Seeking to extend its influence regionally, Grace began examining Allendale County, a small rural county in South Carolina close to the Upstate where significant needs exist. We challenge members of Grace to engage in their communities, the city and the world with both words and actions. For 16 years in the Greenville area and since 2002 in Kenya, Nicaragua, Peru, and the Bahamas, Grace Members have been impacting lives connecting good deeds with the good news of Jesus Christ. Allendale County is in the midlands of South Carolina where:
During 2009, we began talking with local pastors, business leaders, school representatives, and long time residents to get an understanding of the difficulties and challenges of living in Allendale County. Generational poverty is evident based on the educational system, job opportunities, housing conditions, and lack of hope heard in resident’s voices.
We slowly began to make connections in anticipation of creating long term serving opportunities in Allendale. Beginning in 2009, we provided school supplies to all first graders at Allendale Elementary School and Fairfax Elementary School. As an extension of our Adopt-A-Child program, we have sent more than 100 students and chaperones to Charleston and Columbia during the Christmas season visiting aquariums, museums, college campuses, have dinner at local restaurants, and attend Christmas plays. Few of these children had ever been to Charleston or Columbia. These day long cultural trips allowed these children an opportunity to see first hand life outside their community, create hope for a different future, and help break a cycle of generational poverty.
Suzanne Sevier Rowland was born and raised in Nashville and received a BA in Economics from the University of Tennessee. After a few years in Banana-Republic-button-downs-and-black-slacks, she knew that corporate America was not a good fit (no pun intended). She had always sewn clothes for fun throughout high school and college but the idea of making a living doing that didn't occur to her until her late 20's. She enrolled in fashion school while living in Atlanta, but within a year knew that she needed to move to NYC to be in a better fashion school and to have the resources available that are not available living in the south. She enrolled in the pattern making program at The Fashion Institute of Technology in NYC and also scored a job in the city's top fabric store, Mood Fabrics.
It was in 2004 when the concept of a skirts-only line using fabulous fabrics took hold! Suzanne's friend Haley was visiting from out of town and went nuts when she saw the number of skirts that Suzanne had sewn in her free time. Haley wore them everywhere she went, inspiring Suzanne to create more. Sevier Skirts was born out of the effort to keep up with the steady stream of demand for one-of-a-kind custom skirts that she and her friends generated that Spring!
I love to shop. Whether it's for myself or for other people. I love fashion. I love pretty things. I love seeing people perk up when they have on outfit that makes them feel good. I spend a lot of time browsing fashion magazines and fashion websites. I can work with any budget. I took all of the fashion classes at Millie Lewis. I have been in the modeling industry for 18 years. I study books about body types and what silhouettes work best for those body types. I have shopped in a wide range of stores -- from Target to Bergdorf. I have weekly scouting trips to the mall to search for new styles, sales, and store inventories. I am qualified to help you with anything related to fashion.
The services that I am currently offering and brief descriptions are listed below.
CLOSET PURGING & WARDROBE RE-PURPOSING:
Have a closet full of clothes that you never wear because things don't fit (whether too big or too small)? Torn because you paid a lot of money for those pants that are no longer in style, but you can't bring yourself to part with them? Love a certain pair of pants but don't think you have "a thing" to go with them? Do you always grab the same clothes out of the closet because you're not sure if that gray shirt "goes" with those brown pants? Do you wish you could stretch your current wardrobe just by adding a few, classic or trendy pieces to create a new look? I'M YOUR GIRL!
I will take a look at your clothes and we'll decide what should stay and what should go. You'll feel more comfortable in your clothes when they're in style and when they fit properly and I’ll help you determine the perfect fit for your body type. As for that challenging pair of pants - chances are, you have more than one thing to go with them. You’ll see how clothes you already own go together (or don’t), giving you many more “go to” choices. No need to agonize over what to wear each day. I’ll show you great new outfit options from clothes you already own. After my visit I will send you a detailed assessment with digital pictures, including alteration & outfit suggestions, color combination options, and pieces that you may want to purchase at a later date to complete or complement your existing wardrobe.
PERSONAL SHOPPING & FASHION STYLING:
Have a special event and aren't sure what to wear? Need some new clothes for the change of season? Easily overwhelmed in large department stores? Need the perfect pair of jeans? Think you have to choose comfort over style? Sick of wearing the same color all time and want to try some different color combinations? THIS IS WHERE I COME IN!
I will teach you how to easily find the right styles, shapes, and sizes for your needs - whether for a particular event or season or just every day living. I’ll save you from the "mom jeans" by getting the right cut, wash and size. I'll help ease the frustrations of shopping by guiding you to appropriate choices, bringing you additional sizes & colors, and making sense of today's fashion trends. I'll help you save time and money by providing a valid opinion on fit and style, so you'll love everything you buy.
My fee is $30 per hour with a 1 hour minimum.
References are available upon request.
