Back to School tips!

As bikinis and shorts make their way back in the closet and backpacks and pens are waking up from a long long nap, somewhere in the world are 18years old babies who will be starting their first year in college this week! Here, at the great commanders, we know how you feel about starting a new life and being a freshman in college. That's why we interviewed someone who knows what it is to be a freshman in college and we asked him to give us some tips about all the aspects of college life whether it's the study part, the social part, or the working part (for those of you who want to work and study at the same time).

His name is Todd and he'll be graduating very soon from IADT-Orlando, Florida in fashion design (of course, it had to be fashion related ^_^ ).He's one of my favorite youtuber (the link to his channel is at the end of the interview); he kindly accepted to give us a few tips about starting a new life as a college student and at the same time we asked him about what are his good and bad experiences these past years in college along with the plans he has for his after-college life! Enjoy the interview below, my little freshmen.

-How old were you when you were a freshman year in college and which year was it?
I was 19 years old when I started at IADT-Orlando back in 2007. The same year of many other major events in my life including graduating from High School.

-How did you feel back then about going to college? Were you nervous or pretty excited?
Of course with any student moving away for school, you’ll get nervous. Being nervous is okay. You must change and get away from your confront zone to really grow as a person and define yourself and the direction you want to travel. But also very excited to start a new life in a new city.

-I know you're in fashion design, how do you like the program in your college? Is it what you expected? Or are there some things you would have wished to experience?
I love the program my college offer, it is way more than I expected. Everything is not easy, but now as I look back on it, it really wasn’t that hard either. I wish to experience more of the photography and journalism side of fashion, but its not a bad thing to learn other areas in the industry.

-What are your favorite classes? And what are your least favorites?
Oh wow, hmmm my favorites so far have to be Visual Merchandising, and Fashion Design. With our Visual Merchandising class we got to actual make a window presentation downtown, but the catch was that we had to make the outfit from materials other than fabric. Which was really cool. In Fashion Design, you learn more about the computer programs…more on fashion flats and Photoshop, and other fashion programs many fashion positions use today. Least favorites would have to be any classes dealing with a sewing machine. I hate sewing.

-I know you're working 2 part-time jobs (if i'm correct), how can you handle that? Can you give any tips to freshmen who want to work AND go to school (like me lol)?
I’m currently working 1 somewhat full time job, but yes when I first started school I was working 2 jobs and going to school full time. Of course anyone can handle it. I organized everything from day to day and certain times of work, free time, school etc. Its all about being able to organize and manage your time well. If you want to work and go to school full time, remember that you gain lots of experience by working and attending school, and looks great on your resume. The main tip I could give anyone would be to manage your time well. You don’t want to sleep your dreams away by doing nothing, wake up and stay active. If I can do it, anyone can. I takes full dedication to do both, but trust its not hard at all.

-What was the hardest thing for you to get used to during your college experience? and the easiest?
The hardest thing I had to get use to while in college was the fact that I was here all alone. Yes I made friends, and dealt with bad friends in the process, but I had no family. I wish my family could’ve experience all my drama and experience I had to deal with while in school and seeing my designs and projects. The easiest was my environment. It was a big cultural shock, coming to a dominant Latin city, where back at home, you hardly see that many Latin Americans.

-What would be your advice for people who are going in fashion design?
The best advice I could give would be to be yourself. You’ll see other future designers/students who are well advanced than you either with designing, sketching, pattern making, sewing etc. that could possibly bring your drive down. Don’t let anyone make you feel less of being in the same class they are in. Remember that your there to learn just like them, everyone is not well advanced in what they do, but you can get there. And with the right instructors and motivation you’ll be just like them but better.

-What are your precise goals after college? Do you already have a clear idea of what you're going to do?
As of now I do. It’s the hardest question a college student have to face after graduating. Which I’ll be done with school in March 2011, with only 5 classes. YAY ME! But I plan on movie back home for the rest of 2011 to save money and gain work experience somewhere in the fashion industry…then plan on moving to California in 2012 to make my dreams come true.

-Final question: What is your favorite thing about being in college?
All the life changing experience I had to deal with, which mold me into the person I’ am today. Attending college out of state would change your life FOREVER! And most of the time, for the BETTER!

Thanks to Todd for answering our questions and you can keep up with him by following and subscribing to his youtube channel and hit him up on twitter @onlyoneofme

I hope his answers helped you getting ready for that new life you're about to start and if it didn't (for some of you who are really REALLY nervous) just sit down, relax...and take a chill pill ;).... no seriously just tell yourself that it's gonna be okay (it's been okay for thousands billions of people so why not YOU??!!).

The Commanders are OUT!

Alien of the Day: Big Premiere!

Heyy everybody! We're really sorry for this long silence (we really are) but you have to understand that as struggling students we don't always have the time to post articles on a regular basis but we can assure you this is about to change and you'll soon hear about us so much you will be sick of us (hhmm I didn't mean it like that...>_<)
Anyway, we're here to introduce our FIRST ALIEN..or should I say our first alienS!! :) In fact these two beautiful girls that you see below sent us their picture a little while ago but we didn't post their picture right away so I hope they will forgive us and enjoy their article on our blog!

Arthemis (on the left) is wearing a beautiful laced dress paired with a beige belt both from Zara. The look is really classy but not too much, just enough to let the lady D inside every woman glow. The sunglasses add a fatal woman touch to the innocent look.
Lina (on the right) is wearing a fearless fur dress from Zara as well (gotta love Zara!) with a pair of Aviator shades. Modern times cavewoman or eskimo girl, it's no doubt that you have to be daring to wear that. Wild and confident, this is definetely the perfect dress for an independent woman ready to go hunt for some fresh meat (somebody said "cougar"?).
Lina said in her e-mail that she dressed like that to protest against global warming and animal cruelty...you're probably asking yourself how. Well, she wore that outfit in Greece this summer (approximately 40 degrees) so I guess her sweat was her hommage to animals killed for fashion...

She also said something I think is worth being read and kept in mind: "No matter what you wear, if you feel confident in it, you're elegant". I say that's some Coco Chanel speaking potential.

Thanks girls! <3

=>If you want to send us a picture of your best look, email us your picture to dior_doll@hotmail.com

SB Shades: An Eye Runway!

With eccentric and futuristic designs, SB Shades will make sunglasses a must-have accesory. Created by a young designer named Stevie Boi, those new era shades are made for people who are daring and have nothing against a little attention in the street cause trust me with those shades on, the least you can do is make heads spin! From studs to spikes or wire netting, he uses everything to create an unique and original pair of glasses that looks like nothing you have seen before. Of course, many fashion icons in Hollywood fell in love with SB Shades such as Lady Gaga (who used SB Shades for her "Love Game" video), Megan Good and Rihanna.


When he's asked where his inspiration comes from, he simply answers "from my nightmares and my imagination". It's no doubt then that some of those shades will make you look like you come straight from an horror movie casting, but what says "I am Fashion" more than a pair of studded up shades? The only problem is some shades only have less than 80% visibility, so we'll let those to celebrities who wear them once for a photoshoot or a video.

Stevie Boi didn't study fashion designing (another self-taught successful designer *YAYY*!) and his point is that you can make it with hard work and a strong will! We wish him an amazing journey in the fashion industry and may he keep on amazing us with his creations and his imagination.

You can get a pair of SB Shades on Stevie Boi's website stevieboi.com. It's pretty affordable (you can get great shades for 45$).

The Commanders are OUT!

Plus size at Marc Jacobs?

Marc Jacobs's CEO, Robert Duffy, announced on twitter that there was a possibility to add a size 18 to the collections. Marc Jacob tweeted "As soon as I get back to NY. I'm on it! It will take me about a year. But stay with us. Problem solving is a big part of our job". It's a good thing that he thinks about ladies who're not a size 0 or 1! Since beauty comes in all shapes, colors, and sizes, he should really consider making clothes for plus size women. (Funny thing is Marc Jacobs himself is very far from what you can call a "skinny" guy).

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Your Love: Nicki Minaj's Fashion Review!

I've been wanting to do a review of Nicki Minaj's video "Your Love"'s fashion and after some (long) research, I am finally able to bring it to you!! First of all, let me say that that song is one of the hottest songs of this summer and Miss Minaj chose the RIGHT video to be her first.

The video features eastern inspired looks (from the geisha look to the samourai outfits) and it tells the story of that student who's in love with her sensei (teacher). I'm not gonna detail the video here since we're here to talk about her fashion.
First, you have to know she was working with Niki Schwan and Adrien Field as her stylists; Terrance Davidson as hairstylist and Buddhaflyy for the make up.

On her first look, she's wearing this jacket from Lloyd Klein and the belt is from Frederick's of Hollywood. For the accesories, her stylists decided to keep it simple and kind of discrete yet eye-catching with that necklace and that single glove both from Philippe Audibert.

The second look is the geisha look. Silk. Silk. Silk. The stylists picked a red and blue pattern to go with the silky blue background. The bodysuit is custom made by Marco Morante of Marco Marco.

The earrings are Lace by Tanaya and the nails are from PRB PR. I love the look! It's my favorite. It's not easy to rock the geisha look, many have tried but a few have succeeded, I think she pulled it out greatly.

The japanese kimono and obi belt are from Vintage and the gold necklace and bangle are both from PRB PR. I liked that look, it would have been better if we had a behind-shot of the look to see if the japanese look was complete with the famous way of making the obi tie like in the picture below

But it's ok, she still looks hot and the kimono had a really nice pattern.


The final look is the samourai with that outfit which was custom made by Marco Morante of Marco Marco. The mask looks amazingly good, especially with that premium eye make-up she has on; the shoulders pads have that something from the ancient samourai outfits but the diamonds give it that more glamour look.


There you go! :D Actually, I'm really happy I did this post cause I've been wanting to do it since the video came out but it took me some time to gather all the info about the looks so I could make a proper review of it! As I said, I'm in love with the song and more in love with the video but one thing that disappointed me is that she could have gone harder on the make-up part; I mean, she is dressed up as a geisha so take the look at its furthest and rock the make-up that goes with it, I don't think it would have been too much.
But overall, I think the video is well done, the fashion is okay (i like how she wasn't scared to try different things and especially how she was more focused on the originality of the clothes than the brand) and the song is really good!

The Commanders are OUT!

JeanTrix: Fashion for the Sweet Toothed Consumers!

For those of you saying 2010 is the year of "All Black everything", let me tell you your end has arrived!!! Armed with paint boxes, trashs, imagination and over the top avant-gardism, JeanTrix is entering the fight against boredom and conformity in fashion.

Based in Philadelphia, PA, Jeantrix is a clothing line run by two young men, Nyce and Homm. They design clothes for people who demand never seen before fashion with funky, avant-gardist and tasty design. JeanTrix is futuristic yet old school (the colors and the eccentricity are a clear reference to the 80's) and makes me think of a mix between Japanese fashion and American Pop culture. Created in 2004, JeanTrix has been rising since then and I'm sure the rise has just began!

Nyce and Homm kindly accepted to answer the few questions The Great Commanders had for them, so here's the exclusive interview of JeanTrix

The Great Commanders:How did you two know each other?

JeanTrix: We (nyce & homm) are cousins/ best friends.

The Great Commanders:What inspired you to start a clothing line? Did you study fashion designing?

JeanTrix:We started the clothing line out of a lack of fashion that we liked in stores. We weren't seeing any clothing that expressed who we were so we started making sneakers, then t-shirts, and it eventually evolved into what you see today. Nyce went to the Art Institute of Philadelphia but shortly after his 2nd semester he realized they weren't teaching him what he needed to know about being a designer.

The Great Commanders:What are your inspirations when you create those extremely original clothes?
JeanTrix:Our inspirations can literally come from anywhere. From movies, life, a building or even trash can inspire us in many different ways.

The Great Commanders:What are your hopes and dreams for Jeantrix?
JeanTrix:Our dream is for Jeantrix to become the number one clothing line in the world!! And it WILL come true!

The Great Commanders:If you had to describe your clothing line in a sentence, what would it be?
JeanTrix:Sometimes it is difficult to describe the type of clothing we make. Many have described it as edgy, couture, avant garde, pop-art, or even 3-D clothing.


As you can see, those young designers are very ambitious and are determined to take their line at the top and with such geniuses ideas. Visit their blog/website http://www.jeantrixclothingco.blogspot.com/. Their official website, jeantrix.com, is coming soon! If you want to order their clothes, log on ebay and search for Jeantrix!


Daring, original, colorful and unique, JeanTrix is the future of Fashion and we wish them nothing but the best!!!

The Commanders are OUT!

Herds of the Fathers: Bags for the Urban Fashionisto or the Sophisticated Gentleman

Herds of the Fathers was created by Jason Akoi and Tobi Babajide, two New Jersey natives who met while attending Rutgers University. They started the line because they wanted leather backpacks but they couldn't find any that fitted their style. Then, they decided to start making their own bags in the dorm room, bags that were useful for a full time college student but had that original touch to fit their personality and their style! Jason and Tobi are still in college but they find the time to promote their line and to run their company.
Their bags are really functional whether it's for work, school or just your daily bag. Functionality associated with a smart and funky look, what more can you ask for in a bag? I say, nothing!
All the bags are handmade and made with the premium quality leather. They haven't opened a store yet but you can buy those little babies on their website HerdsoftheFathers.com. A Herds of the Fathers piece will cost you from 60$ for a mini backpack from 310$ for a duffle bag (kind of expensive but those beauties deserve it!).

I (This is Doll speaking) want a new bag and I had been thinking about a duffle bag(I say: New school year, New bag!), I'll post pictures of it as soon as I buy it (it should be in a week or two). I think I might even get one of those mini backpacks in the Herds of the Father line, don't you think they're the cuttest thing ever?

Anyways, check out Herds of the Fathers, I'm always extremely happy to see young people making their dreams come true and succeeding at whatever they do, so support them and follow them on twitter @herds_fathers

The Commanders are OUT!

Thank you to fashionbombdaily for the info! Check that blog out!

Tip of the Week: New Era Shoulder Pads

So yesterday I was going through this magazine called The Zink (a very good magazine actually, it features amazing photoshoot that I'll be posting sometime soon!) and as I was flipping through the pages, I found this picture (which was apart of a genius photoshoot).

On the picture, she has those nice cute little shoulder pads! Guess what she used as shoulder pads: HEADBANDS!!! Yep, exactly! Headbands! I just thought it was really goodlooking and kinda smart, if you like using your accesory in different ways, I think the headband/shoulderpad is genius!
What you can do is you can cut the ornement you have on your regular headband and attach it to the shoulder parts of your dress or jacket...I think it gives your outfit a whole new look and adds funkyness to it! :D

Have fun with the look and send us pictures of it :)

The Commanders are OUT!

Rad Hourani: Le Roi du Noir

Born in Jordan, raised in Montreal and based in Paris, Rad Hourani is one of the hottest new designer. With a new definition of fashion and an unique style of designing, Hourani is making his way at the top of the fashion scene and will soon be referred to as people like Karl Lagerfeld or Alexander McQueen (RIP).
Hourani's collections have 3 things in common:
-Architecture; an original Hourani piece has a very sharped design, the clothes are symmetrical (rectangular jackets) and he aims for perfection on every clothe he makes.
-Unisex; he does not let sex nor sexuality define his work. He says himself that "his designs are made for people who don't define themselves as women or men". His collections are very androgynous for men as for women. (I was watching one of his runways and it was hard for me to know who was what lool).
-Colour; "All black everything"!! That's the reason why he's called "Le Roi du Noir" (King of Black for those of you who are not bilingual :P ). But he does let himself wander in the world of white and grey but his clothes remain really pure and there's no bright colour in any of his collections

Another signature of Hourani is you'll never see buttons on his clothes, only zippers!
For a man who grew up in a variety of places, his collection show that side of him, his clothes can be worn everywhere and by everyone.
Some of his masterpieces are with no doubt the unisex high heels boots (my favorite!!!!), leather pants, and the Transformer (Lol that's how I call his rectangular jacket, you can understand why in the 4th picture!)

In brief, Rad Hourani is definitely one of my favorite designers and I'm really happy he's making his way at the top, he really deserves it (he didn't study fashion!! He is self-taught!!). I'm sure that in less than a couple of years, he'll be standing right next to the biggest names in fashion!

The Commanders are OUT!


Pic#1 Rad Hourani himself spotted in Paris;
Pic#2 Hourani Male Model;
Pic#3 Rihanna in Rad Hourani;
Pic#4 Jacket (the transformer because it can be worn in very different ways as shown in the picture);
Pic#5 Hourani's Model during a photoshoot (I want the outfit of the 3rd one from the left!!! Hooot stuff!!!)

A girl is just as Hot as the Shoe she choose!

There’s nothing sexier than a woman/girl in high heels! And I do mean HIGH heels...From stilettos to wedges; high heels have become the signature of a classy outfit on every girl when she’s going out. 2010, a year full of surprises, has come along with one trend that was forgotten by mainstream fashion: PLATFORM BOOTS! Those shoes *what am I saying, shoes?* those stilts have been really common for a few years now in the rock/Goth industry, they have been seen on people like Marilyn Manson, Lenny Kravitz, and the band Kiss is known for their very outrageous costumes featuring platform boots. Lately, a lot of designers decided to bring platform shoes on the mainstream scene and let me tell you it’s a huuuuge buzz!!! From Lady Gaga to Heidi Klum and Naomi Campbell, platform boots made a trembling entrance on the fashion scene! Oh did I say “trembling”? Sorry, I meant “tumbling”, since Lady Gaga and Naomi Campbell have been spotted eating pavement with those monsters on their feet.
While some people think that it’s totally crazy to be wearing those shoes, I think they give the person wearing them originality and rock’n’roll attitude! Of course, I wouldn’t advise one of my friends to wear these on a date unless they want to overpass the height of their date of some 12inches but I think it’s a perfect shoe to wear when you want to make an impression (a strong one :D), let’s say when you’re going to a concert or at a fashion show. Well, now if you struggle walking in some 6inches high heels, I HIGHLY recommend you to start some hard training before thinking about wearing these kind of platform shoes.
Anyways, my opinion (this is Doll speaking) is that platform boots are hot and original, they’re not your 9 to 5 walking shoes but they definitely will give you power and greatness (in every sense of the word loll). And don’t you think platform shoes look a little bit like geisha shoes?? For me, that’s a big plus (Japan lover).