Local Fashion Boutique Provides Sooners with the Latest Game Day Trends

Historic Campus Corner is home to many clothing boutiques that are popular with OU students. Savvy is the oldest fashion boutique at this legendary and exciting location that sells clothing targeted mainly towards young women. The boutique carries many exclusive designs and is one of the few stores in the United States that carries game day fashions from local designer and former basketball player, Desiree Taylor.

Accessories and game day clothing for sale at Savvy.
PHOTO: Kelley Jones

According to store owner Derrick Ott, the success of Sooner football has a large impact on the sales of game day apparel. Ott confirmed that when Oklahoma football is successful, Savvy sells a lot more Sooner apparel. "We know that every time there is a win, there is a little bit of an extra pep in folk's steps and they're willing to shell out a little bit more for items that show their Sooner pride," the store owner said. In addition to football season; according to Ott, the weather in Norman also has a huge effect on game day apparel. "We have started to see a slowing of interest in dresses, but we have seen an increase in sales of sweatshirts and items that are long sleeves now that fall is upon us," he said.

Sooner game day apparel available at Savvy.
PHOTO: Kelley Jones

Ott's wife opened Savvy at Campus Corner almost nine years ago, the store owner said. According to the shop,"Savvy has brought fresh, sophisticated west coast fashion to Oklahoma" for nearly a decade. The store, which shops markets in Los Angeles, carries lines such as Milly, Velvet and Ella Moss. "We carry a lot of things from DeuceZero from a wonderful local designer, Desiree Taylor. She is a former girl's basketball star who is now on staff at the university," Ott said. "She has made wonderful apparel and we are very proud of the products that we are carrying here."

Savvy's excellent location and unique fashions have generated a lot of success for the boutique. "We have been getting a lot of customers and we are very proud of the great following," Ott said. "We work hard to have items for almost every consumer and find items in a variety of prices."

Savvy carries fashions ranging from $30 to $400, the store owner said, and carries a lot of denim, dresses, and "going-out wear" in addition to its game day apparel. Visit its location on Campus Corner at 761 Asp Ave. for a welcoming shopping experience and trendy local fashions.

The interior of Savvy.
PHOTO: Derrick Ott

DeuceZero Designs in the window of Savvy.
PHOTO: Derrick Ott

Game day designs inside Savvy.
PHOTO: Derrick Ott

The exterior of the Savvy boutique on Historic Campus Corner.
PHOTO: Kelley Jones

Beaded Bracelets at OU: New Fashion Trend Helps Women in Nepal

A new fashion trend has been spreading throughout the female students at the University of Oklahoma, and it's for a good cause! Many girls on OU's campus have been sporting beaded bracelets hand crafted by women from the Kathmandu Valley of Nepal. Purchasing these bracelets helps to improve the quality of life for the women in Nepal.

Beaded Bracelets hand made from women of Nepal.

Eco Fashion Design's bracelets are part of the worldwide free trade program. Its focus "is to pay fair trade wages to [their] artisans thereby improving the quality of their lives," the company says. "All beading is done in the comfort of their homes or on rooftop decks during nice weather." Making these bracelets offers these women an opportunity to make a better life for themselves.

Women of Nepal hand-making beaded bracelets.
Photograph from ecodesignfashions.com

"Poor women in Nepal are suffering, exploited and demotivated. Their lives are full of pain and sorrow despite trying their best. Fair Trade has helped women raise their voices," Padmasana Shakya of Manushi said.

Each bracelet comes with a card signed by the Indian woman
who hand-crafted the bracelet.

This cause has received an overwhelming amount of support from OU students. "They are the biggest craze," Lucca store manager, Meghan Bedner said. "The [bracelets] we have now are sewn in sorority colors." According to Bedner, students are purchasing these bracelets because they are so popular on campus. Many people are not even aware that they are supporting the free trade program in Nepal.

A female student at the University of Oklahoma wearing
Eco Fashion Design's beaded bracelets.

The beaded bracelets can be purchased at Lucca or Antique Garden at Campus Corner for $15, or at Cayman's off of Main St. for $12.50. For more information on ordering these bracelets visit the Eco Design Fashions website. To learn more about the free trade program visit the Women In Informal Employment: Globalizing and Organizing website.


Audio Interview with Lucca Manager, Meghan Bedner:

Game Day Fashions: The Red River Rivalry Edition

On Saturday, Oct. 2 the stadium of the Cotton Bowl was an impressive sight: a sea of fans dressed in crimson and burnt orange. This past weekend thousands of Sooner football fans made the trek from Norman to Dallas to support their football team in the one of the most exciting football games and the biggest college rivalry of the year.  The fashion choices made by many of the Sooner football fans and the Texas Longhorns at the Texas State Fair for the 2010 Cotton Bowl made for some of the most spirited pre-game moments.

A sea of crimson on the Sooners' side of the
Cotton Bowl Stadium

There was plenty of friendly rivalry amongst the OU fans and Longhorns at the fair prior to the game, especially in terms of fashion.  Sooners opted to wear crimson shirts mostly saying “Boomer Sooner! Beat Texas”. The most comical Sooner shirts bore an upside down longhorn logo with the words “UCLA” in reference to last week’s disappointing loss for the Longhorn football team.  Many Longhorn fans wore shirts that said “O Who?” and “OU Sucks!”  Face tattoos with the team logos and face painting also appeared to be a popular trend this year.

For many fans, fashion served a much bigger purpose.  It encouraged school camaraderie. “What you wear today is actually really important. It’s cool to see another person wearing an OU shirt,” said University of Oklahoma sophomore, Cody Due. “You don’t even know who they are, but the second you see another fan the automatic greeting is: ‘Boomer!’”

Longhorn fans agreed. Deciding what to wear on this exciting day proved to be a fun part of the whole experience.  “I’ve been planning what to wear today for a long time.  A lot of us [female UT students] have Longhorn game day dresses made,” said University of Texas junior, Alex Bailey. “This is the biggest game! For us it’s all about the burnt orange.”

Many female students at the University of Oklahoma also opted to wear game day dresses. Visit Kim’s Alterations in Norman (121 Hal Muldrow Dr) for more information on Sooner game day dresses or visit Savvy on Campus Corner for more Sooner Fashion.

Sooners sporting crimson at the Texas State Fair

University of Oklahoma Student Launches Her Own Hair Accessory Line: “Sisters Before Misters”

A University of Oklahoma student is finding great success with her newly launched hair accessory line, “Sisters Before Misters”, on sale at Campus Corner.  Chinh Doan, a junior at the University of Oklahoma, started selling her line at the Larie Marie Boutique on Campus Corner in September of 2010. “It’s a fun hobby and it’s something that I enjoy doing on my own time.  Some people go for a run. Some people read a book. I enjoy making hair accessories,” she said.

Chinh Doan attends a greek event to sell and promote her hair accessories line: "Sisters Before Misters".

“I’ve been selling my line for about a month now,” Doan said. “I sell it when I go to sorority houses for events and on Campus Corner at the Larie Marie boutique.” The boutique opened at its Campus Corner location recently in August of 2010 and sells women’s and children’s clothing.  The owner, Brooke Wood, describes it as a mother and daughter shopping experience for all ages. Doan said that she has already started seeing girls wearing her “Sisters Before Misters” line from the Larie Marie boutique around campus. “It’s so nice to see the reward almost immediately,” Doan said.  “When I see people that I don’t even know wearing one of my headbands and just knowing that all the proceeds are going to something that means so much to me is really rewarding.”

“The whole reason I started doing this is because my birth mom is in Vietnam, and I’m trying so hard to fundraise and get the paper work together so I can bring her over here to live with me especially in time to see my graduation,” Doan said.  Her mother was her inspiration to turn her hobby of creating hair accessories into her very own hair accessories line. “I’ve always made hair accessories for myself.  But because I enjoyed it so much, I wanted to do something that’s going to benefit my mom,” Doan said. “Because I’m so passionate about it, it makes it so fun for me.  It doesn’t feel like work.” Doan says that she hopes her hair accessory line will help ultimately bring her biological mother to the United States by May of 2012 when she graduates. The process takes anywhere from 6 months to a year,” she said. “So this is my personal fundraiser for her.  The money is not my spending money.”

While her mother inspired the creation of Doan’s “Sisters Before Misters” line, there were a lot of different factors that inspired the fashion behind the hair accessories.  “I think a little bit of everything inspires my line,” Doan said. “I have a little bit of a child in me with a little bit of maturity.  I also have a little bit of a sorority girl as well as a little bit of a professional in me. I try to do a little bit of everything so that there are a variety of things in my line.”

Doan’s “Sister’s Before Misters” line has gotten to be so popular here in Norman, that it is now going to be sold at the Edmond location of Larie Marie.  The boutique in Norman is located at 329 White St. next to Victoria’s Pasta Shop in Campus Corner.  Stop by to view some of Chinh Doan’s newest “Sisters Before Misters” hair accessories.