The story reads like a fairy tale: Southern girl heads to New York, makes it big, and brings her success back to the South. Well, sorta.
Enter Roxi Sugar, who received a scholarship in design production at the University of Alabama, then interned in Puerto Rico for a year before heading to the Big Apple to make a career as a fashion designer.
She’s made it and is now spreading her fashion gospel here in Greensboro.
In what may be the first of its kind in Greensboro, the Jack Cecil boutique (located at 1604A Battleground Ave) held a fashion show on Nov. 20 to display Sugar’s line, AngelRox, which will now be sold in the store. Formerly a small but spacious store of bedding, novelties, and expensive knick-knacks, Jack Cecil now adds Sugar’s line to their merchandise.
Over 200 people crowded the store, applauding wildly at every ensemble. These same designs have been on display in Los Angeles, Manhattan and the Hamptons, among other places. The company’s website, www.angelrox.com, describes Sugar’s designs by saying, “The collection evokes the gentle sophistication and peace of a bygone era while maintaining the appeal of urban contemporary apparel.”
Sugar reiterated that belief through the evening. “Good clothing is meant to be worn over and over again,” she said. “It’s not about fashion trends. My styles are timeless, and made so that the person wearing them can really shine.”
The models did indeed shine, though there was a self-conscious similarity to the models – all of whom were patrons or daughters of patrons of Jack Cecil, and ranged in age from 15 to I’m-not-telling. Their similar heights, weights, and general appearances could make one wonder what these designs would look like on a more average-sized wearer.
Many comments were made throughout the night about Sugar’s choice of fabrics – such as nylons, brushed knits, and pleathers – and the way they showed the body in a perfect light. Soft cottons were a theme of the evening, and exclamations of “How soft!” were heard as guests fingered the model’s outfits.
Model Paige White had people asking to feel her reversible peach/brown halter-top. “It was great trying on the clothes, feeling the fabrics,” she said. “It’s a casual feel, but a formal style. It’s very versatile.”
Indeed, the fashion show displayed clothing in combinations that were perfectly appropriate for dressing up and dressing down.
For anyone who ever has to get dressed up and likes to be comfortable, Sugar’s designs are worth checking out. The majority of the pieces are in neutral colors – primarily nude, blush, brown, and black – and can be viewed at the company website or at Jack Cecil, if you’d prefer to see them in person.
The clothing line is priced slightly out of reach for college students, ($60 for a tee with the AngelRox logo and $150 for the “Phenomenal Fit Hipster Pants”) but for anyone with the means to splurge, the clothes are a good investment.