Brownstone PRESENTS
THE STYLE ISSUE
Brownstone Editor-in-Chief JAYWON ERIC CHOE Managing Editor
KELSEY DESIDERIO Executive Editor
JAKE FLANANGIN Art Director
FRANCIS POON Deputy Managing Editor
RUSSELL STEINBERG Assistant Managing Editor
KIRSTEN CHANG CONTRIBUTORS CONTRIBUTING EDITORS
CRISTINA CORVINO MACKENZIE GAVEL JORDIN ROCCHI KRISTINA RODULFO EMILY VIEMEISTER CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER
TORRIE FOX FOREIGN CORRESPONDENT
BRIDGETTE DORAN
advising DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS
MICHAEL SUMMERS editorial adviser
keith leighty
About WSN: Washington Square News (ISSN 15499389) is the student newspaper of New York University. WSN is published Monday through Thursday during NYU’s academic year, except for university holidays, vacations and exam periods. Corrections: WSN is committed to accurate reporting. When we make errors, we do our best to correct them as quickly as possible. If you believe we have erred, contact managing editor Kelsey Desiderio at managing@nyunews.com or at 212.998.4302.
nyunews.com
3
Welcome A NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
his issue of Brownstone was a particular pleasure to put together. While the Washington Square News produces a biannual fashion issue, FRINGE, which you can look forward to later this semester, the Student Style issue of Brownstone is unique in that it focuses on the personal style of specific NYU students. The process, as I’m sure my fellow editors will agree, was both exciting and inspiring. These “tastemakers” were discovered primarily through word-of-mouth, with our editors conversing with their friends and classmates about who on campus emits a unique and inspiring aesthetic. This is represented, from what I’ve found, a widespread phenomenon going on in the various design industries that has refocused on ordinary people and not on supermodels or celebrities. After all, art consultant Shala Monroque graced the cover of New York magazine’s fall fashion issue. Bloggers like Jane Aldridge and Scott Schumann have become the new trendsetters. Street style is the fashion magazine. And now, more and more, followers of fashion trends are looking to the faces behind industry activity – editors, photographers and stylists who were previously invisible – for inspiration. With help from social media, the diffusion of style through interpersonal means has far surpassed the traditional channels of films and advertisements. This is undeniably an exciting time for the culture of fashion and style. In this issue, you can read not only about your fellow students, and the ways they express their own tastes, but about faculty at NYU who have proven résumés of success in one of the world’s most competitive industries. On top of that, you can read on how NYU students, without access to fashion-specific academic programs, can best prepare for careers in the industry. So please, take this issue as an opportunity to find inspiration in your fellow classmates and take practical advice from talented industry veterans. This issue is not only about students, but for students. Enjoy.
— Jake Flanagin, Executive Editor
4
The
Tastem WE SEARCHED
high and low for some of the most stylish individuals in the NYU community. These “Tastemakers,” as their title suggests, dictate taste by displaying their own, enviable senses of style. Whether they’re channeling Bing Crosby or Diana Vreeland, these students are more than just sharp dressers. They’ve developed a cohesive, aesthetic identity that is inspiring not only for its looks, but for the confidence it radiates. Enjoy this snapshot into their lives, and let them inspire you to cultivate your own stylish confidence. PHOTOGRAPHY BY TORRIE FOX STYLING BY Allison Becker
6
10
14
LINDSAY KELBE
ADAM DEGONDA
ALISON DRISCOLL
5
makers 16
20
22
24
NICOLE CAPOZZI
CHRIS BARTLETT
MITCHELL DUDAS
PATRICIA LENNOX
10
7
SOPHOMORE | CAS: ART HISTORY
LINDSAY KELBE Style Icon: Audrey Hepburn Shops At: Lord & Taylor and vintage boutiques in SoHo Favorite Labels: Valentino, Elie Saab, Alexander McQueen, Marchesa Favorite Artists: Claude Monet, Edgar Degas, Giovanni Boldini Ideal Job: Vogue or the Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art
8
“I would describe my style as elegant, feminine and classic.�
9
10
SOPHOMORE | STERN: BUSINESS MANAGEMENT
ADAM DEGONDA Style Icon: Ryan Gosling and Mickey Drexler Shops At: Macy’s: “I was raised on Macy’s. They have everything.” Favorite Labels: Ralph Lauren, Kenneth Cole, Tommy Hilfiger, J. Crew Would Never Be Caught Dead In: T-shirts, sneakers, or anything sporty — unless I’m at the gym.
11
10
“I keep it pretty simple. I dress old for my age, and I’m not adventurous with things. I’ve been told I dress like an Italian, which I take as a great compliment. I take everything to the tailor.”
11
14
SOPHOMORE | GALLATIN: American News Media and Pop Culture
Alison Driscoll Style Icon: Margot Tenenbaum Shops At: J. Crew and Madewell Item I’D Kill For: A Burberry trench
11
“My style is basically J. Crew meets ‘The Breakfast Club,’ with more denim. Denim on camel on denim on denim.”
10
17
JUNIOR | GALLATIN: Psychosexual AFFECTS OF THE MEDIA ON ADOLESCENCE
Nicole Capozzi
Style Icon: The Olsen Twins: “They wear large sweaters, too.” Shops At: Urban Outfitters and Free People: “I want to say I go to thrift stores, but I totally don’t.”
Favorite Labels: Jeffrey Campbell (for shoes), ASOS (for clothes) Item I’d Kill For: A double-finger lion ring
10
19
10
21
FRESHMAN | LSP
Chris Bartlett Style icon: Tom Ford, Alexander Wang Description of style: Play with layers and proportions while still looking minimalist ITEM I’D KILL FOR: Prada platform boots
22
SENIOR | STEINHARDT: VOCAL PERFORMANCE
Mitchell Dudas Style icon: Ralph Lauren Describe your style: Upscale comfort ITEM I’D KILL FOR: A really well-fitting Armani suit
11
10
GALLATIN PROFESSOR
PATRICIA LENNOX
Gallatin professor Patricia Lennox, a long-time veteran of high fashion, tells not only her story, but the story of the fashion’s evolution.
25
BY JORDIN ROCCHI “The old breed” is a term I came across while reading about World War II which, in that context, seemed to explicitly refer to a group of men who existed in an older era. Their mannerisms, their stories and the immense respect that people held for them took root in their coming from “the good old days.” Gallatin professor Patricia Lennox is of that old breed, if not in the traditional sense, then certainly in the romantic one. Lennox’s path to becoming the professor of courses like “Fashion’s Fictions: The Texts of Clothing” and “Myths and Fables in Popular Culture” sounds like the result of one happy accident after another— her way of finding herself through spontaneous decisions and serious decisions juxtaposing just enough to create a decidedly cool history. Her story started, like many do, in a small town. Lennox remembers the sense of having outgrown Seventeen Magazine, which up until then had been her bible. She then discovered Vogue. “Here was this world of absolute sophistication, of beauty, excitement, everything,” she said. Lennox would eventually work for the magazine but not until she graduated college, worked at Time Magazine and turned what was supposed to be a six-month backpacking trip across Europe into an almost 20-year stay, a voyage she described as brilliant and fabulous. When Lennox came back to New York, she was offered the opportunity to work for Vreeland at the Metropolitan Museum’s Costume Institute. “It was an education,” Lennox said. “She was amazing. I
learned a lot about fashion, about the people who worked in it, the people I would telephone, the people [who] she helped.” She saw André Leon Talley, former editor-at-large at Vogue, “come out of the egg,” who Lennox remembered fascinated former Vogue editor-in-chief Dianna Vreeland, something that contributed to the most important lesson that she would learn from the older woman. “[Vreeland] used to say, ‘Style is what gets you up in the morning, it’s what makes it all worth while.’” Lennox paused for a second, then admitted, “she was right.” After working there for a year, Lennox left for graduate school, motivated by a love of theater and costume history. After graduating, Lennox eventually ended up at NYU, where fashion-oriented students would approach her with questions about books on fashion’s ancient history. Having suggested “The Epic of Gilgamesh” to many students, she proposed a course, feeling that students wouldn’t be able to see the whole picture reading the texts independent of a teacher. Now Lennox teaches “quite possibly the only fashion course in the world [in which students] read Utopia.” Tastemaking, as Lennox sees it, has roots in the Stone Age and is a transcendent quality that affects all ages of fashion. When looking back on a painting of a girl from this early era, she cannot help but put the young woman’s fashion in modern terms. “From day one there’s a mix of adornment and allurement,” Lennox said. “The desire to put on a new string skirt is just there — it’s always there with the human condition.”
26
Prepping for
Alterntatives to fashi BY KRISTINA RODULFO Steinhardt sophomore Claire Knebl is in the back of a taxi, returning to NYU after attending a Teen Vogue event at Lincoln Center for Fashion Week. She’s read the magazine since she was 13 and just last year landed an internship there, working for the fashion news director, whose job she would love to have one day. Knebl is just one of many NYU students who dreams of a career in fashion journalism. They dream of front-row seats to runway shows, of their name printed at the top of mastheads and of directing the photo shoots that fill the pages of the industry’s most read glossies. In a city where fashion is both accessible and celebrated, finding a career in the industry is realistic for any student with the right work ethic. While nearby schools like Parsons The New School For Design, Pratt Institute and Fashion Institute of Technology offer specialized programs in fashion design and industryspecific communications and management, NYU offers no formal programs of such kind. Students hopeful of
futures in the fashion industry have to be creative. “I always knew from the get-go that I wanted to do fashion journalism, so I tailored everything with that in mind,” said 2008 NYU graduate Paula Lee, now an accessories assistant at Marie Claire. Lee said she took advantage of journalism courses at NYU related to fashion. 2011 NYU graduate Andrea Ng, currently a press assistant at Phillip Lim, prepared for a career in fashion public relations by majoring in media, culture and communication in Steinhardt. She suggested creating a combination of classes, ranging from media criticism to marketing. A fashion and power class in Steinhardt however, is what she felt was most beneficial. “[Professor Anna] Akbari is an amazing professor and has worked in the fashion industry for many years,” Ng said. “The class forces students to look at fashion in an analytical and objective way.” Akbari, a 2001 NYU graduate who specializes in the sociology of fashion, doesn’t think students should gear their undergraduate studies solely on their desired career. She advised students to experiment and pursue what they are interested in, but to work hard at it. “Get your foot in the door by hustling and getting
27
the industry
fashion programs at NYU internships, experiences and jobs in school or while you’re at home over the summer.” Aside from building an academic base in the humanities and communications, the key to securing an entry-level position in the fashion industry is internships. Gallatin junior Elizabeth Mantel has held internships at Charlotte Ronson, Sophomore, Harper’s Bazaar and is currently interning at Marc Jacobs. “I’ve been in retail and publishing, and now I’m in a fashion house,” she said. “You get to see everything, like how a magazine works,” she said. “You work with the editors, go behind the scenes – when you’re there, you just absorb everything.” In such a competitive field, getting an internship may feel like a reward in itself, but Akbari warns that it may not be as glamorized as it seems. “It’s a lot of grunt work,” she said. “It’s not glamorous. It’s understanding your entry point and hustling no matter what the task.” Lee, now in a position where she hires interns herself, believes magazines prefer enthusiastic candidates. “More than anything, it’s about your passion,” she said. “This is what you want to do, so show your interest.”
Lee also explained that magazines appreciate wellroundedness. Extra-curricular activities at campus publications and special interest groups demonstrate diverse interest and unique experience. Fashion groups on campus, in particular, are ideal for boosting your résumé. “I think my activities helped me the most,” Ng said. “I learned so much about pitching, researching and dealing with industry people.” Although the fashion industry is often likened to an exclusive club, NYU students seems to be at no disadvantage just because the university doesn’t offer explicitly fashion-based programs. Being a self-starter and tailoring coursework, with the addition of outside-of-the-classroom learning, gives one the know-how to drive straight into the industry before you even land your first job. “The process starts while you’re at school, not when you graduate,” Akbari said. “It isn’t going to be about what you majored in at NYU, it’s about the relationships that you built.” In a previous version of this article, WSN incorrectly reported that Anna Akbari graduated in 2010. In fact, she graduated in 2001. WSN regrets the error.
28
Fieldguide to NYU Fashion BY JAKE FLANAGIN ILLUSTRATIONS BY JOURDAN ENRIQUEZ
29
Over-ear headphones Enlarged for maximum listening quality and maximum douchebaggery
Vintage-inspired sunglasses Because actual vintage sunglasses will just fall apart
Facial hair Meticulously manicured to look unmanicured
Bowtie Ironically formal
Cardigan Because crewnecks are for lemmings
Oxfords Beneath which lie gaping, blistering sores
The Male Hipster
30
Oversized beaniE To protect against the early September chill
Patterned scarf She owns more of these than any other item, clothing or not
Plastic-framed glasses Won’t let you try them on for fear you’ll discover they’re non-prescription
The Female Hipster Transparent skirt To show off slouchy socks
Slouchy socks To provide an excuse for wearing a transparent skirt
Combat boots Just in case she needs to engage in combat over a table at Think Coffee
31
Mohawk…? Actually, we have no idea what this is called
The Punk FACIAL PIERCING
Studded leather vest
An attempt to “shock-and-awe” by contracting tetanus
Because sleeves are so mainstream
Artisan coffee Starbucks mistreats its beans
T-shirt and jeans $3 from Good Will and $200 from Rag & Bone, respectively
32
The Hippie Hair Unreasonably long and intentionally unwashed
Beard See hair
Drug rug Purchased in San Francisco, rather than Tijuana, made from the finest alpaca wool $12.99 can buy
Cut-offs Same pair worn yesterday, and the day before that, and the day before that.
BOBS shoes Because TOMS has lost its ethicality now that everyone else started wearing them
33
Hair The signature topknot, to suggest minimal effort when, in fact, the opposite is true
Dress Actually just a really long shirt
Bangles A useful weapon to batter competing shoppers at Barney’s sample sales
Bag $2,000 from Chloé, purchased with Daddy’s credit card
The Fashionista Shoes Platform sandals, which have nearly caused eight separate ankle breakages
Brownstone