Bella Vogue: The Internship Chronicles.

As an intern, literally on my hands & knees.

For the past several months, I have been finding time between work and school to delve into the world of fashion styling. Why? In order to graduate, I had to complete an internship. The Art Institute of Austin requires 195 hours in order to graduate. I spent a lot of time thinking about what to do. In the end, I chose to be a stylist instead of working at a magazine or online publication because most of my school projects already showcase my writing. Now that I have completed my internship, I'm excited and fortunate to share my stories with you! As a student by day and style intern at night, I have been working exclusively with local musician, Allison Nagle.

Allison Nagle, musician, during our photo shoot at Georgetown Lake.

Ms. Nagle is a member of native tribal band Hakloka. Having studied music since childhood, Ms. Nagle has recently become a fixture at blues jams around the Austin area. Musical gatherings that Allie plays her bass at include Ted Hall's Blues Jam at Kick Butt Coffee (4600 Guadalupe) and Austin Blues Society's Monday Blues Jam at Antone's (213 West 5th Street). She recently became a member of The Forbidden Blues Band; they will have their first gig at El Leon's (1910 East Cesar Chavez) later this month.

Hakloka at a performance in Killeen.

When I began my internship, I primarily focused on Ms. Nagle's involvement with Native American music. Hakloka generally performs at area powwows and events, such as ASAWAN and The Four Winds Intertribal Society's annual powwow in Killeen. To provide authentic and appropriate looks for such performances, research was needed. In order to look professional, Ms. Nagle needed to wear proper attire while performing. Her outfits also could not be too showy, as many times she and Hakloka perform for dance companies, and attention is needed to be kept on the dancers. As information was limited, I mostly looked at previous performances and went from there.

Colorful costumes at ASAWAN.

As part of my internship duties, I also sat in on rehearsals. I feel listening to the actual performance music was a big help in the way of inspiration. Because Ms. Nagle was on a budget, we looked to thrifting, upcycling, and creating our own jewelry pieces to complete looks. Our favorite thrift store we ventured was a Goodwill in Round Rock (150 West Palm Valley Blvd.). Surprisingly, we found that thrift stores farther out of Austin were cheaper than those in the city of Austin itself. We bought cheap beads from Hobby Lobby and would make simple bracelets and anklets to better colorize Ms. Nagle's outfits.

Ms. Nagle at Goodwill.

After going on such thrift adventures, I would meet with Ms. Nagle to make sure her new clothing fit. I would also show her how to style the garments to better fit her shape. I would mix-and-match the skirts and tops with different belts and shoes, to give her wardrobe variety. Sometimes, we supplemented her looks with pieces from my own closet. I believe our final budget came to just under $150. Because Ms. Nagle is not the fashion enthusiast I am, I also helped her come out of her shell a bit. This was the best part: watching Ms. Nagle transform into a performer. It motivated me to continue working with her.

Sifting through the shoe aisle...

Another thing that kept me on track with my internship was the recent "Tribe Vibe" trend. Ms. Nagle and I discussed it early on and decided to not go in the direction of feathers (it seemed cliché and trivial, as in different tribes, feathers carry many different meanings). Despite this, I found a color story within the Native American trend, which was made up entirely from earth tones and neutrals. Ms. Nagle and I went through a seasonal color analysis, and found that she is an Autumn. This means she looks best in rich earth tones, such as warm or yellow-based hues, as well as muted and muddy colors. This was a perfect direction for her looks.

A lot of our inspiration came from what we saw at the pow wows.

Overall, by keeping good communications between Ms. Nagle and me, I was able to not only style for her tribal band gigs, I have now been asked to continue working with her as she furthers her blues scene endeavors. At her performances, Ms. Nagle has received many compliments from her outfits, which is due to her willingness to break out of her fashion mold. I was delighted to have my first styling experience with someone so easy to work with. I know this will not always be the case, but a girl can dream, right? I have learned so much from my internship and have felt the personal growth already, from my professionalism to client communication skills. I also became a better photographer, as I had a model to work with!

Please enjoy the following photos, as they are of Ms. Nagle's final looks.