SRU hosting 'Dress for Success' event
GROVE CITY — Kaya Weeks' go-to staples in high school were khaki pants and nice blouses for professional settings.
At Slippery Rock University, that fashion sense changed to skirts and beyond.
“If you look good, you feel good,” said Weeks, 20, a junior from Mansfield.
For practicums, the education major visited the Dress for Success pop-up shops, where she was assisted with size, fit and proper business attire.
Weeks ultimately learned how to dress professionally based on those visits, she said.
The idea of a Dress For Success Fashion Show, which teaches students how to dress appropriately and affordably for business settings, led her to be a model for the show.
Weeks was outfitted last week at the Grove City Premium Outlets for the university's Dress for Success Fashion Show that takes place at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the ballroom of the Robert M. Smith Student Center, 107 Central Loop, on the university campus.
The university's First National Bank Office of Career Education and Development, Enterprise Rent-A-Car, Grove City Premium Outlets, AVI Fresh and the SRU chapter of the Public Relations Student Society of America are sponsoring the event.
Michelle Czerwinski, Grove City Premium Outlet's director of marketing and business development, helped Weeks select the proper clothes for when people would travel with their boss and to conferences.
A common mistake made by young people in this situation is wearing clothes that are too casual and give off vacation vibes, said Czerwinski, who leads the fashion for the show.
“We want them to be comfortable, yet still maintain that professional look,” Czerwinski said. “You don't want to give them the impression you're going on this business trip that's costing money to have fun.”
Choose pieces that are not prone to wrinkling. Fit, comfort and professionalism are key.
For females, Czerwinski recommends a comfortable dress and a pair of flats. Males should wear noniron khakis or dress pants that have spandex and give for comfort with a sweater and a nice pair of shoes.
“As soon as you get off the plane and you meet somebody, you're going to look good,” she said. “People are going to remember what you wore and that you were serious about business.”
Czerwinski picked out a black-and-white-polka dot short pant for Weeks, which can tie into other colorful blouses, blazers and shirts in a young person's wardrobe, she said.“You definitely want to put your best foot forward,” she said. “Invest in yourself, invest in the correct outfit.”This year's lineup of five female models and two male models will showcase seven different outfits that a person could wear in various professional settings from interviews and traveling with the boss to conferences to holiday parties and the corporate gymnasium.Diverse models include the university's homecoming king and student government president and different ethnic groups, said LisaMarie Weinzetl, the university's compliance manager, who started the event 10 years ago.“We try to do different sizes and shapes to cover everybody,” Weinzetl said.Previously, Weinzetl worked in the corporate world. At one of her last events in that setting, two female interns approached the owner's wife wearing spaghetti straps.When she came to the university, she realized people did not know or were not aware of how to dress. That is when she created the event to prepare students for the corporate sphere and after they complete school.For students whose parents did not go to college or work in a professional setting, the fashion show is a way to give them that knowledge, she said.Students take on the role of models, check-in at the show, prepare the program guide, volunteer the night of the show and promote the event, which gives students an opportunity to see what it is like to work at an ad agency.Learning opportunities go beyond fashion for the participating students, said Slippery Rock University freshman Jensen Troy of Stoneboro.“I learned so much about how to plan and execute an event at SRU,” said Troy, 19, who is majoring in communications with a concentration on public relations.Troy, who is the public relations chairman for the Rock Public Relations Student Society of America, created a team who came up with the branding and logo for the fashion show, online reservation tracking and a slide show that features inspirational quotes from fashion designers and the show's sponsors to spread awareness around campus.“Our generation these days can get a little twisted with what they're supposed to wear,” she said. “The first impression is so imperative, especially for interviews.”
WHAT: Slippery Rock University Dress for Success Fashion ShowWHEN: 6:30 p.m. doors open; 7 p.m. showtime WednesdayWHERE: Ballroom at the Robert M. Smith Student Center located on the Slippery Rock University campus, 107 Central Loop, Slippery RockCOST: Free; open to the publicRSVP: Online at sru.campuslabs.com/engage/event/5160919NOTE: Each SRU student attending the event will receive a raffle ticket good for a chance to win either a $300 gift card; one of two $200 gift cards; or one of three $100 gift cards that will be awarded at the conclusion of the show. Winners can use their prizes toward the purchase of business attire at Grove City Premium Outlets. Another four gift cards, each worth $25 each, will be given away prior to the event through the First National Bank Office of Career Education and Development's Twitter account, @SRUCareer.
