So much has happened since we last conversed! I got kicked out of Girl Talk’s dressing room for drinking all of his beer (I NEVER DRINK BEER), some of you got on stage (where you might have made out with him) and, out of nowhere, there has even been an April snow flurry. Now the lack of real springtime weather may be getting you down (If so, I’m with you — did I mention I got kicked out of somewhere for drinking beer?), but let’s take a moment to think of the upcoming events that we have to be excited for: Slope Day, spring formals, sangria at CTB and for the class of 2009 — graduation!

A few nights ago, as I sat watching Cornell Design League’s 25th Anniversary show, I had two thoughts circulating around my cerebellum. The first: “Wow, if I was anorexic at Cornell, and I wasn’t asked to be in the show, I would be super offended.” But I was also mostly reminiscing to myself about an experience I had last February, when I scored three press passes for the Cornell Daily Sun to cover New York Fashion Week.

“I thought when there’s a recession hemlines are supposed to go down,” was just one of the entertaining and informative comments I was privy to while sitting in the front row of Cornell Design League’s 25th Anniversary Fashion Show, Once Upon a Runway. I sat next to a woman who was trading insider secrets and approving nods with her neighbor throughout the show, and she and I had an interesting discussion of the show; for better or for worse, it turns out that we had very similar reactions. The above comment was a reaction to the ubiquity of above-the-knee (and above-the-mid-thigh) hemlines in the show.

Although you might think drinking is meant for the wee hours of the night at hot spots like the Regent Lounge or Taverna Wine Bar (if you are feeling recession-proof), springtime on a college campus can quickly reverse your preconceived notions of the timing of drinking. Being a responsible college senior, or a member of any alcohol-friendly community, you must realize that day drinking is a wonderful part of adult life that was probably hidden from you as a child on non-football Sundays.

It’s spring (purportedly) and there’s growth sprouting all around — and I don’t just mean on the Arts Quad, I mean on the faces of men, young and old, on campus and all around the world. Many news and celebrity outlets have been commenting on the resurgence of facial hair, especially among younger populations. Celebrities like Brad Pitt, Christian Bale, Johnny Depp and Jake Gyllenhaal (the list goes on and on) are sporting various types of facial hair, and they are growing it on your average Joe -Plumber, -Hipster, and everything in between.

Since you might not be buying new Trina Turk tops and Tory Burch sandals for spring break this year due to the recession or a yanked trip to Mexico, I am going to rant this week about America’s Next Top Model. Yes, this is a fashion column geared to the Cornell community, but I thought that in the spirit of vacation I’d take a break from ripping into the campus clothing mistakes. So this week, feel free to fake ’n bake or wear leggings inappropriately without risking a call out on your orange glow in print.

If you don’t mind, I’d like to be blunt and be done with it: I hate Vera Bradley. Along with other “Fashion Trends I Will Never Understand” (e.g. non-prescription eyeglasses, nude panty-hose, purse-riding Chihuahuas, etc.), the phenomenon of Vera Bradley has been a source of perpetual confusion for me.

I myself had never heard of the American design company until perhaps a year ago. Now, I am amazed by how many Vera Bradley bags I can spot in a day. With their overload of floral patterns and Play-Doh themed colors, these quilted cotton bags hardly blend in with the crowd. In fact, they fall perfectly into a similar category: “Fashion Trends That Hurt My Senses” or perhaps, “Top Ten Fads of the Anti-Chic”.

We are now entering an era in which the average pedestrian holds as much influence on the trends of tomorrow as does the next rising fashion designer, celebrity or pop culture phenom. Fashion trends are covered through a vast web of blogs, maintained by a vast range of writers — both young and old, famous and virtually unknown. This an era governed by modernism and “street cred” — a sort of je ne sais quoi merit system monitored by popular opinion.

As her fellow seniors scramble to secure jobs in an ever-dwindling economy, Fiber Science and Apparel Design major Constanza Ontaneda ’09 is forging her own path. A designer who grew up in places as divergent as Romania and Brazil, she’s already started her own international business, Bernales & Goretti, which imports fair-wage clothing made in Peru to be sold in the United States. The Sun sat down with Ontaneda in Risley Hall to discuss her passion for fashion, how she hopes to change Peru and her plans after school.

The Sun: How did you get started in design?