Among the people in Gators T-shirts, jerseys and frat tanks in the Swamp on football Saturdays, a few girls stand out from the crowd looking perfect in their gameday dresses — thanks to Jacquelyn Brooks.

Brooks, a Gainesville fashion designer, will be showing her creations as part of a Gainesville Fashion Week runway show on Saturday, April 14, at Villa East, located at 301 N. Main St. Her show will feature ready-to-wear pieces as well as formal wear.

Brooks got her start in design by sewing clothes for herself in her early teens. She then pursued fashion in college, attending Florida State University to major in apparel design and technology.

After graduating from FSU, Brooks moved home to Gainesville to open her business, Jacquelyn Brooks Designs, on University Avenue in Midtown, where she does both custom designs and tailoring and sews everything herself.

“My family was here when I got out of school,” she said. “Honestly, I didn’t think that I would be staying in Gainesville, but it kind of just ended up that way.”

With a location within walking distance from Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, Brooks designs a line of gameday dresses that come in diverse cuts while still staying true to orange and blue for Gator girls.

“I have some styles that are geared toward college students, and I have some that are geared toward professionals. It just really depends on the design because you know what one group likes, another group would like something else,” she said. “I kind of just design what I like and go from there. I don’t like to wear T-shirts to a game, and you kind of want to stand out in a crowd of 80,000, so a lot of girls really like to wear the dresses.”

Brooks doesn’t just design with the style of dress that her clients might like in mind. She also takes into consideration the weather in the Swamp.

“I’ve designed a line so far that’s good to wear in hot weather,” she said. “Most of it’s knit, so it’s movable with the body. It stretches so you don’t feel constricted, and it’s breathable so you’re not dying in a 100-degree stadium, but it’s still cute.”

She hopes to take her gameday line nationally, creating different designs based on regions due to climate differences in different states, including long sleeves and maxi-dresses for northern schools, and maybe even branching out into separates.

“I think that’s the direction I’m going to go, and I can kind of launch that and take that to manufacturing doing gameday colors for every different school and have that as a base business while I expand on the stuff I really love to do, which is the couture line,” she said.

She describes her design style as “feminine, classy but slightly trendy as well,” and prefers doing custom designs for her clients. Last year, she designed a custom blue taffeta wedding dress that the customer, and Brooks, loved.

“It was gorgeous, and basically she just gave me an inspiration — a picture to start from — and just let me run with it. She just loved everything I did, so that was great because she allowed me to be creative and (I) wasn’t stuck with a certain design,” Brooks said. “I really prefer if customers don’t come to me like, ‘Hey, can you copy this dress?,’ because for me that’s not designing; that’s just reproducing something somebody’s already made.”

Brooks is not just a designer, but also a philanthropist who founded the Runways and Rescues fashion show last year benefiting Haile’s Angels Pet Rescue. This year’s event will take place on May 18 at the Haile Plantation Golf and Country Club.

To Brooks, the defining moment in her career has not been just one event, but a culmination of all the little things along the way.

“Last year, I got calls from ‘Fashion Star’ and ‘Project Runway,’ so those were two really amazing things that happened,” she said.

“And then, you know, the charity fashion show, and it was my first year at Gainesville Fashion Week, so I think all those little things kind of just keep the motivation going.”

Models walked- er, marched down London’s catwalks in Military inspired clothes. Top Shop Unique used the camouflage color palette in a slouchy tunic, a heeled combat boots, and an oversized cream jacket, while Moschino Cheap and Chic took this trend in another direction- a giant stark coat against a silkened yellow tie and a pink collar. The result? An animated retro-chic ensemble. Feminine and adorable! Utilitarian-chic may not be my best suit, but when made feminine, I like it so much more!

                                        (Topshop Unique, Belstaff, Moschino Cheap And Chic)

All things unexpected- who would’ve thought to see florals in Winter?  An oxymoron you wouldn’t understand until you see it. Heavy black velvet applique’s, elongated gloves, feathered collars, and full coverage dresses make this garden scenery wearable for the cold months. Strangely, it all made sense!

                                 (Christopher Kane, Peter Pilotto, Erdem, Jonathan Saunders)

The hourglass shape made its way down a countless number of shows. Mary Katrantzou did an impressive job at creating the shape with flared hips using a beautiful array of origami folds and bold graphic prints that made quite an eye-catching impression. Burberry’s dreamy show glimmered with falling snow that made everything look much too perfect. Their famously well-structured coats gave way to thick wool hips and velour fit-and-flare skirts that paired effortlessly with the military inspired clothes. In an interesting twist, Holly Fulton delivered the fit-and-flare skirt in ribbons.

                        (Top: Mary Katrantzou, Bottom: Holly Fulton, Burberry, David Koma)

London’s choice of fabrics were full of heavy velvets and dense brocades. Lux fabrics for the Winter collections provide warmth and sophistication. It’s a sense of richness that I look forward to dressing up in next autumn…Lace layered upon burgundy velour, silk contrasting with black velvets, and colorful brocades are what the designers this season are serving.

        (McQ, Temperley London, Thomas Tait, Burberry Prorsum, Jonathan Saunders, Osman)

Both New York and London had been drenched in red and orange hues. Milan’s rebuttal was black Gothica. It was a return to dark romance.  There was an alluring mystery to the clothes but without the offensive cuts. Shadowy garments with high neck lines, sheer dresses, lux coats, and voluminous gowns were adorned with glittering crosses, elaborate laces, and international Gothic inspired gold embroidery. Dolce & Gabbana used bright prints from their ancestry paintings borrowed from the Baroque arts while Versace used contrast as well by mixing jeweled embellishments against heavy black fabrics. So, the dark crosses make me a tad but uneasy- but the dazzling jewels on it really are something to look at.

                                                      (Bottega Veneta, Dolce & Gabbana, Versace)

Fur was the essential fabric choice of Milan.  For the ultimate ensemble, designers mixed in reptile, crocodile, and even stingray skins! Goat haired coats and blended feline patterns make for a visionary experience as your eyes flow from one defined piece of cloth to a gradual sea of billowing fur. The animal lover within is pouting-one can only make-believe that these were faux.  Marni delivers the trend in a colorblock jacket, while Roberto Cavalli takes a sheet of leopard-tiger fur tuffs into a maxi skirt.  Fendi’s entire collection had variations in fur fabrics. The waist belts that fitted much like a bodice was a favorite.

                                             (Marni, Roberto Cavalli, Fendi, Alberta Ferrertti)

If you haven’t gotten the message that repeat patterns from head to toe will be in next fall, just visit any show in Milan at random. The catwalks were basically flooded in complex geometric patterns, colorful designs, and leopard prints starting from the necklines and didn’t end until they hit the floor- quite literally, even the shoes!  Prada topped the geometric shapes with gleaming stones while Aquilano.Rimondi interrupted the all-over look with panels of red velvet.

                                      (Marni, Prada, Aquilano.Rimondi, Blumarine, Just Cavalli)

Paris confirmed that the Eastern inspiration is here to stay. Let’s not forget how this season’s New York Fashion Week’s Jason Wu,  London’s Peter Pilotto,  and Milan’s Marni introduced to us Asian inspired prints, iconography, blossoms, and kabuki-soled shoes. Paris 2012 continued by sending out deconstructed kimonos, dragon embroidery, and familiar Asian silhouettes.

(Antonio Marras, Dries Van Noten, Cacharel, Christian Dior)

Oversized clothes were prominent in almost all the collections. Some kept it structured with well thought out curvy lines in Stella McCartney, and others paired the look with wide pant legs at Maison Martin Margiela. While some generously cut fabrics can be made to look frumpy and unflattering, the wide-pant leg look is pretty nice. Giant capes, roomy sleeves, and exaggerated hips and shoulders were also achieved by the designers.

(John Galliano, Lanvin, Mugler, Balenciaga)

The fabric of choice for Paris was leather. It was best shown in an all-over look. Jumpsuits, coats, and dresses.  Designers went for a hard-edged look like Jean Paul Gaultier. Valentino kept it interesting and used frog closures in the coats. And others, strayed away from the devilish black lips and put leather back in its roots when Isabel Marant and Hermès showed a lot of old Western influence. Cowboys in Paris?

(Jean Paul Gaultier, Valentino, Isabel Marant)

Gold on the runways for the Fall 2012 season stood out the most- what can I say, I see something shiny and I just have to stop and stare. Luckily gold dominated the catwalk this season. Designers like Ralph Lauren and Prabal Gurung created showstopping pieces by incorporating pleating, midriff cut-outs and patchwork strips in their designs.

Look at all these amazing colors… I absolutely would wear a turquoise dress over a little black dress any day. It’s refreshing to see many bright colors in a fall collection.

Speaking of color and little black dresses, another trend I noticed was the usage of brights on black. Can color be seducing? Apparently so! Designers like L’wren Scott, Mandy Coon, and Wes Gordon achieves a peek-a-boo affect by contrasting brightly colored neons and prints. It’s as if the colors just want to come out and play this season.

Next, the necklines are going higher, and the hemlines are getting longer. The look of a more polished silhouette was popular this week. Carolina Herrera, Milly, Richard Chai, and Wes Gordon showcased these cuts. So lady like, I love it.

Lastly, the designers reveled by embracing the white. The idea of metallic accents infused into winter white garments, is so clever. Designers like Doo Ri and J Mendel play with the fabrics and cuts to create anything but boring white garments.

I now leave you with a wall of these beautiful trends, respectively…

If this is the beginning, I am intrigued to see if these trends will continue throughout London, Milan, and Paris, or if new ones will come.

By Caitlyn Finnegan

Bringing one of a kind style to the community, Jacquelyn Brooks has used her talents as a fashion designer to tailor new charity opportunities in the area.  Brooks never doubted that with a little extra work, she could be successful at whatever she wanted. Her dreams of bringing high fashion to Gainesville came true on Feb. 5, 2007 with the opening of her own design and tailoring business on University Avenue.  “It was a real sense of accomplishment and achievement,” Brooks said.  The young designer didn’t stop there. When auditions for Bravo’s Project Runway came around last spring, Brooks went to work designing new pieces and made it all the way to the semi-finals on her first try. She plans to try out again for the show in 2012.
Last year Brooks debuted her Spring and Resort 2011 collection at Fashion Week Nashville and her company works with women in the local community to design custom wedding gowns, formal attire and her expanding collegiate dress collection. She was also the premier designer showcase for Gainesville Fashion Week’s charity event, Gala for the Arts.
Her drive as a business owner has led to numerous awards, and her charitable work and contributions haven’t gone unnoticed. She is also a member of the American Junior League.
“The secret to success is persistence, perseverance and personality,” Brooks said. “With these three skills you can accomplish anything.”
A strong advocate for community service, Brooks donates custom-designed dresses to several local charities’ silent auctions. The live auction piece she designed for the Cure by Design Fashion Show raised $5,000 for the American Cancer Society.  So far Brooks has donated designs to events such as the American Heart Association’s Heart Ball, Rocket for the Arts’ Gala for the Arts and Haven Hospice’s VIVA Polynesian.
Her latest project, Runways to Rescues, is a charity fashion show benefiting Haile’s Angels Pet Rescue. The first event raised $3,000 and helped adoptable pets find loving homes.  “Animals are innocent creatures and just want to be loved,” Brooks said. “It breaks my heart when I hear of animal shelters that euthanize animals just because they can’t find a loving home in a three-day time period.”  In addition to her commitment to stop animal cruelty, Brooks is also involved with the Arbor House’s charity luncheon Arbor of Opportunity. To help raise funding for needy women and children in the community, she donated five pieces from her game-day dress collection to be auctioned at the event.
Brooks’ friend Sandra Gress is happy to see such a talented designer stick to her roots and support her hometown community.
“Jacquelyn grew up in Gainesville and now lives here as an adult. She has seen this town grow exponentially in the past 30 years,” Gress said. “From earning her Girl Scout Gold Award in high school to becoming a young businesswoman and a philanthropist, she truly makes the Gainesville community a better place.”