Quench Issue Fashion Special 16 May 2005

‘Fashion is a form of ugliness so intolerable that we have to alter it every six months’ - Oscar Wilde

Executive editor Gary Andrews

QFashion editor Perri Lewis

Contributors John Stanton,Thom Airs,Laura Tovey,Sarah Cummins,Holly Howitt-Dring,Mr Chuffy,Chris White,Clare Hooker,Charlotte Howells,Jason Jones,Paul Dicken,Kerry Lynne Doyle,Gary Andrews,James Anthony,Craig Driver, Debbie Green,Dave Adams,Shell Plant,Jess Boydell

Proofreaders Matt Hill,John Stanton Assisstant to the editor Elaine Morgan Cover Design Perri Lewis

Fashion is more than just clothes

PerriLewis Q Fashion Editor

TYPE ‘FASHION’ into any search engine and the result will be the same. Your screen will be filled with sites offering discount designer bargains and perfectly toned female forms draped in this season’s latest look. Magazines claiming to be fashion glossies constantly refer to ‘this week’s must-have outfit’ and even broadsheet fashion desks dress their pages with couture rather than anything else that could be in vogue. Confronted with so much clothing-related dialogue it is not difficult to see why the prevailing definition of fashion is orientated to our clothing preferences.

However,to fully understand the meaning of the word fashion,you have to move past this dominant discourse and realise that the term should not be solely reserved for description of the most popular style of dress. Instead it can be used to discuss trends of all sorts,whether this be products,behaviours or practices.

While it is relatively easy to identify current trends,it is much more difficult to find their origins; their rise in popularity can be attributed to any number of factors. Fashions can stem from resistance to previous trends: the increasing popularity of alternative health seems to have grown from people’s disillusionment with current medical practices,much like the Kate Moss-inspired anti-designer phenomenon grew from the dissatisfaction with unattainable,glamorous beauty icons. It can also begin at the top or at the grass roots level: while Richard and Judy championed reading with their national book club,the phenomenon of ‘book crossing’,whereby novels are scattered around public places of the world for anyone to pick up,saw the trend grow from the street.

But however fashions begin,it is inevitable that they will only be short lived. Like last year’s poncho,cricket,another unlikely fad,will only hold the attention of fans throughout the summer months until a more suitable,more exciting,and most notably,more recent alternative comes along.

This supplement addresses fashion in the broadest sense of the word. While it does not pretend to deal with every possible trend of the moment,it does try to move past the dominant definition of the term as relating solely to the most popular type of attire at any given time.

fashion + sport

By John Stanton Sports Editor

Margaret Thatcher’s controversial reign as Prime Minister during the 1980s changed many things in Britain,as the mines closed and new building plans were unveiled to redefine the London skyline. Just as the physical appearance of society has changed in the past 20 years,so the landscape of sport has changed with it. Back when fresh-faced school-leavers were being thrust down the coal pits of the north,so their dads were tuning into boxing and snooker in their millions.

Now,despite a remarkable World Championship win for the unfancied outsider Shaun Murphy,snooker has reached a crossroads,with its popularity dwindling and its sponsorship deal with long-standing partner Embassy extinguished due to European Union legislation.

Halfway through Thatcher’s premiership,football was a game in crisis. It was outside Downing Street,in May 1985,that a spokesman announced that English clubs were to be banished from European competition with immediate effect,after the shameful

events at Heysel. The national game was beset by hooliganism and was fast losing its appeal to advertisers. It was testing the patience of the nation – football was no longer fashionable.

And yet two decades on,football’s status as the most marketable of all sports seems unlikely to alter. The money rolls in and,despite a slight lull in the market,football,since the introduction of Murdoch’s millions, has been a burgeoning,attractive commodity.

The sport has saturated a previously diverse market. Gone are the halcyon days of the mid 80s,when millions would tune in for their regular Saturday evening helping of boxing’s latest title fight.

Sporting trends are unpredictable; football is not guaranteed its current place in the affection of the nation forever. Pictures beamed from Salt Lake City in 2002 briefly projected the unlikely sport of curling into the hearts of armchair viewers across the country. While this may have been something of a fad,it is noticeable that sports lose popularity when undermined by controversy. As Heysel damaged football,so critical

injuries,such as the one sustained by Michael Watson in 1991,have damaged boxing’s marketability. No advertiser wants to be associated with a potentially damaging product.

It seems strange,then,that Wayne Rooney,that volcano of anger and bitterness,is so sought after to replace the fading commercial capacity of David Beckham. If Rooney or his colleagues do erupt,who knows where football might be in another 20 years?

Sports Editor Thom Airs says get your whites on this summer Rooney: the face of future football?

The long hot summer of 2005 will be seen by future fashionist as the season that cricket became the accessory du jour. As the Ashes series between England and Australia rages on against a backdrop of hosepipe bans and Mr Whippys,this stately game will crystallize in our collective psyche.

Dazzling whites will be in. Men-about-town will douse themselves with Calvin Klein’s ‘eau de leather et willow’,while Peter Kay will help John Smith’s fly from the shelves by re-introducing the phrase ‘Howzat?!’ to the nation’s vernacular. Come August,Topman will even start producing designer cricket whites with sewn-in red stains on the upper thighs.

By the time the leaves turn brown and Steve Harmison’s third single reaches number one in the download charts,we’ll already be lamenting the passing of another beautiful British summer – a summer in which cricket sated the country’s sporting appetite in lieu of an international football tournament.

10cc’s Dreadlock Holiday will ring out from Lord’s as a paean to our new-found obsession: “I don’t like cricket,oh no,I love it.”

fashion + travel

Travel catches the fashion bug

By Laura Tovey Travel Editor

The trouble with travel is that like anything else in today’s competitive society you can,and will be judged on your insider knowledge and ability to stay ahead.

But it’s even harder to be fashionable in terms of travel than it is in terms of clothes - the criteria is very different. It isn’t a question of the most expensive destination,but rather the most wilfully obscure,unspoilt,or that elusive dream,‘authentic’.

And there’s not just destinations to consider,there’s also travel wear. You can go the high-tech route,with breathable this and anti-wrinkle that,with enough pockets to house a small colony of squirrels. Or you can join the reverse-snobbery crowd who pride

themselves on wearing one set of clothes for their entire six month trek through the remote corners of Nepal.

When it comes to fashionable travel it’s not how expensive a destination is that counts,it’s going places and seeing things before everyone else. Who cares that you never really wanted to go to Azerbaijan and there was nothing to do when you got there? You’ve got to be the first to see it and make everyone else jealous of your exotic wanderings before the rest of the world ‘spoilt’ it. You’ve got to be the one who spoilt it for them instead.

The way to stay ahead in the fashionable travel game is to go everywhere in the whole world,immediately. That way whatever destination someone boasts about,you can say you

Travel Editor Sarah Cummins tells us where it’s at

S h o p p i n g

Terence Conran’s budget: The Observer recently referred to Helsinki in Finland as the design capital of the north. With fantastic interior shops and bars made out of ice - Arctic Icebar – it’s the coolest place to escape the Ikea world take-over.

Student budget: If it’s accessories you’re after then there is no better place than the souks in Marrakech. Delve deep and haggle for the best bargains on jewellery and embroidered slippers that are all the rage at the moment.

Travellers strive to visit the most remote parts of the world first

went there ages ago. But to be honest,if the point of travel for you is to win in a game of one-upmanship then maybe you’ve missed the point of travelling.

A d v e n t u r e

Jonny Knoxville’s budget: New Zealand is the extreme sport capital of the world; try bungee jumping,glacier climbing and surfing lessons to name a few.

Student budget: Get physical helping with the rebuilding of houses and roads by volunteering in the Tsunami affected areas.

B e a c h

Madonna’s budget: The Greek Island of Mykonos is the first of the Greek Islands to be reviewed in the upmarket guidebook Nota Bene. Madonna and Thierry Mugler have graced the sands of this Island so it must be pretty ‘hot’.

Student budget: The Aeolian islands off the coast of Sicily,home to Dolce and Gabbana’s holiday villa,have a hostel on the largest of the seven islands making it doable for all you backpackers out there.

fashion + opinion QF fashion

IAmber Duval Amber Duval

n a lot of ways,we all dress up when we want to ensure a good boning. I mean,what’s shaving your legs,getting a brazilian and making sure your knickers are clean all about otherwise? I certainly wouldn’t make sure that my legs didn’t resemble a yeti and my bush a –well,bush,if I was sure no one would see it. And thongs made out of cheesewire? Hmm,maybe I would actually - they do give you a certain thrill when you sit down quickly… But I digress. The point is that when you want to have good sex,you

Twant to feel sexy (unless you really hate the other person or want to give them payback for that time they didn’t return the favour last week). But I often find that a good wax and peephole bra just isn’t enough,and this is where clothes come in. I don’t mean the latest copy of Chloe’s collection in Topshop – I mean proper sex wear, complete with holes where you should,in theory,be covered and lace where you know it’ll really chafe.

Nurses,schoolgirls,policewomen, cowgirls,maids and even bizarrely, stripper outfits are available from

Mr Chuffy Investigates...

ake off that badger fur blouse, cast aside that penguin skin beret and don’t even think about wearing llama. Fur is so the day before the day after yesterday.

The fashion oligarchy have spoken: ‘out’ is lederhosen,midwifery,medieval armoury,Michael Barrymore and fur. ‘In’ is lederhosen,terrorist chic,trousers and Mongol.

Mongol? That’s right folks,why personally suffer the ignominy of a 13th Century Eurasian-wide empire collapse, only to endure over half of the 20th Century under Communist rule,emerging the other side with over a third of your brethren in abject poverty? Why bear the unpleasantness,when following a brief jaunt to Topshop you can be the proud owner of a Mongol-skin tunic. Mong-fashion has already received celebrity endorsement,with nag betting pundit and ‘star’ of celebrity Big Brother John McCririck recently snapped wearing a Mongol boob tube.

Mongolian skin has gained popularity not merely through the delightful

Oriental/Asian/European hybrid skin shade but due to its versatility. The geographic and climatic combination of hot rugged deserts and freezing mountainous ranges has evolved a skin type equipped for any weather.

Unfortunately there is a sinister side to Mong. The inflated import costs have yielded many unable to afford extortionate highstreet Mong prices,with people turning to the dark brown market in search of Ghenggis Khan chic. The vastness of Mongolia,coupled with a 2.7 million populace is an ideal breeding ground for people-theft. The people smugglers will snatch the vulnerable,often blaming wolves or cholera,and transport them through eastern Europe inside a mule. The cramped conditions inside mules are hot and sweaty and many smell of really old jumpers. Purchasers will frequently buy a Mongolian from a smuggler and skin them personally,with Mongols relatively cheap,available at 6000 Mongolian togrogs (roughly five US dollars). The ruling Citizen’s Will

loads of sex shops,even the less seedy ones. A plethora of fluff and latex is also posted to buy on the internet (tip: don’t get any sexy stuff from eBay – do you want gonorrhoea that much? Learn from me,my dears: it’s a fucking nightmare).

As well as being big business, dresssing up really adds to your usualy sex style. Doggy is nothing without a very short maid’s outfit and crotchless knickers. For the less brazen of you,try a schoolgirl’s outfit and hours of oral. My personal favourite is being a cowgirl complete with lasso,particularly a wide satin one.

But just like all fashion,it’s about finding a style that suits you,and,of course,using it to get what you want. No man will refuse your demands if he’s confronted with you,a demure smile and a shiny white nurse’s outfit. Just save that gimp suit till you really want him to suffer.

Republican Party Of Mongolia,concerned with the growing trade in capital city Ulaabaatar,have taken to culling mules with stones and helicopters. However,the government have greater concerns with the Mongolian Mafia combining with near-ish Afghanistan War Lords to produce a Mong-Bong, enabling drug-heads to get off their cherry whilst experiencing the aesthetic quality (and pleasant texture) of Mongolian skin.

Should Mongol join the ranks of Nestle and Nuclear guns with the philanthropic exercising a boycott on ethical grounds? Well you could… but it looks really nice. Let’s make Mong smuggling history. Let’s stop those mules. Join me.

John McCririck: Mong follower

fashion + politics

Politics: just window dressing

By Geordie Columist

Image is important in politics. Just ask ‘spin doctor’ Joseph Göbbels or former Minister for Propaganda Alistair Campbell. Thankfully,at least for John Prescott,it’s not yet at the stage where MPs need to be modelhandsome. However presentation of a party is paramount,and the political world is more often than not one of style over substance.

The 1980s are often referred to as ‘the decade that taste forgot’. That would certainly explain the total dominance of the Conservative party under milk-stealing Maggie. It’s not surprising that in an era characterised principally by rampant consumerism and the rise of big American business,when both corporate and personal avarice were marketed as righteous,that the country was run by merciless neoLibertarian,the Iron Wench,friend to General Pinochet. Their now-famous campaign slogan was ‘Labour isn’t working’,a piece of advertising genius. It should have been ‘fuck the poor’.

Luckily for South Wales and my native North alike,the Tories subsequently shot themselves in the foot (shame it wasn’t the head) in the image department: John Major wore glasses that clearly belonged to either Dennis Taylor or Deirdre Hunt-Barlow-

Rashid-Barlow-Barlow,and William Hague tried too hard to be ‘trendy’ by wearing a baseball cap. So Tony Blair’s subsequent premiership can be explained at least in part by a major Tory fashion faux pas

Throw in a mid-90s change in the national mindset away from fervent nationalism and greed,add the ‘New’ to ‘New’ Labour,simmer for an election campaign and serve with Prescott and Brown: government á la Blair. New Labour underwent a rebranding that saw the party’s policies sufficiently farremoved from their socialist origins that they acquired a portion of the flagging Tory vote (red is the new blue, darling – fuck it,this is a fashion supplement…) while managing to convince their traditional support-base that they still represented the interests of the working man. Clever bit of marketing,really. Devious bastards.

The Liberal Democrats’ image has never really changed. They’re still generally perceived as naïve,unrealistic, unabashedly tree-hugging hippy lefty

Aweek

hair shrink

weaklings. Attitudes to the Lib Dems therefore are based upon whether this is a good or a bad thing. It’s hard to imagine Charles Kennedy sending our servicemen into action halfway around the world,but then it’s hard to imagine him making any bloody decision at all.

The attitude of the UK today is mixed,with opposition to the Iraq war and Daily Express-fuelled anti-immigrant reactionism splitting the public. There’s definitely an element of newfound patriotism – the most compelling evidence being the sheer volume of British ladies ranking highly in FHM’s ‘100 sexiest women’ poll (well I can’t explain it any other way).

It would be nice if the public could vote on policy alone,but in an increasingly image-obsessed,‘spin’ will always be a deciding factor at the polling booths. Blair’s recent incidences of bearing false witness could so easily have tarnished his image forever; it could have had him perceived as a simple liar. But there’s no stopping the New Labour PR machine.

may be a long time in politics,but eight years in the top job does strange things to your hair. Like Tony himself it’s aged,dried up and lost the will to carry on.

Like his policies,the Blair hair is middle of the road,neither one thing or the other. This is because he is not decisive enough to cut it the inch shorter that would make all the difference. As it is,it is just a mass of wispiness flecked with a few wiry grey strands to complete the teased weetabix look. It makes him look older than he is,and for a PM who prides himself on keeping up with the kids,his hair seems woefully out of touch. He’s caught in the halfway house of middle-age,not wanting to change the style because he’s grateful there’s still hair to change,yet blissfully unaware a slight trim could take years off him.

gair rhydd’s resident Northerner debates fashion’s place in politics does Tony Blair

Blair may back Bush,but does his hair really need to resemble one? He knows better than most that politics is all about visuals: it’s time that Tony spin-doctored his bonce to suit his status.

QF

fashion + clothes

u m m e r f a s h i o n i s h e r e

Deputy Fashion Editors

Charlotte Howells and Clare Hooker explore this season’s key trends

+ clothes

Vogue assures that this season is set to be one long holiday. Fashion is taking us around the world and back on board the African express. Designers have drawn inspiration from various continents and the highstreet has insured we can all be well equipped for the adventure.

Azure-sea blue is the colour of the season, so be inspired by nature and team sky blue with deep ocean aquamarine.

While on the beach,go tropical with Hawaii-style garlands as seen at Moschino. Exotic colours and palm-tree prints are also going to be everywhere this season.

Nautical is another of summer’s key looks,championed by a whole cargo-load of designers,from Alexander McQueen to Chloe. Hoist a little of the ocean into your wardrobe with a knotted rope belt; alternatively go for sailor-like navy and white striped socks shown-off

Animal prints have made a comeback – this season they are glamourous and beautiful rather than tacky and cheap. Opulent textures and tribal-inspired garments are everywhere,allowing anyone to adorn themselves in culture and be an African queen.

Pile on the beads,throw on Indianinspired sequin slippers and combine with ethnic embroidery. No amount of world fashion can be too much.

ccessorise your way to summer with stacks of bangles and the obligatory jangly keyring. Keyrings and charms are now the simplest way to update. If you can’t bear to hide it on your keys,attach it to your bag - customising is in.

This season shoes come in two dimensions; wedged or bejewelled. Take your pick between walking tall or slipping into delicately sequinned Indian-inspired slippers. Laden with accessories? Then choose white. Whether functional or romantically frilly,white is the other colour of summer. All over white allows you to show off your carefully chosen bangles,beads and dangly delights to

So you want to know what the main difference is between us and them?

Jason Jones talks about pastels,gigolo chic and the mean streets of Merthyr

er ‘big story’ this summer as opposed to last year’s deep V) at pocket-friendly prices.

Pastels are anti-macho and not heterosexuality’s best mucker

If that wasn’t enough camp to keep you going,then enter Italian Roberto Cavalli,a designer’s designer whose collections sing bling. Although neither gay nor young,he knows precisely what young men of all sexual persuasions want from their clothes. Beaded T-shirts,tassels and North African embroidery may alarm the more conservative male readers,but they are a manifestation of Milanese masculinity: all style,swank and swagger with two truculent fingers up to tradition. In short,Beckham flash footballer fashion with an Italian accent.

Apart from us having nothing to put in a bra except eyeballs,the fundamental difference is this: a woman walks into a crowded room,sees someone wearing the same dress and it ruins her evening. If the dress is on someone younger,thinner and prettier,our girl turns on her heels,takes to her bed for a month,eats nothing but shavings from gnashed teeth and joins an SAS gym. If a man walks into a crowded room and sees a hundred men wearing exactly the same kit as him,he goes; “Phew,phew,phew.” And if some of those men are younger,thinner and better looking than him,he goes: “Phew! Cool! Not only did I get it right, but I’m still hip!” They dress to advertise. We dress to conform. Women go out - it’s showtime. Men go out - it’s war. But then,in all blokes,there’s that lisping rebel,that nascent Liberace. Which is convenient because this summer’s ‘big story’ (lingua fashion for clothes we simply must buy, dahling!) is pastels. Yes,yes,we all know pastels are anti-macho and not heterosexuality’s best mucker,but hey it’s time to get with the game. From cool swimming-pool aqua to subdued citrus hues, pastels are everywhere from high-end designers to your high-street Zaras. Deserving of an individual shout-out is Pringle. It may be better known as the golfer’s friend,but its pastel V-neck skinny knits are retro-stylish without the requisite, hackneyed irony,plus the colours are subtle without being washed out. It’s a crossthe-board,easy-accessible trend that has legs and looks set to run and run. See also Abercrombie & Fitch for the definitive range of pastel-shaded polo shirts (anoth-

Naturally,this is an approach that appeals to Alexander McQueen,who is also looking to North Africa for inspiration. His latest collection includes harlequin coats in silver and blue,Indian influences,ribbed satin coats and leather dungarees. However, while these are all incredibly glamorous and luxe it might take some time for sequinned T-shirts to

catch on on the mean streets of Merthyr. If you want to shy away from gigolo chic and run screaming in the opposite direction,there’s a definite move in certain quarters this season towards pared-down tailoring. Jackets,trousers,shirts,ties; you name it,it’s been made-under. It’s quiet, unassuming,don’t-look-at-me. It started with super-pricey Prada a couple of seasons ago and has now filtered down through the fashion ecosystem to us normal folk. Sombre and sensible is the byword here,but distinctly and defiantly non-boring. Just not as colourful as candyfloss. The souped-down look can also be found cut-price at H&M and Gap; it’s obviously not as designery,but it does pretty much what it says on the tin. Elsewhere in fashion news,I predict men will be wearing trousers,possibly some shirts and I’d wager the odd sock. Call me psychic, but fashion,be it male or female,is strangely cyclical - going round and round like the London Eye until eventually you’re back where you started. But,it has to be said,it’s a great ride.

fashion

fashion + news QF

Green is the new black

Nike take a step in the right direction as the clothing industry make corporate social responsibility this year’s done thing

By Paul Dicken World News Editor

Last month Nike published a lengthy report on their website detailing the abuses workers suffer at their 700 worldwide factories. Seen as a long awaited breakthrough, Nike has been famously reticent about its developing world operations.

Earlier this year US clothing giant Gap published a similar ‘social responsibility’ report revealing incidences of child labour and 80 hour working weeks (the average nine til five job in Britain is around 35 hours) in factories from Mexico to Russia. In response Gap cancelled contracts with 136 factories.

The current trend for corporate responsibility has taken over ten years of campaigning to establish. Perhaps the most promising result of this change in corporate mood is the current willingness to join up to independent,external groups in attempts to setup manufacturing codes of conduct.

Nike has joined the Fair Labour Association,a group made up from companies,non-government organizations (NGOs) and universities who conduct independent audits to improve conditions across the industry.

However,despite changes in the

industry,it is near impossible to guarantee you are wearing clothes that haven’t been produced in sweatshop conditions. In 2003 the cheap and fashionable H&M were discovered to be making clothes in an Indonesian factory where wages were as low as one dollar a day. A fire in one of their Bangladeshi factories resulted in the death of 24 employees after locked fire escapes forced people to evacuate through narrow,unlit escape routes.

It is near impossible to guarantee you are wearing clothes that haven’t been produced in sweatshop conditions

But H&M do have a thorough manufacturing code of conduct and good child labour policies,proving evidence that policy isn’t enough to guarantee fair labour standards,a problem highlighted in the Nike report.

After the fire incident H&M began working with the Clean Clothes Campaign to ensure the protection of their workers. They have also set-up a training scheme for young people alongside the UN’s International Labour Organization (ILO). If child workers are discovered they are returned to their homes and the parents are finan-

cially compensated to help discourage return.

It is not easy to buy clothes with a clear conscience,as the companies themselves seem unable,or unwilling to guarantee high standards despite their best efforts. Elsewhere on the high street,both Next and Monsoon are part of the UK based Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI) established in 1999 to ensure labour standards in UK retail companies.

The brand Komodo are one of the most well-known labels turning out clothes that are alternatively minded and yet still fashionable. With operations in London,Bali and Kathmandu, Komodo clothes are fairly well stocked in UK stores. One of their innovative ideas is the use of recycled motorbike tyres on the soles of beach shoes.

The internet is the best place to find brands selling clothes with the most promising fair labour standards. The Clean Clothes Campaign site lists some interesting companies who offer something slightly more wearable than the brightly coloured hemp hoodies you might find at Camden market.

Some of the highlights include the Dutch label Kuyichi,with a fairly slick website and a healthy organic cotton turnover and the UK based Gossypium who sport Jamie Cullum as some kind of mascot.

The campaigns that prompted Nike to follow the ethical trend

fashion + reading QF

Book in fashion

By Kerry Lynne Doyle Books Editor

Ihave come to the realisation that over the past few years,books have become fashionable again. They become mustreads,the thing to talk about,but like most trends they soon get forgotton.

There was a time when books and literature were used as a weapon of power. If you had not read something you were somehow socially inferior: “You haven’t read Ulysses? Are you human?” (NB these people still exist in dinner parties and around university). Yet now it seems that there has been something of a reading renaissance. Programmes like The Big Read,and Richard and Judy’s Book Clubs have somehow made reading cool again. Any book featured on these shows soon claws its way up the best-seller list. Before we knew it reading groups had sprung up all over the UK and America.

This is only one factor of course. The explosion of the internet also made sharing, talking about and buying books from all over the world possible. The expansion of coffee houses and supermarkets which sell books meant that literature was creeping into new areas. Books and talking about books was suddenly in vogue.

tation of a book we positively jump to ask “Have you read the book? Which is better?” Whenever a book is made into a film it is inevitable that people will want to read it.

The Harry Potter and Bridget Jones films are just two examples of the power of the film adaptation; these books are now something of a cultural phenomenon.

The final and perhaps the most telling factor for the newfound fashion of the book is our obsession with celebrity. We just cannot get enough of our beloved and most hated celebrities and publishers are very conscious of this. The genres of biography,autobiography and books written by celebrities have exploded over the last decade. They fill our need to know more and we feel closer to our idols. And who could have predicted ten years ago that Madonna would be writing children’s books with morals? Would she really have been published without her celebrity status? This is just one example of how celebrities have fuelled our need to read.

Another aspect that cannot be overlooked is the film and television adaptation. Whenever we see a film adap-

It is clear that the reasons for the rise of the book are complicated and that there are probably hundreds of other factors that I have not addressed here. But while many people within literary circles are appalled at the rise of chick-lit,books about or written by celebrities and televised book clubs,I personally feel happy that reading has become cool again. I would much rather see people wandering around clutching a book than a scrawny diamanté-clad pooch and 25 bottles of Evian.

Celebrity and film have fuelled the reading renaissance (Above: Jordan’s autobiography; Harry Potter, the children’s book that made it big at the box office,Clive Woodward’s autobiography; The English Rose,by Madonna)

News value

By Gary Andrews gair rhydd Editor

Without a doubt,the most fashionable newspaper to be seen reading at the moment is The Independent. Ever since it shrunk to tabloid size,trendy broadsheet readers and guilty Daily Mail readers have departed to the paper.

But size isn’t everything: the innovative and daring text-heavy front pages are incredibly eye-catching,and The Times has even paid the left-wing paper the sincerest form of flattery by copying the downsize.

Except it’s not half as good.

Unafraid to wear its heart on its sleeve, The Independent is no longer a newspaper but a viewspaper.

Snag this mag

By James Anthony Quench Editor

Features with titles like ‘Blood,Guts and Fjords’, and the phenomenal Fashion Dos and Don'ts are guaranteed to give those with political correctness allergies the lexical equivalent of a hardon. Devised by three drug-addled fuckwits as a way to scam Canada's welfare-make-work programme,Vice is hate literature for people who hate hate literature.

Film

Ifashion + film

directors

Quentin Tarantino

With his sharp lines and primary rushes of colour,Tarantino has long been a purveyor of fashion as a state of mind. With his strong confident visual flourishes,he has worked to reinvigorate staid cinematic clichés and return the silver screen to a primarily visual medium. Under his tutelage,films such as Reservoir Dogs,Pulp Fiction and most prominently his Kill Bill double bill,have forced the way a character dresses to be just as important as the way they act.

In Reservoir Dogs Tarantino took simplistic black and white framing and made it into an iconic act of visual empowerment. Dressed in sharp suits with even sharper lines,his motley crew of Mr. Blond,Mr. Red,et al. took the spectrum of colour and turned it into a frantic kaleidoscope of extreme violence and high art,whereby fashion became paramount in the search for artistic endeavour.

Tarantino continued this sense of visual adventure in Pulp Fiction Thurman’s sleek black bob contrasted with her simple white shirt and gallic 3⁄4 length black trousers; the eclectic mix of Travolta and Jackson in a heady post-irony free contrast of black and white splattered roughly with slashes of crimson blood were also instantly iconic. Tarantino was able to mix post-punk visual glare with new wave understatement and chic dialogue. For Tarantino,the machine gun dialogue and the visual impact of every scene are one and the same. Tarantino finally completed his daring mix of fashion,art and cinema in his oriental kung-fu flash dance, Kill Bill. Preempting the hollow Harajuku-chic of Gwen Stefani, Tarantino fused Japanese schoolgirl killer style with oriental grace,brutal 5,6,7,8 punk nihilism,and yellow-leather samurai swing. At last music,art,and cinema came together in one hectic stylised fashion statement of serious intent.

n stark contrast to Tarantino and his robust ultra-violent syle Sofia Coppola weaves a much finer tapestry. Exotic,hazy,and endlessly romantic,Coppola’s The Virgin Suicides has crafted a visual trope whereby smooth lines,beautiful girls and vibrating soundtracks are weaved together in a sumptuous sophomore mosaic.

Kirsten Dunst as the oldest sister is portrayed as a smooth lined,soft focused goddess. Coppola understands that the flip side of Tarantino’s uber masculine chic is a soft-tempered glacial paradise. Virgin Suicides accentuates the pastel colours and dreamy silks of each and every scene.

Coppola finalised her heady visual style in Lost In Translation. Combining the prosaic beauty of Virgin Suicides with an Eastern sense of vibrancy and guile,Coppola crafted a heart stricken lament to uncertainty and in the process ushered in a new era of oriental style and neon-festered fashion.

into their material S o f i a C o p p o l a

She manages to surround her heroine with a rich cultural environment that reflects amd enhances the beauty and grace of the feminine form. Karaoke

bars,strip clubs and buddhist temples all combine to forge a visual fabric from which fashion and style are formed rather than found; created rather than imposed.

Coppola,like Tarantino before her,understands that cinema is not simply a medium in which to tell stories. It is an artistic form in which great power and influence resides. Both the highly stylised dapper violence of Tarantino and the lo-fi sophomore beauty of Coppola have worked to instigate significant shifts in fashion trends. For them cinema is art and as such,cinema is their fabric.

Editor Craig Driver looks at how

weave beauty

fashion + go see QF

The cream of Cardiff

By Debbie Green Arts Editor

Mill Lane’s g/39 is a ‘contemporary art space’ and is the place to both see and be seen in Cardiff.

Unlike many galleries,it refuses to be dictated by the commercial logic of displaying what sells. Instead,it does many incredible things,such as scattering metal boxes around the city,getting spectators to watch performance art from the street and

many other weirdly wonderful thingsall in the name of art.

Just as arty as g/39 is the Chapter Arts Centre in Canton. The theatre hosts many unusual performances and upon my first visit to the theatre I was provided with a cushion and told that I was to “feel free to walk around the room during the performance.”

In addition to its theatrical space, the centre also has a cinema and a bar,making it the ideal place to spend an evening.

Step outside of Cardiff and there’s a whole world of art waiting to be explored. Debbie Green looks at some of the most fashionable things to see

A r t : R oy L i c h t e n s

Although at his peak of fame in the 1960s,Roy Lichtenstein’s cartoon-chic work comprising of hundreds of coloured dots will never be passé. Indeed,his work features on the opening credits of the hit Channel Four show, Desperate Housewives (and anything related to this,the show of the moment,must be good).

Nowhere else in Cardiff walks the fashion tightrope better than Sodabar. Popular without being populist, alternative without being grungy, trendy without being full of tossers,it has just the right amount of the good stuff to keep it a cut above the competition.

Its basement setting immediately gives the impression that you’ve entered a place that is somewhat removed from the gash and gobshites of the rest of town; not quite wilfully obscure,but exclusive in some way.

Unfortunately,the £7 door fee and £3 for a can (a can) of Red Stripe lager,barely a notch above supermarket own-brands,further attest to its ‘we can just rob you blind and you love it’ air of trendiness.

The décor,however,is teriffic. The low ceiling,low lighting,intimate corners and eclectic furniture and design styles make the overall appearance one of Cavern Club meets Frasier Crane’s apartment. The atmosphere is one of a place that is so comfortable with its own coolness that it doesn’t need to be loud or brash,just speak softly and carry an expensive stick.

Chicago’s sexy jazz and social comment means that it will be a timeless musical. If you didn’t catch it when it came to Cardiff a trip to the West End is well worth it. On the other hand,the more student types will take a fancy to Dirty Fan Male. The show - that recently played at the Wales Millennium Centre - is based around real letters received by British porn stars. No,it’s not classy,but it is bloody funny.

As for the clientele,it’s a fairly even split between whip-smart, often suited,twenty- and thirtysomethings,and the coolest, most beautiful,Sloaney students. You’re certainly not likely to see break-dancing shiny boys or slappers throwing up in the ladies.

I’m glad I’ve stumbled across such a place when my patience for these sorts of antics is on the wane. If there ever comes a time when I have a disposable income, this is where I’ll be coming.

Dave Adams, Going Out Editor

A girl’s best friend

The only thing Sex and the City has done for homosexuality is to turn it into a passing trend. Shell Plant investigates

I’ve discovered something unexpected about Sex and the City. Many people associate the programme with another Channel Four hit, Will and Grace. Not because they are both based in New York and not even because they are both American sitcoms aired on Channel Four,but because they both made having a gay friend fashionable.

It is important to clarify exactly what I mean by a ‘gay friend’. This can’t be just any gay person,they have to be a very special kind of gay person. Firstly, you have to be male. You also have to be witty to the point that you’re actually a complete bitch,you have to be so stylish you know next seasons key looks before Vogue does and you have to walk with one hell of an extravagant flair.

To take this clarification even further, the person who has the gay friend cannot be just anybody either. You see,to be eligible to possess your very own gay friend you have to adhere to certain traits. These include being straight, female,slightly dizzy and neurotic,having absolutely no understanding of,or long lasting success with men,a fetish for shoe shopping and curly hair (although the last one is optional).

When I first started university,as a curly haired,neurotic,permanently single girl with an expensive shoe shop-

ping habit,my very first task (more important to me than getting pissed, getting to lectures or even getting laid), was to find myself such a friend. Low and behold,by the second week of lectures I had met him,and as soon as I got the man’s number I ran back to my flat squealing “I have a gay friend!,” to which all the females in the flat replied “Ohhh,you’re so lucky,I want one of those too”.

Gay men have become a version of the newest designer handbag to carry on your arm

As cute as this is,it has some very damning effects on our understanding of sexuality. Not only does it stereotype all gay men into one nice little camp box,it also turns them into some type of product for women to own rather than actually get to know and appreciate as a real friend. It seems that gay men have become a version of the newest designer handbag to carry on your arm,which is,I’m sure many would find,quite insulting. Carrie often refers to her own gay friend,Stanford, as the ‘target audience’ of her column, suggesting he is more of a statistic to her than a real person.

Sex and the City also has a damning

effect on other types of gay people, bisexuals and lesbians. Two groups,we should all note,that turned up in Sex and the City on very few occasions. When Carrie bedded a bisexual man in the third season she ended up in a game of spin the bottle where the usual gender roles didn’t apply,and freaked out as soon as Alanis Morrisette got anywhere near her perfect Dior gloss covered lips. Charlotte, who really enjoyed the friendship and company of one particular group of New York ‘power lesbians’ in the second season,was haughtily ousted from the group,because you know,‘if you don’t eat pussy,you’re not a dyke.’ Finally our ‘trisexual’ Samantha,(she’ll try anything once) attempted to become gay for Brazilian lesbian Maria in the forth season,but their relationship didn’t last, and she was back to fucking men very quickly.

It is a shame that for a programme supposed to be about sexuality in a modern age,you can count Sex and the City’s forays into lesbianism and bisexuality on one hand. Don’t get me wrong, I adore Sex and the City and its representations of homosexuality,although limited,are much more advanced than the representations used in other programmes. Nevertheless,it saddens me that regardless of all our progress,heterosexual sex is still seen as the barometer of personal and social success and it is still one woman’s viewpoint that is given kudos over all others: the heterosexual view,the one obsessed with men.

Carrie and Charlotte show off their latest accessories

fashion + health

The alternative look

She’s

been there and she’s done that.Health Editor Jess Boydell guides you through holistic medicine

Health issues have always been important,but never particularly popular. But with the increase of programmes such as You Are What You Eat,health is becoming a top priority for many people. It is not just the case of people eating more shredded wheat in the mornings either,but wanting to maintain a feeling of overall well-being.

Alternative therapies work holistically (on the whole body) and so are ideal for maintaining this overall feeling of healthiness. Treatments such as acupuncture and reflexology are becoming increasingly popular - especially as more celebrities are proclaiming their benefits.

Tried and tested: acupuncture

Acupuncture focuses on the overall well-being of the patient rather than isolating specific symptoms. According to traditional Chinese philosophy,our health is dependent on the body's motivating energyknown as QI - moving in a smooth and balanced way through a series of meridians (channels) beneath the skin. By inserting fine needles into the channels of energy,an acupuncturist can stimulate the body's own healing response and help restore its natural balance.

My initial consultation took about an hour and half and involved going through my personal history to get an all-round idea of my health.

The acupuncture itself took about seven sessions,but even after the first session I noticed a difference in myself. For the first time in a while I went home feeling confident about the essay I was facing.

I was a little scared of the needles to begin with,but they are placed so lightly into the skin that they don’t hurt. I had needles placed all over the body,and these correspond to internal organs. So,for example,a needle in the side on my knee corresponds to my liver which is linked to my emotional state.

I would definitely recommend it to people suffering from stress - as long as you’ve got the cash.

Tried and tested: cupping

Cupping involves heating up little glass cups and placing them straight onto the skin to create a vacuum. This sucks onto the skin and pulls blood into the muscles.

I was told that many of my headaches were caused by a restriction of blood to my brain,caused by the tension in my shoulders. So,what cupping does is bring much-needed blood to the surface. It also detoxifies,moving the energy,or QIaround the muscles.

It is much like an intense massage,especially when the cups are pulled along the skin. Afterwards I felt very relaxed and all the tension in my shoulders was gone. I would definitely recommend it,despite the funny marks that the cups leave.

Celebrities such as Gwyneth and Madonna are joining the trend of ditching their doctors and turning to alternative health.

Gwyneth Paltrow caused a stir at a film premiere by wearing a low cut top that revealed that her back was covered in large circular bruises. At first glance they looked like large love bites,but they were actually caused by cupping which she was apparently having for morning sickness.

Demi Moore swears by Klamath Lake Algae in her diet. This is a form of blue green algae, recently backed by internationally renowned holistic nutritionist Gillian McKeith. It is known to relieve stress and is packed with nutrients and anti-oxidants.

Madonna and Christy Turlington have been backing the Ayuruvedic system. It’s a holistic program which involves cleansing and rejuvenating both your outside and your inside.

Always choose a therapist from the British Acupuncture Council list. Check whether they are registered or ask your doctor to give you a recommendation

Madonna: a slave to alternative therapy