My Final Words

"The Other Side...

10/17/06
Perspectives


It has overwhelmingly warmed my heart to feel all of the love and support people have shown me and how not only has the Howard Family but the greater global community has appreciated my vision for the 2006 Howard University Homecoming Fashion Show.When I first received the job as Homecoming Fashion Show Coordinator, even I was a little nervous about my abilities.My mentor and predecessor, Danielle Perkins, was such a big name within the fashion world of Howard, it was a bit daunting to come behind her. I knew I had huge shoes to fill and great expectations to meet.I’m not quite sure if I was truly ready for the pseudo-celebrity that this position would cause. I’ve never had much of a showstopper personality, so to all of a sudden be the center of attention was interesting/cool/slightly scary. It’s weird for people to know who you are when you may or may not know that they exist, especially when you were once them.This position was like hitting the lottery. A true Cinderella story for me. My sophomore year was the worst ever. In just three semesters I was turned down from three organizations! I couldn’t win for losing. It never seemed like the ball was in my court. Needless to say, when it was time to turn in my proposal, I had my doubts. I knew my idea was good, because I went through so many horrible ones. Thank goodness Danie Rae shot down my first idea, “Genesis: The Beginning of Fashion!” I should probably thank William Shakespeare for creating the original play, Hugh Hefner for having his annual “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” party, and Victoria’s Secret for inspiring me to have huge pieces of candy somewhere in my show. It turns out that when something is meant to be, it all works itself out. Once I reviewed the play, “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” and remembered it was about the hottest party of the season I thought about how I could interpret that in scenes. I heard the song, “Pimping All Over the World” and figured I could do something of the sort to my theme by “twisting” it to different genres. That’s when I came up with each of my scenes.Although before Harajuku there was Africa, I figured Africa was a bit overdone and decided to take out the motherland and travel to the Land of the Rising Sun.After that, everything went like clockwork. There were a few glitches along the way: a crazy overbearing stylist whose name has yet to pop up when I google him, some wayward designers and sponsors that fell through. I truly learned the power of my voice during this time and the art of simply saying “no.” Compromise, teamwork, and respect are all things that have helped me along the way. I understand that grace and poise also works in your favor and that bad/diva attitudes get you nowhere but sent out the door. Through the stress, the victories, and even a few tears, I’d like to believe my show was pretty great and I’m happy that everyone was able to see the fruits of my labor.
-Yasmine Parrish, 2006 Homecoming Fashion Show Coordinator"


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