Model: Amy Mahoney; Photographer: Brian Page

Recently, NGL brought some Southern Influence fashion models to the Primetime Studios. With the help of the Primetime crew and Miss Priss Tutus, participating photographers created some stunning images!

Here is a sneak preview of the images captured, these by Photographer Brian Page:

All Clothing by Miss Priss Tutus and all Makeup by Kimberly Boenker

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photo: Houston Smith, HD Studio, facebook.com/HDStudio.Houston.Smith

This morning one of our favorite designers and friend of the magazine, Dallas Roe of Miss Priss Tutus, was featured on Good Morning America. Their ”Deals and Steals: Hot for Kids” feature highlighted her colorful tutus for kids.

Using a promo code found here, her tutus are being sold for an amazing 50% off regular price. Any parent with little ballerinas, either in their minds or enrolled in local studios, know what an impressive deal this is.

photo: Houston Smith, HDStudio, facebook.com/ HDStudio.Houston. Smith

Although Miss Priss Tutus specializes in unique tutus for children, grown-ups can join in the fun as well. A diverse number of adult costumes are also available.  With Halloween rapidly approaching – it only makes sense for there to be a line of perfectly crafted corset/tutu sets for the girl-at-heart who wants to prance around in a tutu of her very own.

Luckily, Southern Influence Marketing Group and PrimetimeX studios teamed up for a spicy photography workshop with a few of these costumes attainable for this haunting season.

photo: Houston Smith, HDStudios, facebook.com/HDStudio.Houston.Smith

Each photography workshop has a running theme, mentors to help you with your craft, and  beautiful pose-ready models. Armed with hair, make-up, and amazing costumes; North GA Leisure proudly presents our models and samples of the photographs taken. Please contact NG Leisure, courtney.tomlinson@ngleisure.com, for more information on how to be a part of our workshops.

photo: Houston Smith, HDStudio, facebook.com/HDStudio.Houston.Smith

Ready to buy a tutu of your own? Of course you are! Please purchase by visiting  www.missprisstutus.com.

Congratulations Dallas!

Shannon Talbott

Middle Tennessee State University student Shannon Talbott is a designer on the rise! I stumbled across her work while checking out some photos on Facebook, looking for the next great thing. Southern Influence will be doing a full article on Shannon soon, as we plan to collaborate on a show in Nashville, but I thought you might like a glimpse at what I saw.

The photographer of this gallery was Minnie Morklithavong, and the Makeup Artist was Krista Syamphone. Each photo carries the model’s first name. The models are Shannon Talbott, Minnie Morklithavong, Kenisha Johnson, Madison, Alex Scott and Lya Kimbrough.

Take a look:

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by Sierra Leone Starks

It takes true vision to see beyond the normal eye. Up-and-coming menswear designer Rob Bennett’s vision began over two decades ago when he conquered what he describes as the fear of his life.

Diagnosed with left testicular cancer at 19 years old while pursuing his degree at Auburn University, Bennett took an oath to pursue life at its fullest.

“I told myself, ‘If I make it through this, I will do everything that I want to do in life,’” Bennett recalled.

Years later, Bennett is cancer-free and continues to fulfill that promise. He has stayed true to the medical field that saved his life but has also tried his hand at a number of crafts, including acting, modeling, and, most recently, designing.

“I’ve always had an issue finding clothes that were suited for my body type,” he said. Standing at a solid 6’4” with a muscular build, wide shoulders, and a 39.5” sleeve length, Bennett struggled to find menswear that met his needs in not only size but personality as well.

“I would see [menswear] in the stores from all different designers, but after a while, they all began to run together,” Bennett claimed, touching on what he felt was a mundane trait in men’s dress wear.

And following the promise he made to himself after overcoming his greatest adversity, Bennett decided to create his own clothing line, tailored after his professional and personal style.

“I really started envisioning how I could create a totally new line of clothes,” he said. “I wanted to step away from the old, traditional style pieces I was seeing and create something new.”

Bennett had the vision, he was able to source the right fabrics, and soon he had found someone to bring his visions to life via sewing machine. Now, he just needed a name: “V by Rob Bennett”—the V standing for vision, of course.

So what differentiates Rob Bennett’s menswear line from the likes of say Hugo Boss, Armani, Prada and Calvin Klein?

“’V by Rob Bennett’ is about you, your uniqueness, and your style that turns heads wherever you are,” Bennett explained.

Having spent twenty years in the medical field and traveled to over 50 countries, Bennett has developed a knack for understanding his fellow man.

“I get a look and feel of the designs everywhere I go,” Bennett said. Having had a career focused on helping people, those personalities around the world have sparked the originality that is “V by Rob Bennett.”

“I’ve seen everyone, all classes of people,” Bennett explained, “and that’s what gives me inspiration for my designs.”

For example, one of Bennett’s clients is wheelchair bound, and Bennett had to creatively find a way to design around his disability.

“I spent a week measuring and drawing and thinking of the best way to make the suit work for him so that it flowed and fit as if he was standing up,” Bennett said.

According to Bennett, his designs revolve around practicality and versatility. The practical element of “V by Rob Bennett” stems from considering what situation each piece would be suited for. Merge that rationality with a little panache, and you have any one of Bennett’s custom pieces.

Bennett aims to inspire confidence in his clients, the same confidence that his own personality exudes.

“When you step into the room with something different and classy, you’re going to command attention,” Bennett explained. “But, there’s a fine line between over-the-top and over-the-edge,” he warned.

Bennett gave “The Dragon,” one of his signature pieces, as an example of this. He describes “The Dragon” piece as a personal statement. “It’s kind of just who I am,” he said.

And now everyone wants a piece of the fire-breathing pie, including Atlanta Falcons Defensive End, Lawrence Sidbury.

Having acquired celebrity clientele, served as the opening designer for the 2012 Banana Republic Fashion STATEment Show (produced by ProFashional Alliance), and designed custom pieces for the American Heart Association’s “Go Red for Women” Foundation, what is next on Rob Bennett’s radar?

Hopefully, the answer will be NBC’s Fashion Star, the hit series that gives 12 fashion designers the chance to win a multi-million dollar prize and launch their collections in three of America’s largest retailers.

“We made it to the Atlanta finals,” Bennett said. “So I’ll know something pretty soon.”

He was encouraged by “The V Team” to showcase his designs at the Atlanta open call on July 21.

“I said to my team, ‘If we’re going to do this, let’s do it right,’” he recalled. “I had my designs, I had my lookbook, I had my models, and we marched straight in and stole the show,” Bennett described the Fashion Star open call as a great experience overall.

“I showed the casting directors my five-year plan as well,” he added. “I want to keep the custom design side of my line, but I also want to transition to retail-ready in the future.”

Bennett envisions men like him going into a retailer for menswear, running into the same traditional, expected suits, and then finding relief at “V by Rob Bennett.”

Though his mind is always ready to receive designs (including being awakened at 2 a.m. with a fresh idea that he immediately needed to sketch on paper) and his eyes are focused on his vision, Bennett tries to remain blind to the works of other designers.

“I want to be inspired by people, personalities, places, and things,” he explained. “I’m not looking to find inspiration from other designers or what’s going on in the fashion world.”

“I know what is needed simply by interacting with other people,” he continued, attributing this knowledge to his lack of proper fashion protocol and traditional training in the field.

“Though I’m not sure that’s going over well with some of the people in the fashion business,” he laughed.

If it’s safe to say that the garden of men’s fashion does indeed need a little tilling, Rob Bennett claims to have the tools necessary for the job.

“I’m bringing something unique and something that’s versatile,” he began, “but I’m also bringing a lot of experience in the professional and social world to the table,” which, to him, is the unique vantage point that reels in his clients.

From that point of view, Bennett declares that he can sense what people need, what drives them.

“It’s my job to figure out how can I translate my clients’ confidence, charisma, or whatever it is that they need into an outfit, so when they go out, it can change their lives,” Bennett said.

Clothes that can change lives? Impossible feat, right? Not for Rob Bennett, whose background is laced with beating the odds.

“I’m just trying to break ground,” Bennett explained, “and bring a little flare.”

Here are some photos from the Tantra show by photographer Melissa Cales:

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by Sierra Leone Starks

Unorthodox fashion designer, Dallas Roe, is proving that tutus are for more than just the ballerinas and Tinker Belles of the world. Her first created tutu was, in fact, for her oldest daughter, Hailey.

It was December of 2006, and Roe wanted to send out holiday cards of her daughter in a tutu by the Christmas tree.

“I looked around, and I didn’t really like any of the tutus I saw, so I got some material and went home and made my own,” Roe recalled.

The response from that one tutu transformed into what is now known as Miss Priss Tutus, an infamous source for ready-to-wear, fashion-forward tulle. Though the tagline for Miss Priss reads, “Sassy Tutus for Your Little Princess,” Roe makes tutus for all ages, sizes, and occasions.

Angela Reign performs in a Miss Priss Tutu ~ Photo by Brian Reeves

Roe’s tutus have graced birthday girls, prom princesses, and dance studios everywhere. Miss Priss Tutus has also been featured in movies (The Change-Up) and TV shows (Tori & Dean: Home Sweet Hollywood), have been custom made for celebrities (Jessica Alba, Bethenny Frankel, and Beyonce’s Blue Ivy round out the extensive and impressive list), and have graced the pages of magazine’s worldwide, including Vogue Paris.

“Vogue contacted me a few years ago and needed tutus,” Roe said of her first experience with the magazine. “They gave me the concept and the color scheme, and I had about 24 hours to make the tutus.” She recently sent the publication tutus again last month.

Besides gracing the pages of global high-fashion magazines, Roe’s newest endeavors have included the launch of prom and bridal tutus, which she showcased this summer in Atlanta as a fashion show interlude to country sensation Angela Reign’s concert, hosted by Southern Influence Marketing Group.

Miss Priss Tutus has also begun to increase its humanitarian efforts, giving back to the community more through charity donations funded by custom-made “fundraising tutus.”

Dallas Roe and SIMG Models at the Angela Reign show

For Bert’s Big Adventure, a non-profit organization that provides a free five-day trip to Walt Disney World for children with a chronic and/or terminal illness, Roe created Bert’s Big Adventure (BBA) Tutus and Skutus (denim skirt tutus), designed from the logo colors of BBA with a portion of the sales to benefit the non-profit. Other fundraising tutus have benefited Autism Speaks and the One Day at a Time Foundation.

Roe’s philanthropic efforts stem from her core values as a businesswoman. “I think the most important thing in owning a business is to remain humble, to maintain a good relationship with your customers, and to stay true to who you are as a person.”

That said, Roe isn’t your average fashion designer. She has no design or fashion background, and her degree isn’t from SCAD or FIT; it is, actually, in Early Childhood Education from Kennesaw State University.

Roe worked as an ESOL teacher before becoming a stay-at-home mom after the birth of her oldest daughter, but claimed she soon found herself wanting something else to do.

“I had never just stayed at home before,” Roe said. “I was a teacher before I got pregnant with Hailey.”

Dallas Roe with Sierra Leone Starks

Almost six years and countless tutus later, Roe has earned herself a place in the world of fashion. “I’ve been called a fashion designer, but I don’t have any formal training,” Roe explained. “It was all learn as you go for me.”

Her teacher-turned-seamstress story may be unorthodox, and her lifestyle as a stay-at-home mom may be considered ordinary, but Roe’s success is undeniable.

Where does Roe see Miss Priss Tutus in five years? “As a multi-billion dollar business,” she responded with a laugh, “wouldn’t that be nice?”

See Dallas Roe’s designs at www.missprisstutus.com

All photos except the by-line photo by Brian Reeves, whose work can be seen at: http://bkrphotos.com/