By Donna Cornelius
College football fans go through a lot for their teams, traveling cross-country to away games, showing up to cheer when it’s 100 degrees in the shade and putting off that pesky house payment to buy ever-pricier tickets.
But one thing that needn’t be on the sacrificial athletic altar is style.
Megan LaRussa, a Birmingham-based fashion event planner and style coach, has plenty of ideas for game day fashions that don’t involve a “Bama’s Umpteenth National Championship” T-shirt or a camo Auburn cap.
“You just don’t feel cute in a jersey and jeans,” LaRussa said.
At an Aug. 24 fashion show, she’ll show style-savvy fans of the Tide, Tigers, UAB Blazers and other college teams how to pull off sharp outfits while pulling for their teams.
“Make Some Noise!” is a game day fashion show and luncheon sponsored by the Birmingham Alumnae Chapter of Delta Zeta. The show will feature trendy clothes not only for football Saturdays but for other fall sporting events.
LaRussa, who runs the website Southern Femme, grew up in Birmingham so she’s right at home in the city’s SEC-centric culture. But she’s especially comfortable in the fashion world.
“Fashion has always been a huge passion of mine,” she said. “My mom and younger sister are very into fashion, too, and my dad loves quality clothes.”
LaRussa’s growing-up years included trips with her family to fashion Meccas like Paris, London and Florence.
“My mom and I would make shopping trips to Atlanta every season,” she said. “That was one of our favorite things.”
As a student at Birmingham-Southern College, LaRussa majored in art history and French.
“Birmingham-Southern doesn’t offer a degree in fashion,” she said. “But I’ve always loved art. Fashion is an art form. Art showcases fashions and is a great way to learn costume history.”
She also had a practical reason for studying French.
“So many fashion terms are French,” said LaRussa, adding that Paris is her favorite of all the European fashion capitals.
After graduation from Birmingham-Southern, LaRussa moved to New York and became a women’s wear editor for a trend forecasting company.
“In college, I did an internship with the fashion director of Parisian,” she said. “That’s when I learned how important fashion trend forecasting is. In New York, I analyzed what was happening in the stores, at the runway shows and even on the streets.”
While in New York, LaRussa started Southern Femme as a blog to keep family members and friends at home up to date on her fashionable adventures, she said. Her relatives and pals also were at least partially responsible for launching her into the style-coaching business.
“We have a large family, and my aunt and grandmother were always asking me to take them shopping or help them clean out their closets,” LaRussa said.
While she loved her life in New York, she had no mixed feelings about returning home to Birmingham in 2009.
“I got a great taste for New York and made wonderful friends there,” she said. “ But I’m really close to my family so wanted to be near them. I like the slower-placed life, and even the weather is better here.”
She hasn’t been disappointed in the fashion selection available in her hometown.
“The shopping we have in Birmingham is phenomenal,” she said. “A lot of our boutiques are spot-on with trends, and you can’t go wrong with Saks. Our Saks ranks third highest in the country in dress sales.
“We in the South love dresses—we dress up.”
Southern women, she said, “give more thought to being a woman, being feminine and looking polished and pulled together.”
LaRussa said she was “really pumped” to show game day fashions at the DZ event.
“I’ll show some fun fall trends with lots of options,” she said.
Some of her predictions are good news for both Alabama and Auburn fans.
“Menswear fabric like houndstooth—in tasteful ways—will be big,” she said. “Navy is huge, too.”
She’ll also have outfits for those who cheer for the UAB Blazers and for the University of Georgia, LSU and other Southern schools, she said.
Game day clothes, whether you’re planning on wearing them to the stadium or to a tailgate or TV-watching party, “have to be comfortable, too,” she said.
Clothes for the DZ show will come from one of LaRussa’s favorite boutiques, Laura Kathryn in Crestline Village, and from Belk at The Summit. Jewelry is from Stella and Dot. Joelle Salon will provide hairstyling for the models, who range from professionals donating their time to DZ alums.
The show is a first for the Birmingham DZ alumnae chapter, but the group’s leaders hope it will become an annual event.
“Every female SEC fan wants to look her best on game day,” said Krystle Gilchrist Campbell, chapter president. “So we thought a fashion show with cute game day clothes would be a great way to raise funds for the Alabama Ear Institute’s preschool program.
“Most of all, we are excited to support the Alabama Ear Institute’s School for Hearing as they prepare hearing-impaired children for mainstream kindergarten classes,” Campbell said. “Speech and hearing is Delta Zeta’s national philanthropy focus, and we are especially pleased to be able to help a program right here in Birmingham.”
The Aug. 24 show, which includes lunch and a silent auction, is from 11 a.m.-1:30 p.m. at Iron City Birmingham. Tickets are $31 online or $30 from DZ members.
For more information, visit dzbirminghamalumnae.org/upcoming-events.html or call 822-1835. For more information on Southern Femme, visit www.southernfemme.com.