SHOPPING, DINING, BEAUTY & EVENTS PAGE 24 theconnectionsnj.com bookwormbernardsville.indielite.org thebookworm99@outlook.com 5/31/26 5/31/26 5/31/26 40 Open Mon-Sat 10-5 We Order Daily A La Mode, but about bringing people together through clothing. What I loved finding out was that their inspiration came not from celebrities, Tik Tokers or Couture brands; but from the people and world directly around them. For Roxie, her older sister’s style helped inspire her to seek a look of her own; for Sarah, her mom works in print media. Praise for the sustainability and shelf life of print media-something obviously front and center for a magazine like this. Drawing inspiration from their everyday lives, and a chance encounter with “The Anchor” (one of the oldest student newspapers in the country) inspired them to forge their own. In closing, I asked them where they wanted to see fashion go. And in their answers the two core values of A La Mode were made loud and clear. 1) This is for everyone. 2) Sustainability is paramount. Let’s break that down. 1. Fashion is for everyone; without it we lose the power of individuality and we stop caring. You don’t need a lot of money or access to the latest runway pieces to be “A La Mode”. Sometimes all you need is a piece you love, confidence and a smile! 2. There’s so much junk out there. From cheap fabrics bleeding microplastics into your skin to state-sized landfills filled with clothing less than a year old, sustainability must be upheld if we want to keep this little place called Earth spinning. In short, buy less, buy better and wear them well. Sometimes people are stubborn, I’m stubborn! (I’m Italian American with an Aries Zodiac; I truly can’t help it.) But the time we lower our veil of stubbornness is the time we get truly inspired. And talking with Roxie and Sarah was truly inspiring. If you get anything from this article, or from A La Mode itself, I think it should be this. Don’t knock Gen Z, they care more than you think, and work just as hard as we do. And that fills me with hope for our future and will hopefully fill pages of magazines for years to come. rowing up in the late 90’s (don’t google how old that makes me), 90% of my entertainment and learning came from print. TV and computers were luxuries. Nowadays the average household has a minimum of 3-4 screens per person. And that’s disheartening. It’s easy to read these opening sentences and assume that the primary culprit is Gen Z. But boy was I proved wrong when I met Roxie and Sarah from A La Mode. What is A La Mode? A La Mode is an exclusively print fashion magazine available only through Watchung Hills Regional High School. It is produced, shot and printed by high school students, with Roxie and Sarah at the helm. What began as a dream in 2023 for these entrepreneurs, has now become a reality with a staff of 30-50 students producing a full-fledged publication-with no backing from the Board of Ed. Talk about hustle! The thing I love about A La Mode’s concept is that it’s so much more than a magazine. Roxie and Sarah have used their platform as a way to foster community events in their high school. They have advertised their thrift shop fundraiser, in which students bought gently used clothing, which was a huge success, and got students excited to experience the sustainable side of fashion. I don’t know about you, but I can’t stand people who don’t care. Their brush-off attitude is exactly the kind of thing frying our brains. So, during my brief chat with Roxie and Sarah, I was surprised and delighted to see how much they cared not only about STYLE. PRINT. PURPOSE Fashion, Sustainability and the Power of Print By David J. Marzano Manager, Adams Fine Clothing and Tuxedo The thing I love about A La Mode’s concept is that it’s so much more than a magazine. G
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