NICK APPEARANCES.....The "Project Style 2012" National Winner Is...

April Yang !!!

April Yang, Winner of "Project Style 2012"

Last week, we crowned our National Project Style 2012 Winner! She is April Yang! April is 19 years old and hails from Murrieta CA. She attends Palomar College where she studies Fashion Design and Visual Merchandising. April also has a fun Fashion & DIY YouTube Channel  that has recently hit over 31,000 subscribers and over 4 million views (!).

Style Trois: Nick Verreos, April Yang and "Project Style 2011 Promendae Temecula" winner Lexi Laura

"Project Style" is a national contest organized by Forest City Centers to find the Next Top Trendsetter of the Country. Selected Forrest City Centers/Malls across the Country held local competitions looking for the next great Stylista--someone who could style a fab outfit using shopping gift cards. They also had to put videos of their outfits up for people to vote.

 Nick Verreos, Project Style 2012

The top vote-getters then got  the chance for a "Live Style Off" at their local malls--some of which I had the pleasure of hosting! The winner of each "Live Style Off" received a Shopping Gift Card worth $1,000 and a chance for the National Prize--

A trip to NYC, attend a NY Fashion Week fashion show, a SoHo shopping trip (both with me!) and lots more!

 Nick Verreos Hosting "Project Style 2012" Promenade Temecula

Now, back to our winner: April Yang happens to be the Winner of Promenade Temecula's "Project Style" which I had the honor of hosting as well as judging not too long ago. At the time, she showed all of us (myself and the other judges) her individual style, great eye for color and professionalism. She also brought a HUGE crowd of family and friends to support her at the time--with big ol' posters and photos.

April Yang, Winner of Promenade Temecula's Project Style 2012 "Live Style Off" and National Winner

Subsequently, she was crowned "Project Style 2012 Temecula Mall" Winner, which put her in the running for the overall National Finals. She then competed against 14 other "Project Style 2012" regional winners for the Grand Prize. They all had to submit videos, photos and explanations on their outfits.

Jeannie Mai and Nick Verreos--Project Style 2012

I've been part of "Project Style" for several years now and this year, I was made their Official Co-Spokesperson--along with the gorgeous and fabulous--Jeannie Mai of Style Network. Jeannie and I were two of the three Final National Judges. The other esteemed judge was:

Jane Lisy, Senior Vice President of Marketing at Forest City, recognized by the industry for her award-winning retail leadership and technology experience with shopping centers

Each of the 15 finalists received a $200 mall gift card and were challenged to create the ultimate outfit/ensemble that best represented their sense of style. We judged on Concept, Creativity, Sense of Style, Presentation and Fashion Knowledge, giving the stylistas scores for each of the five criteria. It was a really difficult decision to pick a Winner and trust me, we deliberated for a very long time. The scores were very, very close. But finally, we all agreed on April as our Project Style 2012 National Top Trendsetter.

Here are Photos of April's Winning Look:
 

April Yang, Project Style 2012

Here are excerpts of what she said about her Project Style 2012 Winning Outfit:

"The juxtaposition of contrasting textures is a classic design aesthetic for beautiful architecture. My outfit is inspired by the soft curves, hard lines, and ornate details of the buildings at Balboa Park in San Diego. I layered a denim button up underneath a black body-con dress to create a mix of textures between the leather and the denim...The body-con dress is feminine because of its fitted style but I loved how the leather cut-outs on top give it an edge. This created a very structured look which is why I decided to choose jewelry with soft lines. I kept my shoes a neutral color to draw the attention first on my outfit and then down to my shoes. The contrasting textures of my clutch sums up my theme and brings harmony to the overall look"

She went to Forever 21, Reflection, Macy's, Charming Charlie and H & M for her outfit.

Congratulations to April and to all the other finalists in "Project Style 2012"! April: see you in NYC next year! Can't wait--we'll have SOOOO much fun!

Click Below to watch April's Winning Video: