H&M dress pants fit perfectly so I really wanted to find a nice top for the spring and summer. JC Penny’s has some great finds, and this navy floral top is one of the many you can scoop up for the upcoming season. The short-sleeve top is light and breezy, and the nude flowers along with a few peachy ones gave the outfit enough color, and the peach especially seemed to work well with my skin tone. I paired the navy and nudes ensemble with peach stilettos (also from Zara) and accessorized with gold jewelry!

Top: JC Penny’s

High-waisted Pants: H&M

Shoes: Zara

Bag: Forever 21

Sunglasses: H&M

Watch: Michael Kors

Necklace: Forever 21

Belt: ALDO

What did you think of these floral prints? What florals are springing up in your closet this season? Hope you had a great time peeking into Sunny’s Sanctuary this week! Come back for some more spring and summer fashion finds next week.

Sana Ashraf is a fashion writer and fashion show intern and is a junior at the University of Michigan. Sana loves reading fashion magazines, shopping sprees, city lights, color coordinated closets, and all four seasons.

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Style by the City: Miami

You may be slaving away through finals, but your wardrobe doesn’t have to look like it. Take some inspiration from a tropical city like Miami, Florida, to add a little summer fun to your wardrobe.

 

Casual Outfit: Freedom Tower

With its fresh architecture, Miami’s Freedom Tower is a great inspirational outfit for a stylish summer casual outfit. Start with a pair of white pants (5), $24.95, and a cropped yellow shirt (1), $44.90, which is in keeping with the tower’s color scheme. Beige wedge sandals (4), $39.99, and a straw clutch (2), $16.80, neutralize the outfit and keep the outfit dressy but casual. But since it’s summer, don’t be afraid to go a little overboard on the brights – we chose  feather turquoise earrings (3), $14, and red lipstick (6), $14.50 in honor of the Cuban flag – the Freedom Tower is currently being used as a Cuban refugee center.

Sasha Graffagna is a New York University junior studying Journalism and Comparative Literature. She is currently on exchange at La Universidad del Sagrado Corazón in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Follow her on Polyvore at sasha74.

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