“The Cutting Edge” FGI Mid-Winter Conference

By Diana Cavagnaro “The Cutting Edge” was an amazing whirlwind of Fashion & Design on November 15-19, 2007 in Sidney, Australia. We stayed at the chic Sofitel Wentworth Hotel and on the first evening attended an elegant cocktail reception at the pres- tigious Government House. On day two we traveled on the Ferry across Sidney Harbor enjoying a panoramic view of

the city including the Harbour Bridge and the splendid Opera House making our way to the Taronga Park Zoo. Jimmy Jackson from the Australian Wool Innovation talked to us about the latest innovations. Super fine Merino Wool now has anti-bacterial and anti-odour properties, and the ability to moisturize as you wear it. We were treated to a fashion show highlighting the ultralite and beautiful merino

garments. It was wonderful to see first hand all these latest innovations which have evolved from super conservative to stylish must have designs.

Next we were escorted to the legendary Balmoral Beach for a Swim Resort Fashion Show by some of Australian’s leading designers. They were gearing up for their approaching Summer season that is during our Winter season here. Our seats were right on the beach with a picture perfect day for the fabulous runway show. Following the fashion show we walked to The Bather’s Pavilion and Executive Chef Serge Dansereau made yummy hors d’oeuvres for us. Brian Rockford, King of Swim, discussed his life in the business and showed slides of his successful career. Topping off the day we journeyed to the Opera House for the evening to watch a performance of “Destiny” which was a tribute to Leonid

Massine who is the creative star and choreographer to the renowned Ballets Ruses. After the ballet we had dinner at Guillaume at Bennilong under the sails at the Sydney Opera House. Graduates

from the fashion school, the Raffles College of Design and Commerce, entertained us with a fashion show of their creative designs.

Con’t. pg 4

Winter 2007

Holiday Greetings from your

Regional Directors

Wow! Sherry and Grace have been the Co-Regional Di-rectors for the San Diego Fashion Group International for one year! And it has been a wonderful year for both of us.

We are proud to have successfully launched the ‘Mix It Up’ networking event, which meets the third Tuesday of each month…and introduces us to the variety of neighborhoods here in SD as we explore new venues and meet new peo-ple. We have been impressed by the talent and energy of the people drawn to these events, and are focused on con-verting visitors to members with the assistance of our Membership Chair.

We are grateful to our Board of Directors who have sup-ported us, and have provided guidance for 2007-2008.

As we head in to 2008, we look forward to the organization of our student and recent graduate population under the leadership of Felena Hanson. This up-and-coming group of young professionals is looking for a name under the FGI umbrella, to be announced soon.

After 10 years of success, and a rest in 2007, we look for-ward to launching a new Style fund-raiser in the Fall of 2008 in a newly created format. It will also be our opportu-nity to award scholarships to deserving students in the San Diego community.

Watch your e-mail for events and announcements in 2008 as we move into the digital age. Make sure we have your current e-mail information to receive notices of events. Snail mail will be history. E-mail changes/updates to: fgi-sd@pacbell.net.

Here is another way to keep up on FGI activities here in San Diego: go to http://www.fgi.org and click on Other Regions…San Diego…and you will be in the know! Trav-eling? Check out other region web sites for their activities! Best Wishes for this Holiday Season to All

Sherry and Grace

Richard Tiland

Richard Tiland joined Fashion Group International in 2007 while working at the #1 Medical Spa in America. His expertise in beauty has been seen on syndicated shows on AP Worldwide, Health and Beauty, Boomer show, TV Guide and numerous seminars in and around South-ern California.

After several years as an Alaskan Fisher-man, Richard began his career in the spa industry at Gene Juarez in Seattle WA , in 2000. Nordstrom was his next challenging career move. Richard began working in Corporate store #1 spa and then transi-tioned to San Francisco to become a Counter Manager for Mario Badescu while free lancing makeup for reputable companies like Sisley, Trish McEvoy, and Laura Mercier. Currently, Richard works as the West Coast Director for a Luxury Spa Distribu-tion channel that supplies spas like Canyon Ranch, Ritz Carlton, and Exhale. Richard sits as Program Co-chair for our San Diego chapter.

Memoirs of a Regional Director I am very honored to be a member of Fashion Group of San Diego. As past director, my board and I used our collective efforts to set up pro-grams that were both interesting to our members and educational. We gifted design students with scholarships and designated monies to de-serving charities. We also planned career fairs, educated women return-ing to the work force, and arranged events with designers who impact our industry and shared how they were inspired. I was enlightened by how vast the realm of fashion is-decorating a table top is just as much fash-ion as selecting a pair of shoes to accessorize your outfit. I now appreci-ate the fabric and construction of a garment just as much as the finished product. I have been involved in the fashion industry for 30 years. I started as a staff model and later opened the Grossmont Center Bullocks as Fashion

Coordinator. I planned events, fashion shows, and programs throughout the store. Then I took time off to spend with my son’s. I returned to work in retail sales and have been with Nordstrom Fashion Valley for 18 years. My best proposal came 6 years ago to be Bernies’ wife – I accepted! I have served as FGI Director from 1997 and 1998, secretary, program and membership chairs.

Dining by Design

FGI member Olga Tuchscher Krasnoff kicked off the debut of her

new book “Dining by Design” at Bloomingdales on a busy Saturday in November. And what a kick off it was, friends, fans and FGI mem-

bers stood in a line that never seemed to get smaller as Olga

penned personal notes for every-one, in the cover of her book.

Never one to forget her friends, Olga created a chapter in her book in honor of FGI! “Style and Supper” proves that table tops designed by Olga are as fashionable and chic as anything seen strutting down the runways of Paris or New York. Pick up this beautiful book filed with color photos of original table top designs and wonderful menus and recipes by Olga’s longtime friend Chef Patsy Bentivegna. Her book can be purchased as Warwicks and Blooming-dales! Congratulations Olga!

Connie Foote Sharp

“MIX IT UP” TUESDAYS!

Page 1 con’t….

On day three we viewed Fashion Flash that is the same as our Trend Show that concluded with a panel discussion by Australian Fashion Cognoscenti. Next we traveled to the Queen Victoria Building (QVB) for a panel discussion by experts on Counter Culture, Retailing in the 21st Century. The QVB is a mag-nificent vintage building with a breathtaking dome filled with splendid stores. We spent the rest of the afternoon shopping here and were able to visit the gorgeous shop of Claudia Chan Shaw, FGI Chairman for the event. In the evening we were bused to the Powerhouse Museum for slides and a panel discussion of the inte-rior designer, Florence Broadurst whose murder still remains unsolved today. Signature Prints is now the owner of Florence’s library that included 530 interior designs. The owners talked about reinventing the brand for a Contemporary Market that included adding accessories such as handbags with Flor-ence’s artistic flair. Helen O’Neill was on hand to discuss her book, “Secret & Extraordinary Life” and I wouldn’t be surprised if they made this book into a movie on the life of this eccentric woman. Interna-tionally recognized, Akira Isogawa, displayed some of his Broadhurst print garments. Following this presentation we were able to view some of the exquisite pieces that the Sydney FGI had donated to the fashion collection in this museum. Very inspiring!! We were also treated to a private viewing of Diana: A Celebration which includes Princess Diana’s wed-ding dress, Designer gowns and jewels from the Spenser Collection. It was awesome to see them up close and personal!!!! Day four was a visit to the Cerrone flagship store for a private viewing on “Designs on Diamonds”. When we walked into the store, the owner Nic Cerrone who is the most awarded jeweler in Australia greeted us. Nic sets up trunk shows around the world including America’s Finest City that was recently held at the Hotel Solamar. The store was surrounded by pictures of his clients such as Terri Hatcher Con’t. pg 9

Diana Cavagnaro and Barbara Beran Above: Selena Parker and Sherry

Bittner-Brown

Left: Felena Hanson and Grace Decker

SUPPORT OUR FGI MEMBER ADVERTISERS!

More Sidney Pictures! Clockwise from top left:

George and Diana at the Government House The Government House is an historic Gothic revival building set amongst 5 hectares of gardens adjoining the extensive harbourside Botanic Gardens Merino Wool Show at the Tarongo Zoo Models in period costumes at the Government House

MORE FGI ADVERTISERS

TO SUPPORT!

MEMBERS & FRIENDS ON THE GO….

Mama’s Kitchen

Fundraiser

Phyllis Parrish (second from left) and friends

Karen Rowley and Peggy Matthews

Mary G. Walker with friends

Olga Krasnoff and Gayleen Nichols

Sally Thornton and Sandra Maas

More Sidney! Clockwise from top left: Diana with FGI President, Margaret Hayes Adame and Diane Lisle-Williams, Melbourne FGI. Diana with Diane Lisle-Williams and Nic Cerrone of the Cerrone Flagship Store. Diana with Claudia Chan Shaw, FGI Conference Chair, in her store at the Queen Victoria Building.

Diana wearing $20,000 worth of Cerrone Pearls.

Models wearing diamonds and pearls at the “Designs on Diamonds” showing.

Black Tie Gala: George and Diana with Shawny Burns, Washington DC FGI, Susan Glick, Chicago FGI, Alexandra Adame, NY FGI.

More Sidney...

Clockwise from left: Akira Isogawa displayed his Florence Broadhurst print garments at the Power-house Museum; Christian Dior made in Paris, 1957 (This evening gown with a precisely con-structed inner bodice with boning is an example of the many garments donated to the Powerhouse Museum by the Sydney FGI); the famous Sydney Bridge (you can buy a ticket for $160 and walk across); model wears creation by graduate student from the Raffles College of Design and Com-merce. Continued from Page 4:

Janet Jackson, all decked out in his incredible diamonds! The models came down a beautiful staircase showcasing his terrific collections. Before leaving I tried on a $20,000 strand of pearls. Oh Oh so lovely!!!! In the afternoon we went to the Art Gallery of New South Wales for “Living Life in Art”. Sydney FGI Regional Director, Mary Gualtieri, arranged for her uncle Salvatore Zof-rea to discuss his life as an artist since he immigrated from Italy to Australia. Salvotore is a widely acclaimed artist in the medium of woodblock printmaking. As it turns out a company in San Diego called ResMed has acquired several of his pieces for their office building. Next we went into the Yiribana Gallery to view one of the largest spaces dedicated to Aboriginal Art in Australia. These 4 fabulous days closed with a Black Tie Gala held in the Sofitel Wentworth Hotel Grand Ballroom. This dinner was the inaugural FGI Sydney Awards for Excellence that was very much like our Style Awards. All the FGI members were given a chance to say goodbye to all their FGI friends and new acquaintances. These uplifting four days were jammed packed with all aspects of fashion in the Australian market. There was so much possibility for making connections with the Fashion Industries in Australia. I feel fortunate to have had the opportunity for such an edu-cational and uplifting experience. Kudos to FGI Sydney for all their hard work!

Holiday Party—FGI Style

In the beginning of December FGI kicked off the season with a Holiday Party for members that proved to live up to it’s reputation of food, fun and sought after gifts! After a business meeting and elec-tion of officers we shared a delicious Ital-ian dinner of pasta, salads and wine and caught up on eve-ryone’s active year.

Gift giving began with expressions of delight and laughter as members brought out their

competitive edge and stole gifts from each other. All in good fun and with the spirit of the game! Popular gifts that seemed to bounce around until they were considered safely owned were a great leopard clutch, a beautiful wire and beaded necklace and Olga’s Dining by Design book. Enjoy the pictures!

The Group!

The Leopard Bag Journey!

More Holiday Fun…

The Necklace

Exchange!

Many Tried to Take Home Olga’s Book!

2008 Board Members Regional Directors…….Grace Decker & Sherry Bittner-Brown Secretary……………….George Bates Treasurer………………Chuck Horst Membership Chairs……Chrissy Burns Education Chair……….Felena Hanson Program Chairs………..Rick Tiland & Donna Steinback Foundation President….Karen Rowley Nominations Chair…….Diana Cavagnaro Hospitality Chair………Sheena Gao Communications Chair..Susan Lazear Public Relations……….Peggy Mathews Student Liaison………….Kathy Taylor Newsletter Chair…….….Diana Cavagnaro Newsletter Editor………Judy Thacker Friends of Fashion Group Advisory Board Darlene Davies Joyce Glazer Jeanne Jones Lael Koytun Jeanne Lucia Phyllis Parrish Kristi Pieper Mary G. Walker Bonnie Wright Yolanda Walther Charlotte Jacobs Meade Sally Thorton

Newsletter Chair —Diana Cavagnaro P.O. Box 711836

San Diego, CA 92171-1836

Upcoming Fashion Events

Mix It Up 3rd Tuesday of each month

Spring Trend TBA

Retreat February TBA

Winter Bridal Bazaar with Fashion Show January 20, 2008 – San Diego Convention Center

For Info: (760) 334-5500

ASR (Action Sports Retailer)- Industry Only January 24-26th, 2008- San Diego Convention Center

Donna Marsh - Grand Opening in La Jolla January 26, 2008

Zandra Rhodes Fashion Show February 27, 2008

Westgate Hotel – For Info call (619) 557-3655

(Refer to FGI-SD web site for details on FGI Events)