FRINGE F/W 22-23

FRINGE

FRINGE

fringe

Editor in chief:

OlympiaTheofanos

Staff:

CreativeDirector

GraphicDesigner

CopyEditor

BennyLefkowitz

RubyFreyer

MurielLewis

SimiChakravarty

LeadStylist

VirginiaSnider

Writers

SimiChakravarty

OlympiaTheofanos

LeahHazelwigg

MikaylahMcCarthy

Photographers

BennyLefkowitz

AvaGeisel

models:

LukeMauzy

WoodJohnson

ViswaSubramanian

NatalieKoehn-Wu

BrinkleyDavis

AnnabelleKeys

4

Letter from the editor

DearReader,

This fall, when the leadership team first met, we brought forth similar ideas of trend cycles, self identity, and the renewal of the old within fashion. As we brainstormed, we landed on a word that encompasses these themes as one: Metamorphosis. Just like the leaves that change colors and the caterpillarsthatturnintobutterflies,fashiontooisonaconstantcycleofevolutionandrebirth.

Thespeedatwhichtrendscyclethroughoutfashionhasincreasedwiththeriseofsocialmedia, creatingamoreconnectedworldwherefashioncandiffusefasterandfurther.Thishasledtoaconstant influxofnewideaswithinfashion.Fromseasontoseason,whatis“instyle”shiftsandevolves.Within oureditorial,BrinkleyandLukerepresentthecurrent,trendystyleoffall.Brinkleyisfeaturedwearing BirkenstockBostons,“birkenclogs,” ashoethathasrecentlyrisenthroughthetrends.Lukeisseenina classicflannelwhichisastapleoffalloutfits.Findingidentity,evolving,andchangingoneselfcanbe showcasedthroughyourclothes.

Awaytopersonalizeyourstyleisthroughthecustomizationofclothesandtheadditionof accessories.Natalieisseenwearingahandcrochetedshawlfromoneofourcreativedirectors,Benny, whichisawaytopullyourownpersonalityandcraftintoyouroutfit.Viswaispicturedwitha crochetedtote,showinghowasimpleoutfitcanmorphintosomethingpersonalbyaddingaunique accessory.Modifyingasimplepieceofclothingthroughpersonalizationcanmakethepieceuniqueto youandyourstyle.

Renewingtheoldthroughthriftingandrewearingpiecesfromyourparentsclosetissustainable andawaytoupcycleclothes.OurmodelsWoodandAnnabellearewearingpiecesthathavebeen thriftedandsomehavebeenmodifiedasuniquerecycledpieces.Thisissueexploresthedifferent aspectsofMetamorphosiswithinfashionandthepatternsofchangewecanidentifyfromourlives.

5

- OlympiaTheofanos

Let’s Dance: A history of men in “feminine” CLothing

by leah hazelrigg

InDecemberof2020,HarryStylestooktheworldbystormwhenhe woreadressonthecoverofVoguemagazine.Stylesfacedbacklashfrom manypeopleforhisfashionchoices,oneofwhichbeingCandaceOwens,a politicalcommentator.OwensrepliedtoVogue’sphotoshootbysaying,“There isnosocietythatcansurvivewithoutstrongmen.TheEastknowsthis.Inthe west,thesteadyfeminizationofourmenatthesametimethatMarxism

Source:Vogue isbeingtaughttoourchildrenisnotacoincidence.Itisanoutrightattack.Bringbackmanlymen.”

Styles’fansaswellasothercelebritiesralliedtogethertodefendhim,andOwensrespondedtothe hatewithseveralmoretweetsattackingmenwhodress“feminine”.Thesituationblewupandeven HarryStyleshimselfrespondedwithaphotoofhimselfinasuitcaptioned“Bringbackmanlymen.” ButStyleswasfarfromthefirstmantowearadress.Infact,theideathatskirtsanddressesarefor womenisnotonlyabiasedstereotype,it’shistoricallyinaccurate.

FromRomantogastoEgyptianschentis,meninskirtsdatebacktoprehistorictimes.Skirts wereconsideredpracticalbecausetheyallowedforeasymovementandtheywereeasytomake. Skirtswereconsideredpreferableforeverythingfrom farmingtocombat.Malechildrenages2-8alsoworeskirts anddressesinEuropeupuntilthe19thcentury.While mostmenstoppedwearingskirt-likeclothingovertime,in somecountrieslikeJapanandIndia,robesandskirtswere

Source:AttireClub

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(andstillare)consideredacceptable.Otherexamplesofskirt-likearticlesofclothinginclude sarongs,chitons,andthefustanella.

Sowhydidmenstopwearingskirts?Menbegantoreplaceskirtswith trousersbecausetheyweremoreefficientforridinghorsesandofferedbetter protectionagainstthecold.Becausemenweretypicallytheonesridingthe horses,theideaoftrousersbecameassociatedwithmenandskirt/dresseswith women.InEurope,malechildrenbeganpracticing“breeching”duringthe19th century.Breechingwasariteofpassageforyoungboysinwhichtheybeganwearingtrousers. Breechingalsocontributedtotheideaofskirtsanddressesbeingfeminineandpantsbeing masculine.

Source: Wikipedia

Overtheyears,meninWesternculturestoppedwearingskirtsanddressescompletely. Peoplebegantoopposetheideaandfrowneduponmenwhodressed“feminine”.Especiallyafter WorldWar2,peoplereallybegantoembracetraditionalgenderroles;menwereexpectedtoact and dressina"masculine"manner,andwomenwereexpectedtoactanddressina"femininemanner." However,whathappensoftenovertimeisthatwhenoneextremeisobserved,thependulumbegins toswingintheotherdirection.Inthe1960s,thesexualrevolutionandriseoffeminismbeganin directresponsetothepostWWIIgendernorms.Theunisexmovementreallybegantotakeoffin 1968.Themovementwasfocusedaroundblurring genderlines.Whileitsintentionsweretoobscure gender,itactuallyendedupdoingtheoppositebecause thetightfittingclothesdrewattentiontothemalebody, andthemovementendeduplosingmomentum.This reallywastheexactopposite ofwhattheinitial

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Source: Grailed

intentionofthemovementhadbeen,andsotheenthusiasmaroundunisexclothingwaned.With thedeclineofunisexclothing,however,cametheriseofandrogynousclothinginthe70s. Androgynousclothes(unlikeunisexclothes)combinedfeminineandmasculineelements.Oneof themostprominentandrogynouslydressedmenofthetimewasDavidBowie.Bowierocked brightcolorsandtheatricalmakeup,helpingtoshapethemovementandpeople’sideasoffashion. Sincethebirthofandrogynousclothing,therehavebeensignificantdevelopmentsinmen’s fashion.In2003,theMetropolitanMuseumofArtopeneduptheexhibitBravehearts:menin skirts.Theexhibitfeatureddifferentskirtswornbymenthroughouthistory. Inmodernsociety,theideaofamansportingaskirtisnotuncommon.Somewell-known celebritieswhohavewornskirtsordressesincludeJadenSmith,KanyeWest,VinDiesel,Jared Leto,andmanyothers.Lotsoffashionshowsnowincludemalemodelswearingclothes previouslythoughtofasfeminine.Asmen’sfashioncontinuestodevelopandgrow,we’resureto seemoreofthesepatternsinthefuture.

Source: DailyCaller Source: DailyMail Source: Entertainment Source: Hiptoro

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Seasons and their impact on fashion

by mikaylah mccarthy

Theseasonsaremoreinfluentialthanwegivethemcreditfor.Notonlydotheyaffectour everydayschedules,worklife,andcelebrations,theyalsoimpactthewaywedress.Beginningasa methodtoprovidecomfortduringboththehotandthecold,seasonalfashionisnowmainlyutilized asanopportunitytoincreasepercapitaconsumption.Despitetherebeingamodernapproachtoa newfound“seasonlessfashion,”thehistoryofseasonalcollectionsandtrendshasplanteditselfin ourmindsinawaythatcannotbeeasilyuprooted.Whenanalyzingthetimelineofseasonal fashion,thePantonecolorsystem,cyclicalseasonsandfrequentmicro-seasons,andFashionWeek areallprimeexamplesofhowintertwinedoursocietyiswiththechangingoftheclimate.

Developingthefirstcolorsystemin1963,Lawrence Herbetcreatedthefirstgloballyusedguideforachievingthe sameshadeofcolors.ThePantoneColorInstitutesaysthey are“front-runnerforallthingscolorrelated,”influencing colorpresence,design,andultimatelyconsumerism.By inventingthecoloroftheyear,thissystemismore authoritativethanever,dictatingwhichtrendswillendure throughouttheyearandwhatpaletteswillgovernboth fashionandart.

Source:RadiantlyDressed

Pantonecoincideswiththeseasonsbymovingfromtherunwaytoimpendingseasonalfads.Some autumnandwinterchoicesfor2022-2023includelavafalls,samoansun,caramelcafe,andthe coloroftheyear,veryperi.

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Withnewtrendsconstantlyemerging,seasonsandmicro-seasonsareawaytokeeplooks circulating.Somecompanies,specificallyfastfashionfirms,present52micro-seasons,meaning newideaseachweek,andmoreproducttobepurchased.However,theoriginalstrategyof marketingclothesto correspondwiththechangingseasonswasnotjustforobviousreasonsbutto alsodefinethespeedofproduction.Forexample,shortsleevedclothingwithbrightcolorscanbe seeninfall,whilecoatsandneutralsoccurinthesummertime.Now,withpopularizedworldtravel, industrialization,andglobalwarming,theneedforclothingappropriateforeachseasonisneeded lessthanever.

Fashionweekplaysanimportantroleinbrandingeachseason. SummerandSpringcollectionsarepresentedtothepressinSeptember forthefollowingsummer.AutumnandWintercollectionsareshownin Februarythewinterafter.Thegoalofthisistoinformthepeopleof whatisinstyleandwhattrendswilloccureachseason.Thissystemalso allowstimeforcustomerstoviewtheproductanddeterminewhatto purchasefromeachcollection.Meanwhile,Fashioneditorshavethe chancetopicksamplesandphotographeditorialsfortheupcomingseasons.Theinfluenceofthese seasonscanbeseeninfashionshowslikeParisFashionWeekandNewYorkFashionweek.As seeninthepicturetotheleft,thislookfromNewYorkFashionWeek’smostrecentAWcollection exhibitsthefallcolorscheme,whichtypicallyconsistsofwarmshades,vintagetones,and,inthis case,gold.

Source:SBS-Zipper

Whileitisclearthatfast-fashionandclimatechangehasimpactedtheconceptof seasonality,seasonsaresodeeplyembeddedinourculturethattheycannotbeoverlooked.Dueto

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thefactthateachfabricisdistinctandservesaparticularpurposeintermsoftexture, comfort,anddurability,itiscrucialtoswitchupourwardrobeaccordingtotheseasons.Aslong asseasonsexist,fashionwillnotsheditsroots.

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COnvertible Clothing: An everyday “Quick Change”

by simi chakravarty

Whetheritbetheaweexperiencedwhenseeinga princessdressunfoldonaBroadwaystageorastonishment seenintheeyesofthosewitnessingamusicvideo,everyone isfascinatedbyaquickchange.Withtheadventof convertibleclothing,attirewhichpossessestwoormore differentlooksthatsharecertaincharacteristicsand

function.Itisnowpossiblefortheaverageconsumertocreatetheirownquickchangesin everydaylife. Especiallywiththeriseintheutilitarianfashiontrendsseeninrecentyears,wemay expecttoseeclothingitemsthatcantransforminthegeneralmarket.

Fromusingdetachableaccentsonclothingitemsorconnectablesleeves, transformablefashioncouldbeamulti-facetedsolutiontoyearround fashionstaples.Notonlydoesconvertibleclothingallowfortheuseof clothinginmultiplescenarios,butitalsoismoresustainableandmorecost effectivethantraditionalstyles.Forexample,convertibleclothingconsumes lesstextilesandcouldbeasourceofaddedrevenueforretailers,asthese itemsbothfulfillpracticalneedsand,onaverage,costlesstomake. Evennow,largeretailershavestartedtoflowconvertibleclothingintomainstreamfashion,suchas FreePeople’snewconvertiblemaxiskirtcollection,allowingthisarticleofclothingtobeusedas

Source:FreePeople

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Source:shopbop

bothaskirtandadress.Thisversatilitycouldallowthedress/skirttobeworninmultipleseasons whencombinedwithlayeringandahintofcreativity.

Divingevenfurtherintotherealmofconvertibleclothing,thisstylealsoallowsthe consumerthemselvestoplaywithdifferentideasandstyleswithouthavingtobuymultiple clothingitems.Forinstance,thisErdemblouseallowstheusertoaddon

puffysleeves,givingthepoplintopamoreromanticfeel,whereasthe blousewithoutthesleevesismoreversatile.Insteadofbuyingmultiple itemstosatisfybothstyles,thisshirtgratifiesbothinone,allowingthe consumertospendlessmoneyandextendingthelifeoftheproduct.

Whilethisconceptmayseemstate-of-the-artorcontemporary, convertibleclothesactuallyhavearichhistoryintheglobalfashionscene. However,theseitemsweremostlyusedfornecessarypurposes,rather thanforafashionstatement.Particularlyinthe19thcentury,dresseswerecomposedofmultiple layers,bindedtogetherwithhookandeyeclaspsandbodices,allowingthemtotransformoutfits fromdaytonightlooks.Becausethegeneralpopulationdidn’thave enoughmoneytobuymultipleclothesfordifferentoccasionsand seasons,convertibleclotheswereseenasawaytoconformtofashion socialpressuresatspecialevents,withoutspendinganexcessamount ofmoney.

Source:NET-A-PORTER

Becauseconvertibleclothingissoadaptable,consumersare drawntoitsabilitytonotonlybefunctional,butfortheopportunityto “pushtheircreativity”.Playingwiththenotionofdraping,detaching,andaccessorizingclothes

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Source:3Museos

withoutspendingmoremoneyappealstopeopleofallsocioeconomicstandings,andcouldallow everyonetohavetheirowneveryday“quickchange”moment.

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Recycle. Reuse. RewEAR.

By olympia theofanos

Fashionisauniqueformofartthatdevelopsovertimeuponitself, andcanbeseeninvariousforms,suchasinstores,museums,andon runways.ReadeHenley,fromhereatMaggieWalker,usesherarttomake innovativedesignsintheartclassroom.Herworkaimsto"elevate ordinarymaterialstoanotherlevelthroughfashionandsculpture"by usingrecycledmaterialstosendapowerfulmessage.Reade'spiecesdraw attentiontocontemporaryissuessuchastheCovid-19pandemic,plastic pollution,andtheenvironmentalimpactofdenimproduction.

Reade'suseofunconventionalmaterials,suchasplasticsandpaper, addsauniqueaspectofinnovationtoherwork.Herchoiceinmaterialcomes from“seeingthevariouswastesandabundanceofanythingIhavearound me.”Sherecognizesthepotentialoftheseneglectedmaterialsfortheir structureandtexture,andusesthemtocreatetrulyinnovativepiecesofart andfashion.Thelinebetweenartandfashioncanbequiteblurred,but Reade'sworkdemonstrateshowfashioncanbebothfunctionaland expressiveandcanserveasapowerfulformofsculpturewithamessage.

Readehopestoinspireotherstoadoptamoresustainablemindsetandfindwaysto “repurposeandreuseobjectsaround[you].” Forexample,"plarn"(plasticyarn)hasbecome increasinglypopularinrecentyearsandcanbeusedforknittingorcrocheting.Additionally,

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Source:ReadeHenley’sWebsite Source:ReadeHenley’sWebsite

Source:ReadeHenley’sWebsite

companiessuchasEverlanearefindingnewwaystoincorporaterecycled plasticsintotheirtextiles,helpingtoreducewasteandpollution.

ReadeHenleyisavisionaryartistwhoisexploringtheboundaries ofwhatispossibleintheworldoffashion.Heruniqueapproachtodesign andhercommitmenttosustainabilityaretoinspireotherstothinkoutside theboxandfindnewwaystocreatebeautiful,meaningfulfashionthathas apositiveimpactontheworld.