Let's be honest: Dartmouth is hardly the fashion capital of the world. North Face jackets and oversized sweatshirts are more ubiquitous than a C- in a chemistry class, and many students still think an "ugg" is the sound one utters when slipping on a patch of ice. It's a good thing Safety and Security doesn't have a fashion department or more than half of the campus would be Parkhursted on a daily basis.
Yet, from the depths of frat mung and Talbots, a new heroine has emerged to combat fashion crime and give Dartmouth a long-overdue style makeover. She's fashionable, funky and fun. She has dared to go where no Dartmouth student has gone before (namely, your closet). She's Lisa Salzer '04, founder, owner and designer of unique fashion line Lulu Frost, LLC. So when Jack Frost has got you down -- don't worry, SAD is quite common in the tundra -- perhaps his sister Lulu might put a decorative shirt on your body and a smile on your face.
"I've always been interested in fashion since I was a young girl," Salzer told The Dartmouth. "In high school, I was making things for myself and my friends to wear. When I got to Dartmouth, I got into the creative mindset and started making shirts for myself. I would wear them out at night and my friends picked up on the trend and started asking for them. I started to realize that there was a market out there for what I was doing, and it's been about a year now since I've been really focusing on it."
The popularity of Salzer's creations, however, is not limited to her close friends and family. In fact, her custom-made shirts and unique jewelry have become ubiquitous on the Dartmouth campus and Lulu Frost products can be found in many popular clothing stores.
But who is Lulu Frost? According to Salzer, "My family calls me Lulu and my grandmother's last name is Frost, and she was in the jewelry business, so it has a little bit of sentimental value to it." In high school, Salzer sold shirts to a gallery in her hometown in Huntington, N.Y. Today, her products are sold in Revolutions in White River Junction, and will hopefully be in Rosey Jekes by the spring. There are also boutiques in the Hamptons that have purchased some of Salzer's work. While her fellow students read fashion magazines, Salzer is out selling her own fashion line.
As for next year, Salzer is looking to work in the fashion and jewelry business, but still concentrate on her own business as a side project until she really makes it big. Lulu Frost products include custom-made, hand-made shirts using real stones which are somewhat labor intensive, taking about seven to eight hours to make. According to Salzer, "All of the handmade shirts that I make are with real stones -- semiprecious, amber, freshwater pearls, turquoise chips, whatever someone likes."
Salzer estimates that her clientele ranges anywhere from ages 18 to 35, due in part to the fact that she makes so many different types of clothing and jewelry. Indeed, her friends have jumped on the Lulu Frost wave, and her professors also have purchased some of her jewelry. According to Salzer, some have even been known to show it off in class.
Although her passion lies in fashion, Salzer stresses the importance of her liberal arts education at Dartmouth. "I'm glad that I was given the freedom to study art history and studio art; it's something that I really enjoy and influences my passion for the arts." Salzer also highlights the jewelry shop in the Hopkins Center as an influence upon her work. "The jewelry shop is an amazing resource that we have here. It's one of the best jewelry shops on the East Coast so its pretty amazing that I have access to that."
When asked if she has any advice for young fashionistas looking to succeed in the brutal fashion market, Salzer responded, "If you're creative and you have that urge to start making things, just expand and try things on friends and it will lead you in some kind of direction."
Salzer is currently working on constructing a website that will hopefully be up and running in a couple of weeks and will globalize her designs even further. So, if you're looking for a unique new look that will have that sexy TA wondering why he never before though to ask you on a hot date to Caf Buon Gustaio, then look no further than Dartmouth's own budding designer, Lisa Salzer. This spring, that frost on your rear window will melt away, but it looks like Lulu Frost certainly isn't going anywhere for awhile.
