Women's hockey can't clinch home ice advantage; men's hockey falls in both games

In what turned out to be a thrilling final weekend for women’s Eastern College Athletic Conference hockey and women’s Ivy League hockey, Princeton certainly played an important part. Unfortunately for the Tigers, it was not the role they had envisioned.
Entering the road trip against Brown on Friday night and Yale on Saturday afternoon, the Tigers (15-12-2 overall, 13-8-1 ECAC) sat at sixth place in the competitive ECAC, safely locked into a playoff berth but hoping to rise to fourth place and the right to host a quarterfinal ECAC best-of-three playoff series. To get there, Princeton would need two wins and some help elsewhere in the league, but the goal was within reach. In the Ivy League race, two wins would give Princeton its first Ivy championship since 2006. A win and a tie would clinch a share of the championship with defending champion Harvard. Anything less would leave the Tigers in second place.
Cut to Friday night in Providence, R.I., where the Bears (5-23-1, 2-19-1) gave the Tigers all they could handle through two periods. Though last-place Brown did not have nearly as much at stake as its visitors, the Bears held strong in an uneventful and scoreless first period. In fact, it was the Bears who landed the first punch — by way of the power play — as Sam Donovan netted her 12th goal of the season just 30 seconds into the man-advantage at 13:14 of the second period. Within six minutes the Tigers would get level with a power play goal of their own, as sophomore forward Morgan Sly responded at 18:27 on assists by senior forward Brianna Leahy and freshman forward Kiersten Falck.

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From there, it was all Orange and Black. Freshman defender Emily Achterkirch registered her first collegiate goal at 7:45 in the third period (assisted by junior Fiona Mckenna and Leahy), and the Tigers never looked back. As junior goaltender Kimberly Newell — who finished with 21 saves on the night — held fast at the other end of the rink, the Tigers applied pressure on Brown goalie Monica Elvin. Sly tallied her second goal of the game — her eighth of the season — at 16:12 to give her team some insurance, with junior forwards Cristin Shanahan and Jaimie McDonell assisting on the goal. McDonell added a goal of her own (an empty net goal) — assisted by Shanahan and sophomore defender Molly Strabley —to cement the 4-1 victory.
Despite the win, results elsewhere ensured that Princeton would finish sixth in the ECAC. In the Ivy League race, however, the win meant that the championship would be decided the following afternoon in New Haven, Conn.
Fast forward to 4pm on Saturday. The Yale Bulldogs (15-13-1, 12-10-0) drew first blood at 9:43 as Krista Yip-Chuck beat Newell to put the home side on top early 1-0. McDonell leveled the score at one with her second goal in as many days, assisted by Achterkirch and Lloyd just 4:17 into a penalty-filled second frame.
Yale’s Grace Wickens (interference) and Princeton’s Shanahan (embellishment) were awarded matching penalties at 11:59. In the ensuing four-on-four action, a delayed checking penalty on Pankowski allowed Yale to pull goalie Jaimie Leonoff for an extra attacker. The Bulldogs capitalized on this five-on-four opportunity as Taylor Marchin converted at 12:50.
Each team traded two more power play opportunities as regulation wound down without another score. Desperate, head coach Jeff Kampersal pulled Newell for an extra skater with 1:02 remaining. A frantic last-ditch effort could not save the Tigers, and the final horn signaled a heartbreaking 2-1 loss of the game to rival Yale, and the Ivy League to rival Harvard.
While Saturday’s result will be a tough pill to swallow, Princeton’s impressive season has not yet ended. The Tigers will travel to Hamden, Conn on Friday to take on third-ranked Quinnipiac (24-7-3, 15-5-2) in a best-of-three ECAC quarterfinal series this weekend.
Men’s Hockey
After two weeks of much improved play — featuring a three-point swing last weekend that included a win over Clarkson and a tie of then-No. 20 St. Lawrence — the men of Princeton Hockey closed out their home schedule in disappointing fashion.
In Baker Rink on Friday in front of 1,714 spectators, Princeton (4-19-3 overall, 2-16-2 ECAC) and Brown (8-17-2, 5-13-2) squared off in a rematch of January’s 2-2 tie. Neither team could muster much of an attack in the first period, though Brown’s Tyler Bird did open the scoring at 17:22 to put his team on top 1-0.
In the second period, with both school bands blaring in the stands, the Tigers came out flat. The Bears would add three goals in just over seven minutes of play between 12:49 and 19:53 of the period, as Mark Naclerio, Sam Lafferty and Nick Lappin all found the back of the net to put the game out of reach.
To its credit, Princeton went down fighting. The third period saw a slew of shots and scoring chances for the home side, which fired 19 salvos on Brown netminder Tim Ernst. The lone highlight of the night for Princeton came at 11:48 in the period, as junior Kevin Liss — a defenseman playing on the fourth forward line for the night — intercepted a cross-ice pass at the red line on the penalty kill. Liss made a beeline for the net and managed to power the puck into the cage on the contested breakaway, netting his first collegiate goal.
Following a timeout, first-year head coach Ron Fogarty pulled sophomore goaltender Colton Phinney with 4:54 remaining for an extra attacker. While his team was able to sustain an attack, Brown and Ernst stood tall to keep the puck from entering the goal, and when the final horn sounded the score remained at 4-1 in favor of the visitors. Ernst finished with 31 saves on 32 shots, while Phinney had 23 on 27 shots. The loss ensured that Princeton would finish last in the ECAC for the second consecutive year.
Princeton honored its six-member senior class the following night ahead of a showdown with No. 13 Yale (16-7-4, 11-6-3) on Senior Day with a pregame ceremony for Tom Kroshus, Tucker Brockett, Aaron Kesselman, captain Tyler Maugeri, Aaron Ave and Ryan Benitez.
Fogarty awarded senior goaltender Benitez his first official collegiate start, and the Denver, Colo., native stopped all four shots he encountered before being lifted for sophomore Colton Phinney at 5:04 of the first period.
The home side netted the first goal of the game, as sophomore Ben Foster scored his fourth goal of the season on assists from junior Jonathan Liau and Brockett. Yale answered with two goals of its own from Frankie Dichiara and Cody Learned — just 33 seconds apart — to close out the first period.
The Bulldogs struck first in the second period, as John Hayden extended the lead to 3-1. However, senior defenseman Aaron Ave cut the lead to one midway through the frame, giving the Princeton side hope against a strong Yale team. Liau and Brockett picked up their second assists of the night on Ave’s goal. Once again, though, Yale would respond quickly, as John Baicoco tacked on the Bulldogs’ fourth score at 11:06.
Dichiara would add his second tally of the night to put Yale comfortably ahead 5-2 just 2:42 into the final frame. After Phinney was pulled at 16:09 for an extra attacker, the Tigers’ final effort to try and bridge the three-goal deficit fell short, as the visitors scored again. Learned earned his second tally of the night by sending the puck into Princeton’s vacated goal with 2:15 remaining. Benitez once again entered play at this juncture, stopping two more shots before the final horn sounded for the last time at a Princeton Tiger home game at Baker Rink this season.
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Can Kanye Cut It As a Fashion Designer?

Kanye West wants to be a fashion designer. And he wants it really badly. But the reviews are in on his most recent collection and the result is…meh.
While it’s undeniable that Kanye has a steller sense of style and influence in the fashion world, the verdict is still out on whether he has what it takes to add Fashion Designer to his overflowing creative resume.
The musician has had a hand in the fashion world for over a decade now. He has collaborated with brands ranging from Nike to Louis Vuitton—mostly on footwear—and held fashion internships at design houses like Fendi.
But, in 2011, he presented his first full, eponymous collection of womenswear at Paris Fashion Week to pretty awful reviews. Fashion critic Cathy Horyn cut him down to size in The New York Times, writing, “What Mr. West needs is a tailor so the clothes will fit.”

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So all eyes were watching to see what he would come up with for his very first show at New York Fashion Week: his debut collaboration with Adidas. The result was a line that relied heavily on earth tones and inspiration from other designers. Many of the models were clothed in nude body stockings that highlighted his sportswear pieces in blacks, tans, greys, greens, and whites. Plus, lots and lots of camo.
The footwear was expansive, ranging from the much-hyped Yeezy 750 Boost sneakers and white high-top platform snow boots to a variety of sleek, if somewhat nondescript women’s boots. Plus, one lone model wearing no shoes at all. Fashionista editor in chief Lauren Inuvik summed it up nicely, writing “[The clothes] were urban, cool, athletic—but in their drab colors and conventional shapes (sweatshirts, parkas, drop-waist pants, cargo vests), indistinctive and unremarkable.”
After an initial slew of reviews that trended positive, Horyn’s own biting take forNew York Magazine equated the hype with a type of fashion Stockholm syndrome. Both she and REDEF’s fashion editor, Adam Wray, noted that his designs relied heavily on past creations by other designers, like Haider Ackerman and Rick Owens.
“Of course, I think that in the fashion world, as in music, it’s totally ok to be inspired and steal from other creatives,” Wray tells The Daily Beast. “That’s kind of how new stuff happens. [But] I saw more of what he’s interested in and not so much of his own voice or energy coming through.”
The Washington Post’s Pulitzer-winning fashion critic, Robin Givhan, told The Daily Beast that Yeezy Season 1 is Kanye’s “best effort [in fashion] so far,” saying that “it had a point of view. It looked like a cohesive collection, instead of just a grouping of random ideas.” But still, it left a lot to be desired.
The event did prove, once again, that the guy has unparalleled talent at putting on a show.
The family affair (both Kendall and Kylie Jenner modeled his new looks) featured a well choreographed army of models, a front row worthy of the Grammy’s (Jay Z and Beyoncé, Diddy, Rihanna, Russell Simmons), the debut of a new single from his upcoming album, and one diva outburst.
But this is precisely where his problem lies. Kanye wants to be taken seriously as a fashion designer, but he can’t separate his role as a successful performer from his efforts to make it in the design world.
The musician is undeniably creative, and very publicly passionate about fashion and making his mark in the industry. And his status as a fashionisto and style influencer is firmly established.
His sartorial choices send ripples through closets around the world. Who can forget his leather Givenchy skirt that made global headlines? Or the unfortunate year we all wore shutter shades?
His biggest project has been wife Kim Kardashian’s fashion makeover. While his intervention may seem a little more controlling than educational, Kim has said that he has “made me love fashion so much more” and that he’s “her best stylist.” And it’s hard to argue when confronted with her vastly more interesting and bold red carpet choices.
“I do think he is one of the most important, creative, cultural people living today,” Wray says. “He brings something to the industry that nobody else was in terms of getting people talking, generating discussion.”
But his sense of style and role as an influencer—not to mention ability to put on a show—does not a designer make.
“He is an amazing performer, but his merits as a designer are still in doubt. And it seems to me that the fashion world should be holding West’s feet to the fire—expecting more integrity and discipline from him,” Horyn wrote.
Part of Kanye’s problem is his tendency to focus more on loudly proclaiming his intentions and demanding his “rightful” place, rather than on listening to the legitimate feedback he’s getting.
The fashion industry isn’t full of haters. According to Givhan, even as early as his first solo collection, critics wanted to take him seriously because they “knew he had a very sincere interest in the fashion industry.” The efforts he’s taken to educate himself about the ins and outs of creating a collection and to talk to people at all levels of the design business are appreciated.
But then he goes and starts his show with a recording of his voice booming over the dark room: “I’m here to crack the pavement and make new grounds sonically and in society, culturally…I want people to think more, I want people to feel like it’s ok to create and follow what their dreams are and not feel boxed in. I want people to feel like awesome is possible.”
Nobody ever said awesome wasn’t possible. And the creative minds who have given up everything to make it in fashion don’t thank him for implying he’s the first to try to achieve it. “His obnoxiousness is tolerated in music because he’s extraordinarily talented and he’s proven that…But to come into another [field] where he is still so clearly at the beginning of a learning curve, and to display that same level of cockiness, who wouldn’t be put off by that?” Givhan says.
Celebrities can make successful fashion designers, as the Olsen Sisters and Victoria Beckham prove. But they’ve done two things very differently from Kanye, according to Givhan. First, they “let the clothes speak for themselves” and followed through with good collections.
Secondly, they proved their commitment to the industry by wholly embracing it. “In both cases, their primary job now is fashion. It’s not acting, it’s not singing, it’s not performing…they are focused on fashion, and they’re not treating the fashion industry like it’s their part-time jobs.”
“When Kanye has talked about this own music in the past, he kind of attributed his success to, when he was a teenager, he made 5 beats a day for three summers,” Wray says. “There’s no shortcuts to substitute for putting in that kind of work.”
Kanye gets some credit for delaying his next album’s release date to focus on his Adidas collection, which has proven to be a big step forward in his design evolution. And he may be taking at least some criticism to heart.
Horyn’s 2011 review also pointed out that “for a performer who has been a front-row face, his casting showed a surprising lack of imagination.” Four years later, his runway was one of the more diverse, a fact that stands out in an industry that continues to struggle with predominantly white faces.
But he's not there just yet. Fashion, like music, is all about collaboration. It’s also about showmanship and making a statement. And in these respects, Kanye is king.
But, if he wants to make it as a fashion solo artist he needs to listen to criticism and not just assume everyone is ignoring his talent. He needs to continue learning from the experts and, Wray says, “spend more time really thinking about every piece he sends out the door. Is this a garment that needs to exist? Am I doing something new that hasn’t already been done?”
The fashion industry could use the creative genius of Yeezy. But if he wants to be more than a style influencer, he needs to get back to work.
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Art Institute of Pittsburgh fashion design grad Romina Vairo to be featured at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week

Romina Vairo is no longer a student at The Art Institute of Pittsburgh, where she earned her degree last year in fashion design. But around campus a lot of people know her name — even if she doesn’t know theirs.
In recent weeks she’s become a celebrity of sorts to the student designers there. Ms. Vairo, 23, of Pleasant Hills is one of a dozen students and recent grads from Art Institute schools across the country selected to show some of their looks in a runway show Tuesday at Lincoln Center in New York City as part of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week, which runs through Thursday.
“The fact that I can show my own collection under my own name is honestly priceless,” she says. “It’s a huge deal, and I’m super grateful and super thankful for the opportunity.”

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The Art Institutes show at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week has been going on for a couple of years, but it’s only the second time campuses beyond New York City were invited to participate. Schools with fashion design programs that demonstrate a lot of progress and are graduating designers with a high caliber of skills were picked to submit up to three students to be considered for the event, says Scott French, who produces The Art Institutes runway show at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week. A panel of industry professionals in New York evaluated students’ garments and illustration boards. Ideal candidates would have quality, cohesive collections with a presence that will make an impact on the runway, he says.
Ms. Vairo’s collection, “Frozen Bone,” features winter wear that celebrates the “silent beauty of women” with muted hues and layers of textiles, a lot of which she created herself. She pulls her inspiration from artists, especially Leonardo da Vinci, whose anatomy drawings influenced the lines and shapes Ms. Vairo played with in her collection.
“When you see the collection on the runway, you’re going to see a different aspect [from the] front, back, side, profile, three-quarters,” she says. “Like an artist, they’ll step away from their painting — I’ll drape something, step away. Go back and drape it. Step away. ... There has to be a feel to it.”
This great attention to detail is a signature trait of Ms. Vairo’s work. She even delayed her graduation so she could make her senior collection “more perfect than it was,” says Stephanie Taylor, who heads the fashion design and fashion retail management programs at The Art Institute of Pittsburgh.
But at the heart of it all is a passion “to make stuff with my hands,” Ms. Vairo says. She grew up in Squirrel Hill loving to draw. Sketching people eventually translated into sketching clothes for them.
“Girls in high school always wanted me to draw their prom dresses,” she says.
After graduating from Oakland Catholic High School, Ms. Vairo lived for two years in Italy — where her parents are from — and studied at Polimoda International Institute of Fashion Design in Florence. The school had a fashion design curriculum and a marketing curriculum, but to Ms. Vairo’s dismay the two sides didn’t intermix.
“I had no idea of the business side, and I said, ‘How am I going to get into this business if I don’t understand that business?’”
Back in Pittsburgh, the city at the time was prepping for its inaugural Fashion Week and The Art Institute of Pittsburgh recently had launched its own fashion design program, which expects design students to hone technical skills as well as to take business classes. Her hometown now had the balance of creative and commerce-centered courses she was seeking, Ms. Vairo says, so she returned to Pittsburgh to complete her education.
Her selection for Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week not only is a feat for her but also for the reputation of The Art Institute of Pittsburgh — and Pittsburgh’s fashion scene at large, Ms. Taylor says.
“When you talk to people outside of Pittsburgh they just don’t know that there’s anything fashion here,” she says. This will “take us to another level.”
Enrollment of the fashion design and fashion retail management programs at The Art Institute of Pittsburgh is modest yet steady — approximately 100-120. Other Art Institutes Ms. Taylor has worked at had about 500-700 students on average in these programs. Most of the students come from Pittsburgh, West Virginia and Ohio, with a few from New York state.
“I like to focus on quality versus quantity,” Ms. Taylor says. “I’d rather have a smaller group of good quality students than just, ‘Oh, we’re just letting them come through.’”
The approximately 5-year-old fashion design program has had graduates go on to work for Pittsburgh-based retail corporations, including Dick’s Sporting Goods and ModCloth, or start their own brands. This week, Ms. Taylor will take a bus of about 35 students and staff to the Big Apple to watch the program’s latest success story.
“I think not only does she make our department proud, she makes the city of Pittsburgh proud,” Ms. Taylor says.
Ms. Vairo hopes the experience will open some professional doors for her, she says. After Fashion Week, she plans to save money to move to New York City in pursuit of a job with a fashion house, with her ultimate goal to be a creative director for a brand.
“I know what I want to do, but I just have to find whatever route. That’s kind of how I’ve gotten where I am. It’s how I live my life,” she says. “Wherever there’s going to be a road, I’m just going to take it.”
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Go Red for Women fashion show was held Feb. 7 at Cross Creek Mall

Models of heart health awareness walked the runway Saturday at Cross Creek Mall.
About 25 ladies and gentlemen took part in the 3rd annual Go Red for Women fashion show just outside of Macy's.
Five of the models shared stories on how they survived heart disease.
"The goal of the show is to raise awareness of heart health," said Sol Halliburton, director of the American Heart Association's Sandhills Region.

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Erin Bearhalter, who was wearing fashionable workout clothes, said she had two procedures to correct an irregular heartbeat. Bearhalter said she tries to stay active and eat healthy, and encouraged others to do the same.
Meg Craven wore casual clothes, and said she has had heart problems, but has taken a big step toward staying healthy.
"Two years in March, I'll be smoke free," she said.
Wendy Porter said she waited 24 hours after she almost passed out to go to the doctor. After a test, she was immediately taken to the hospital, where physicians had to shock back her heart to its normal rhythm.
Later, Porter had a procedure that corrected the problem.
"It's been 10 years, and I haven't had an issue since," she said.
Another of the show's models, Sarah Nesbit, said she had open heart surgery.
"If you hear anything, hear this," she said. "Be proactive with your heart health."
Wanda Ellis wore evening wear, and said she survived a heart attack on Memorial Day in 2009.
"Listen to the signs of your body," she said. "Don't take it for granted. It could be something serious."
Four stations that provided tips on how to make smart choices for heart health were set up in the department store.
Marie D. Melvin and her nephew, Troy Simmons, were on their way from a "Be Active" booth to a "Be Healthy" station.
"I came mainly to see the fashion show," Melvin said, and Simmons added that it was "for a great cause."
Marsha Pittman was at the show with her daughter, Faith, 12. Pittman came to present a donation from the Serenity Spa at Miller-Motte College.
"We came out to show our support," she said. "I'm just an advocate for the American Heart Association."
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High-Tech Fashion Redefines Meaning of Revealing Clothing

New to the city last year, Billie Whitehouse was struck by the inevitability of small-scale disaster on the streets of New York. Everywhere, it seemed, people walked with noses pointed into their smartphones. Like herself, these pilgrims were seeking directions. But they were liable to step blindly off sidewalks, to walk up the backs of people ahead of them, or to not notice that shop doors swing open.A designer from Sydney, Australia, Ms. Whitehouse, 27, said they were also missing a thrilling world.“It seemed like there was a possibility to create something in navigation clothing,” Ms. Whitehouse said.
Now, a pair of mannequins wearing handsome blazers designed by her are part of an exhibition in a Brooklyn show called “Cloud Couture,” which explores how digital technology is being embedded in clothing. The show, at Pratt Institute’s Brooklyn Fashion and Design Accelerator in Williamsburg, runs until Feb. 12, with an open house on Sunday and tours by appointment at other times.The Navigate Jacket created by Ms. Whitehouse provides haptic feedback — basically, an electronic device in the garment that gives a light tap on one shoulder or the other to steer a person, not unlike a phone vibrating to announce a call.“It’s a physical language to direct you through your shoulders where to turn left, where to turn right,” she said.

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“There’s a difference between a hard left and a soft left. It’ll give you a double tap, on both shoulders, when you arrive at your location.”For her jackets, the directions come by Bluetooth from a person’s phone to the electronics in the shoulder. There is no sign of the gadgetry in the jackets. “Wearable technology should be invisible,” she said. “And you’ll be able to see things around you with your own eyes, instead of looking at the world through a screen.”The show, which is housed at Pratt’s space in the old Pfizer building on Flushing Avenue, opens up the power and risks of advanced technology and clothing.
For outright silliness, a designer added LED lights to a bra created on a 3-D printer that could change color depending on — well, who knows what.Debera Johnson, the executive director of the accelerator, pointed out dresses with cascades of what seemed to be embroidered petals over a semi-sheer backing; the entire creation was made possible by laser-cutting machines.“It’s very couture, but quite easy to manufacture,” Ms. Johnson said. “You get a tremendous amount of style for a much lower price.”The introduction of technology into garments has also introduced a new layer of monitoring and tracking into the human experience. “It has gotten more intimate,” Ms. Johnson said. “It’s not just your hand on a computer; it’s your clothing talking to the computer.”Similar to the fitness monitoring devices worn on the wrists, a Hexoskin smart shirt, for instance, monitors breathing, heart rate and other vital signs.
The information cannot be read directly from the shirt, but communicates by Bluetooth to a smartphone.“All of it has very interesting privacy implications,” Ms. Johnson said. “Say I’m a big brand. I’m going to implant technology into my garment to track where you are in time and space, and understand who you’re talking with and what they are wearing, so I can understand behaviors of my clients better. That is something the brands would love to do.”In exchange for agreeing to this intrusion, she said, the customer might get a $10 discount.Every article of clothing has the potential to be a membrane that harvests data signals from our bodies — pulse, breathing, temperature, blood pressure, pheromones — and send them to the vast constellation of remote computer servers known as the cloud. For most fitness devices, the data from the user does not remain on the phone, but goes to the computer servers controlled by the maker of the gadget.One possible benefit would be remote monitoring of people with chronic medical conditions. But clothes that disclose may speak not just to the cloud, but to the people around us.
As a graduate student, Kristin Neidlinger studied what tools would be useful for people with sensory processing disorders. Along the way, she devised a Mood Sweater. “It reads your excitement levels,” she said. “Two sensors located on the hands read humidity and translate that into a palette of affective colors.”The neck of the sweater changes color with the mood. “It’s an external blush,” Ms. Neidlinger said. “It’s a concept that I call ‘extimacy.’ The way your body speaks before you can filter yourself.”The end of coyness?“Exactly,” she said.
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