Millstone student designs NYC boutique window
BY JENNIFER KOHLHEPP
Staff Writer

Laboratory Institute of Merchandising students Brittni Weiner (l) and Millstone's Stephanie Ragusa stand in front of their winning window display at Rebecca Taylor's Manhattan boutique.

MILLSTONE - Stephanie Ragusa's holiday dream came true on Dec. 1.

That's when Ragusa, of Millstone, who is a student at the Laboratory Institute of Merchandising (LIM) at New York City's College for the Business of Fashion, installed her winning window display in world-renowned clothing designer Rebecca Taylor's boutique at 260 Mott St. in Manhattan.

Taylor viewed the display and congratulated Ragusa on her achievement.

"Stephanie and Brittni did a great job of capturing the essence of our brand," Taylor said.

Avid Taylor fans seek out her collections in department stores and boutiques across America, Europe and Japan. The collections include clothing, maternity, shoes, handbags, hosiery and accessories, and the designs encourage customers to indulge their feminine wiles.

Taylor said the winning display "really communicates the playful femininity of our line."

Ragusa and fellow student Brittni Weiner designed a winter wonderland-themed window for the Rebecca Taylor boutique as part of a competition sponsored by LIM. The contest revolved around dressing a retail window during the holiday season for the purpose of providing "hands-on" education in the area of visual retail display and design.

Their concept, titled "A Winter Fantasy," was inspired by the ethereal appeal of Rebecca Taylor's designs and features a bejeweled tree and mannequins styled as fairies in Rebecca Taylor apparel. The window display will be featured at the boutique throughout December.

Taylor said, "It's exciting to work with students who are so enthusiastic and give them a chance to show what they can do."

Ragusa, 20, is a 2004 graduate of Allentown High School. She is currently pursuing a bachelor of business administration degree at LIM in visual merchandising.

"I could not be happier that our design was selected," Ragusa said. "This was a great opportunity to use my creative abilities, and I also learned a lot from the other contestants."

Three teams of students competed in the contest. Professor Eric Feigenbaum, chairperson of LIM's visual-merchandising department, and professors Marjorie Lee Woo and Judy Hugentobler guided the teams.

Each team conceived an idea for a themed window display created around specific dresses from Taylor's collection and then presented their idea to a group of visual-display professionals before submitting it to Taylor herself. The students' proposals were evaluated by distinguished visual-display experts from companies that included Pucci, Nakaoka Design, Goldsmith and Rebecca Taylor, and their concepts were judged on theme, design, composition, color story, ability to adhere to budget and time constraints, creativity and overall message. The presentations took place the evening of Nov. 13 in one of LIM's state-of-the-art visual-merchandising studios at its newest location at 545 Fifth Ave.

"We were thrilled to be able to partner with Rebecca Taylor to provide this incredible opportunity for our visual-merchandising students," said LIM President Elizabeth S. Marcuse. "What makes LIM different from other colleges is our emphasis on real-world, fashion-industry experience, and this collaboration really exemplifies that."

LIM is a specialized college focused on preparing future leaders in fashion merchandising, visual merchandising, marketing and management. The four-year private college offers bachelor's degree programs that combine liberal arts with hands-on exposure to fashion merchandising, visual merchandising, marketing and management.

Founded in 1939, LIM has been witness to every significant change in the retail and fashion industries for seven decades. LIM alumni have gone on to excel with such industry leaders as Ralph Lauren, Jones Apparel Group, Kenneth Cole Reaction, Coach, Yves Saint Laurent, Neiman Marcus and Liz Claiborne.

For more information about LIM, visit www.limcollege.edu.