YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL – A NIGHT FULL OF BEAUTY AND EMPOWERMENT

YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL  – A NIGHT FULL OF BEAUTY AND EMPOWERMENT

“You are Beautiful” is a phrase that every woman wants to hear. But, do we hear that enough? The “You are Beautiful” charity event started to develop back in August in hopes of finding a way to empower the young females of our community, emphasizing a beauty that is not only on the outside but on the inside as well. A wonderful organization whose purpose is to empower the young girls of our community is Girls Inc. of Metro Denver. As queen, I created a high school scholarship girls towards high school senior females. This $1,000.00 scholarship is aimed to help girls pursue and achieve higher education in college. So it was only natural that this event was to raise money for this scholarship and Girls Inc. of Metro Denver. On November 20^th, 2010, the event finally came to life. Vendors started to gather around 1pm selling a wide array for merchandise ranging from beauty and hair products to beautiful custom made jewelry crafted by local designers.  Throughout the market time, the beautiful belly dancer, Anika performed and even taught belly dancing moves. It is inspiring to see someone who is so confident in herself to perform in front of an audience and a person who loves to inspire others around her.

The night ended with a very special fashion show. This show consisted of two of Denver’s very own talented fashion designers: Francis Roces of Kimono Dragons and Emily of Scandalous Couture. Designing since the mid80’s, Francis describes his style as “Retro Asian inspired with  a modern twist.” Francis has created quite a name for himself among the Denver Fashion community. He is this year’s winner of Denver’s Style Wars – a competition where designers were given a limited amount of time to create a garment from recycled materials. He also seized the first place title of Denver’s annual Frock Out competition held at the Denver Public Library. At this fashion show, beautiful girls from Girls Inc. of Metro Denver modeled his beautiful creations.  For many of the girls, it was their first time modeling and for some, their first time wearing heels! Being a model myself, I spent time coaching the girls on posing and walking- trying to build their confidence in heels and ultimately in themselves. The girls executed a flawless show and it looked like they had a blast.

The fashion show concluded with designs from the fabulous Emily of Scandalous Couture. Scandalous and classy at the same time, the girls of Scandalous couture wowed the audience. Sewing for about 20 years, Emily makes everything from evening wear to swimsuits using vintage fabrics and mixing them with modern materials.  Emily sells her clothing at the Lushie store found next to the Viet Hoa supermarket.

Overall, the night was a success. It was a night of beauty, talent and laughter. For those who attended this event, I hope you found some beauty in yourself and in your community. I look forward to next year’s event because it is going to be even bigger and better!

 

-Vivian Nguyen

 

I Love Couture Fashion Show

Doing the show at Suite 200 was such an amazing experience for me. This is the first time that the audience consisted of fellow fashionistas as well as photographers, entrepreneurs and the general public from the Denver area.  This was the first time for me where a majority of the audience was there because they wanted to support the Denver local fashion scene. And boy…they were sure supportive!

When asked to do this show, I was initially hesitant to participate. Mainly because I felt that what I did couldn’t even begin to measure up to the talent here in Denver! And here is Mercedes Ben of Benzo Couture coming in from CA. How can I compete with that? I was eventually convinced that I do have what it takes and I just need to take the risk. I am glad I took it!

Mercedes told me I could do whatever I wanted for the show. I looked through my collection and it dawned on me that I am slightly obsessed with feathers. Only slightly…. But my pieces definitely had a dark and edgy feel to them. I originally wanted to use Guns’n’Roses’ song Welcome to the Jungle. But, it didn’t really click with me. For three days, I searched the internet. Luckily, my loving boyfriend found this song and it was such an amazing song, that I emailed it to the MUA and hair stylist. I told them: Let the music move you. It certainly did! Click to listen to my inspiration: Seek and Destroy

For those who know me, know that I am not really part of the club scene. This, in fact, is the third time I have ever been in a club. Initially, I was a bit wary of the situation. A ton of people, a ton of hot models, and a ton of booze = a potentially horrible night. However, I am so fortunate that it went completely amazing!

Suite 200 certainly lives up to its title as the top night club in Colorado. With plush black velvet chairs and charming table setup, my fears of one of those nightmarish fashion club shows that people talk about were calmed.  Running a bit late, I rushed to the club only to find my awesome models already there and waiting on yours truly. In a whirlwind of hairspray, hair teasing, and ribbon, I rushed around getting my models ready. I am truly grateful to have such an awesome team to help me. Erin Grundemann, my make-up artist, and her extremely sweet assistant Jessica did an amazing job on the make-up. My wonderful friend Tara helped me with the hair. My hair teasing skills are like zero to none and she teased the bajesus out of the models’ hair! It was quite epic.

I got to work with so many wonderful models for this show. A special thank you goes out to: Melissa, Mayra, Thu, Anna, Jade, Cierra, and Jordan for doing such a wonderful job. Thank you for your dedication and constant practice! It totally paid off.

As the show was about to start, my girls and I huddled in the coat closet for a couple of moments for one of my amazing pep talks. “Remember….. what do you do for each pose?” “Three seconds or longer!” “Just think sexy bitch, just think sexy bitch!” “1-2-3- SEXY BITCH!” Yes…that’s how that talk went down.

The girls really brought it on the runway. It was fierce and hot. If only you were there.  Lots of sexy legs, and the audience really responded well with the attitude.

It was a super fun night. I am glad I was able to do the show. I hope to do more shows in the future! Enjoy. Look at the little finale movie:

Designers: Me, Mercedes (Benzo Couture) and Lina Chen

Photography:

Jerry Martin: http://www.modelmayhem.com/552017

Jodajen Artist: http://www.signsandwonders.cc/

Jeff Gallardo: http://www.modelmayhem.com/1591967

Make-up Artist:

Erin Grundemann: http://www.eringrundemann.com/main.php

Oh I now have a fan page on Facebook! Go and search Vy by Vivian Nguyen or click: http://www.facebook.com/?ref=logo#!/pages/Vy-by-Vivian-Nguyen/141070725913310

Suite 200 Fashion Show

Can you find me on there!!!!

Mark your calendars! This Saturday -July 31^st, 2010- will be my first fashion show outside of CU-Boulder. It is going to be so fun!Location is at Suite 200 in Denver.

Address is: 1427 Larimer Street
Denver, CO 80202-1704
(720) 560-4433

Doors open at 8pm and the show starts around 9:20pm. Come dressed to impress. NO COVER. 21+ only.

I am SO excited and very nervous at the same time. My models are wonderful and they look absolutely beautiful in my designs. I just hope the audience likes what I have to offer! I will let you know. *squeal*jump jump*

Photographer: Jake Edmondson

Guest Speaking at Girls,Inc.

Girls, Inc. of Denver

On July 15^th, I was given the opportunity to come and talk to the Fashionista class at the Girls,Inc. non-profit organization here in Denver! It was such a rewarding experience.

Me speaking....this is so new for me!

A little about Girls, Inc:  Nationally, the organization was founded in 1945. It serves to inspire girls to be strong, smart, and bold. They want to empower girls and create an equitable society. The Girls,Inc organization created a “Girls’ Bill of Rights” which I think is something  we, as women, should all know, love and cherish.

The Girls’ Bill of RightsGirls have the right…

• to be themselves and to resist gender-stereotypes; • to express themselves with originality and enthusiasm; • to take risks, to strive freely, and to take pride in success; • to accept and appreciate their bodies; • to have confidence in themselves and to be safe in the world; • to prepare for interesting work and economic independence.

The class I guest spoke for was a fashionista class geared towards middle schoolers.  We talked about how I got into modeling, the obstacles I encountered in my life and how I managed to get over them. We even touched on aspects of fashion design and even did some runway work.

We had a great heart to heart on what it is like to be judged about our bodies, our self-esteem, and ultimately our body image. We came to the conclusion that regardless of what people say, we must hold ourselves up to our own highest standards. Regardless of what people say, we are beautiful. And in order to truly be beautiful, we must be beautiful on the inside, and that beauty will translate to the outside.

The Class

I thought the girls deserved a little treat. I brought my good friend Jake, who is a local photographer. We decided to do a little photoshoot. And it looks like the girls had a lot of fun!

My experience is truly an inspiration to me and these girls taught me a little about myself and who I want to be in the future. For that, I want to thank Girls, Inc. for this opportunity.

Being silly

For information about Girls, Inc. check out their website: http://www.girlsincdenver.org/

Photography by: Jake Edmondson

Hello from Miss CAPA 2010

In 2008, the Miss Colorado Asian Pacific American contest was established to share the rich ethnic diversity in Colorado and recognize the talent, achievements and civic mindedness of Colorado’s Asian-American females. This contest serves as a stepping stone for the growth and development of young Asian American women.
As a participant, I learned many lessons about myself as well as community through this pageant. This pageant allowed me to explore myself and find my sense of self-confidence. I also received great insight into problems that my Asian American community was dealing with from education problems to health concerns. As Queen, my goal is to speak up on behalf of those who are not able to be heard. Through this workshops and interviews that this pageant provided, I learned how to articulate my thoughts and ideas in a productive way. This pageant taught me the skills I needed to find the voice I need so I can become a voice for the community. I am very grateful for this pageant and the life-long lessons it has taught me.
As queen, I hope to empower the young Asian-American women of the community to find their strength and confidence and strive for success. In doing so, I believe that the success rate of Asian-American women this community will only increase. I feel that when a woman has confidence in herself and a drive to succeed, then she is truly empowered to follow her dreams and ultimately become successful.
Looking around my community, I see that our community is plagued by life-changing diseases such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease. I hope that throug

h my year as queen, I can create awareness of such health concerns in the community.
I look forward to my year as Miss Colorado Asian Pacific American 2010 Queen. I hope to be strong advocate for my community and that my goals and aspirations only serve to better the community that I love so dearly. To me, knowledge leads to power. The power to speak up. The power to change. The power to reach your dreams. Thank you for allowing me to be your Miss Colorado Asian Pacific American Queen. Thank you for all of your support.
Love,
Vivian Nguyen