FIDM.....FIDM Orange County Spring 2012 Open House: RECAP!

OC Open House Fun, Entertainment Panel and some GORGEOUS Titanic-era Fashion...

Nick Verreos hosts the FIDM Orange County Spring 2012 Open House Entertainment Panel

This past weekend, I visited the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising/FIDM Orange County campus in Irvine California to make an appearance at their fun--and yes, very informative--Spring 2012 Open House.

The Open House is a way for prospective students--as well their parents/family/friends--to get to visit the campus, do a tour, get to know the facilities, meet faculty, learn about all the different majors; generally, get to know what the college has to offer.

I have a great time visiting all the four different FIDM Campuses throughout the year. As a bonus to my "appearance" this past Saturday at the FIDM OC Open House, I also hosted an "Entertainment Panel" discussion featuring FIDM Alumni:

FIDM Orange County Spring 2012 Open House Panel: (Left to right) celebrity stylist Leslie Christen (2001 FIDM Merchandise Marketing Grad), host Nick Verreos, and Sarah Beers (2002 FIDM Graphic Design Grad)

They included the statuesque Leslie Christen, stylist and fashion editor, who runs a fabulous Life Styling business, where she offers Closet Edit and Organization, personal, online, and men's styling, as well as many other services. She also happens to be the stylist to the newest UBER rich housewife of Bravo's hit show "Real Housewives of Orange County", Heather Dubrow.

Marvel Entertainment's Sarah Beers, FIDM Graduate--FIDM Orange County Open House 2012

And our other alumna for the Entertainment Panel Discussion was Sarah Beers. Sarah is a 2002 FIDM Graphic Design Graduate and now, she is the Creative Merchandising and Promotion Manager at Marvel Entertainment. She brought with her some of the products which she oversaw and helped develop recently at Marvel--including lots of the fun "The Avengers" products (as seen from above photo).

Panel Talk: We did two separate Panel Discussions so most (hopefully all!) of the Open House attendees got to hear us talk about our experiences at FIDM, what we learned from the college and our majors, as well as how we took it all and applied it to our current entertainment-based jobs--whether they be fashion design, red carpet reporting, graphic design, product development and/or styling. Afterward, we got some great feedback from the attendees (both prospective students and their parents) who felt that yes, we gave them A LOT of information that helped them.

Nick Verreos (center), Leslie Christen (left) and Sarah Beers (right) pose with FIDM Orange County Open House 2012 attendees

It's always the "icing on the cake" when Mommies (or dad's) come up to me and tell me "Nick, that was SO informative and this Talk really helped...not only me but more importantly my daughter/son..." I only wish I had something like this, when I was struggling to decide what to do in my life, so that is why I love doing these events.

After our event, I made sure to do my "Nick Meet-&-Greet"--Here are some pics from that:

The FIDM Orange County Spring 2012 Open House was a big success and I was so happy--and honored--to be part of it. Finally, can I just mention the extra-extra bonus fabulousness of coming to the FIDM Orange County Open House?

From Day to Evening Couture: "Titatic Era Fashion" Exhibition, FIDM OC Gallery

Paying tribute to the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the RMS Titanic, FIDM Museum (in the OC) had a petite exhibition--entitled "Titatic Era Fashion"-- of 1912 garments.

  

The garments and accessories on display are all part of the Helen Larson Historic Fashion Collection, a Proposed Acquisition of the FIDM Museum & Galleries, which the FIDM Museum is fundraising to acquire:

Promenade Ensembles c. 1912--FIDM OC Gallery "Titanic Era Fashion" Exhibition

Evening Ensemble c. 1912--FIDM OC Gallery "Titanic Era Fashion" Exhibition

Sable fur hem detail of a 1912 Haute Couture evening ensemble--FIDM OC Gallery "Titanic Era Fashion" Exhibition

The mannequins on display (and their corresponding fashions) are all from 1912 and represent the elite First Class passengers and the Haute Couture they would be wearing at the time of the voyage (they are NOT from actual Titanic passengers). It is truly remarkable to be able to see so many incredible ensembles in such excellent condition from this time. It's a MUST SEE if visiting the OC and especially the FIDM OC campus!