A passion for fashion
Before Beth Lang started teaching social studies at Pizitz Middle School, she worked in retail. Specifically, she was a buyer for Parisian, Saks Fifth Avenue and Macy’s in Miami, purchasing “anything across the board,” including cosmetics, home decor and special occasion dresses.
Lang quit her job when she was pregnant with her first son and soon earned her degree in education. An experience that stuck with her, however, was when she mentored girls from Auburn University about the world of fashion and purchasing.
“Because it’s more about numbers than pretty things,” she said — It involves a lot of budgeting and balancing finances.
Now, in her sixth year teaching, Lang has found a way to merge her passions of teaching and fashion by starting a new club for the middle-schoolers: the Vestavia Heels.
The Vestavia Heels is the school’s first fashion club, and Lang said it was immediately popular. When she first presented the idea at a school-wide assembly, she said more than 70 students wanted to be a part of it.
“I had to limit it to 25 members,” she said. “I was real excited.”
Lang said she knew she wanted to do something to introduce younger students to the world of fashion and retail, much like she did as a mentor while she was a buyer, and she wants to use the club to teach those interested in fashion about the ins and outs of the industry.
Each student is part of a “team” within the club, including shoppers, graphic design team, DIY team, planner or photographer. There are also more traditional roles, such as president, vice president and secretary. The roles change every nine weeks so students have a chance to try out a variety of scenarios and interests.
“They’ll learn so many different skills,” Lang said. “You have graphic design, you’ve got technology, … you have math with the treasurer and collecting money. … They’re just immersed into the market and its community.”
They get to test different products that local stores may carry, too.
Lang said one of the items they worked with was a lipstick that goes on green, but turns a different shade of red for each person based on their pH balance. The results and reviews then go on the Vestavia Heels blog, which she said the students manage.
The students also research popular styles and products that are in-season and talk about them during their club time before working together on different projects. For the holiday season, Lang helped them organize, paginate and distribute a “look book” for the middle school.
The goal is to identify colors and trends, such as pumpkin spice for the fall season or candy cane for the winter season, and build outfits and accessories around them. Lang said they have to remember that the guide is geared towards middle school students, and the products and outfits should be determined as such.
It might be a lot of work to do in just 30 minutes each day, but Lang said the club will help the students gain experience in the world of fashion and advertising at a younger age, as well as highly-rated skills such as time management, project work and teamwork.
“I hope the girls appreciate it and love it as much as I do,” Lang said. “Because it’s a lot of fun.” Find out more about the Vestavia Heels and read their blog at bit.ly/2SarVx3.