Rouge Spring 2019

Fashion in the Digital Age

ROUGE

In the Middle Ages there were workshops of weavers producing tapestries that told the story of their time. Today we have people with devices of almost any kind weaving the arts into society using social media and digital design.

Social media has become the woof and warp of style and trend, revolutionizing the fashion industry. These platforms give anyone with an electronic device the opportunity for global reach.

The everyday consumer is exposed to styles beyond traditional fashion ads or the sphere of people they see in person. Social media presents a visual picture of billions of individuals worldwide. Many apps, including Instagram, are prime opportunities to present an image or define an individual brand. With just one tap, Instagrammers can upload photos of their style or follow fashion brands and accounts for inspiration. But the individual is not the only user. Brands everywhere, from small, obscure startups to the iconic Chanel, use social media for marketing, creating a digital portfolio, and constructing their identity with images, just as an individual would upload photos of their life to provide their followers with a window into their life. Social media assists in getting the word out and keeps brands relevant.

Digital design tools stand as a key component to fashion design and trends. The Dolce & Gabbana FW18 show included drones carrying handbags down the runway. While not a specific part of the design, the drones were vital to the show’s effect. But this is not the only way technology is woven into fashion. The designs of Montreal-based designer Ying Gao provide an illustration of the integration of fashion and technology. Ying Gao implanted sensory technology in her dresses to track viewers’ eyes. Her designs move and change brightness when gazed at. Wearable technology is a noticeable influence on the fashion industry, but the widest-spread influences of the digital age are easily overlooked. Tools including high resolution cameras, design apps and Adobe products stand as a digital backbone to the fashion industry. Brands rely on digital commerce, designers rely on marketing tools, including video and social media, and prominent fashion magazines rely on software, particularly Indesign and Photoshop. These tools revolutiontionized layout and photo editing.

This issue of Rouge explores the relationship between fashion and technology in the digital age, addressing how fashion and the digital age are interconnected, interlinked and, ultimately, interwoven.

Annika Suderburg, Editor Input: Madeline Laun

1 Decadently Dressed How social media has influenced the fashion trends of today 2 Featured Artist: Will Murray A selection of works and a statement from artist, Will Murray 3 Social Media: How it Changed The Fashion Industry The role of social media in the diversification of the fashion industry 4 Skirt from Scratch How Mina used an app to design her own clothes

5 Fashion without Electronics?

A look into the importance of digital tools in the modern world

6 Dancing in the Digital Age How new digital platforms have influenced the world of dance 7 Poll A survey about shopping, style, and the trends of 2018 8 Glitter Dropped Looks inspired by holographic MILK makeup

Index

9 Lost in the Lyrics A clean-cut lookbook for Spring, inspired by songs

11 From Painting to Procreate Maggie’s transition from painting to using digital tools

10 What’s in a Niche?

Instagram’s role in the connection between fashion and music

12 Digital Rennaissance How social media has developed throughout time

Fashion & Social Media Trends

By Galilea Garcia

In John Galliano’s recent podcast, THE MEMORY OF...With John Galliano, he introduces the idea of decadence in modern fashion. This description of the cultural obsession with decadent fashion is quite accurate, but Galliano does not see this decadence as negative. He stands as a minority with the belief that the luxurious self-indulgence of younger consumers, specifically Generation Z , brought on by social media, is a more of a positive trait than a negative one. Galliano’s argument deserves consideration. This point is especially prevalent today, where older generations often condemn

done before; this results in an almost universal feeling of a malaise and questioning within younger generations on social media. Trends are fleeting, especially on social media platforms like Instagram, where users

Viviene Westwood 1987

Galliano for Maison Margiela Artisanal SS19

young people for differences pertaining to their early and constant use of social media. The energy of contemporary fashion, especially with Generation Z, gives off a sense of nonconformity and questions prior values, as exhibited by androgeny. Galliano believes this is the beauty in the excess, artifice...where we are overwhelmed with so much imagery that you almost want to regurgitate. Due to this oversaturation, young people have a sense that almost everything has been

are encouraged to post solely the highlights of their lives. Young influencers want to be the first to wear a trend and would not dream of posting a picture with an outfit their followers have seen before. A quick scroll through Instagram’s fashion pages reveals the same trends on multiple pages which quickly disappear in a few weeks or less. Everyone catches on so quickly that the same kind of exclusiveness of past cycles of fashion has disappeared. As a result, people

cling to the small time of exclusivity they have when starting or joining a trend before a large amount of people catch on. The want for exclusivity in fashion contradicts younger generations’ core belief in inclusivity, but this generational value does not hamper the need for seeing something new.

While for prior generations, the origin or brand of a garment was the determining factor of its authenticity and place in the fashion world, social media has shifted this focus.

Social media helps young fashion enthusiasts find something they believe to be unique, a quality which is beginning to translate to authenticity, or recognized value.

Before social media, the true fashion moguls were individuals who got their clothes from a wellknown brand. However, social media displays a wide range of styles and economic spheres. Thrifting has increased in popularity in recent years and style influencers on Instagram are often seen sporting their trendy, thrifted fits.

Authenticity is no longer solely based on quality or brand name, but also translates to uniqueness.

A well known model, Jazzelle Zanaughtti, also known by her instagram account @uglyworldwide, originally spiked interest because of her strange but intriguing style. Her unique Instagram profile translates to what social media consumers, especially younger viewers, believe authenticity is.

Although her modeling career did not start be-

cause of her Instagram profile, she definitely caught the attention of different audiences because of her unique features: a bald bleached head, elvish features, and dewy skin. Her style is hard to pinpoint or define and that is exactly what makes her so attractive to her 500k followers. She has become famous for her participation in multiple high-profile fashion shows and gender-bending looks. Although her influence is still on the rise, her page is a clear representation of trends that are a mesh between high fashion and streetwear.

The world of fashion without social media was carefully constructed by gatekeepers and marketers. Teenagers poured through fashion magazines and catalogs, often ignorant to the depth of exclusivity in the fashion industry. The products they viewed in these magazines were not only hitting shelves months after they were seen in a show, but they were the pieces selected to be replicated and sold to a wider audience. Marketers had almost total control over both what the trends were and how long the public followed them. To say things have changed is an understatement. With the incredible rise of fast fashion, in addition to constant imagery and advertisements for brands, the fashion industry has had to adjust to keeping up with a generation used to receiving constant digital stimulus.

Featured Artist: Will Murray My paintings are supposed to be about the first world despair, which is really just boredom. I know this boredom well, despite the fact that I belong to a severely over-entertained generation. My theory is that constant passive stimulation is actually the problem. Hopefully in the future, I will be able to paint something that makes my point clearer than I can write it.

Portrait of My Doctor, David M. Solomon

Sisyphus After Titian

Apophenia

Prometheus After Titian

Supposedly Fun Thing I’ll Never Do Again

The Role of Social Media in the Diversification of the Fashion Industry

By Long Lin Makeup by Daniella Gersh Photographed by Nikolai Garcia While some of the fashion trends Back to the Future predicted are not necessarily prevalent in today’s society, the film did in fact predict several key factors. The most important of these factors stands as the influence of the digital age on the fashion industry. Of course, 2019 does not yet have self-adjusting jackets and power-lace Nike’s, but technology, particularly through its byproduct, social media, has contributed immensely to the evolution of fashion. The diversification of the fashion industry, grouped into two extremes, is a direct result of the expansion and ubiquitousness of social media.

On one end is the style that Back to the Future predicted. Fast-evolving digitisation has led to designers increasingly modernising designs, twisting preexisting fashion trends into almost unrecognisable new styles. Translucent bags and safety pins on denim jackets represent

only a minute component of the futuristic trends prevalent today. In addition, fashion has also begun to incorporate digital concepts to accessories, resulting in curious hybrids like the Google glass.

meaning. Symbols such as roses and the heart eyes of Comme des Garçons may be simple, but their prevelence throughout social media has elevated their status in the fashion world’s eyes today. A prominent example of this is the surge in popularity of the Tumblr aesthetic, which features soft pastel colours and stripes, as well as vaporwave styles and blocky fonts, both popularized by users of Tumblr, a social media site.

On the other hand, fashion has seen a return to the simplistic, motivated by social media. The impact of logos and symbols are amplified through worldwide social media exposure. For example, logos including Supreme, Nike, and Fila are so popular today because of the emphasis people have placed onto their

Stores today have evolved to meet

the varied demands of customers. Social media has reinforced the desire in users to be different, to stand out. This has resulted in the constant oscillation between the two extremes of fashion sense today.

A diversification in social media has led to the diversification in styles, and stores have evolved to meet these increasingly varied interests. Shops such as Forever 21 and Fashion Nova are prime examples, as they carry a wide variety of styles from the simplistic to the outlandish. Even luxury brands are responding to this,

expanding from their classic repertoire.

There is no longer one set of acceptable fashion values in today’s society.

Social media encourages individuality, which in turn is amplified in styles found today. Brands must incorporate what social media users want into their products and can no longer only cater to niche clientele if they want continued recognition. The digital age has brought forth a new era of fashion, still constrained by popular opinion, yet also diversified by this constraint.

Fashion and Technology Through the Ages

By Mina Thoresen Photographed by Aidan Holland

Fashion design has evolved through the ages to match the needs of the time. Most recently, developments in technology have revolutionized the process of designing and produc

using complicated software, 3D printing, and other technology on the runway. And almost anyone can download a design app and order materials to make their visions a reality.

This was not always the case. Before the sewing machine was invented in 1846, clothes were sewn by hand, required extensive labor, and were designed to last over a decade.

People often had less than five outfits, since making clothes was both time-consuming and costly. Designing and sewing clothes was a full-time profession that people spent years mastering and passed on from generation to generation. This process changed with the Industrial Revolution, which affected nearly every industry, including fashion. Two of the

Elias Howe’s Sewing Machine

ing clothes. Though fashion and technology may seem unrelated, the two are very similar; they have both dramatically evolved throughout the ages, while maintaining their status as an important part of peoples’ lives. The change is evident with the hand-sewn, intricate, and long lasting outfits from the 1700s to the mass-produced clothing and modern innovative design technology. In the modern world, we experience an age where the average person’s clothes are mass-produced faster than anyone from the 18th century could imagine. Designers are

1940s Woman in Nylon Stockings

most prominent changes to the fashion world, brought on by the Industrial Revolution, were the sewing machine and factories. The invention of the sewing machine allowed clothes to be made faster than ever before.

In addition, the mass-production of clothing was made possible by assembly lines and warehouses. These developments made fashion much more accessible to the average person, and allowed designers to experiment and produce substantially larger amounts of clothes.

Advances in technology not only affected clothing production, but also the styles worn and materials used. Designers experimented with forms of plastic from as early as the 1900s. In addition, the invention of the zipper in 1913 simplified taking clothes on and off, and soon it became mainstream in fashion. During World War II, Americans could no longer import silk, leading to the development of nylon as a replacement. It was stronger, more flexible, and lasted longer than previous fabrics. Nylon was not a singular success, but the start of a boom in synthetic fabrics.

Spandex was popularized in the 70s, and is still present in many clothes today. These materials allowed for more comfortable, form-fitting clothing that could stretch to fit a wider variety of sizes and body types. They are now mainstream on the shelves of today’s stores.

The recent technological boom has allowed fashion designers to be more creative and innovative than ever. There are now

Fiber-optic dress designed by Zac Posen for Claire Danes for the 2016 Met Gala

many examples of the integration of fashion and technology; designers utilize 3D printers, project holograms during fashion shows, and utilize fiber optics for glowing designs.

Some designers are even creating wearable software that can monitor the wearer’s heartbeat.

New technology not only allows for futuristic features in runway clothing, but also changes the process of designing. Sophisticated computer programs such as CAD allow professional designers to draw out precise designs on computers and digitally model clothing. There are also many apps for tasks including budgeting, keeping track of materials,

drawing, and designing. Social media and the ease of texting make it easier than ever for designers and models to make connections, advertise their work, and sell their clothes.

In today’s digital age, even people who aren’t designers can design and sew their own clothes. There are countless apps and programs for fashion beginners; they range from game-

mom and grandmother, made my own winter formal skirt. We sewed it mostly by hand, since our sewing machine broke partway into making the dress. But I wondered what designing digitally would be like, so I downloaded a fashion design app to reverse engineer the skirt I had already made. The experience provided me with a good comparison of the two systems. I did not have as much creative freedom in designing the skirt manually, but working with the fabric and pinning it in dif-

Left: Body and outfit templates from Pret-a-Template Right: My Pret-a-Template rendition of my winter formal outfit

like apps with many pre-created templates to pure drawing apps. Apps such as Covet Fashion allow users to shop vicariously through an avatar and put together outfits from pre-designed clothes. Other apps are the opposite, with very few templates that give users the freedom to draw or design whatever they can imagine.

Even someone like me, without design experience, can design and create their own clothes.

I have always wanted to try my hand in designing, so this year I, along with my

ferent ways allowed me to get a better feel for what I could do with the material. Hand-sewing the skirt proved to be a time-consuming task, but it was not as difficult as I had imagined, especially with the help of my mom and grandma, who have sewing experience. I was not able to be as creative as I wanted. I ended up going with a fairly simple design of a semi-transparent skirt over a solid red skirt I already had. However, the experience made me appreciate the difficulty of making your

own clothes, as well as the rewarding feeling of was excellent for both inspiration and creativdesigning and making something for yourself. ity. Upon opening the app, there was a selec Once I had the dress, I wondered what tion of different models: thin and larger adult it would have been like to have designed it be- male and female models, and child models. In forehand with the same tools that modern de- addition to the plain models, there were also signers use today. After doing some research, templates with outlines of different outfits, as I discovered that the computer software used well as pre-created outfits that can be edited. by many professional designers was both ex- I decided to go with a simple template pensive and difficult to use. However, there that had a basic dress outline, and draw on are many apps top of that. The for amateurs, app had options so after reading for many differsome reviews ent shades, color and descripcombinations, and tions, I decided different medito try out a few. ums such as markThe first app I ers, paintbrushes, tried was called and pens in order Fashion Design to create different FlatSketch. This levels of saturation app was good and preciseness. It for inspiration even allowed me to and designpaint with patterns, ing patterns on which is how I templates, but mimicked the flownot very good er polka dots on for creativity the dress and lace or trying to get on the top. Since a specific imI had a sheer skirt age drawn. The and lacy top over a app had a limsolid red skirt and ited number of tank top, this featemplates, and ture came in handy.

My final winter formal outfit did not allow The app allowed for much editme to create a fairing on top of the templates. Because the app ly accurate rendition of my outfit, and I will would not allow for an easy way to draw a full certainly use it again for drawing and designbody outfit, I deleted it and tried another one. ing. Today’s digital age is also a golden age

The second app I tried turned out to be for fashion, and apps such as Pret-a-Template the one I liked. It is called Pret-a-Template and are perfect for aspiring and amateur designers.

Fashion Without Electronics?

By Sophie Chiara

This article is centered around the fundamental question; would fashion be the way we see it today if society weren’t in such an age of technology? With such a wide range of cameras, laptops, editing platforms, and content, there is an endless amount of fashion that can be created. The pictures I’ve taken highlight the contrast in images. Before cameras, artists created distortion with painting, the re-creation of dreams, or encounters with nature. Today, we are closer than ever to capturing those images, which were once only apprehendable through human eyes, in photography.

The vivid colors and sharp lines the eye detects far outweigh any image a camera creates. Yet with a mixture of careful photography and the layering of graphics, a photo comes to life. My illustrations come directly from a source of electricity. Without it, the images would be nonexistent. And yes, in a year or so you’ll probably see these images printed on a T-shirt or something. Keep an eye out ;)

Dancing in the Digital Age

By Deena Martin

Modern Dance

A classic form of artistic expression, dance has repeatedly broken down physical and artistic boundaries throughout history. Dance utilizes the social movements that construct our world to create moving, human masterpieces. Recent technological developments and the emergence of social media shed a spotlight on all aspects of dance - the choreography process, the backstage drama, and certainly the choreographed dance itself. However, critics remark that the instruments of the digital age not only record dance endeavors, but influence them. Moreover, some argue that new technology and social media even limit the possibilities of dance.

Launched February 14, 2005, www.youtube. com serves as a gateway to showcase underground dance styles such as popping, locking, abstract wav-

ing, breakdancing and many more. The dance world, and now the whole world, looked towards the future with eagerness and tenacity as their innumerable choreographies spread across the internet. One of the first viral dance videos, David Elsewhere Bernal’s popping for Korean American talent show, Kollaboration, earned nearly 200 million views just one and a half years after its posting. Soon, a slew of videos inspired by the original began to emerge, ultimately encouraging others to post their own content.

There have now been many viral dance videos, tutorials, commercial dance productions, and snippets of cultural dances that have surfaced on the internet - dance videos the creator intended for viewing on digital devices. Choreography once taught and shared in a personal matter began morphing into

self-taught edits, remixes, and variations. Audiences could interact with dancers through their comments and likes, while dancers could market themselves online, ultimately commercializing the dance world.

This commercialization points to the presence of current dance trends, which emphasize simple, exaggerated movements that typically coordinate with the lyrics of a popular song. For example, despite its popularization by Silentó’s song Watch Me, the nae nae emerged from We Are Toonz’s song and dance video Drop That #NaeNae in 2013. The move consists of slightly bending one’s knees, swaying with shoulder movement, and placing one hand in the air. The rest allows for individual creativity, which is part of the reason behind the trend’s long-lasting and widespread influence. Furthermore, not only do these trends bring about new dance moves, but they also lead to the formation of new dance styles. For example, the song Cha Cha Slide accompanies a pop-

Silentó's Music Video for Watch Me ular dance routine that brought attention to the style of line dancing. Moreover, the creativity and freedom of self-taught internet dancers prompt a current resistance to traditional technique. From this resistance materialized dance styles such as Modern, which is characterized by a free, expressive style of dancing started in the early 20th century as a reaction to classical

Cha Cha Slide ballet. Modern dancing may also include elements of speech, expanding dance from a visual and physical experience of art into an audio experience as well.

The increasing relevance of dance videos intended for internet viewing leads to a re-evaluation of the dance world’s value system. The nature of learning choreography through a digital screen begets the loss of nuances of movement. This loss negatively impacts the defining characteristics of dance itself. Unintentional deception and ubiquity of movement lightly taint the authenticity and artistry of dance. Choreographers now face the question of which holds more importance: the exposure from connecting the dance world with the digital world, or the preservation of quality of dance as an art form. Also, both choreographers and viewers of these online dance trends must differentiate the value of a 30-second dance clip on social media, and a class in a physical dance studio.

The digital dance movement has no doubt increased awareness, participation, and appreciation of dance as an art form. In a way, this movement ingeniously categorizes the vastness of dance without limiting access to any of its forms. However, maintaining the artistry of dance requires a balance; it is up to both the viewer and the choreographer to determine which dances should be publicized, and which dances will benefit from the intimacy of sharing in-person.

Poll: Fashion Favorites

By Jolene Murphy and Kim Marquez 27 people voted on their fashion favorites in this six question poll.

Shopping?

Online In person

What style influences you most?

In person On Instagram I am a trendsetter I just have my own style Not really influenced by other people The late 60s early 70s Both

Have you ever bought anything from an Instagram/social media ad?

Yes No

Where do you see the most fashion ads?

Instagram Facebook YouTube SparkNotes

What was your favorite trend of 2018?

Champion jacket Dad sneakers Fanny pack Plaid pants Puka shell necklaces Other

Is it acceptable to wear Crocs?

Of course! I own a pair myself Yes but I wouldn’t Unsure hEcK nOoOo

Hidden in Highlight

By Alexis Flores and Jamila Jelks Photographed by Ivané Peña Photo Concept by Annika Suderburg

Jamila:

Most of my inspiration for this look

out a little more by drawing subtle attention to

was based on MILK makeup and their

the eye and they tied together the whole look. I

holographic looks. I don’t own any of their highlighters, so I substitut-

also took some of the pink shimmer shades and lightly went

ed with the CoverFX Glitter

over the but-

Drops. I used two shades,

ton of my nose

Mirage and Aurora, to help

and brow bone

enhance the colors shown on

to help com-

my face. These shades added

pliment the

more of a pop to the highlight

glitter drops.

that was underneath it. For

highlight, I used the Anasta-

I was excit-

sia Beverly Hills That Glow

ed to do this

kit in the shades Bubbly and

look because

Dripping in Gold. When I

of the various

In all,

apply my highlight, I usually focus on the button of my nose and the bridge,

models and companies I’ve seen join the holographic trend.

my cheekbones, and the brow bone. Around the

Companies such as MILK makeup and Gloss-

eyes I went for a more of a pinkish look in an

ier promote natural or no-makeup makeup

attempt to match with the glitter drops in the

looks with creamy and organic products. I was

color Mirage. I used two Morphe pallets, 35v

not particularly skilled in makeup when I first

and 9c, and the Huda Beauty Mauve Obsessions discovered these brands; however, the way they palette to create my eye look. In my crease, I

portrayed their models inspired me to wear

used more of a maroon shade to make it easier

minimal face makeup. Seeing that they started

to blend in light colors. I tried to make the

to photograph their models with glossy lids and

shadow closer to pink than red, so I went in

heavy highlight sparked an idea in my head. I thought more about how I could change up my plain makeup look. I usually do false lashes and fill in my brows when going to a birthday party or a formal event. Most of what I did on myself

with the Mauve Obsessions palette with two pink shimmer shades for my inner corner. These shimmer shades helped make the look stand

is influenced from seeing photos of the MILK models and how their makeup looked effortless, especially my inner corner highlight.

Alexis: My look was inspired by the recur-

much because it complements all skin tones and

ring monochromatic vibe I’ve seen recently all

has little gold flecks in it that glisten beautifully

over social media. Along with this trend, I took

in the sun.

inspiration from runway models who sport the

When apply-

dewy and glowy look. Both of these looks are

ing my high-

very achievable and all you really need to com-

lighter, I try to

plete it is your favorite highlighter and a solid

focus it on the

color to base the makeup around. For my eyes

high points of

I went in with a vibrant pink shade from my

my face to give

Anastasia Beverly Hills pallet and packed pur-

the illusion of

ple highlighter on my lid from a highlighting

higher cheek-

quad by the same brand. For my base I kept it

bones, slimmer

simple and safe with my favorite foundation by

nose, and so on. To finish off any look, I think

Fenty and chiseled out my cheekbones with my

the perfect pair of false lashes are a necessity. My

Anastasia Beverly Hills contour kit. One of my

personal favorites are the Ardell Demi wispies to

personal favorite highlighters that will never fail

just add more depth to the eyes. I kept it simple

to capture the light is the Becca highlighter in

with this small, yet fluttery pair so my eyeshad-

the shade Champagne Pop. I love this shade so

ow didn’t get totally covered up.

While preparing for this shoot, I was not quite sure of what I was going to do with my makeup and hair but quickly found inspiration through social media and runway models. I think social media is an amazing tool to find inspiration and make your looks your own. While everyone is sharing their own looks on one platform, there is also so much room for self expression and different interpretations of the exact same look or trend. I know for myself and many of my peers, finding a trend on Instagram for example, and trying it out on yourself can be such a fun experience and one can actually find a new favorite look. This is exactly what happened

for me during this shoot when I tried out a pur-

the odds and combinations are endless. I have a

ple highlighter for the first time. I actually ended new found love for unusual colored highlighters and the holographic trend that I will sport up using it as eyeshadow. Personally, this is my favorite part of makeup, as it is so versatile and

forever.

Spring Lookbook

By Josephine Lo and Lauren Tapert

As the seasons change and we transition from winter to spring, it is time to put away those long-sleeved knits, big coats, and chunky sweaters in favor of something a little more cool. All of these outfits were created for you to draw inspiration from. We paired the chosen top and bottom with recurring colors to create an easy, effortless look. Finding the perfect statement piece for this spring season is what will make your look stand out - whether it’s the perfect bag, a new belt, or some stylish shoes. Spring is the perfect time of the year to try out some new outfits and out-of-the-box styles. In this lookbook, you can find the latest trends with a clean-cut look that will be sure to help you stand out this coming season.

The looks you are about to see are all inspired by current songs that we believe are perfect to listen to during the spring season. We chose music from artists Frank Ocean, Lana Del Rey, LANY, and Lil Yachty, as their works coincide with shift into the spring spirit and ambiance.

Left: Lady in Yellow Lil Yachty Lauren wears an Urban Outfitters halter top and pants Below: Novacane Frank Ocean Urban Outfitters top with a thrifted belt and Brandy Melville trousers

Far Left: B Lana del R Zara blazer dress

Left: Malib LANY Urban Ou jacket

Right: Pin Frank Oce American A Urban Ou thrifted ski

Black Beauty Rey r and Silence and Noise

bu Nights

utfitters dress and thrifted

nk+White ean Apparel bodysuit (under) utfitters black long sleeve and irt

Brooklyn Baby Lana Del Rey Urban Outfitters jacket with thrifted skirt

Japanese Denim Frank Ocean Topshop jean jacket and Truly Madly Deeply top with Lee jeans and Louis Vuitton bag

West Coast Lana Del Rey Thrifted gingham dress with Bloomindale’s shoes

Lolita Lana Del Rey Free People top and skirt with pink Chanel purse

What’s in a Niche?

Instagram’s Role in the Connection Between Fashion and Music

By Lilly Sayenga There is nothing quite so unique and yet so strange as the relationship of the modern teenager with one of the world’s most-used social media

platforms: Instagram. Despite its plethora of applicabilities to nearly every element of our lives, a deeper dive into certain follower bases shows that in fashion, there is unity, plus a corresponding playlist.

Enter the niche meme, or moodboard: a wave of accounts that typically appeal to the teenage girl with an interest in the alternative and indie aesthetics, although they can be adaptable to fit anyone’s style. Often, they focus around a certain theme, drawing inspiration from a film or song to become a collection of clothing and objects covered by a healthy dose of film grain. Seemingly pioneered by @catharticmemefairy, one of such accounts that boasts a one hundred thirty-two thousand follower base, owner Deanna Whitlow’s ideas have brought together a community of teenage girls who love music and fashion and would kill to be living in the 1990s.

Often, these accounts tend to imbue their posts with a tone of satire, mocking the stereotypes that permeate throughout pop culture and even within their own niche. It

is for that reason that their posts are often referred to as niche memes, for although they don’t resemble a typical meme, and arguably wouldn’t be classifiable as actual memes, they encompass a certain type of humor that only a small and specific audience, or niche, would understand and appreciate.

The indie teen, so iconic and yet all too often dismissed by society, finds its home in this digital refuge of young women who understand the thrill and significance of Vampire Weekend releasing new music after a six year hiatus. Mixing together older and more trendy ideas of what it means to dress well and nuture a personality that embraces counterculture, mood boards are meant to inspire enthusiasm and deep appreciation for fashion and its connections to the arts.

They also promote the understanding that artists are unique and should be given more recognition for their contributions to society. Moodboards offer a comfort similar to what scrapbooking has in years past- a place to put ideas in hopes that someone else will understand them. For the modern-day girl in her small, highly-curated digital world, people do. And from that understanding comes a comforting sort of magic that helps to keep them going.

Transition to Digital Art

By Maggie O’Hagan

1

To start my first digital drawing, I did a rough sketch of my idea with traditional materials.

2

Then, I did a digital drawing over the original sketch.

3 I created a layer of the girl’s skin using various mixed colors, different brush techniques, and tools all on the Procreate app.

4

After the girl, I created the boy’s skin. As I had never done a digital drawing before, I was completely winging the whole process. I found myself looking up a multitude of Youtube videos for help as I created different skin tones and mixed them together.

5

Finally, I darkened some of the original line art and added in all the layers on top of each other. Overall, I am pleased with my first ever digital drawing.

Though I previously had no experience with digital art, I hope to dive more into this new world.

Modern-Day Renaissance Social Media Then versus Now

By Mia Dooley It’s common knowledge that over the last fifteen or so years, the modern world has experienced a digital media renaissance. In fact, the vast majority of high school students today can’t even reminisce about their childhood without recalling some form of technology. I can still remember playing dress-up with my friends and rummaging through my mom’s makeup while she just waited to snap the most embarrassing photo possible on her camera. Thank God none of the pictures have ever been posted on social media. Young children these days aren’t so lucky as things like Facebook and Instagram allow parents to easily share photos. When you think about it, it’s incredible how quickly social media developed into what it is today, and how fast it became part of our everyday lives. Social media now defines not only how we share our lives with others, but also how we find inspiration from other people’s lives. But have you ever wondered how we got to this point?

Believe it or not, our digital media renaissance has its roots in, well, the Renaissance. In the 16th century, people began documenting social relationships in what was called the alba amicorum, or friendship books. Men of nobility throughout northern Europe used these books to document their travels and meetings with new people. Everyone filled each others’ books with things like signatures, personal messages, drawings, song lyrics, and poems. Even women kept friendship books, but because women usually did not have as many opportunities to travel as men, their books were instead filled from cover to cover with stories, gossip, advice, and even jokes.

Social media reflects this communicative aspect of friendship books in its use as a tool of communication and in documenting lives over time. Women’s friendship books were actually a more accurate reflection of the daily life of the time, and they’re

Friendship Book, or Alba Amicorum

strikingly similar to how social media is used today.

The one quality many friendship books came to have in common, however, was their depiction of the fashion of the time. They often contained colorful and detailed drawings of men and women from different social classes. It comes as no surprise that those from wealthy families dressed to impress, but these books also depicted how quickly the fashion of the times changed. Given the fact that sharing friendship books with others was a big part of the social scene, it wouldn’t be too far off to assume that people drew inspiration from the outfits they saw. The same

goes for social media nowadays, as many Instagram accounts revolve around fashion as a means of self-expression. It may seem like a novel concept to us today, but the desire to share our lives with others and draw inspiration has been ingrained in us for centuries.

Friendship books were not the only form of social media during the Renaissance. Wunderkammern, or Cabinets of Curiosities, were yet another way for the aristocracy to capture the happenings of the world. A Cabinet of Curiosities was a room within a person’s house filled to the brim with items that were meant to summarize the world to the very corners of the Earth (Brown University). Collections were generally organized into four categories. Artificialia were objects created by humans, such as art, cultural objects, clothing, and books. The Naturalia category featured various deformed or mystical creatures, making it a mix of fact and fiction. Exotica were preserved plants and animals found all around the world, and Scientifica was a collection of scientific instruments and new discoveries. Of course, not every wunderkammern was exactly the same; each one often reflected the interests and beliefs of the person who assembled it. At the time, Cabinets of Curiosities played a big role in feeding peoples’ sometimes perverse curiosity of the mysterious unknown. Today, the internet and social media feed this desire, and with more freedom than ever before. Anybody with a device and wifi connection can post whatever they want online. Websites, Instagram accounts, and other sites have become an easy outlet to display niche interests or new ideas. But this freedom does come with a high cost.

Thousands of people around the world now make their living by posting YouTube videos and Instagram photos. Many also do it just for fun, but the mass volume of people contributing to the ever-changing fashion trends has created what is known as fast fashion; the cheap, inexpensive, unethical clothing that is rapidly produced in response to the latest trends. Fast fashion perpetuates a throwaway culture where clothes hold little to no value; we seem to have lost the sacredness that fashion held in both the alba amicorum and wunderkammern. Thankfully, though, we seem to be slowly moving in a positive direction, as more and more people are learning how to build a sustainable and ethical closet.

So, there you have it. That is how we got to this point of self-expression on social media, and that is how it has changed the value of our self-expression over recent years. But the latest social media renaissance is bringing back the value of self-expression, and in a way that is perhaps better and more aware than the Renaissance itself.

Cabinet of Curiosities

Fast Fashion

Spring 2019 Contributors Sophie Chiara, Mia Dooley, Alexis Flores, Galilea Garcia, Nikolai Garcia, Daniella Gersh, Aidan Holland, Jamila Jelks, Madeline Laun, Long Lin, Josephine Lo, Kimberly Marquez, Deena Martin, Jolene Murphy, Will Murray, Maggie O’Hagan, Ivané Peña, Gabriela Rizzi, Lilly Sayenga, Annika Suderburg, Lauren Tapert, and Mina Thoresen

Cover Look

Makeup by Daniella Gersh Modeled by Long Lin Photographed by Nikolai Garcia

Special Thanks to

Ellen Slatkin & Keira Wight for their guidance and expertise & Ms. Kathy for her consistent support

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What’s in a Niche?

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Fashion and Social Media

By Galilea Garcia

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Digital Media Renaissance

By Mia Dooley

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Dancing in the Digital Age

By Deena Martin

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Spring 2019