Table of contents
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Behind the Seams Mr. & Mrs. One of the Boys What’s the Story, Morning Glory? Back to Black Just Bead It Dor m, Sweet Dor m She Probably Thought She Could Fly Must Love Blogs À Cause des Garçons Editor’s Picks
FW//2010
editors
CHRIS Flores AMANDA King RACHEL Oliner JULIANA Reyes ELIZABETH Svokos DARREN White
staff
RALPH Alexis CHRISTINA Ardila MANDY Ball JESSICA Boyd DEANNA Chang AMY Chen CAITLIN Foley MEGAN Gallagher IVY B. Howell ALLIE Kandel LEIGH Kloss EMELIE Kravetz CAROLINE Malapero KATYA Mamadjanian LESLIE Nesser ZUWENA Plata ALIZA Polkes SAMANTHA Rim YING YING “Daisy” Sheng JENNIFER Tong
contactfandf@gmail.com feathersandfur.tumblr.com
Letter from the editors Embarking on a new school year, our staff and our budget have grown, and consequently so have our expectations. We knew we wanted to deliver nothing short of excellent. Our bar was set. As we prepared our fourth issue, we remembered why we originally started the publication. F&F is about expression, celebration, experimentation. The magazine is our attempt at assembling a mosaic of visions and ideas, those things we can’t write in an essay or raise our hand to say in class. With a resurgence of men’s fashion on the runway, we knew we wanted to place a stronger emphasis on menswear. A Cause des Garcons features iconic mens fashion of the past, while Mr. & Mrs. gives our take on stars from the popular series “Mad Men,” Don & Betty Draper (a Mawrtyr herself !). While we gave the men their turn, we also wanted to explore the in What’s the Story, Morning Glory? We drew inspiration from the soft sunlight that gracefully highlights a woman’s natural beauty. Finally, She Probably Thought She Could Fly is a testament to the growth of F&F. With the help of the largest shoot team we’ve ever had on set, we channeled the eerie, otherworldly feel of the book and film “The Virgin Suicides.” The pages of this magazine in your hands are SOMETHING, created with care and excitement and fear. We love the challenge of creating F&F.
With love,
PHOTOGRAPHY BY AMANDA KING
When the Spring/Summer 2011 collections came to a close, fashion writers, like any other season, tallied up the results. Ratings systems are devised, then inventoried, and finally distributed across print and digital publications. The glut of colors and silhouettes are consolidated into “must-have” sound bites that shoppers repeat with the reverence of an incantation. For the casual observer, something gets lost in the mix. Only with studious attention can you begin comprehending what occurred in the long weeks between New York and Milan. Even then, the season is reduced to a blur of shapes that in a number of years reemerge as “staple” pieces that shift the content of our wardrobes, transforming the appearance of bodies as they move through space.
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Appearance is tantamount to what fashion does to our bodies: it molds it into a shape that indicates status, cultural capital, and visual creativity. No film is more aware of this than Pretty in Pink, John Hughes’ 1986 film about a relationship that finds difficulty straddling the class divide in a wealthy suburb north of Chicago. The film’s main character, Andie (Molly Ringwald), is a lower-class girl who constructs “volcanic ensembles” out of thrift store finds, much to the derision of her rich classmates. The construction of a costume plays a key role in the montage near the end of the film where Andie makes her prom dress out of two poofy, pink formal dresses. One of the film’s most iconic scenes, Andie rips, sews, and rearranges the fuschia lace and bright pink satins that make up the two dresses,
judging them against the drawing she makes of her dream dress. Each shot in the sequence intersperses segments of Andie’s hands playing with the fabric alongside shots of Andie sitting in her room as she studies the styles of the two dresses, both of which embody the fairy-princess prom dress. Active construction is the piece that is missing from fashion week. The moving structures on the catwalk betray only the slightest hint of their creation. Each stitch is cemented, molded into space; there are no loose threads, at least not unintentionally. These clothes simply appear, much like different items appear and disappear if you visit a certain store over the course of several months. In other words, they don’t seem to leave a trace.
In designing her prom dress from two existing dresses, Andie literally retraces her steps, encompassing several decades’ worth of shape and form into a simple statement (which ironically, ends up rather shapeless and formless). This process emphasizes Valerie Steele’s observation that fashion is a palimpsest of past designs. Remembering the line of transmission from season to season doesn’t provide a hard and fast answer to fashion’s ‘meaning’ – I think that fashion’s meaning is best summed up by Jesse Eisenberg in the Social Network, when he, playing the character of Mark Zuckerberg, notes, “Fashion never stops.” It does, however, momentarily fix the idea in place, in the second between creation and exhibition, before it darts away.
Screenshots of Pretty In Pink by Ivy B. Howell
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Ladies, if your man is good for nothing, most of the time you can at least take solace in the fact that you can steal his shirts and sweaters to be on trend this season. “Boyfriend” apparel is everywhere – from the oversized cardigans at Stella McCartney to the lived-in “boyfriend” denim at Gap, his closet is your ticket to Vogue. The big opposition to fall’s ‘50s housewives are the slick, sexy tomboys in oversized blazers and wonderfully cut trousers in masculine fabrics like herringbones, tweeds and flannels. While Louis Vuitton’s women are studying Mad Men for cues on how to properly carry a box clutch, Dries Van Noten’s warrior women are watching Annie Hall and listening to Kurt Cobain. Seeing women in traditional men’s clothes is nothing new. When Yves Saint Laurent debuted le smoking in 1966, he threw down something of a gauntlet – by putting women in sinuous, silky tuxedos, he helped to define a decade of fashion. The tuxedos, often photographed by master fashion photographer Helmut Newton, have become a symbol of sexual liberation. James Brown recorded ‘It’s a Man’s Man’s Man’s World” in the same year as the suit’s debut. Obviously, Brown was out of the loop. Who said a woman couldn’t wear pants? Who said a woman couldn’t look powerful and still be sexy and feminine? YSL laid down a challenge that no man dare
James Brown recorded ‘It’s a Man’s Man’s Man’s World” in the same year as the suit’s debut. Obviously, Brown was out of the loop.
take up. Not that he was the first. Marlene Dietrich, Katharine Hepburn and Lauren Bacall were all playing tricks on the fashion establishment by donning menswear in their steamy noir films and also in their personal lives. The pantsuit became one of Hepburn’s signatures, and Bacall’s sharpshouldered get-ups in films like To Have and Have Not helped to establish her as her costar Humphrey Bogart’s equal, not his accessory. Wearing the pants, so to speak, doesn’t have to be an audacious fashion affair. If you’re looking to put your own feminine spin on menswear, pair a loose fitting sweater with a tank that has feminine details, such as sequins, or delicate lace or chiffon trim. If you want to get a bit more bold, experiment with chunky jewelry. A men’s watch can be incredibly sexy on a strong woman, especially when paired with a bold lip and wind-swept, devil-may-care hair. Though the socio-political nature of female cross-dressing has waned, it still emanates a certain level of comfort and fearlessness with one’s femininity. This doesn’t just go for the power suit or the houndstooth trouser. I can think of very few women that don’t feel sensual, flirty and downright empowered in a crisp white button-down shirt, and a simple pair of jeans. Or even… just the shirt. Now here’s to hoping that the deadbeat owns a little Brooks Brothers.
Opposite Page Men’s Shirt, Levi’s. Watch, DKNY. Necklace and earrings, Stylist’s own. Previous Page Tank, Ann Taylor Loft. Men’s Sweater, Standard Cloth Necklace (worn as bracelet), Stylist’s own.
PHOTOGRAPHY DARREN WHITE 23 | F&F
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Shirt, Charlotte Russe. Socks, American Apparel.
Bra, American Apparel. 27 | F&F
Bra, Cosabella. Tights, Donna Karan.
Shirt, Zara.
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Shirt, Zara. Underwear, Belabumbum. Opposite page Bra, Urban Outfitters.
Skirt, Topshop. Bra, Victoria’s Secret. 33 | F&F
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Body suit, Zimmermann. Skirt, H&M. Shirt, Gap. Shoes, Nine West. Tights, stylist’s own.
Dress, Silence and Noise. Shoes, Nine West. 39 | F&F
Shirt, American Apparel. Pants, BCBG Max Azria. Shoes, Urban Outfitters. Jewelry, vintage.
Shirt, American Apparel. Skirt, vintage. Shoes, vintage. Socks, Columbia. 41 | F&F
CAITLIN FOLEY speaks with two Bryn Mawr students about the myriad of cultural influences that pepper their eclectic line of jewelry. It’s not everyday you meet a bead enthusiast, but on Bryn Mawr’s campus you can find two. Freshman Avery Larson and sophomore Hannah Rosebrock create hand-made beaded jewelry. “I like to consider my pieces to be hodgepodges of different influences,” says Rosebrock. “The jewelry’s style is very much Native American, but African and Brazilian textiles inspire the colors for my pieces.” She explains her decision to use beads as a means for making jewelry because she likes the way they look. Cheap to make, yet refined looking, she describes, “beads look finished, polished, and incorporate a lot of color.”
Larson echoes Rosenbrock’s sentiments. “With beads you have a lot of control over the color, size, shape and finish of the jewelry,” she says. “I love how you can use the same beads about 1,000 different ways.” Like Rosebrock, Larson finds herself influenced by Native American jewelry, but is also really drawn to vintage Chanel pieces. For Larson, inspiration comes from everything around her. She loves “anything colorful” and using the beadwork on evening clutches as a muse for her own jewelry. Despite the technical aspects of beadwork that Rosebrock and Larson share, it is their innovation, creativity and knack for design that distinguish them both as artists.
MODEL HELEN FISUN PHOTOGRAPHY YING YING “DAISY” SHENG & LESLIE NESSER
ZEKE BARNETT TIM IBBOTSON-SINDELAR HARRY GALLWAY ANDY MCCOMAS Apartment 11 Haverford College, Class of 2013
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One way to ensure your apartment’s got character: Start Haverford’s Nerf Club and adorn the place with all your Nerf gear. That’s what sophomore squash teammates Zeke Barnett, Tim Ibbotson-Sindelar, Harry Gallway and Andy McComas did. While the bright guns are everywhere, nearly art installations, you won’t find any squash equipment in their apartment, save for the two racquets on Barnett’s wall. “Squash stays in the locker room,” Gallway says. The boys got rid of the standard apartment furniture because it wasn’t at all inviting or warm, says Ibbotson-Sindelar. Instead, they populated their common room with the tons of furniture that McComas needed a UHaul to transport. Their apartment is a curious mix of meticulous and wacky. They painted their walls cream but also fashioned their own glow-in-the-dark stars. Over in Ibbotson-Sindelar and Barnett’s room, miniature plastic animals take residence on the walls next to the works of Pollock and Duchamp. But some things are purely utilitarian: Above Barnett’s desk is a map of Bulgaria and Romania – “Just in case.”
On a white chair, on top of a white rug, under a white lamp, Bryn Mawr College sophomore Shawn Orenstein perches in her blue and white striped dress. Her room, like her demeanor, is gentle and endearing. “You wouldn’t know it from my room, but I do like a lot of color.” Orenstein’s room is the epitome of serene: clean walls prettied with minimal art, tasteful tchotchkes lining her desk and a light blue comforter that begs you to dive in. “I wanted to come home at the end of the day and feel calm,” she says, adding that she also wanted to create a space that is comfortable and inviting for visitors and friends. “It’s nice to have people come over and hang out.” But this breathless room is not without intensity. She points to four drawings near her closet printed from Garance Doré’s blog: “You see the red accents, at the bottom and the top?” If you squint, they’re there. But she’s so proud of these tiny bursts of color that you’d never admit to squinting.
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SHAWN ORENSTEIN Merion Bryn Mawr College, Class of 2013
ROBERT BRECKENRIDGE JORY FONG LEKS GERLAK MYLES MONAGHAN KILEY NORTON RAFFI WILLIAMS Lloyd 10 Haverford College, Class of 2011
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Don’t be distracted by the plastic boobs in the corner, no one knows where they came from anyways. The common room is lively, to say the least. Posters, flags, (stolen?) street signs, and a healthy collection of license plates devour the four walls. “There is a story behind everything,” says Haverford Senior Robert Breckinridge. “That’s the best part of this room.” From the 2008 Olympic flags that senior Raffi Williams pestered a Beijing shop owner into selling him, to the giant Patagonia sign, whose story remains a mystery, to the multipurpose bucket lamp, which, as the name suggests, doubles as a bucket and a lamp. But more than anything, this room is their history. “Every time I look at the walls I know a story,” says Williams. It’s their communal diary, in a sense. Except the boobs. “Those just kind of showed up.”
Bryn Mawr senior Ariel Rosenstock isn’t ashamed to admit she’s a hoarder. A savvy hoarder, that is. Her room is filled with trinkets and mementos she’s collected over the years, all artfully arranged around her room. There’s the Buddha in the corner of her room (she uses him as a doorstop), all the postcards from her semester abroad in Copenhagen and of course, the owls. Rosenstock, who developed a fondness for the Bryn Mawr mascot when she got to college, says that a friend of hers once counted all the owls in her room. “I think I have like, 20,” she says, laughing. Rosenstock’s best kept interior design secret? Her mom. A former jewelry designer, she prompted her daughter’s interest in decorating by always consulting her on matters of design for their own house. So, as a hoarder, is it hard to keep everything clutter-free? Not for Rosenstock, who confesses, “I’m also OCD!”
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ARIEL ROSENSTOCK Pembroke East Bryn Mawr College, Class of 2011
CH Fashion Toast www.fashiontoast.com
MEET the blogger-turned-model-turned-fashion celeb Rumi Neely. It started out innocently enough: She was just some girl in black tights and cutoffs who would post daily ouotfit photos that her boyfriend took. But Neely attracted a cult following, and soon that girl in cutoffs was in Paris at the Emanuel Ungaro show, thanks to her new buddy, Esteban Cortazar, the head designer of Ungaro at the time. (Cortazar was fired later that year for refusing to work with Lindsay Lohan. And if you remember, Lohan was consequently named “Artistic Adviser” for Ungaro, failed miserably then quit. No, we are not making this up.)
Her outfits are trendy, but that’s about it: Her long posts usually consist of photographs of herself – either looking disheveled or coyly ignoring the photographer, or with any one of her famous friends, including fellow bloggers, designers and models. After a few days of following Neely, the initial pull of her laid back, California style begins to lose its hold.
It started out innocently enough: She was just some girl in black tights and cutoffs who would post daily ouotfit photos that her boyfriend took.
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Still…: You can’t deny Neely’s status as a fashion icon for blog-lovers all over the world. The craze over piles and piles of rings, those leopard print Ashish for TopShop platforms and the visible bra + super loose tanktop trend? You can chalk it all up to Ms. Fashion-
Toast herself.
And hey, she can geek out about any item of clothing: “Leather shorts seem to have assimilated into both the larger consciousness and the basics section of my wardrobe in a way that I
HR Bryan Boy www.bryanboy.com
MEET the flashy Filipino, Bryan Boy. Real talk – this blog isn’t exactly about personal style: It’s about Bryan Boy’s outrageous personality. He signs every post “Baboosh!” and posts photos of himself in outlandish, ultra high-end outfits while pouting his lips.
But we’ll talk about his style anyway: His looks are always fun and unique, but Bryan Boy’s style is not nearly as accessible to as broad an audience as many of his blogger counterparts. His tastes are pretty much exclusive to high-end labels and couture houses, and his gender bending looks often include pieces that are difficult to emulate. Some of his staples include platform booties, oversized sunglasses, tight pants, an abundance of accessories, and absolutely anything with fur.
“I feel like my feet are so fucking ugly and rough due to my cray cray shoes.”
What’s been up with BB: Since runway season began in September, Bryan Boy’s posts have been primarily dedicated to snapshots from the hundreds of fashion shows and events he’s attended. He includes photos, videos and interviews he conducts with fashion world bigwigs including the likes of Vogue Nippon editor Anna Dello Russo and designers like Marc Jacobs. Oh, and did we mention that he’s BFF with Jacobs himself ? Back in 2008, Jacobs named an ostrich handbag after the blogger the “BB,” Jacobs called it.
A taste of his prose: “I don’t know how you people do it. I know it takes more than sheer willpower and miracles to wear bitch heels day in and day out and it’s another thing to have flawless feet. I feel like my feet are so fucking ugly and rough due to my cray cray shoes... I wear socks indoors (and yes, when I’m having sex) to hide myself from embarrassment.” Quote: “Baboosh!” If you like Bryan Boy: Check out Prince Pelayo [www.katelovesme.net]
Cupcakes and Cashmere www.cupcakesandcashmere.com
MEET the epitome of L.A. chic, Emily Schuman. Schuman’s a dropout. That is, she left her job in publishing to become a full-time blogger. And when your blog gets you a gig designing a Coach satchel, why not? Schuman always looks put together, integrating vintage pieces, high-end brands and contemporary fast fashion chains like Forever 21. And Forever 21 loves her too – she’s on a huge F21 billboard in Times Square with fellow fashion blogger Rumi Neely of Fashion Toast.
plenty of that). It’s practically a guidebook to living – Schuman serves up hair and makeup how-tos, food porn & recipes (homemade twix!), home improvement ideas and even holiday gift guides for every budget.
Quote: “The Little Black Dress gets far too much praise in my book. Sure it’s just about the safest way to ensure that you’ll look sleek, sophisticated and slim, but it’s also predictable beyond belief. Enter the long, white dress. If you have any hint of a tan (via lotion, of course), it’s such a subtle way to highlight your skin and let your face be the focal point. ” If you like C&C: Check out The City Sage: [annesage.com]
You’d hate her if she weren’t so helpful: Her blog isn’t just cute photos of herself (though there’s
The Cut
http://nymag.com/daily/fashion/
Overview: With a torrent of seasoned journalists from all different areas of the industry, New York Magazine’s style blog, The Cut, is theplace to go for, well, everything. An Internet hot spot for fashion news, editorially speaking, The Cut offers more sustenance than its single staffed counterparts. The blog does not focus on one particular facet of the fashion industry; it covers stories on models, designers, runway shows, good haircuts, awful haircuts and those dramatic fashion world scandals that just wont stop happening.
For those of you who can’t read good: Check out the slide shows. Wanna check out Jean Paul Gaultier’s 2005 Couture show in Milan? Wanna see what crazy outfit Nicki Minaj donned last night? (It was absurd.) Wanna peep Naomi Campbell’s outfit for last year’s Essence Magazine party? Do it here.
Score big: The Cut’s daily segment entitled Loose Threads is the editor’s update on what went on in fashion that day. These little blurbs fill us fashion addicts in on the big news on the runway,
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but also let us know really, really important things like when we should get our butts to Saks because the epic recession-prompted sale IS OVER.
Go big or go home: It’s a lot to handle, but if you’re at all interested in style, from business and marketing to model spotting, or just scoring some New York sales, The Cut should be your go-to style blog. If you like The Cut: check out Style Caster [www.stylecaster.com]
The Cut offers more sustenance than its single staffed counterparts.
The Man Repeller www.manrepeller.com
MEET self-proclaimed anti fashion blogger Leandra Medina. Her message is simple: Guys don’t like girls who wear Navajo-printed capes. No matter how cute those capes are. It often feels like she’s in your head: “I will never understand why it is so difficult for personal style bloggers to just look into the camera. The jig is up, we know you know you are being photographed.” – on the quintessential “looking at my shoes” blogger stance. Medina has an affinity for seeking out the ugliest, hairiest and scariest pieces from the runway. Medina shows her readers that yes, your dress might be Prada, but no, that doesn’t mean it won’t
make you look like your grandmother’s tablecloth. We love her feature “From Man Getter to Man Repeller” where she takes a fashion staple, like skinny jeans, and shows you how to go from conventionally hot but boring to manrepelling and fabulous. After reading The Man Repeller, it’s obvious which side you want to be on.
But don’t be fooled, she’s not trying to repel dudes: It’s just that, with some outfits, it’s inevitable. And anyway, it works as a kind of test: “If a man can see past my shoulder pads, he must be a keeper!”
If you like The Man Repeller: Check out Frassy: [befrassy. com]
ALL PHOTOGRAPHS ARE COURTESY OF THEIR RESPECTIVE BLOGS.
Yes, your dress might be Prada, but no, that doesn’t mean it won’t make you look like your grandmother’s tablecloth.
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THE ARTIST
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Shirt, Hanes. Jeans (painted by photographer), Gap. Opposite Page Shirt, H&M.
THE LADY KILLER 77 | F&F
Tank, Nice Collective. Jeans, H&M. Dog Tags, Gucci. Sneakers, Creative Recreation
THE ROCKER
Opposite Page All clothes, Model’s own.
THE ATHLETE
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Shirt, Haverford College Bookstore. Sweatpants, Charles & 1/2. Underwear, Calvin Klein. Sneakers, Creative Recreation.
Shirt, Jcrew. Jacket, Ralph Lauren. Pants, Loden Dager. Opposite Page Tank, H&M Shirt, Fred Perry 81 | F&F
THE HUNTER
THE REBEL
THE DANDY
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THE HENRY
All clothes, Models own. Opposite Page Sweater, Black Fleece by Brooks Brothers. Sportcoat, Fink. Shirt, Brooks Brothers. Tie, J. Crew.
EST. SPRING 2009