Spark Magazine No. 7

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On Cover: JEWELRY | Sugar Gay Isber TRIM JACKET | Kasper Pipe

KATHERINE KYKTA Editor-in-Chief

Managing Editor ELLIE WENDLAND Art Director ERNEST CHAN Assistant Art Director ILANA GRABARNIK Assistant Art Director KARAN MAHENDROO Business Director MARILYN ARTEAGA Treasurer BRIANNA SEIDEL Head of Advertising and Marketing EDUARDO GONZALEZ Head of Public Relations KALPANA SATISH Assistant of Public Relations ABBY WILLS Head Event Coordinator OLIVIA WINKEL Assistant Head Event Coordinator SYDNEY HARKLAU Creative Director TONY REDMER Head of Hair and Makeup MAIYA EVANS Assistant Head of Hair and Makeup MARIAH BECERRA Head Model Coordinator ALAYNA ENOS Head Photographer SISSY MARTIN Head Stylist VERONICA LOZANO Assistant Head Stylist VICTORIA BASS Assistant Head Stylist NATALIE SENDUKAS Writing Director AIDEN PARK Writing Director NIKKI LASALLA Writing Director SAMANTHA BOLF Staff REBECCA ADAMS CHRISTY AGNELLO JAC ALFORD SARRAH ALI MARGARET AMBERSON ASHLEY ARREOLA NATALIE ARRIAGA ZAHRA ATZURI JULIENNE BAJUSZ CHANNING BAKER ELLIE BAZIL IRIS BILICH ANDREW BLUMFIELD VERONICA BOCCARDO CAROLINE BOLANO DIANA BONILLA ANDREW BYRNE DENISE CANDELO JOHANA CARRIZALES JULIAN CASTILLO MICHELLE CHIOU CLAUDIA CHANG HANNA CHUNG RACHEL COOK JENNA COVARRUBIAS NATASHA DAOUDI CARLEY DEARDORFF BROOKE LYNN DECKER ISHA DIGHE LAURA DOAN DANIELLE DOWELL REBEKAH EDWARDS ETHAN ELKINS

SOHEYLA ESCHER EMAN ESFANDI SAMANTHA FAVELA KIANA FERNANDEZ ALLIE FITZGERALD ISAIAH GARCIA LONDON GIBSON LINDA GOMEZ ALLEGRA GONZALEZ-ABREU MATTISON GOTCHER EBANIE GRIFFITH JOSHUA GUENTHER SAUMYA GUPTA ASHLEY HALABI TAYLOR HALL LAURA HALLAS ANNA HANSTROM MAYA HAWS-SHADDOCK ALANA HERNANDEZ ELIAS HINOJOSA ADDISON HOLLENSED EMMA HOLMES MACKENZIE HOWARD SARAH HU KEVIN HWANG NIKOO IRANPOUR AKHILA JANAPATI ANDIE KENT REILLY KING OLIVIA LANDRY SHELBY LIGHT AMANDA MACFARLANE SYDNEY MAHL JACLYN MANERI

LEONOR MARTINS BONNIE MCENNIS ANDY MEDINA PAOLA MENA ANGELA MONTALVO HANA MULLIQI MADELEINE MUNFORD SARAH MUNOZ MADDY MURRAY MICHELLE MUSGRAVE ERIKA NAJERA AUDREY NGUYEN AMY ONG MEAGAN OTTEN CAROLINE OTTO APRIL OWUSU TULSI PATEL ANNYSTON PENNINGTON MELINA PEREZ MEGAN PERRIN BECKY PHUNG ANNIE POOL SHAFEEN QAZI JAMILA RAJA JACQUELINE RAMIREZ ALEXA RAY RACHEL REAL PENELOPE REVELO CARLIE ROBERSON ANNA ROBERTS TATIANA ROBERTS CLARE ROBINSON CAROLINE ROCK ABIGAIL ROSENTHAL

EMILY RUIZ ATHENA SAZESH SHERIDAN SCHOLTZ MEGAN SCHUETZ HANNAH SEAVEY SHIVANI SHAH KARA SHERMAN HANNAH SHIH CORY SIMMONS ASHLEIGH SNYDER RACHEL SPROSS SHELBY STEBLER GABRIELA TAN MICHAEL TATALOVICH MARIA TANGAROVA JESSICA TERAN SARAH THRASH CAITLIN TOPHAM CASSIE HAITHANH TRAN LAUREN TRAN SARAH TRAN ANDREW TRAN CODY TREJO BONNIE TRIGG CAROLINE TSAI RAMANIKA UPNEJA MADELINE WELLS JOSEPH WILSON NAILI WOELPER JOANNE XU SYLVIA YANG LYDIA YU IRIS ZAMARRIPA EMILIANO ZAPATA

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CONTENTS

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EDITOR’S LETTER

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BILL CUNNINGHAM IMMORTALIZED

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CELEBRITY-ISM

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POWER IN A POP OF PINK

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CITY OF STYLE

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AIN’T LAURENT WITHOUT SLIMANE

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FASHION COMES IN MULTITUDES

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SEX, ANDROGYNY, & ROCK ‘N’ ROLL

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RADICAL LUXURY

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32” - 22” - 33”

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COPYCAT

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VOTE

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FROM PAST, TO PRESENT

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PRICE DISSECTION: ONE GIANT PUZZLE

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THE AVENUES OF SHOPPING

CONSUMERISM

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BAREFACED & BEAUTIFUL

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MANUS X MACHINA

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HELIX

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MUSE OR MANNEQUIN

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MUSIC: AN INFLUENCE IN CULTURE

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NIGHTBIRD

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SOUTHERN GOTHIC

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60’S MOD: THE DRESS OF THE FUTURE

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ETHICAL FASHION

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ANNA & GRACE

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THE DOOR TO DIOR

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NOT ONE, NOT TWO, BUT THREE

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FASHION, BEAUTY, & EAST ASIA

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UNTITLED

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S PA R K / Spark Magazine is a student-run fashion publication at The University of Texas at Austin that aims to cultivate a creative space for individuals to develop as young professionals and to engage the community in an ongoing dialogue about the role of fashion in everyday life.

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EDITOR’S LETTER

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ne of my most distinct childhood memories is sneaking into my parent’s room while they were on a date-night. I forewent a bedtime story with the babysitter for a stack of magazines carefully placed on the covers of their bed. First, I picked up the biggest one. It said “Vogue.” I had the big book carefully nestled between my legs as I flipped through the hundreds of larger-than-life photos. They were like nothing I had ever seen before – colorful, haunting, thought provoking. I felt as if I had discovered a secret and I wanted to inspect more of these huge books. Now, here I am in my fifth season with Spark Magazine, working with an incredible team to make our own huge book.

Here at Spark, fashion means taking risks. We are not afraid to talk about what is unsettling in the world of fashion with an unbiased and creative approach. We tirelessly dissect changes, big or small in expression, while acknowledging the fundamental meaning of clothes.

I am proud to represent a student organization that stands firmly in its mission to educate and encourage students in everything from photography to publication. This fall, we implemented a new initiative in order to align Spark more closely with the professional magazine industry. The leadership team created the opportunity for staff to submit and pitch one’s own editorial and written work in addition to the work that was assigned to their teams. By doing this, we opened up the opportunity for anyone to be a part of an editorial team and introduced some healthy competition for page space. This exciting new idea was conceptualized and managed by Spark’s creative director and my right and left hand, Tony Redmer.

This magazine is possible because of the ceaseless passion and efforts of Spark's leadership team and staff who, together, form a one-of-a-kind community of creative thinkers. We hope you find this issue of Spark to be as colorful, haunting, and thought provoking as the magazines of my childhood. Thank you for letting Spark be a part of your creative journey.

XOXO,

Katherine Kykta Editor-in-Chief 7

Bill Cunningham IMMORTALIZED Fashion icons rise and fall like mountains: a dance of denim from the ‘80s, an endearingly uncool fanny pack from the ‘90s, the still-too-soon trend of baggy pants from the 2000s. Some fads have left us for the better, while others might be missed. None, however, are wholly forgotten.

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Writer: Aiden Park, Copy Editor: Joanne Xu, Stylist: Natalie Sendukas, Photographer: London Gibson, Models: Caroline Tsai, Julian Castillo, Kara Sherman, Maria Tangarova, HMUA: Saumya Gupta, Tulsi Patel, Layout: Ernest Chan

STRIPED PANTS | Ermine Vintage TWEED CULOTTES | Top Drawer BLACK HAT | Top Drawer BROWN SHIRT | Top Drawer

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VEST | Revival Vintage BLACK TOP | Revival Vintage SNAKESKIN PANTS | Top Drawer WESTERN SHIRT | Top Drawer

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hotographer Bill Cunningham resiliently captured the art of streetwear since the 1960s. He was the subject of “Bill Cunningham New York,” a 2010 documentary chronicling his work for the New York Times street fashion column “On the Street.” The art he did for the Times highlighted the trends of New York, and in turn the world. Although Cunningham died last summer at the age of 87, his shots are immortalized in print and his legacy is engraved in the minds of innumerable fashion enthusiasts.

In “Bill Cunningham New York,” Cunningham is illustrated as a hummingbird, forever whirling away on his red Schwinn bicycle. At 79 years old, he travels up and down Manhattan as if he’s merely stretching. Cunningham dedicates his life to documenting the birds of paradise that dot the New York City streets.

Nothing can stop Cunningham from getting a picture of an interesting heel or preposterous pattern. Cunningham “climbs over you to get it,” said Kim Hastreiter, close friend and editor of Paper magazine. “He was like a war photographer that way, except that what he was photographing were clothes.”

In the same way a war photographer captures an iconic event, Cunningham captures years of trends we’ve come to instantly associate with specific moments in history. The ‘80s wouldn’t be the ‘80s without giant hair and shoulder pads. In “Bill Cunningham New York,” the importance of Cunningham unfolds slowly; at first he is a kooky old man you can’t help but adore, but by the end, we come to un-

derstand Cunningham as an indispensable American historian.

In the documentary, Cunningham is emblematic. His closest friends have no idea where eats, what he does when he’s not working or even anything about his love life. Ironically, Cunningham says he attends church every Sunday, a fact that may stand out as odd for someone who rarely follows a schedule.

Watching the film after Cunningham’s death, the documentary embodies a new, tragic life of its own. Part of the movie’s narrative details Cunningham’s forced removal from Carnegie Hall’s apartments to make room for businesses and rehearsal spaces; his home for four decades so soullessly ripped from him. The grandiose residences directly above Carnegie Hall, once swathed in a rich creative history, are now home to lifeless administration offices and rehearsal areas.

Through personal anecdotes of tenants who’ve lived there since the 1940s, the documentary explores bitter themes of fleetingness. Agnes de Mille’s studio, where she first choreographed the iconic musical “Oklahoma!,” is now a dull tan carpet intermixed with carbon copy cubicles. Criminally, Cunningham’s old apartment, once adorned with rows of file cabinets stuffed with every photo ever taken by him, is now a nest of telemarketers. The decades of splendor have been replaced with the dulls of the modern-day workplace exactly the opposite of what Cunningham’s work epitomized. ►

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In 2009, Cunningham was named a living landmark by the New York Landmarks Conservancy. Carnegie Hall was named a historical landmark in 1962. The lives of both New York icons have fostered a world of art, and prove nothing is permanent. Yet somehow, Cunningham immortalized the ephemeral. He collected images of trends and the pulses behind entire cultures.

The film also advocates and advances the art of streetwear. Cunningham himself states he’s bored by fashion no one can wear; in turn, he’s far more interested in the individual, not the celebrity. The streets of New York, while occasionally graced by a celebrity, are usually inhabited by everyday people. A Neapolitan diplomat, an aging french model, a 94-year-old socialite: The tableau of characters who frequent the streets have the same amount of clout a fashion show has, if not more. “[Street style] is ordinary people going about their business, dressed in fascinating ways,” said Harold Koda, curator at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Interestingly, Cunningham got his first camera around the same time street style began to emerge. After receiving a $30 Olympus camera as a gift from celebrated

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photographer David Montgomery, Cunningham was told to use it “like a pen.” His pictures were notes of culture manifested.

Cunningham’s passing is a haunting reminder of human mortality. But his art and meticulous documentation lives on for future centuries, his legacy the inner thread for countless upcoming creatives. Cunningham even inspired The Daily Texan Senior Photographer Juan Figueroa to take up the art of the camera. “In a way, he was a reason why I became interested in photography,” Figueroa said. “Bill provides how people create beauty through their own personal style. Seeking the beauty in whomever he shot has inspired me to develop a more critical but creative eye.”

Bill Cunningham’s historian-like work cemented not only himself in fashion’s alltime greats, but every trend and fad since the ‘60s. “I’ve said many times that we all get dressed for Bill,” Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour said in the documentary. Although Cunningham’s passing is a devastating blow to the fashion world, the film itself is as soothing as his Boston accent sauntering over his yellowed teeth. “I don’t work,” Cunningham said. “I only know how to have fun everyday.” ■

PUFFER VEST | Ermine Vintage

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DENIM TRENCH COAT | Once Biten

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Writer: Mattison Gotcher, Copy Editor: Nikki LaSalla, Stylist: Victoria Bass, Photographer:Mackenzie Howard, Models: Andrew Tran, Shivani Shah, HMUA: Natalie Arriaga, Layout: Ilana Grabarnik, Artist: Maya Haws-Shaddock

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FUR COAT | Ermine Vintage

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he ‘cult celebrating celebrities’ is a way to describe the amount of star-power a single person, or group of persons, has on society. Particularly in the fashion industry. Without the influences of celebrities like Kim Kardashian and Kanye West, fashion would not be as celebrated as it is. It would be simply a business for buyers and sellers, not a industry of ‘who’s wearing what, and how.’

To speak about celebrities in fashion, major credit would have to be given to the Editor and Chief of Vogue Anna Wintour.

Vogue, being the “Fashion Bible,” can single-handedly determine how the fashion world is looked at; with Anna Wintour as the pioneer of this power since her first cover in 1988. Wintour is known for celebrating celebrities. She has placed celebrities on the covers of Vogue in replacement of models, who would usually grace the covers pre-1988. Fashion gurus like Kim Kardashian West, who is ‘famous for being famous’ would not have her star power without the help of Anna Wintour, the culture Vogue (and other factors) have created around the idolization of celebrity-ism.

With this culture comes accessibility. Instagram is a social media app for anyone of any status, to indulge in the pleasure of seeing, even living vicariously through, someone else’s pictures. The most followed instagram accounts are celebrities.

There the lives of our favorite famous

person is in hands reach. With their lives comes glamour, and fashion plays a big role. Celebrities often post pictures of their clothes; whether it be ones they took themselves, or paparazzi’s photos of them going about their daily tasks all the while dressed in designer clothing, and tagging the brands in their post. The glamour is intoxicating, and the accessibility of these posts create the desire to become these people, to have what they’re wearing. This atmosphere creates trends. Fast fashion brands will take these looks and recreate them for a fraction of the designer prices, allowing people of the everyday world to have something luxurious, or something that Kardashian West would wear. Just walk into any fast fashion retailer, such as Forever21, and you’ll find bodysuits, strapped heels, and skin tight nude dresses.

Not only are these celebrities wearing clothes, but they are selling them. It brings in the ethical question of whether or not personal style has meaning if every influential person in fashion is only trying to sell the products and not the personal aesthetic that makes fashion exciting.

Kardashian West’s ‘uniform’ is so easy to copy, that it creates a disbelief in the aesthetic. In a Vogue article, about whether Kardashian West should be nominated for the CFDA fashion Icon award, they coined the term ‘Kim-ism,’ Describing ‘Kim-isms’ as “head-to-toe neutrals, offthe-shoulder coats, pointed-toe thighhigh boots, and the naked dress.” This ►

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uniform of Kim’s can be easily copied and can even be found in designer’s clothing, as if they are only dressing for one person, and in many cases, they are. Anywhere you go, Kardashian West’s ‘uniform’ is somewhere, on someone.

This term can be expand to Kardashian West’s husband, Kanye West too. ‘Kimyeisms:’ A duo collection of uniform designs that are easy to wear, and easily worn everywhere. Take West’s fashion line, Yeezy, as an example. His line has the same minimalist aesthetic, season after season, present ‘uniform’: a normcore look of basic hoodies leggings, and boots. This new “easy to copy” trend is spreading across the industry, and even some fashion houses have been accused, by fashion reviewers and fans alike, of lacking creativity in their designs each season. Designer Olivier Rousteing, creative director of the French house, Balmain, has been subjective to these accusations of not putting effort into his designs and only designing clothes that the West’s would wear. Making the brands exclusively only for marketing. Balmain is considered ‘cool’ because Kardashian West, and family, is also ‘cool.’ This association also helps the brand in terms of low and high-in consumerism. Balmain’s main line might not sell because of price points, but the collaboration with fast fashion brands, like H&M, allows for accessibility to all consumers. Balmain’s collaboration with H&M would never have worked

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if the Kardashian’s weren’t supporting the clothes at every chance they gets, making it part of ‘their uniform.’

West’s emergence into fashion has also allowed males to fall into the industry, as influencers and style icons. While the fashion industry has predominantly been seen as a women’s game, men have taken interest in these trends too. West is one of the main icons, and people, of all gender identifications, often find themselves wanting to recreate his style. Just as his wife (who is also a big contributor to the rising of West’s brand and style, and a product of it), West’s style is easy to follow, and can be made accessible to anyone.

To determine whether celebrities have helped or hurt fashion is difficult. However, it is clear that this cult of celebrating celebrities allows for a lack of identification within the self, and with one’s personal styles. While they do bring more attention to houses and labels, they also take away from individual creativity, and the creativity of the designers, as they seem to design for the celebrity instead of to their own vision. Yet, celebrities are good for the designers. Having celebrities act as full-time model, wearing the clothes outside of the runway and in their daily lives, bring a reputation for the brand and the clothing.

Either way, good or bad, the celebration of celebrities and their influence in the fashion industry is here to stay. ■

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TWEED SKIRT | Ermine Vintage WHITE BLOUSE | Ermine Vintage

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POP O F P I N K

Writer: Shelby Stebler, Copy Editor: Becky Phung, Stylist: Carlie Roberson, Photographer: Emiliano Zapata, Models: Hannah Seavey, Julienne Bajusz, HMUA: Shivani Shah, Layout: Lauren Tran, Artist: Maya Haws-Shaddock

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here’s never been a better time to wear pink! One of 2016’s most trending colors has gotten a makeover - no longer is pink just for princesses. Thanks to Pantone’s color of the year and many powerful women, pink is for anyone and everyone to wear and many people are embracing the trend.

So why the resurgence in the popularity of pink? Aside from popular figures wearing the color recently, Pantone’s colors of the year for 2016 are rose quartz, a light pink, and serenity, a soft blue. According to its website, Pantone releases the color of the year based on what they “see taking place in our culture” and as an “expression of a mood and an attitude.”

These colors were chosen to reflect “societal movements toward gender equality and fluidity” and to show that “this generation [has] less concern about being typecast or judged.” Pantone seems to think that colors can transcend the stereotypes surrounding them, particularly in respect to gender. Who are we to argue with the masters?

Pink is a color often associated with girls.

From birth, babies are either swathed in blue onesies, living in a room full of blue, or pink dresses, with light pink covering every inch of the walls. Boys are often given action figures and toy trucks while girls receive princess dolls and dress-up clothes.

People are conditioned from young ages to associate colors with a certain gender. In this way, colors take on the stereotypes associated with each gender.

This is an old fashion idea which many are coming to realize is harmful to children developing their own individual identities.

Pantone is trying to dispel this notion by

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combining pink and blue as colors of the year, thus blending the line between how people see clothing and color associated with gender.

Pink was typically considered to be less serious than darker colors, such as navy blue or black. Just think of Elle Woods from Legally Blonde, who decides to attend Harvard on a whim, bringing with her a flamboyant fashion sense, a small dog as a sidekick, and more brains than anyone expected. Luckily, neither her fashion sense, nor her unapologetic femininity got in the way of her studies and actually proved an asset to help her to win her case. While admittedly a fictional character, movies are often reflective of society. Elle Woods was able to change everyone’s opinion about her - an opinion that was formed from the way she dressed.

In this case, pink is tied closely to both femininity and power. However, androgynous styles have become more popular in recent years and more men are wearing pink.

Many designers are sending men down the runway in head to toe pink looks, further invalidating the idea that colors must be associated with gender.

Additionally, pink has long been the color associated with breast cancer awareness month. To show their support, many football players, often touted as examples of the manliest of men, wear pink socks, gloves and wristbands. While adding some fun color to the field for a meaningful cause, these men are praised for wearing pink and their masculinity is not questioned simply for wearing a certain color. The association of a color with gendered stereotypes is not even presented when football players wear pink. This is an advancement in allowing people to fully express themselves without being questioned. ►

TWEED JACKET│Ermine’s Vintage

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Men are not the only ones contributing to pink’s new, powerful image. Many talented and popular women are wearing the color as well, and it looks anything but weak.

At the 2016 VMA awards, powerful women rocked head to toe pink looks. Rihanna danced and sang while wearing a bubblegum pink jumpsuit, Ariana Grande wore a pink coat and visor with pink hair and was joined by Nicki Minaj in a hot pink bodysuit with lace up, thigh-high pink boots. All of these women rocked their performances and outfits with attitude, dispelling the assumption that those who wear pink can’t be sexy or sophisticated.

Though pink is typically considered to be a springtime or summer color, with darker burgundies and greens taking over fashion in the fall, why not take on the colder months with bright colors? After all, fashion is about pushing the boundaries and trying new things to express oneself. If this means wearing pink to a business function, or a pastel pink coat in the dead of winter, go for it.

Thanks to popular shows such as Scream Queens, pink is set to continue well into the fall, offering a fresh palette for fall fashion.

Continue wearing cotton candy pink in the

form of fake furs or glitzy skirts, à la Chanel Oberlin, the somewhat evil but always fashionable ringleader of a sorority in the popular TV show. While perhaps not the best role models, Chanel and her sorority sisters are always dressed to kill, often wearing multiple shades of pink on pink.

If you do need a shining example of a kindhearted woman to fully embrace pink, who better to embody the color than the one and only Oprah. Oprah has worn the color on countless occasions - well before its newfound popularity in 2016. Oprah is ahead on the trends and her success and sophistication have never been questioned simply because she wears pink.

Ultimately, a color is just a color and should not influence the way one is perceived in the day to day. 2016 is getting one step closer to achieving this by changing the perception of pink in fashion and making it easy for everyone to wear. Fashionable men and women are rocking the trend and it is not too late to get in on it. Next time a beautiful pair of pink shoes or pants or dress or anything appears on the shelves of your favorite store, don’t bother asking yourself if pink is really your color.

Pink is for everyone.■

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City of Style

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Writer: Julian Castillo, Copy Writer: Ethan Elkins, Stylist: Isaiah Garcia, Photographer: Andrew Byrne, Models: Addison Hollensed, Elias Hinojosa, HMUA: Athena Sazesh, Layout: Iris Bilich

ROMPER | Once Bitten FAUX FUR COAT | Once Bitten SUEDE JACKET | St. Vincent de Paul

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JACKET | St. Vincent de Paul VEST | St. Vincent de Paul

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ustin is what it’s always been: an urban wonderland desperately clinging to the small town charm and eccentricity that defines it. A city torn between embracing Forbes’ distinction as “America’s next great boomtown” while simultaneously trying to keep itself weird; Austin is facing an identity crisis. Austin’s culture has been tied to its sense of style for what feels like forever, so it is no surprise that the chasm between what Austin is becoming and what it was can be seen in the form of its two distinct fashion movements. On one end of the spectrum, Austin’s thrift and vintage scene, along with the unique culture that accompanies it, continues to thrive as it has for generations. On the other, a rapidly expanding boutique subculture has obtained a prominent role in shaping the future of Austin’s fashion, and by extension, its identity.

Austin has long been a nostalgic utopia, where rat rods line the streets and record stores are as easy to find as a good cup of coffee. This obsession with the past can be traced back to its vibrant vintage and thrift scene. The unique and quirky vintage culture has resulted in a proud weirdness that has permeated every nook and cranny of Austin. Without vintage shops supplying Austinites with an endless array of one-of-a-kind tees and striped trousers, the city would look very different. If not for these curious shops and the rich and eclectic culture they created, there would be no Pac Man Graffiti Mural to kayak under. No Barton Creek Howl to let out the primal beasts inside of us. No “Monty Python and the Holy Grail” quote alongs every week at Alamo Drafthouse!

At the heart of Austin’s unusual identity is this idea of taking something and completely making it your own. Staples of the city, such as Gourdough's, Uncommon Objects, and the multitude of fusion themed food trucks located around the city are all built upon this very notion.

Without this vintage spirit Austin would be Dallas, and that wouldn’t be nearly as much fun.

But the times, they are a’changing.

Austin’s cultural centers are being gentrified at an alarming rate as more and more people pour into the city. As a result, it seems that every week there is a new skyrise going up as the city is refitted with sleek and modern architecture for the next generation of Austinites to call home. With these new inhabitants come deeper pockets and increasingly modern tastes. Demographic trends show that in addition to being wealthier, the new Austinite tends to be older. The percent of Austin inhabitants aged 35+ has increased by nearly 10% in the last 20 years. This is significant because Mintel data shows that this age-group rates store cleanliness and organization as the primary factor when deciding where to shop for clothing. Therefore, the new Austinite is not interested in combing through rows and rows of racks at a thrift shop, despite what treasures may be found.

Fortunately, the creative and unique fashion sense that Austin’s vintage scene has cultivated, coupled with Austin’s small town do-it-yourself environment, has created the perfect storm for something entirely different. The boutiques that have popped up throughout Austin are perfectly suited to satisfy the new Austinite.

Though they look and feel very ►

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different when compared with the vintage shops that once reigned supreme, these boutiques are rich in their own way. Each boutique has created its own discrete and independent aesthetic that differentiates it from the others. Up to a point, that is. Most boutiques are organized similarly, with minimalist store layouts and industrial decorative accents and displays. Typically, these layouts lend a more refined and contemporary essence that is absent from most of Austin’s thrift and vintage shops.

As Austin transitions from the vintage to the modern, the differences in Austin’s two stylistic schools of thought are as clear as the difference between lambswool and lace. A visit to St. Vincent de Paul’s Vintage Store is a far cry from a trip to Once Bitten. The trip to Saint Vincent’s comes with a challenge. What can one find in the store?

Hours upon hours may be spent searching through an endless sea of clothing, tossing aside frayed denim, ripped cotton and cracked leather in search for a treasure that will stop others in their tracks. That is the allure of vintage shops; the chance of finding something truly amazing that seems to exist nowhere else.

But shopping at Once Bitten gives the customer another kind of rush. The store is full of empty space. The clothing is sparse and spread thinly through-

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out the space, giving an enormous amount of weight to each piece you come in contact with. Every thread in every item is magnified in your hands.

These two experiences feel inherently different, but when viewed from another perspective the disparities seem to fade away. At their heart, both the vintage and boutique scenes are built upon the same principle: individuality.

Austin is a place that attracts creatives, entrepreneurs, wanderers and families who are in search for something that reflects their own individuality. Austin’s culture is uniquely tailored to do just that. This is because for decades it has been influenced by fashion that draws inspiration from a multitude of different areas, different places, and different experiences.

Austin is a city of style; fashion and its identity are intertwined in such a complex and intricate web that one cannot be separated from the other. As Austin evolves, its fashion evolves with it.

But just as the vintage and thrift shops reflected and shaped the principles of weirdness and individuality that defined our city, so too do boutiques.

Despite how different things may look as Austin transitions from the vintage utopia it is to the urban center it is destined to become, you can rest assured that at its heart Austin will remain just as weird as it's always been. ■

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AIN’T LAURENT WITHOUT SLIMANE

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Writer: Shafeen Qazi, Copy Editor: Channing Baker, Stylist: Victoria Bass, Photographer: Andy Medina, Models: Isiah Garcia, Maria Tangarova, HMUA: Allegra Gonzalez-Abreau, Layout: Maya Haws-Shaddock, Artist: Annie Pool

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hether it’s a pair of 40 millimeter heeled jodhpur boots, ripped skin tight jeans or a double rider, an Hedi Slimane design is unmistakable to the eye. The 48-year-old designer has established a legacy in the fashion world that is unparalleled by his contemporaries and he’s done this through his own creative trailblazing instead of adhering to a predetermined formula. The Frenchman was born in the 19th arrondissement of Paris, France on July 5th, 1968 to an Italian mother and a Tunisian father. Slimane began his lifelong love affair with art not with the needle or sketch pad, but instead with the camera and pen. Originally set on becoming a journalist, the future fashion designer was content living his life out as a reporter.

However, at the age of 16 he began to develop a taste for design, as he began to make his own clothing, which eventually led him to a tailoring apprenticeship at a men’s design house. This work eventually captured the attention of Jean-Jacques Picart, a fashion consultant for Louis Vuitton.

Slimane assisted Picart from 1992-1995 on the “Monogram Canvas” project, in which the Louis Vuitton monogram was reimagined in celebration of its longevity. While Slimane did not design on this project, his work established him as a contender in the world of fashion, and brought him in to the spotlight of several major designers, including Yves Saint Laurent’s partner Pierre Berge, who in 1996 made him the ready-to-wear director of YSL’s menswear collection. However, no one would have predicted the vast aesthetic influence that Hedi Slimane was going to exert on the world in the next 20 years.

While Slimane was not new to the fashion world, his first major exposure to the rest of the world came four years after his appointment as head director of YSL’s ready-to-wear menswear collection. In January of 2000, Slimane introduced one his most influential shows, 2001 fall/winter “black tie” show. This show featured what would become Slimane’s aesthetic calling card: youthful

rebellion. The show featured suits in extremely skinny cuts (for the year 2000) worn not just formally, but over regular tee shirts and even just by themselves. This show also helped reintroduce the concept of skinny pants to the fashion world, an incredibly prominent aspect of the showing.

The show was so influential that it even prompted once overweight Chanel creative director Karl Lagerfeld to lose over ninety pounds in order to be able to fit into Slimane’s designs. YSL and Slimane had triumphantly and unapologetically brought skinny back into style, and were flourishing creatively. So much so, that they were eventually purchased by the fashion conglomerate, Kering. However, during these financial dealings, Slimane and the then Gucci designer Tom Ford had compatibility issues, leading to the departure of Slimane from Yves Saint Laurent.

After his departure from YSL, Slimane became the head director of Dior Homme (Dior’s menswear line) in late 2000. While the fashion powerhouse has had a presence in the market for several decades, Dior lacked a true identity in their menswear selections, allowing Slimane to establish his own aesthetic vision, something he would become known for. His work at Dior would be one of the first cases in which Slimane’s vision would be expressed in its purest and unfiltered form. He began push out designs that rocked menswear, including 40 millimeter heeled Chelsea boots and incredibly skinny jackets. However, the most influential garments he would release were his 21cm, 19cm and 17cm jeans. These jeans, named after the width of their hem, became synonymous with Dior and Slimane. The cut of the jeans was designed with a small leg opening and an incredibly long inseam in order to stack on top of the shoes that one might wear, a design that was rare for its time. The jeans became so popular that they even inspired a song

by Kanye West, titled “Christian Dior Denim Flow”. This Dior era was the first time that Slimane truly broke past the runway and showed the world his vision for design. ►

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While at Dior, Slimane still maintained his passion for his first love: photography. Through 2000-2002, Slimane worked alongside the underground indie rock scene throughout Berlin, refining and molding his design ethos to the sights and sounds he saw around him. During this period, Slimane did not look for his designs to influence the real world, instead, he found that the world around him was influencing his design. He began to street cast the very musicians from the shows he was going to into his runway productions, and began to further show that rock and roll was not a passing fad for him. Slimane did not just appropriate designs, visuals and aesthetics from the world of rock and roll: he lived them. He designed on stage outfits for Mick Jagger, Jack White and bands such as Franz Ferdinand. The Libertines performed at his 2005 birthday party. When Slimane became the first menswear designer to win the CFDA international designer award in 2002, the award was presented by the late David Bowie.

Slimane did not borrow from rock and roll; he was rock and roll.

While Slimane was a darling of the fashion world, there were thunderstorms rolling in the distance.

In 2006 it was seemingly inevitable that Slimane would renew his contract with Christian Dior, a company he spent six years with. It was even rumored that the fashion conglomerate that owned Dior, LVMH, was even willing to give Slimane his own label, with full creative control. However, talks broke down between Slimane, Dior and LVMH and when it came time to actually renew his contract, Slimane left in 2006. Slimane would not again enter the world of fashion in such a capacity until 2012.

During his six-year hiatus from the fashion world, Slimane focused on his work as a photographer in the artistic dream land of Los Angeles. In these years, Slimane shot several different projects, once again revealing to the world his tastes and his desired artistic form. While Slimane lived a carefree life of the ultimate bohemian, the fashion world was yearning for his presence. Dior was deteriorating in front of not only the world of fashion, but of the greater public sphere as well. Their creative director at the time, John Galliano, went on a drunken anti-Semitic rant, and was promptly

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fired from Dior. When Dior was looking for a new creative director, it seemed that Slimane was an obvious choice. However, the position would go to then creative director of Jil Sander, Raf Simons. Instead, Yves Saint Laurent came calling to Slimane.

In 2013, Slimane made his triumphant return to his former employer, Yves Saint Laurent, more confident in his ability than ever. Due to his work at Dior, Slimane no longer felt confined by the history of house he was the head of, even so far as to rebrand YSL to Saint Laurent Paris, or SLP. Slimane hit the ground running with his famous fall winter show of 2013, in which he revealed his new found vision for the ailing fashion giant. Marked by skin tight jeans, black leather jackets and high heeled boots, Slimane was no longer concerned with what YSL was, but only with what SLP was to become. His uniform of a black double rider, skinny jeans and Chelsea boots became synonymous with rock star cool, being worn by men and women alike. His clothing was so desired, that it helped increase SLP’s sales by 37 percent in only 3 years. SLP went from a brand that was being sold in ross and TJ Maxx to the back of actual rock stars once again. Rappers were not just wearing Slimane’s clothes, they were rapping about them in their lyrics. Those destroyed jeans and crazy patterns became synonymous with cool, and Slimane once again was atop the fashion world, not on shoulders of giants, but on his own two feet.

In the middle of 2016 it was announced that Hedi Slimane would depart from SLP. However, his next move was not clear. Whether or not Hedi Slimane decides to spend the rest of his life exploring the major cities of the world as a photographer, continue his work as a creative director at his own label or helm the position of another established fashion house, one thing is clear. Slimane has set himself amongst rare company as a designer who not only has achieved great financial success but has made his name synonymous with a specific aesthetic. Slimane has become one of the greatest living fashion designers and has done it no holds barred; he has turned the design history of two major fashion houses on its head and carved out his own path and style. Hedi Slimane is the ultimate fashion rebel. ■

BLACK DRESS | BCBG

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MULTITUDES FASHION COMES IN

Writer: Becky Phung Copy Editor: Shelby Stebler, Stylist: Ellie Bazil, Photographer: Emiliano Zapata, Models: Bonnie McEnnis, Ellie Wendland, HMUA: Shivani Shah, Layout: Lauren Tran, Artist: Annie Pool 38

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lexander McQueen’s death was announced the afternoon of February 11, 2010 after his housekeeper had found him hanging in his home earlier in the morning. A little over a year after his death, The Costume Institute within The Metropolitan Museum of Art opened a new exhibition: Savage Beauty on May 4, 2011. It featured pieces from his collections throughout the years, including his iconic white muslin spraypainted dress from his No. 13 (S/S 1999) collection and his torn lace dress from his Highland Rape (A/W 1995-1996) collection.

From seeing McQueen’s clothing displayed under bright lights at the Met, some people would certainly conclude that McQueen was an artist and the collections that he produced were his art. On the other hand, there are those who do not strongly believe that fashion is an art form and that anything produced under the context of fashion cannot be considered art.

clothing sold online and in-store. Fashion, at its core, is a commercial industry. Simply put, the fashion industry exists because people create for it, and then the creations are sold for a net profit; the cycle is then constantly repeated.

“When fashion is driven by creation, I suppose it can be called an art form,” Japanese fashion designer Rei Kawakubo said. “If they were art, they could be more abstract. As long as something is new and has never been seen before, I don’t mind if people call it art.”

The fashion and textiles industry today has seen much success. For example, France’s fashion and other related industries generate more profit that its automobile and aerospace industries combined, according to a study commissioned by the French Fashion Institute released in the beginning of October 2016.

Fashion-related industries employ at least 580,000 people directly in France and more than 1 million people if ancillary jobs such as modelling, marketing, and communications are taken into account. ►

Today, fashion is a broad term that encompasses everything from embroidered gowns and tailored suits made in haute couture ateliers to ready-to-wear collections shown during seasonal fashion weeks to cheap fast-fashion

Before the proliferation of ready-to-wear clothing into the mainstream, clothing was usually made to fit an individual. The Industrial Revolution, beginning in the late 18th century, marked the mechanization of clothing manufacturing with various inventions that streamlined the textile manufacturing process, such as the power loom. However, the invention of the sewing machine (the basic design is generally credited to Elias Howe) especially made it possible for garments to be mass produced. Today, clothing manufacturing has increased exponentially by way of fast fashion.

Where retail chains used to only introduce new designs each season (four times a year), now, some chains introduce new designs in as little as two weeks.

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In addition to its success, the fashion industry may be becoming more “overheated,” oversaturated, and operating at higher rates, according to an intensive Women’s Wear Daily poll of many designers, executives, and various people in the fashion industry. “Technology and the current lifestyle lead to an increasingly stronger acceleration,” Italian fashion designer Giorgio Armani said. “Fashion also needs pauses, and sometimes silence, to be fully appreciated.”

Vestoj, a self-proclaimed “platform for critical thinking on fashion,” also did a series of interviews with influentials in the fashion industry to investigate the problems that the industry faces today and the complexities of the industry itself.

“An idea in fashion is like a banana; if you eat it too soon, it’s green and tastes bad,” said Jean-Jacques Picart, fashion and luxury goods consultant.“ And if you eat it too late, it’s brown and the taste is still bad. It has to be just perfect. That’s your job as a designer – to put your ideas out there when they’re ripe.”

“Fashion is a business, and as a designer, you’re getting into the business of fashion,” said Steven Kolb, president and CEO at Council of Fashion Designers of America. “That isn’t to say it can’t also be artistic and creative, but at the end of the day the success of a fashion creation comes down to, ‘Does it sell?

Does somebody want to buy it?’”

However, people don’t usually think of busi-

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ness when they hear the word “fashion.” Instead, fashion evokes romantic images of meticulously cut skirts and tailored bodices, of abnormal articles of clothing not meant to be worn in the day-to-day. Fashion is the height of clothing, the epitome of beauty draped on the human form. Through combining elements of design, aesthetics, and conceptual ideas, fashion can be said to exist as more of an art form rather than as a business.

“In all my work I try to make clear that fashion is an artistic expression, showing and wearing art, and not just a functional and devoid of content or commercial tool,” Dutch designer Iris Van Herpen said.

Iris van Herpen combines unique unconventional materials and collaborates with artists as well as scientists in her couture collections.

Van Herpen builds her collections around ideas and concepts, choosing to present some of them outside of the traditional runway format as well. “Seijaku,” her Fall2016 couture collection, explores cymatics, which studies the visualization of sound waves into geometric patterns. In collaboration with Japanese musician Kazuya Nagaya to create a Zen bowl sound installation during the runway show, van Herpen creates an immersive experience around cymatics and “Seijaku,” the Japanese word for tranquility in the midst of the chaos of life. The runway show for “Seijaku” at the L’Oratoire du Louvre in Paris was presented in conjunction with an art installation featuring life, models wearing the pieces from the collection. ►

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Fashion presents creative narratives through clothing, loosely defined as garments meant to be worn on the human body. Much like art, these creative narratives often reflect and make powerful statements on the general atmosphere of the time, the Zeitgeist. By studying the context of how fashion is created together with the pure visual aspects of it, social, economic, and cultural implications of fashion can be extracted. Iris van Herpen’s “Seijaku” collection, at first glance, does not obviously assert one specific opinion or idea.

Several interpretations on the meaning behind her collection can be made instead. “Seijaku” can be interpreted as van Herpen responding to the quickening pace of the social climate today by capturing something as mobile as sound through each of her pieces in the collection,

or it can also be seen as a reconciliation between the organic and synthetic. By combining synthetic materials, such as rubber, with new, innovative production methods under her overarching theme of cymatics, van Herpen achieves this reconciliation.

Fashion’s multitude of identities is the reason why so many of us are drawn to it. Fashion is business.

Fashion is art. Fashion is self-expression. Fashion is just clothes that you wear everyday. It is what you make of it, and each identity can offer thought-provoking insight into subjects thought to be far-removed from fashion. The more you delve into its deeper meanings, the more fashion can reveal its interconnectedness with the world surrounding all of us. ■

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SEX. ANDROGYNY. & ROCK ‘N’ ROLL.

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Writer: Maddy Murray, Copy Editor: Iris Zamarripa, Stylist: Natalie Sendukas, Photographer: Aiden Park, Models: Caitlin Topham, Michael Tatalovich, HMUA: Jessica Teran, Layout: Kiana Fernandez, Artist: Margaret Amberson, Location: Hole in the Wall

SHEER LINGERIE TOP | Ermine Vintage

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first heard the bump of the bassline.

Lou Reed’s deadpan voice filled the room as he began to sing, “Holly came from Miami, F-L-A. Hitchhiked her way across the U-S-A. Plucked her eyebrows on the way. Shaved her legs and then he was a she.” At the end of this verse, my mind was quite literally blown by the casually understated way in which Lou Reed revealed his transvestite character. Written in 1972, Lou Reed expressed an interest in writing about gender fluid people long before it would be deemed an acceptable topic by society.

After its birth in the late 1940s, rock ‘n’ roll quickly became known for its themes of masculinity, aggression, and rebellion.

These macho elements ran rampant in the music scene, characterizing the climate.

Members of the culture wanted to show up to a concert, listen to deafening music blaring from amps, and dance alongside a frontman that embodied strength and self-assuredness. Yet, a couple of decades later a trend began to emerge. Masculinity was no longer the norm, and well-known rock icons, like Mick Jagger and the band Queen, mainstreamed dressing like the opposite sex. Remaining true to its rebel proclivities, most rock musicians of this time developed a set of attitudes that contrasted with the prevailing societal norms. This shift allowed music to become a medium for self-expression and experimentation.

Lyricists began using their songs to deliver messages about cultural issues. During a time that is known for adhering to traditionality, a question arises: if rock is so heavilybased on masculinity, why were countless rock legends switching out their leather jackets for dresses?

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To find the mastermind behind this transformation, one must look no further than the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll himself. Thanks to his delicate features and sensuous voice, Elvis Presley has been credited with creating the trope of the androgynous frontman.

In an Observer article, Tim Sommer stated that Elvis was the first to perfect being “pretty like a girl” while maintaining an “absolutely assured male presence.” Elvis balanced this combination expertly. While unquestionably in touch with his manhood, his prettiness and charismatic lyrics made him accessible to a large fanbase. Soon, Elvis’s newfound popularity allowed his image to flourish, and he had costumes made for him. These designs subverted societal expectations. With their bright colors, tight-fitting materials, and excessive quantities of jewels, Elvis’s costumes were more traditionally feminine than masculine. But they served to highlight his good looks, as the exaggerated collars he wore drew attention upwards, framing and accentuating his face. Through these aspects of his public image, Elvis became the prototype for the rock frontman. In the years to come, musicians would begin experimenting with both ends of the gender spectrum.

For some artists, this type of gender ambiguity originated in borrowing elements of clothing made for the opposite sex for the purpose of making a statement. Nonetheless, for others, like the glam rock band KISS, gender fluidity could not be accomplished in the same way. Guitarist and singer, Paul Stanley once remarked that they “were too big to do the androgynous thing.” Instead, they incorporated full-face makeup and theatrical costumes to make for their own flamboyant look while on ►

BLUE SILK FLORAL BLAZER | Archive Vintage

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BLACK SKIRT | Archive Vintage RED LEATHER COLLAR | Archive Vintage MAGENTA FLORAL BLOUSE | Archive Vintage

stage. While this allowed KISS to make their own brand for the band, there is still the matter of unstaged androgyny to be contemplated. The Cure’s Robert Smith much more subtly made his own trademark. With black eyeshadow, smeared lipstick, and wispy, black hair, Smith incorporated goth looks in his everyday style long ago. In an interview with the Guardian, Smith said, “I started growing my hair long and wearing makeup and stuff because I was at school and I wasn’t allowed to... [it’s] an outward manifestation of a rebellion against authority, and it’s a lifelong rebellion against authority.” Smith’s inclination to dress this way was entirely based on his own choices, and it vibed well with the Cure’s dark, post-punk sound. Although he would go on to influence gothic aesthetics for the years to come, Smith remains rather modest about his fashion choices, which are in turn telling of his disinclination - as with many other rock stars - to follow societal norms.

There are countless instances one might find of musicians cross-dressing. Rather this took place once or several times, it became a new element to the culture that the late 20th century needed. Both male musicians, like Prince and Iggy Pop, and female musicians, such as Debbie Harry and Annie Lennox, found dressing up in drag to be the most contemporary way to express themselves while rebelling against cultural assimilation. However, nobody accomplished this in such a groundbreaking way as David Bowie. Early in his career he made an image for himself based upon long hair and gaudy makeup. He became noted for the fluidity in which he was able to pull off both masculine and feminine qualities, and his persona allowed him to express himself

freely as a mixture of the two genders. It wasn’t until 1972, that Bowie would go on to create his omnisexual alter ego, Ziggy Stardust. With his new red bob and tight bodysuits, his staged alien character almost transcended gender as a whole, allowing Bowie to further free himself of societal constraints. With glittery, over-the-top outfits, the extravagance of Bowie’s character, Ziggy, made Bowie into more of an idea than a being. Although Bowie ditched the Ziggy Stardust character, he would continue to toy with the image in a way that redefined gender ambiguity.

Incidentally, in 1972, David Bowie stated that he was gay, yet later on he reclaimed his heterosexuality. Nonetheless, while this phenomenon of cross-dressing might mistakenly be generalized on sexual orientation, it seems to remain more as a response to gender ambiguity in society. Keith Moon of the Who frequently dressed in drag for both photoshoots, concerts, and in front of his girlfriend. He was once cited from his personal assistant as being a “heterosexual drag queen.” For a majority of these rock icons, like Moon, the act is based on a form of self-expression that surpasses both gender and sexual orientations.

A rock icon renowned for this was Kurt Cobain. He regularly pulled from both men and women’s fashion, often performing on stage in simple dresses. But Cobain recognized that crossdressing had become a trend, and once stated that it wasn’t to be subversive, “because men in bands wearing dresses isn’t controversial anymore.”

He came to the ongoing androgyny scene in the 90s with a liberal, pro-feminist stance that was reflected in his lyrics. While he ►

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did not pave the way for androgyny, he capitalized on the idea of society to devalue gender stereotypes as a whole.

These rock stars helped to set the scene for liberal societal norms we see becoming more accessible in modern times. Innumerable high fashion brands like Marc Jacobs, Miu Miu, and Yves Saint Laurent were known to draw on several of these musicians as influences for their gender-fluid collections; and crossdressing in general is more commonplace than the generations before. Rock ‘n’ roll and its subgenres have, in many ways, liberalized our culture.

Though they were not single-handedly responsible for the cultural developments, these musicians have challenged our ways of thinking about gender and self-expression. Whether done through songwriting or stage presence, rock icons helped launch androgyny into the mainstream and mainstream fashion like no other icon had before. â–

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SEQUIN SHORTS | Ermine Vintage

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Writer: Annyston Pennington, Copy Editor: Ramanika Upneja, Stylist: Linda Gomez, Photographer: Tony Redmer, Model: Linda Gomez, HMUA: Maiya Evans, Mariah Becerra, Layout: Tony Redmer, Artist: Akhila Janapati

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ndicative of not only personal style but often of our politics and values, fashion and beauty are highly visible; we literally wear our hearts (and minds) on our sleeves. While a person sporting a “Feminist” t-shirt in a male-dominated space or flaunting natural hair in a predominantly white workplace can be ways to give political weight to our beauty choices, we often overlook the equally radical rituals happening behind closed doors.

To be taken seriously in most spaces, people are expected to conform to beauty standards based upon race and gender. In order to counteract this compulsory beauty performance— for as long as it remains the status quo—it’s necessary to find ways to engage with beauty in ways that not only cleanse the skin but just might cleanse the soul.

Whether massaging off a hard day’s-worth of makeup and stress with an activated charcoal face mask, or soaking off muscle pain in glitter and essential oils, skin care and hot baths are oft-overlooked ways to improve mental health and skin simultaneously. The current focus on mental health and self-care not only in a therapist’s chair but in everyday living has opened the door to new possibilities for the

beauty industry to cater to individuals seeking stress relief and empowerment.

Approaching skin care in a way that is customizable, ethical and accessible has become a way for cosmetic companies to appeal to niche markets in an age where consumers have grown increasingly jaded by the beauty industry. Rather than try to sell someone else’s look, the strategy is to provide the means to make your unique face even better from the ground up. Corporate companies like Lush and homerun business like Foxie Bombs have either complemented their skin care items with new all natural makeup offerings or primarily focus on skin and bath products.

As an international brand, Lush is known predominantly for their bath bombs and all natural products that sometimes look good enough to eat. Foxie Bombs specializes in bath bombs and skin care products with an edge, the names of their products inspired by Kayla, the founder’s, love for hardcore music and culture. These businesses are a prime example of what it looks like to put your product where your politics are, as they both promote natural and ethical consumption by providing products that are all natural/vegan. ►

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Lush has been vocal and visible with its politics, fashioning advertising campaigns around causes from protecting sharks to international humans rights issues, and contrary from what you might expect, they have profited from taking political stances.

For many beauty gurus, ethics are just as important as effectiveness when choosing products. While Lush might represent a more global take on how skin care products and “behind the scenes” beauty can coincide with politics, Foxie Bombs offers a mission in some ways even more radical.

As a young black woman and artist, founder Kayla has managed to not only create a line of cruelty-free products but has also carved out a space in both the beauty and vegan market for people of color to see themselves represented. Featuring predominantly young black men and women, Foxie Bombs’ advertising demonstrates that, as alienating as the cosmetics industry can be, skincare and beauty is for everyone.

In an age when we are inundated with not

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only advertisements and information on how we should dress and present ourselves but also on the latest humanitarian crises, oversees and on home soil, it is hard not to become overwhelmed and need to find a way to take small—though not insignificant—steps toward inner, and outer, peace.

The impulse to make change in the outside world may be great, but we often forget the important work that happens at home when we take the time to focus on self-care in the face of overwhelming trauma.

Designating time to soak in a tub with a new vegan bath bomb that is ocean blue and sprinkled with seaweed from Lush or one that turns your bathwater blood red from Foxie Bombs can not only do the “superficial” work of brightening your complexion but just may brighten your life outlook.

Self-care may often seem like a luxury that, in our fast-paced lives, we can rarely afford.

But conscious decisions about what we purchase, and what brands we support, can make even our intimate relationships with beauty radical acts. ■

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32” 22” 33”

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Writer: Sarah Thrash, Copy Editor: Samantha Bolf, Stylist: Jenna Covarrubias, Photographer: Jamila Raja, Models: Brianna Seidel, HMUA: Amanda MacFarlane, Layout: Caroline Rock

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he typical bust, waist and hip measurements of a high fashion model are 32”-22”-33”. 38”-32”41”, the average measurements of the typical American woman as stated by the New York Times in 2004.

Each measurement for models is at least ten inches less than that of the average American woman, likely falling into the category for anorexia. In the fashion industry, models have been a highly debated topic for years based on one very controversial issue in society today: body image. Does the way that fashion advertises beauty have anything to do with the standards of beauty upheld by the majority of viewers?

Fashion is illustrated everywhere today. From magazines on grocery store racks, to billboard ads, to social media, there’s no way that anyone can avoid looking at the latest fashion ads. With that being said, how can you simply ignore all of the attention surrounding the newest ‘perfect body’ as deemed by the industry? Fashion affects the way that people view their bodies, whether they want to believe that it does or not. For example, the 1950s, the era of women first being able to truly express themselves through their clothing. The ideal model of this era was curvier, with a thin waist and defined, curvy hips and bust. That is how women of the 1950s strived to look. There was no craze to be thinner; in fact women started trying to make themselves even curvier with padded bras. Slowly fashion started evolving into thinner models, at first they were still healthy, and then gradu-

ally they were not. When models started getting thin enough to garner attention, so did a lot of diet and weight loss programs according to popular fashion magazines of the time. These programs started to become more popular and people started trying to become as thin as the models being used in fashion ads and then began to feel as if they could not ever become skinny enough.

The way that the fashion industry was portraying beauty through their models was impacting, and still is impacting, the way that people view and become satisfied with their bodies.

When asked to size label models, two categories come to mind: regular models and plus-sized models. Seems black and white, right? Well, maybe not. You may have stopped to think, what about a model that looks more like me? What about a model who maybe isn’t as thin as the standards for a regular model, but is not given the same curves of a plus-sized model? Why does fashion act all inclusive after adding plus sized models, when really it just seems like they’re dividing body types into two different categories instead of representing all women? Why is it that there has to be a distinct labeling system on the woman’s body that affects the way that society views body types? If you look into models in the fashion industry today, models that used to be deemed as a normal body type a few years back have become labeled as plus-sized. Now it’s starting to seem like models cannot do anything right because plus-sized models have recently been accused of being too ►

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skinny after being healthy and taking care of their bodies at the same time that the average body type is still designated as plus-sized. There are so many different body types, yet we only see a select few celebrated in fashion. The question prompted now is why that is and if that will ever change.

Looking back on the past couple of years, some parts of the fashion industry have started changing. For example, one campaign that caught a lot of attention was the Aerie REAL campaign.

They focused not on a specific body type, but on embracing and celebrating the real, untouched, healthy bodies of women today. This caught so much attention because they did something extremely risky that was never before done and it paid off for them. People reacted to this in a great way with sales jumping 9 percent because they felt that they could connect with the campaign and the models. So why hasn’t anyone else jumped on this trend?

Maybe it’s the stigma of a high fashion designer to have a stick thin model, or maybe it’s the fact that no one wants to be one of the first companies to test this out. Any way you look at it, this topic can become highly controversial which makes it hard for companies to be able to talk about. Designers do not want to bring up this issue and have it become the label put onto their brand by society; and it doesn’t look like this issue is going to become any less controversial anytime soon. The world of fashion has been buzzing about this topic for many seasons now with France even passing a law about the use of under-

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weight models in fashion and runway shows being prohibited. But really, designers and the media have been going back and forth on the topic for almost ten years now and from the looks of it, the discussion won’t end soon.

The central idea here is that no body type deserves to be celebrated more than any other throughout fashion. But the reality is, this change isn’t going to happen overnight. The only thing that we as a society can try to do to make the world of fashion a more inclusive environment is to praise companies who take that leap and use a diverse model in their campaigns. As a society we need to realize that every single body is unique and still beautiful, even if it isn’t one that you see on the cover of every magazine. The fashion industry has to learn that beauty is not black and white and that the grey area in between will never go away. But maybe that grey area will expand, broadening into an entirely new era of fashion, altering everyone’s views on the industry as we know it. Although the fashion industry may not be changing its views any time soon, society definitely could.

The perfect body is your own healthy and normal body, regardless of whatever body type is on the runway this season. Your body type is not comparable to a trend, and it should never be treated as such. The sooner that everyone starts to realize this and own it, the sooner the fashion industry may take notice of this as well. The models don’t conform to society, so why would society decide to conform to the models? ■

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copycat copycat

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Writer: Joanne Xu, Copy Editor: Aiden Park, Stylist: Ellie Bazil, Photographer: Joshua Guenther, Models: Melina Perez, Alexa Ray, HMUA: Tulsi Patel, Layout: Ernest Chan

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here used to be a time in the fashion industry where runway trends lived their lives solely within the innermost of circles, the majority of consumers restricted to merely gazing through the looking glass; the gap between lust and accessibility clearly separated the classes of fashion consumerism.

fashion is a representation of American consumerism and consumption.” Understandably, in a culture that is constantly pressured for new innovation, technology, ideology and advancement, it is impossible for such an interpersonal industry like fashion to not follow suit. We live fast-paced, ever-evolving lives, and thus, so must our style.

And then came the era of fast fashion. Nowadays, the wait period between desiring and acquiring seems to have all but vanished, with wholesale and retail competitors churning out near-exact imitations of designer items as soon as they hit the market. Not only is there no longer this sharp divide between the high-fashion elite and everyday consumer, but the boundary that once accentuated the difference between borrowed inspiration and counterfeited replication is fast dissolving.

The business of fashion revolutionizes cyclically, and while the couture sector has long emphasized the need to always stay years ahead of the curve, it is the base of everyday consumers who gather momentum and excel forward the designer’s idea. In retrospect, the industry parallels a pyramid-like structure: without the bottom majority, the top fails to succeed.

The fast fashion realm works almost instantaneously: Mass retailers like Target, NastyGal, and Forever21 can design, manufacture, and distribute a copycat version of the latest designer “It” bag within a matter of weeks. And while recent years and a multitude of corporate lawsuits have led us to appreciate fast fashion only for its mercy on our wallets, the reality is the industry would not survive without the amount of profit and attention it brings.

As the University of Texas at Austin’s Textiles and Apparel Lecturer Jessica Ciarla said, “Fast

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For decades this system worked - no, excelled - both creatively and economically. Yet the fashion industry today finds itself caught in a severe inner-struggle between distinguishing the fine line between “borrowed” and “copied.” Thanks to high-technology and mass production, companies are able to preserve intricate compositional details while discarding the quality of its original vision all too well.

Perhaps the most pressing concern of all is the lack of credibility to the industry’s welldeserving designers. As more and more cases of unique design become lost in a sea of somewhat-lesser carbon copies, we are forced to question the moral consequences suffered ►

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when we choose to look the other way. Would we allow Louboutin’s trademark red sole to become an unrecognizable symbol of identity, as we have with others? Should we hide behind the scapegoat of cost-efficiency or flattery when the real sacrifice is ethical integrity?

Across the world, top design houses argue that there is no logical reason for them to slave over perfecting visions and translating them into tangible reality just to be stripped of profit, recognition, and publicity. Top retailers counter that it’s simply how the industry runs creative minds constantly bum and revamp inspiration from one another. These fast fashion giants, however, have somehow distorted their definition of “adaptation” in order to justify a lack of originality and an abundance of artistic laziness.

In the wake of fashion’s most recent athleisure trend, Adidas has brought multiple companies, including retailer NastyGal, to court over their trademark 3-stripe design. Contrarily, NastyGal has retaliated in the form of wording protection, attempting to defend its rightful trademark over the word “nasty” as used for business prospects. It all seems a bit elementary, pulling us back into the kindergarten days of tug of war - neither side wins yet both seem to suffer the rope burns.

Unfortunately for them, the industry’s top fashion robbers have angered one too many of the elitist crowds to ignore any longer. New lawsuits surface regularly, with fed up designers looking to tackle and un-popularize these cheap dupes in favor of rebuilding their own product reputation through a recent reaction called slow fashion. The effects, which will undoubtedly take time and doubled effort to emerge, are hard to predict, but “it suggests that awareness of the unethical practices of fast fashion and it’s limited longevity is becoming increasingly transparent amongst the consumer masses,” says Ciarla.

For one, fast fashion proponents must individually choose to stay socially responsible and reject the temptation of cheap purchases.

Its sellers must refrain from sacrificing industry growth for self-advancement. Similarly, it is time for high-fashion to accept partnership and mutual respect with its high-street counterparts. The French Revolution-esque feud between classes has long tired us all, and it certainly deserves no place within an industry meant to celebrate difference and individuality.

The solution is not to continue senselessly debating the rights and wrongs of fast fashion, since there’s no arguing its relevance to the capitalist cycle. The question industry experts and everyday wearers should really be focused on is: How do we learn to coexist?

Translation? Let’s learn to share the industry sandbox. ■

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VOTE

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Writer: Ellie Wendland, Copy Editor: Aiden Park, Stylist: Ethan Elkins, Photographer: Alexa Ray, Models: Addison Hollensed, Veronica Boccardo, Alana Hernandez, HMUA: Natalie Arriaga, Layout: Tony Redmer

BLACK LACE DRESS | Archive Vintage

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his election cycle brings certain terms to mind, tumultuous, appalling, and downright dirty. This campaign has stretched into a never-ending stream of media bombardment but through this the fashion community has banded together to bring a fresh and inspiring perspective to democracy. Vogue Magazine and a group of American designers have campaigned throughout the election cycle to incite a desire to vote in a new market and have succeeded due to their use of celebrity and fashion influencers to gain attention and the sheer repetition of their message.

Vogue magazine has done more than report the latest fashion week trends this fall, it has fallen seamlessly into the role of political news outlet through its passionate and personal style of writing that resonates with Vogue’s large audience.

Vogue began its usual coverage of the election when the campaigns began; however, as the race became more heated, Vogue’s involvement increased. At the end of May this year, Vogue did something completely unprecedented: they launched a 12-part series on its website advocating for stricter gun control legislation. These heart-wrenching personal essays were written not by Vogue writers but by real people whose lives were permanently changed due to gun violence. This series was completely new territory for the magazine and stirred up a lot of controversy among the readers who were previously unexposed to this style of narrative. Sally Singer, the Creative Digital Director at Vogue. com, discussed the ramifications of these essays

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with Leandra Medine of Man Repeller on her podcast, “Oh Boy.” Singer says, “…that kind of undertaking was to me breathtaking and important regardless of how many hits you get… but the amount of terrifying chatter that comes back…is shocking…” These impactful narratives marked the beginning of Vogue’s serious foray into politics for the year with the largest focus on the culture side of Vogue over fashion.

Since May, Vogue.com has posted articles that report on the election cycle almost daily. Vogue has the ability to reach and influence a large audience of readers and this season they have capitalized on it. Their audience is different than that of a news outlet; it is far-reaching and followed by diverse people of different political, social, and economic backgrounds that share a common interest in fashion. Anna Wintour, Editor-in-Chief of Vogue, recognizes the power she holds with her respected and successful magazine and uses it to excite voters. In September, Vogue launched a campaign geared towards getting voters registered. The campaign was flashy, patriotic, and star-studded. It featured Kendall Jenner dancing around in American Flag printed pants and a slew of notable designers asking Americans to register to vote in the November election. Specifically, it appealed to women, a demographic more likely to vote than men, and young people, a demographic less likely to vote than older generations. This video was featured online and splashed across varying social media platforms; thus, it was able to reach a huge audience thanks to Vogue’s 12.8 million followers on Instagram. ►

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In the September issue of Vogue, arguably the most important issue of the year as it reports on all the top trends for the fall season, a feature was done on Huma Abedin, Hillary Clinton’s Vice Chairwoman of the campaign, and exposed an audience to this previously unknown politically powerful woman. Vogue has taken the role of serious reporter and used it to reach a previously untapped market; fashion magazines do not typically focus so heavily on politics and tend to report on lighter subjects that keep readers around. By taking a risk and bringing politics into the magazine and website, Vogue has attracted a new type of reader: one who wants to be entertained and informed. Wintour uses Vogue as a platform to galvanize people who normally are not inspired to vote, culminating in the magazines official endorsement of Democratic Candidate Clinton on October 18th.

Designers have also taken matters into their own hands this election season. The past year has inspired many politically charged collections. A group of diverse American designers worked together to launch the Made for History collection showing their support for Clinton.

Thakoon, Jason Wu, Diane Von Furstenberg, Marc Jacobs and several more fashion icons banded together to create a groundbreaking limited-edition collection that donates its proceeds to the Clinton campaign. The designers used patriotic themes and colors to show their support of the candidate and appeal to voters looking for a chic way to wear their views. But this collection can do more than just allow political junkies to rep in style; it has exposed a large relatively untapped audience to politics.

The designers have used their pull as fashion influencers to share their views with potential voters and try to sway their beliefs. Fashion is a powerful force that influences life day-to-day, and these designers banding together to spread their political views reflects the importance of this election.

Other designers chose to use their shows during fashion week to take a stand. Opening

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Ceremony hosted a Pageant of the People to show their spring 17 collection this past September. Although Opening Ceremony is known for their unconventional shows, this one had a political edge. Hosted by Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein of “Portlandia,” politically outspoken actresses modeled the new collection and each spoke about a political topic of their choice. Opening Ceremony treats each fashion show as an opportunity to convey an idea. Whoopi Goldberg summed up the idea of the show when she memorably said, “Vote.

Because if you don’t vote you can’t bitch.”

Opening Ceremony also published a voters guide on their social media further encouraging their followers to be aware and vote. This selfpublished guide along with their #OCForVoting Instagram campaign has reached nearly 1 million followers. Opening Ceremony has a unique perspective on this election; they are perceived as a young and cool brand and are therefore able to reach an impressionable audience that is new to politics and voting. Opening Ceremony takes this important task seriously and has cultivated a perfect method to reach first-time voters; they use well-designed graphics, engaging language, and show that caring is cool. This combination has been very successful and the feedback they have received on social media is overwhelmingly positive.

The influence fashion has on politics is remarkable. Many potential voters who cannot be reached through regular media coverage of elections can be reached through the fashion community. Magazines and designers have banded together to advocate for the importance of voting this election. It’s unique for fashion to campaign so heavily in an election, as it truly reflects the gravity of this year and the importance of each citizen’s vote. Vogue and these designers have effectively used their various platforms, particularly social media, to inspire a new generation of voters to recognize the power of democracy and to capitalize on the right to vote. ■

HOODED PONCHO | Ermine Vintage BROWN BAG | Archive Vintage

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from past,

to present

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Writer: Samantha Favela, Copy Editor: Sydney Mahl, Stylist: Ethan Elkins, Photographer: Kevin Hwang, Models: Clare Robinson, HMUA: Paola Mena, Layout: Andrew Byrne

GREEN BLAZER | Top Drawer YELLOW DRESS | Top Drawer GOLD SANDALS | Revival Vintage GOLD NECKLACE | Revival Vintage FLORAL PURSE | St. Vincent de Paul

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hile strolling down iconic 6th street in Austin, one phrase comes to mind, ‘Keep Austin Weird’. With unique personalities and unique fashion it is no wonder this phrase has become synonymous with the city. But how did Austin reach this point? Fashion is a key factor in the change of trends throughout the years that has not only shaped the city but the people in it as well. Trends speak volumes when it comes to cultural influences and personal beliefs. And delving into past fashion decades is the only way to answer the one question that more than often defines the city and its people: what makes Austin unique?

Austin is known for its wide range of distinctive but relaxed street style, something that would be hard to find fifty years ago. The 60’s were the time of modest and sophisticated outfits.

A 1963 edition of The Daily Texan recorded a variety of fashion trends found on and around campus. According to the article, for women shorts were reserved only for picnics and retreats, and campus dressing, especially for men, had to have an Ivy League appearance. For accessories, every coed student at the time was expected to have a minimum amount of seven pairs of white socks to go with their black suede loafers, and the most important detail for this trend, have the socks turned up. These details are a far cry from the athletic wear so popular on campus today, but as the 60’s moved on, so did the style.

Paisley, suede, and fringe are often the first words used to describe the fashion of the 70’s. This was the era of hippie

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subculture that also began the popularity of bellbottoms, flower crowns, and peasant blouses. The hippie vibe found in the fashion of the 70’s defined the style of Austin, and the city itself, all those years ago, and it seems that description has stuck around. Often this is the first era that pops to mind when thinking of the major influence a past decade has had on the prominent, carefree, and unique style of Austin. Much of the city’s culture, both fashion and art, can be traced back to this era, setting the stage for the quirky Austin style in the 21st century that has made the city, and its festival fashion, stand out from the rest.

With the title of ‘Live Music Capital of the World’, it comes at no surprise that music greatly influenced and continues to influence the trends found in Austin. The birth of South by Southwest in 1987 was the start of the dispersion of Austin’s culture to the rest of the world and the beginning of an important place for music and technology to collide. An era of rock, punk, and second-wave feminism made way for style that was minimalistic and professional. Women began to showcase power and strength through their clothes in a new fashion trend, ‘power dressing’, by repurposing trends found in men’s clothing. The festival fashion of this era undoubtedly reflected this new style with strong blazers, leather mini skirts, ripped jeans, and Ray-Ban eyewear.

Throughout the 90’s the country was changing and so was the fashion. This transition brought about the era of Calvin Klein and grunge. The rise of the grunge trend during this time also brought on the rise of blurred gender roles and eco-friendly thinking in ►

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fashion, some of the ideas Austin seems to do best. Trends focused on either high fashion or the casual chic, while flashy was on its way out and minimalism was on its way back in.

These changing trends brought to the spotlight slip dresses, crop tops, and chokers. With fashion seemingly all over the place, the abundance of trends in the 90’s were just setting the stage for millennial fashion.

The year 2000 brought about one important new trend, the Internet. Not only did 2000 mark the turn of the century, it marked a turn in fashion, with trends changing as fast as the technology. The fresh trends of the 2000’s trends are an evolution of the grunge and minimalistic looks of the 90’s, resulting in a colorful and expressive decade less reliant on the past trends of prior decades. It became the decade of baby doll dresses, low-rise jeans, and the infamous tracksuit. And as the fashion cycle continues to go on, the surplus of trends from past decades seem to make their way back to the present.

Almost every outfit seen today shows inspiration from the past, especially in a city like Austin. A day does not go by

without spotting Calvin Klein, bohemian braids, or even tracksuits. While there is agreement that few trends from former decades should certainly stay in the past, there are more than enough fashion statements that have proven to stand the test of time, and those have been welcomed back with open arms.

In a vibrant and diverse city like Austin, it can be hard to narrow down the main cultural influence on fashion, but that dilemma is what makes the style found in Austin so one-of-a-kind. With so many influences ranging from the music and art of the city to influences from the rest of the nation, it would be more of a surprise to see Austin fit the mold. After digging into the past trends throughout the years, from the structured look popular in the earlier decades to the transition of more fluid, relaxed looks beginning in the 70’s, it becomes clear why ‘Keep Austin Weird’ has become the motto of the city. With new meaning to the style of Austin, strolling down 6th Street comes with a fresh look, inspiration, and a hope to find the next trends to come out of an irreplaceable city. ■

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Price Dissection: One Giant Puzzle

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Writer: Ethan Elkins, Copy Editor: Julian Castillo, Stylist: April Owuso, Photographer: Andrew Byrne, Models: Eman Esfandi, Gabriela Tan, HMUA: Athena Sazesh, Layout: Iris Bilich

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n Chanel’s Spring-Summer 2017 collection, models emerged onto the runway dressed as robots, granting the audience a glimpse into the future of the brand and its dedication to evolving in sync with the industry. Still, outfitted on the modern model was the classic tweed suit - a thousand dollar investment - that acts as an ambassador for the brand.

Chanel is a status symbol in the fashion world, and it continues to sell each season as it releases new collections that reflect the overarching style of the brand. The paramount brand in fashion has the privilege of charging an elevated price tag, but the cost of garment reflects more than just the designer whose name it reflects.

In 2008, Alexander Wang won the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund, a designer competition formed to cultivate the next dominant force in American Fashion. A notable clip shows the designer being interrogated by Anna Wintour about the price of a silver sequin gown he constructed, to which he responded with a price over one thousand dollars. An average shopper may scoff at this cost, but Wintour found it reasonable. It is important to note that expensive materials and labor costs contribute to the price of a garment in conjunction with the brand’s reputation. While brand names attract consumers, the logo is but a mere representation of the longevity of the style and utility of the garment.

The name imprinted on a garment is often what is most associated with its pricing. Louis Vuitton has prided itself in its logo for 162 years. Its logo is the reason their bags can carry the hefty price

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tag with which they are associated; the mark bears the most plagiarized pair of letters in the industry.

In the case of an LV leather piece, the brand outweighs the cost of leather and handcrafting labor costs. The house uses their profits to construct more elaborate presentations that continually increase the hype surrounding the brand, making it more popular and therefore, more expensive.

Brand name recognition is cyclical and allows for creative control in terms of piloting the future of the brand, which can be seen with Chanel’s robot creations.

Despite outliers like the Louis Vuitton bag, a major price component of a garment is the materials used to construct it. The grander the reputation of a house, the more likely it is to use expensive and quality materials. Nice textiles come with brand recognition and contribute to driving up the price. Because Versace is an empire, it can produce and sell exclusively silk collections. Donatella Versace has enough clout in the industry to work exclusively with silk, which drives up the perceived elegance of the clothing, attracting customers to the brand. This prestige is not one-sided. The fame attracts designers who want to take a more daring approach with the textiles they utilize, but also have a liberal mindset in the artfulness in their designs. Creative directors of major houses have the freedom to be adventurous in their designs because they know they have a consumer base willing to purchase their good.

When they use expensive materials, the price of wearing their brand goes up, giving them a safety net in order to experiment with the brand’s aesthetic. ►

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Furthermore, the amount of time put into creating a garment is extremely costly.. England’s highly esteemed Honiton Lace shop reports that it takes ten hours to make a square inch of their lace, which means that one of their finest creations could take thousands of hours to create.

In the case of lace, a fabric used by many highend designers, the material and brand name are outweighed by the costs paid to the artist constructing the piece. While creative directors are often given all of the recognition for extravagant collections, they usually have a team of fifty or more designers working by their side in order to be able to construct entire lines, and skilled labor is extremely costly.

Therefore, fashion houses can only price their garments according to what they believe consumers will pay for them. Pieces are likely to be more expensive during a period of economic prosperity. The industry notably suffered during the recessions of the early 1980s and in 2009.

Struggling consumers had to make the choice to make due with what they already owned, and this took a blow to the industry’s sales. The price point for a garment reflects the inflation of the times, which is why a Balenciaga bag is significantly more expensive today than in its founding in 1919.

As certain fashion houses are hundreds of years old, the brand’s present reputation is at the hands

of its current creative director. While Karl Lagerfeld may never be the original Coco Chanel, he has the power to catapult the brand she created into the future through a different approach to design. While most luxury houses began with a traditionalist appearance, it is the younger, fresh creative directors who are revitalizing brands that have seemed exhausted as of late. Alessandro Michele of Gucci has incorporated his unseen animal print designs in cohesion with phenomenal color blocking in a way that has continually landed Gucci in the editorials of notable fashion magazine and on supermodels. The more exposure a fashion house has, the more a house is able to drive up their price to support their supply and demand.

There is no way to definitively dissect the components a house considers when settling on a price for its creations. For each piece, the brand’s name recognition, the materials used and the time spent working on the garment all contribute to determining its cost. The wealth accumulated by highly renowned luxury brands allows them to continue to be artistic in the presentation of their brand. While the creative directors of these houses continue to change with the persona of the industry, their brands transcend the test of time, which will allow prices to continue to rise indefinitely. If able to look past the hefty price tag of a garment, a curated artfulness and sturdy materials can make it worth purchasing. ■

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PINK SWEATER | Ermine Vintage WHITE LACE SHIRT | Ermine Vintage SUSPENDER SHORTS | Once Bitten

the

AVENUES of

SHOPPING

Writer: Channing Baker, Copy Editor: Shafeen Qazi, Stylist: Megan Shuetz, Photographer: Andy Medina, Models: Caitlin Topham, Madeline Wells, HMUA: Allegra Gonzalez-Abreau, Layout: Maya Haws-Shaddock

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thing significant. The joy that surrounds the instant gratification of receiving a product by shopping at a retail store is a feeling that motivates many to shop. The “treat yo self” mentality is one held by the majority of our population nowadays, and it has transformed the act of shopping into a full-out physical and emotional experience.

The traditional shopping experience has remained virtually consistent throughout time. The consumer goes to a brand or company’s brick-and-mortar, carefully (or impulsively) selects a product (or products), and makes a transaction through a cashier. While this is a simple process in theory, it comes loaded with immense psychological and emotional benefits for the consumer. When interacting with a tangible product as one would in a retail store, there is an emotional connection that is hard to duplicate when simply viewing the product through a computer screen via an online retailer.

A study by the market research firm Harris Interactive generated data that stated 31% of women had shopped specifically to boost their mood and 53% of people have shopped to celebrate some-

To begin, In the early 1980s, a British inventor named Michael Aldrich first conceived of online shopping. However, Aldrich’s system was radically different than the one we know today. His system could only be used for business to business transactions rather than facilitate purchases between consumer and brand. When the Internet began to be implemented into people’s homes in the 1990s, Aldrich’s original concept of real time transactions was modified to be compatible with home computers and became accessible to the average consumer. The rapid technological advancements over the last couple of decades that have led to the establishment of online shopping have resulted in an increase in the consumer’s accessibility to retailers, as well as offered a new convenience that wasn’t available pre-internet. In more recent years, the invention of smartphones has put the Internet in our pockets and made the process of buying new products easier than ever before. Nowadays people can order virtually any product while at school, on the commute to ►

or the fashion-savvy consumer, shopping isn’t just the physical act of buying a product. It’s an experience with numerous psychological benefits.

Shopping, not only in person at a retail store, but online via a brand’s website, is an integral part of day-to-day life. Rather, the consumer chooses either a traditional or technological method of shopping, and the end result is still the same. Both types of shopping have their own set of advantages and disadvantages, but it is up to the consumer to decide which method is most suitable for fulfilling their needs.

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PLEATED SKIRT | Revival Vintage PINK BLAZER | Revival Vintage

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work, or lying in bed. Often, brands even have smartphone apps, allowing consumers to shop with just a touch of a button. These kind apps have simplified the already succinct online shopping process. The psychological benefits of a tangible shopping experience are overruled by the convenience of instantly purchasing a product at any given time via the Internet. With people being more on the go and rushed than ever, the ease and accessibility that online shopping offers is extremely appealing to the no-frills consumer, someone who wants to avoid the hassle of shopping.

Online retailers such as Amazon and Asos further altered the shopping experience by offering a wide variety of products from a multitude of brands all in one place. One major benefit that online conglomerates have is that they allow people to purchase merchandise that might not be available at a store near their physical location. ASOS offers low-cost, British influenced, fast fashion to consumers around the world. Without Internet retail, the clothing and accessories ASOS offers might not be accessible to people outside Europe.

Amazon is also an industry leader in bringing people’s products that they might not be able to physically purchase in a store near them. This American company established in 1995, was a pi-

oneer in online retail. In just two decades, Amazon has taken the term “one stop shop” to a whole new level. There is no brick-and-mortar in existence that offers the same selection of millions of high and low price items all in one place to compete with Amazon. By offering diverse ranges of products and cutting shipping times, these mass online retailers have become integral parts of the fashion industry and have completely revolutionized the way people obtain merchandise.

With two very different methods of shopping available, the consumer needs to ask themselves if they place greater value on obtaining a product, or the emotional and psychological experience behind obtaining a product. The instant gratification that results from shopping at a store and buying something is an experience somewhat muddled when online shopping. On the other hand, online shopping is more convenient and hassle-free. Oftentimes sales associates are influential in a customer’s purchase, and the absence of this human interaction can drastically affect the result of an online purchase. No matter which avenue of shopping the consumer chooses to follow, the end result is still the same; the consumer just has to decide if he or she values an experience or convenience more when making that particular purchase. So as Regina George once said, “get in loser, we’re going shopping.” ■

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Writer: Julian Castillo, Stylist: Soheyla Escher, Photographer: Sylvia Yang, Models: Addison Hollensed, Alana Hernandez, Shivani Shah, HMUA: Natalie Arriaga, Paola Mena, Layout: Ilana Grabarnik

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I am consumed by the urge to consume even more I need cotton and lace, denim and velour.

So I am a slave to the seasons, chained to their change My heart’s keeping time with the rhythms of the ‘way.

LONG SLEEVED FUR COAT | Ermine Vintage BLACK SLIP DRESS | Revival Vintage

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I am consumed by the urge to consume even more I need cotton and lace, denim and velour.

So I am a slave to the seasons, chained to their change My heart's keeping time with the rhythms of the ‘way.

As I drown in the silk, I feel it fill my lungs.

In every thread I see God; he speaks to me in tongues.

For the stitches and the seams pierce my heart to its core Still, I am consumed by the urge to consume more.

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BEIGE CROP TOP | Ermine Vintage CREAM PANTS | Ermine Vintage BLACK BLAZER | Revival Vintage BLACK BELT | Revival Vintage

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Barefaced & Beautiful

Writer: Abigail Rosenthal, Copy Editor: Rebekah Edwards, Photographer: Tony Redmer, Models: Maiya Evans, Rachel Real, Kara Sherman, & Naili Woelper, HMUA: Mariah Becerra & Maiya Evans, Artist: Jac Alford, Layout: Cory Simmons

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n a sea of perfectly powdered faces, voluminous eyelashes, sharp eyeliner, and brightly colored lips, Alicia Keys stands out. Not for her makeup but for her lack of it. Opting instead for a completely bare face, Keys made headlines after her appearance at the 2016 Video Music Awards. But this wasn’t a publicity stunt or a spur of the moment decision. Keys has vowed to live makeup free permanently in the name of liberation, finding it more rewarding to embrace her natural look rather than worrying about her appearance every time she went out without makeup.

Wearing minimalistic makeup or no makeup at all has become the alternative to the intense, high-coverage, and more dramatic looks that are the norm in pop culture and the makeup community. Options are expanding-- one can choose to express themselves with artistic, skillfully applied eyeliner, eyeshadow, and the like or choose to enjoy their look as it comes (or almost as it comes). Neither is right nor wrong. With women like Keys denying makeup or opting for natural looks, makeup continues to evolve into a completely personal choice instead of a societal obligation, allowing nude and “barely there” looks to thrive in some circles.

No makeup is having a moment, even with those who are notorious for always going glam. According to her Twitter and Instagram posts, Kim Kardashian West attended the Balenciaga show during Paris Fashion Week makeup-less. She even announced it earlier in the day on her Twitter and received supportive tweets from fans that repeatedly told her she looked great without it.

Societal expectations have often inspired and driven the success of certain types of makeup and its corresponding looks. Going to work? Look fresh and alert by covering up blemishes with high-coverage foundation. Date night? Use dramatic eye makeup and vibrant lipstick to woo your significant other. The choice to go the natural route eliminates all these options, simplifying the process of getting ready for any occasion and reducing anxiety about flaws. It allows one to choose how they present themselves to the world and feel comfortable doing so. ►

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Beauty brands have sought to fill the need of the “barely there” look, even before the movement began. In the late 1980’s, Ultima II introduced “the Nakeds,” a line of foundation meant to look as if one was not wearing any at all. Despite the male detractors at the company who balked at the idea that a woman would ever want to look like she was not wearing any makeup, the Nakeds broke sales records and resulted in letters of gratitude sent to the then Ultima II president and creator of the line Andrea Robinson. Clearly the desire for a natural look already existed in an age defined by frosted lipsticks and giant permed hair, even if men working in beauty couldn’t believe it.

Current beauty brands hope to fill the same need for the modern age. Glossier, a relatively new brand made for the Instagram age according to Forbes, has built its reputation by offering products meant to look as natural as possible (except maybe the lipsticks, though two of the four shades are advertised as working to “subtly enhance your natural lip tone”). In early to mid 2016, most of Glossier’s products were consistently found out of stock, due to the fact that they sold out 12 months worth of product in just three months. Similarly, makeup artist Bobbi Brown built her own brand around natural makeup after gaining a following for perfecting the nude look for her clients. The brand has since become a go-to for high quality natural makeup and can be found in stores in over 60 countries. Bobbi Brown’s website currently displays “be who you are” as a slogan for a series of tutorials and makeup advice, offering tips on topics such as getting ready quickly and finding the perfect lipstick.

Brands like Glossier have made skincare their primary focus, promoting products that will aid in achieving clear skin and a certain “glow-from-within,” leading to little makeup required overall. Cleansers, serums, moisturizers, and face masks have become an essential piece of the no-makeup movement. While the goal is always to look natural, brands are making it clear that doesn’t equate to a just-rolled-out-of-bed look. In the realm of natural looks, appreciating and owning the way you look involves taking care of it instead of relying on concealers and makeup as a fix all solution. ►

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Following great skin comes the desire for easy routines that don’t require waking up at 4 a.m. to complete. Simplified routines with minimal amounts of product are an absolute necessity for those subscribing to the natural look. If someone can’t contour or apply winged eyeliner without taking an hour, then no problem; embracing a natural look has become a viable option.

Even as makeup has become more of a choice and means of self-expression, online communities have been built where one can view tutorials, review products, and try new looks. While focused on personal expression, the community often adheres to the long-standing value of full makeup looks. This and the more “laissez-faire” community can occasionally clash. After the VMAs, Keys faced a barrage of disapproving messages on social media for her decision to go makeup-less, with some believing she was anti-makeup and some criticizing her looks. Keys eventually took to Twitter to respond, encouraging fans to “do you” in regards to makeup. Even in the “do you” age of makeup, societal expectations still stick, especially for those in the public eye.

In place of the old expectations regarding makeup, new expectations arrive. With all these makeup products and looks to try, why would anyone not want to partake? But choosing to go natural (or at least almost natural) has kept the beauty industry and its followers in check, telling anyone everywhere that whatever looks they choose are acceptable, that any skill level, skin type or aesthetic preference has a place and can be represented in its full glory. “I hope to God it’s a revolution,” said Keys in a personal essay regarding the choice to be makeup free. “‘Cause I don’t want to cover up anymore.” ■

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hen one thinks of the MET Gala, the first image that comes to mind is usually of a procession of actresses, models, and singers clad in opulent and often outlandish gowns. Preoccupied by the novelty of Beyoncé’s latex, skin-tight Givenchy dress or Kim Kardashian and Kanye West’s robotic transformation courtesy of Balmain, the actual purpose of this event frequently goes unacknowledged. Hosted by the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, the Gala is actually a fundraising event, marking the grand opening of the museum’s annual exhibit in its Costume Institute.

in a literal sense –– Claire Danes, for instance, wowed in an elegant Zac Posen dress subtly laced with glow-in-the-dark fiber optics, and light-up flowers shined from the wiring hidden beneath the tulle of Karolina Kurkova’s Marchesa gown.

Others, like Solange Knowles wearing David LaPorte, equated the theme of technology with the idea of innovation by experimenting with unique and inventive textures. Likewise, Emma Watson adhered to the idea of progress in her ensemble, an elaborate laboration between Calvin Klein and sustainability advocate Eco-Age that featured a bustier, pair of trousers, and a train constructed completely from repurposed plastic bottles.

2016’s exhibit entitled “Manus x Machina: Fashion in an Age of Technology” explored how couture designers merge both handmade and machine-made elements into their pieces. This theme provided ample room for interpretation as celebrities arrived in a variety of designs on the opening night’s festivities. Some used technology

Two months after the celebrity-packed ceremony, on a sweltering July day, we had the chance to peruse the exhibit for ourselves.

Immediately after walking into the exhibit, in the middle stands the Chanel wedding ensemble with its 20 foot embroidered train glittering behind, ►

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encircled by its own high-ceilinged room. While the dress is featured in the promotional images for the exhibit and magazines, it undoubtedly doesn’t compare to seeing it in person. There is a clear intent to awe an audience, and it succeeds. As those who don’t often witness couture in our own backyards, the centerpiece is fairly overwhelming. Photos don’t encompass the detail in the train’s hand drawn and digitally created pattern, the staggering length, the precise folds of the bodice, or the perfect column of jeweled buttons. It doesn’t matter how many times you see this gown in print; it’s breathtaking in person.

Most dedicated followers of high fashion are confined to viewing the latest designs by flipping through magazines, watching videos from Fashion Week, and scouring the internet for outfit inspiration. An opportunity to view 170 exceptional designer pieces at once is rare, especially for those of us who live far from any of the world’s fashion capitals. Walking into rooms packed with gowns and ensembles of all different types wasn’t only wonderfully overwhelming, but also inspiring. Viewing them in person involves experiencing the different fabrics and materials, the way the piece reacts to light, and the intricate details that just aren’t as visible in a photo.

As consumers, we can become completely engrossed in dashing off to H&M or Urban Outfitters to acquire the latest trend to enhance our everyday look. It makes sense that we associate clothes with wearability because we would simply not be able to navigate daily life without wearing the clothes we buy. Value is automatically placed on the intersection of comfortability and functionality with fashionability when we look at clothing because that’s what suits our lifestyles.

However, a significant portion of fashion is purposefully crafted to be unwearable, a fact that

is often neglected or met with a certain degree of bemusement from ordinary spectators. But exclusively aligning clothing with practicality ignores its value as a true mode of artistic expression, like a painting, film, or piece of music.

Manus x Machina was a real reminder that a piece of fabric or a textile, for a clothing designer, is the same thing as a blank canvas, and the final product is a demonstration of undiluted creativity and artistic finesse meant solely for visual admiration, not physical consumption.

Iris van Herpen’s designs could be considered largely unwearable. Her work, utilizing 3D printing to create unusual textures in her couture lines, is more artistic apparel instead of clothing in the traditional sense. In the section of the exhibit devoted to lace, van Herpen’s “Skeleton Dress” is on display, sharply contrasting with the delicate gowns next to it. The dress is clearly not meant to be worn for anything other than the runway; the gaping holes between its bonelike structure prevents any sort of modesty, while its 3D printed material impedes most movement.

As a clever reconstruction of a human skeleton, this piece was clearly meant to induce awe and surprise at the sheer artistry of the final product.

Even when viewing the most complex and innovative pieces, the reality of the time, effort, and attention invested in the actual construction of those pieces is barely registered. It’s incredibly easy to passively say that a gown is gorgeous, that a certain fabric is interesting, or that a cut is unique. But the fastidiousness and commitment, not to mention the wild imagination and natural talent, required to envision, design, and actually see a piece through to completion doesn’t usually enter people’s minds. Granted, most people are confined to the internet, magazines, or some alternative print medium when viewing couture.

The complexity in even the most seemingly simplistic designs is virtually lost when not experienced three-dimensionally. ■

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HELIX Jewelry Courtesy of Sugar Gay Isber

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Stylist: Veronica Lozano, Photographer: Tony Redmer, Models: Ebanie Griffith, Naili Woelper, Alayna Enos, HMUA: Maiya Evans, Mariah Becerra, Assistants: Andy Medina, Michael Tatalovich, Layout: Tony Redmer, Artist: Ernest Chan

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Muse or Mannequin

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he French have a word for it: “le modele,” or the original. The women considered models, in modern English, are known as “le mannequin” in modern French. Yvette Guilbert, a singer who worked in France as a fashion model in 1883 was quoted as saying, “We look upon mannequins and models as different things.” Different, and yet, both mannequin and model are categorized as things; objects. If so, what does this make the living, breathing person walking down runways at New York Fashion Week? Does it make them a model, a mannequin, or a muse?

In “The Ontology of the Fashion Model,” Caroline Evans wrote that “the fashion model has much more to do with the doll than with the artist’s model,” who most “assume to be her immediate predecessor.” Yvonne Guilbert even said that “a model in France is a girl who shows her figure before everybody, especially sculptors and painters.” There is a disconnect between the muse of the artist, and the model of the fashion designer.

Because the fashion model is being used to sell something to a consumer, or to an audience, the model cannot be said to be the same source of inspiration that the muse was for the artist. The muse inspires, and the artist paints, or sculpts, or creates. The fashion designer is inspired, creates, and the model sells. In this way, the model is a tool for the brand, much like a mannequin.

For example, in the recent unveiling of Kanye West’s Yeezy Season 4 line, models made headlines when a few

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of the women ended up collapsing during the show. The exhibition was held outside, where the temperatures hovered around “86 degrees” the entire time, according to TeenVogue.

Members of the audience were at a loss. Stella Bugbee of NYMAG wrote that the show “felt like a torture session for a bunch of civilian models, and a terrible experience of feeling complicit in enabling the situation” for onlookers. At one point, “a model appeared to actually faint,” but “no one in the audience did anything… no one producing the show rushed to help her.” Minutes later, Bugbee bore witness as “another model went down.” In the end, the “anonymous extras” who had been fainting and standing outside for hours, “rallied and stood up again and stared forward” when the show actually began.

The women at West’s show, who were suffering in the heat, who reportedly went without water for the majority of the show, who stood up for hours and hours, were not even “the ‘real’ models.” In situations like the Yeezy spectacle, a model appears to be synonymous with decoration.

These amateur models were not modeling West’s looks, such as “white thigh-high boots and sweatshirts.”

Rather, they were clad in nothing but “small scraps of ‘nude’ Lycra” while they stood in long, arranged lines, “as if waiting to be sacrificed.” What were the models, in that scenario, if not decorative objects for audience enjoyment? It is clear that, whether purposeful or not, the models suffered only to be victims of complacent consumption by potential critics and customers. ►

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In a similar manner, Jeremy Scott’s Moschino SS17 show featured models dressed as literal dolls. According to Dazed, the models were made-up to appear as “life-sized paper dolls with interchangeable outfits,” and carried “accessories which looked like they had been cut from paper.” The show came across as a meta-commentary on the fashion industry, whereas West’s Season 4 show was a condemnation of the industry’s capacity for empathy. As Dazed’s Emma Allwood commented, “What’s more self-aware than turning models into [real-life] dolls?”

Whether the women who model clothing are actually mannequins or muses, they become models at a cost. The loss of personhood for the model is a necessary evil when the fashion industry utilizes people as clothing racks, objects of beauty, and a lesser part of a larger image. In one particularly eyeopening piece, “The Headless Women of Advertising,” it was revealed that the “greatest producer of headless lady ads [is] the fashion industry.” The frequent decapitation of women in advertising for brands such as Urban Outfitters and Bloomingdale’s reveals how little fashion cares about the model’s humanity. After all, “the head is first and foremost the thinking part of the human body,” writes comedian Marcia Belsky, “where… motivations and feelings are located.” Without the head, the model is just a woman, who is just a body, and the clothes become the focal point of the image. While a tactic lauded by the advertising industry, removing the

head of a model and leaving the rest of their body in the image does render the personality of the model unknowable. Therefore, who the model is as a human being becomes unimportant; a blank slate.

Caroline Evans discusses the concept of the model as a “living mannequin.”

She writes that in the dressmaking trade, “the word model had another meaning,” one that was separate from the woman who donned clothes and let designers take pictures. The model was “a first-stage dress that was used to… show to buyers,” otherwise known as “a prototype.” Evans states that “the word model… always referred to the dress, not the living woman who wore it.” The model originated as a term for a dress, the original, the prototype, but has morphed into a word that almost exclusively describes the women and men who wear those dresses.

During Kanye West’s show, the models fainting were not even wearing his collection. Jeremy Scott had Moschino models dressed as literal dolls for his SS17 exhibition. Advertisers, for fashion brands just like those of the aforementioned West and Scott, cut the heads off of their models as a way to showcase the clothing they are trying to sell. Therefore, the model is not a muse.

The model is the tool that the designer uses in order to convey their inspiration to society. As the French would say, “le mannequin” and the model have become interchangeable. ■

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music an influence in culture

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Writer: Brooke Lynn Decker, Copy Editor: Hannah Chung, Stylist: Jacqueline Ramirez, Photographer: Michelle Chiou, Models: Gabriella Tan, Veronica Boccardo, Sarah Thrash, HMUA: Rachel Cook, Layout: Andie Kent, Artist: Zahra Atzuri

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moke rolls through the air as the bass smoothly sends vibrations within the ground.

An overwhelming yet pleasant crowd sings along, drowning out lyrics that takes one back to the night of meeting their first love.

Worries that took over your mind before this moment start to disappear as you sway to the therapeutic rhythm of the beat. You then recognize why tonight’s elements are exceptionally satisfying: the passionate singer’s voice that booms through a glittered microphone pairs beautifully with vivid visuals serving as the backdrop.

These ingredients compliment the energy flowing through excited concert attendees. Suddenly, the room is not just a mix of sounds, but a mix of visuals too. The December air would be biting, but a vast blend of black leather fabrics and faux fur jackets keep the crowd warm. Groups of girls dash in costume-esque platform boots to the bathroom between sets to re-apply their red lipstick. Designated members between many groups of friends congregate in front of the mini bar to grab a few more Lone Stars for their thirsty companions. Slipping back into the cluster of rock n’ roll souls just in time for the next round of impressive guitar riffs reminds us why every Friday night is meant to be spent with best friends,dancing in the moonlight.

One may drift into nostalgia when

thinking back to their most notable Austin show. Whether the reminiscence lies in the discovery of a new band at Cheer Up Charlies or the thrill of crawling up to the front of a mosh pit at The Mohawk ignited, every story is special. Aside from the memory of being immersed in a population of people who share the same impeccable music taste, it may be worth realizing that fashion was delivered as a language that night as well. Music is uniform in the sense that everyone belts out the same practiced lyrics in unison.

However, apparel celebrates variety.

Therefore, it is refreshing to recognize the contrast of ways that people with the same music interest reveal their taste in fashion, with clothing serving as the medium.

While exploring the language of fashion, take notice of the way music influences streetwear clothing especially.

The line to Austin City Limits Music Festival bears gold flash tattoos and the latest embroidered headpieces. All the while, Austin’s long revered rock n’ roll music scene preserves the classic black leather jacket and metallic accents in all of its pure originality. This leads to the realization of how rock n’ roll inspired apparel differs from the vast majority who participate in the age of overspent trends. It is simply incredible to walk amongst a diverse society whose majority encourages the freedom of self-expression, an allure that can be delineated in many ways. ►

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When this enlightenment is expressed through streetwear fashion, an original picture is painted, demonstrating pure aesthetic; an artistry that is worth much more than a thousand words. Although many associate fashion strictly with vanity, there is no shame in arguing that it also creates an art form beyond the mere concern for display.

Whether a creative mind translates their talent into sketch art, designing, or simply curating clothing pieces in the realm of thrift, ready-to-wear or couture, fashion is handled as an art.

How does street style preserve its own unique state? Drawing from inspiration is more artistically effective than metaphorically copy and pasting a growing trend into your wardrobe.

Street style holds the intention of demonstrating original quality in terms of what the wearer and tastemaker intends - and it is the wearer and tastemaker who will bring authenticity to life. Style does not require breaking the bank and skipping dinner to purchase a timeless designer piece from the local boutique. Rather, recognize this as an opportunity to experience a sort of revelation that will lead to confirmation that one can effectively play with what is already collected in one’s closet. In the meantime, pulling exclusive pieces within financial means can provide satisfaction along the way. One whom is an aspiring fashion influencer in streetwear will find much success when matching this strategy with natural creativity. When rock n’ roll music is translated into style with the creative mind itself, the quality of originality that results will raise amazement from the crowd. To the innovative eye, the result will please street fashion connoisseurs around the globe. ►

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There are many aspects of rock n’ roll inspired styles that are appealing since this fashion can be expressed in two ways: soft grunge and girly glam. These two different moods can be individually represented, or even blended in the most beautiful way. When experimenting with a grunge approach, leather fringe, black ripped pants and red wine lipstick make for an extraordinary statement.

To compliment, white faux fur over a black bodysuit paired with silver metallic boots and sharp winged eyeliner cast a glamorous yet inventive look influenced by rock n’ roll flair.

While it is evident that Austin music culture directly influences modern street style, there still may be difficulty in committing to extraordinary taste when surrounded by the fashion subculture of mainstream stylecraze. Therefore, it is essential to recognize the qualities that unique tastemakers possess in order to gravitate an isolated personal style to the popular street wear scene.

The key is ignoring prior sense of knowledge instilled in the memory of what is considered cool and accept-

able. What is considered tasteful to some may be displeasing to others. Not one party decides what is appealing to every eye and mind. By embracing this attitude, one will see that expressing individuality through clothing isn’t meant to appeal to anyone one else but oneself. Even when comparing sought after designers who have gained plenty of faithful clients, it is glaring that a collector of simply timeless Chanel pieces may never show an interest in ordering accessories from Moschino’s edgy line, and vice versa.

In specificity to rock n’ roll culture inspired fashion, the admirable aspect revealed is the abandonment of traditional Hollywood elegance for the adoption of risqué shapes and unconventional fabric choices. Whether or not The Rolling Stones and Guns n’ Roses is on the top of a playlist, whichever genre of music that resonates with the mind poses a capability to be translated into personal style. When committing to unique taste as a means of self-expression, individualism will overcome conformity in style the way that rock n’ roll changed the music scene forever. ■

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BLACK DRESS | H & M GREEN DRESS | H & M

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Stylist: Veronica Lozano, Photographer: Sissy Martin, Models: Alayna Enos, Caitlin Topham, Madeline Wells, HMUA: Mariah Becerra, Maya Evans, Layout: Ernest Chan

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WHITE SKIRT | Michael Kors GOLD BLOUSE | Archive Vintage LANVIN GOLD DRESS | Archive Vintage

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Southern Gothic

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Writer: Rebekah Edwards, Copy Editor: Abigail Rosenthal, Stylist: Melina Perez, Photographer: Alexa Ray, Models: Ebanie Griffith, Maiya Evans, Mattison Gotcher, HMUA: Brooke Lynn Decker, Maiya Evans, Layout: Sheridan Scholtz

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he Southern Gothic, an amalgamation of the American South’s whimsical charm and the traditional Gothic idea of humanity’s inherent wickedness, is disturbingly grotesque yet simultaneously beautiful. The style illustrates an extremely unique way of life and represents an alarming paradox that defines the region: its façade of exaggerated gentility that shrouds a long history of brutal social violence beneath it. This complex cultural contradiction is mirrored in the Southern Gothic’s blending of contrasting stylistic elements that have captivated modern audiences more than ever before, from Beyonce’s “Lemonade” to “American Horror Story: Coven” and “True Blood,” cementing its status as a pop culture sensation.

The Southern Gothic movement has appeared across a variety of mediums in the past 200 years, including literature, film, and fashion. Beginning in the 19th century Antebellum era, the ideal of aristocratic courtesy overwhelmingly shaped Southern social interactions, behaviors, and belief systems. According to Christopher Walsh in his article entitled “‘Dark Legacy’: Gothic Ruptures in Southern Literature,” this front of civility was actually just an attempt to mask deep-seated racism and classism. And in the process, it reinforced the acceptance of a lifestyle built entirely upon the backs of black slaves. As a reaction to the abuses carried about by Southern society with-

in a nation supposedly defined by freedom and equality, the Southern Gothic exposes this ugly reality that was routinely camouflaged under a cloak of decorum and manners.

The central role that plantation experiences play in the Southern Gothic movement has undoubtedly affected the fashion it has produced. Clothing has always been used as a marker of social status or lack thereof, and the American South throughout the 1800s was no exception. Voluminous skirts and elaborately-detailed gowns created from luxurious satin, velvet, cotton, and lace defined aristocratic women’s dress during this period. The wearer of these extravagant pieces, commonly known as the Southern belle, was seen as the epitome of wealth, beauty, elegance, and style.

But Southern Gothic fashion takes the image of the Southern belle and distorts it. The garments, although immaculately crafted, are frayed and yellowed. The delicate adornments, once spotless, show signs of negligence, distress, and age.

Black and other deep-toned shades replace the characteristic blinding whites and vibrant hues. By rendering a typically flawless fashion imperfect, the Southern Gothic illuminates the unpleasant faults of the very social system that initially created the Southern belle fashion. ►

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Beyoncé’s recent release of her visual album “Lemonade” marks a huge popular revival in Southern Gothic fashion.

Throughout the video, Beyoncé as well as other featured women wear a variety of gowns and bodysuits that incorporate distinctly Southern elements. Details such as the satiny brocade print of her gown in “Six Inch,” the elaborate embellishment and feminine necklines of both her and Serena William’s bodysuits in “Sorry,” and puffed sleeves and 19th-century silhouettes of the outfits in both “Freedom” and “Formation” seem to gesture to antebellum fashion. Each ensemble, however, takes a distinctly Gothic turn, fusing these classic elements with blood-red and black colors, exposure of the body, and dynamic uses of the surrounding natural environment.

The plantation-era mansion used as the central location for much of “Lemonade” accentuates the Southern Gothic aspects of the clothing. The old-fashioned, dusty interior, showcased in both “Sorry” and “Formation,” punctuated by dripping chandeliers, decadent rugs, and stately pillars is paired with the overgrown and moss-covered landscape outside. The notable inclusion of New Orleans in “Formation,” the quintessential Southern Gothic locale, reinforces this association. It seems impossible to discuss Southern Gothic fashion without mentioning the environment in which it is found since the two are so fundamentally interconnected.

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The celebration of the taboo, voodoo, and witchcraft is another central theme in the Southern Gothic movement. Beyoncé utilizes fire to illustrate this in both “Don’t Hurt Yourself,” as she thrashes her head within a ring of fire, and in “Six Inch” when a door frame spontaneously combusts as she strides down a hallway. The dim illumination provided by the flames adds a sinister feel to her persona, emphasizing the dark details in her clothing and makeup. Even her iconic outfit in “Formation,” consisting of a black, Southern belle-style gown and an enormous black hat, alludes to the image of the modern, stylish witch popularized by “American Horror Story: Coven” three years earlier.

Airing in 2013 as part of the successful anthology series, “Coven” completely captivated the world of fashion or, at the very least, a vocal section of Tumblr. Also taking place in New Orleans, the story follows a group of descendants of the systematically persecuted Salem witches as they vie for power. From the Southern Gothic influences apparent in voodoo queen Marie Laveau’s attire to the updated version of the witch hat and all-black ensembles, fashion is integral to the identities and personas of many characters. Recurring references are made to designer labels and brand histories, with a witch even shouting “Balenciaga!” as her final words before she is burned at the stake. ►

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“Coven” was not the only television show to enhance its Southern Gothic characteristics through fashion. HBO’s hugely popular “True Blood” uses clothing to juxtapose Sookie Stackhouse’s wholesome and innocent Southern image with the dark, tempting, and alluring supernatural forces she encounters in her small Louisiana town. Her feminine summer dresses stand in stark contrast to the provocative and typically Gothic ensembles worn by vampires like Eric Northman and his second-in-command Pam. Throughout the show, these divergent styles of dressing emphasize the tense division between various prejudiced, principled human groups and the morally ambiguous supernatural community.

Southern Gothic style is a perfect example of how culture is interwoven with fashion. The clothing stemming from this region inevitably reflects the various anxieties that have shaped its social landscape. Each article of clothing, whether featured in Beyoncé’s “Lemonade” or in “American Horror Story: Coven” and “True Blood,” illuminates the cultural contradictions in which it was created. As a result, the visual appeal alone of the Southern Gothic style does not determine its remarkable ability to enthrall audiences. Its complex, evocative, and troubling history is embedded in its fashion, and this factor is what has made it so irresistible. ■

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Caroline (To herself) Oh, no. Is that Hannah? She can’t be wearing --(To Hannah) Hannah, I couldn’t help but notice that your dress looks an awful lot like the asymmetrical Space Age dress, from André Courréges Couture Future line, but I’ve only seen it through magazines so I must be wrong.

Hannah Yes, it is! Styled with my grandmother’s Chanel brooch!

Caroline (falls to the floor laughing) *chuckling*: There is no way that you could ever own a André Courréges couture dress!

That must be from Biba. With your grandmother’s CHANEL BROOCH?!

Get outta here, Chanel?!

Caroline But I am somehow inclined to believe you.

(To herself) Courréges designs are the most stellar threads right now, next to Givenchy of course.

(To Hannah) Hannah, how about you and I be best friends?!

Hannah This dress does wonders for me socially.

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Ethical Fashion

Writer: Sarah Munoz, Copy Editor: Hannah Shih, Stylist: Emily Ruiz, Photographer: Taylor Hall, Models: Tatiana Roberts, Michelle Musgrave, HMUA: Jessica Teran, Layout: Reilly King 160

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n 2014, a woman named Caroline Rector started a fashion blog to bring light to a lifestyle that she found was not widely supported by the fashion industry or many other bloggers. Her blog ‘Un-fancy’ chronicled her journey to shop only from a select list of brands and pare down her old wardrobe. This ethos she lived by tapped into the mainstream bloggersphere, where fast fashion reigns supreme.

Instead of buying clothing from mainstream brands, Rector was buying and discussing products from companies that created their items responsibly,which she claimed were of the best quality. Within a few short months, the idea of ‘shopping ethically’ began to take on a new meaning. No longer did buying ‘ethical’ and ‘sustainable’ clothing mean sacrificing style in the process.

But what is ethical fashion? And is it here to stay?

Rector’s definition of ethical fashion (based on her preferred brands and their standards) has become the accepted one among the industry: clothing made with high quality in mind, fair wages for their workers, and made from locally and sustainably sourced materials. Companies that fall under this category know exactly where their fabrics are from, who made them, and the cost of their labor.

They also offer their workers a humane production environment, and,most importantly, decent pay. Many of these companies default to supporting charities and social causes as a form of giving back to society.

In order to spread environmental awareness, many famous philanthropists and activists have made symbolic fashion statements by wearing head to toe looks comprised of ethical clothing. One famous name that comes to mind is Emma Watson, who turned heads at the Met Gala this year in a Calvin Klein ensemble that was made almost entirely out of

recycled plastic bottles and fabric remnants.

She later revealed that she planned on using the different parts of her outfit like a red carpet capsule wardrobe. Since then, Emma has been seen wearing items by brands that promise safe and sustainable production. In a similar fashion, Lauren Conrad created a website called The Little Market, where artisans from around the world sell their products in a fair-trade environment. Although she does not reach as great an audience as Emma, Conrad has made it possible to bridge the gap between her quirky style and ethical options. She also advocates for buying free trade on her social media accounts, mainly showing colorful pictures of handmade international products.

A major catalyst for the ethical fashion movement came with the release of the documentary “The True Cost”. In the film, the darker side of fast fashion is discussed, such as the human rights violations that occur in sweatshops and the goal of getting large fashion corporations to pay for these violations. Around this time, major fashion house H&M advertised its collaboration with World Recycling Week.The brand agreed to receive any clothes dropped off at their locations and promised to recycle the textiles and fibers. At the same time, they released their Conscious clothing collection,which promises to be made with mostly recycled fabric. Recently, H&M even set a goal to use only recycled fabric after 2020.

Getting H&M on board with sustainable fashion was a huge leap in terms of making ethical fashion a better known concept, but there are still less mainstream ways products can be ethical. Other ways to follow the ethical lifestyle: buying fair-trade products instead of knockoffs versions of ethnic products or designs, shopping secondhand or vintage, finding vegan leather instead of real leather, and picking sustainably sourced products ►

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(referring to the environmental impacts of the manufacturing and humane working conditions).

become burned out and are still expected to work faster and harder for the same low wage.

When it comes to fur, the only ethical approach would be to not wear fur. But seeing how the trend has returned, a moderate approach would include choosing a vintage fur coat, or a faux fur version. The reason fur has become a no-go is simple: designers have been attacked with criticism by animal activists who argue that technology today has made using animals for fashion unnecessary and environmentally unfriendly.Stella McCartney, the famous British designer can be thanked for the growing allegiance to vegan leather and faux fur. She has been a dedicated vegetarian for many years, and has slowly made her practices more and more ethical.

Her strong arguments in favor of environmentalism and keeping ethical practices at the forefront of fashion, have helped shaped this fashion movement. Another prominent British designer Vivienne Westwood started her website Climate Revolution, where she advocates for environmental awareness in the fashion industry. She even made the startling announcement that she would not expand her manufacturing anymore. This stagnation of her brand in order to focus on quality and not quantity and speed of production, introduces an even newer idea in fashion: Slow fashion.

Slow fashion houses do the opposite. They haul their factories back to their country of origin, and set up smaller ateliers so they really do produce all of their products in-house.

Think American Apparel, but smaller and more private in terms of production. These slow fashion houses are mostly found in LA or New York City, but they have started popping up at fashion weeks in the past two years.

Think of brands such as Everlane, Reformation, Urban Renewal (at Urban Outfitters), or shopping on Ebay. One fashion designer made a splash recently at New York fashion week. Ryan Roche made all of her clothing in her studio in New York with a small team, and she managed to capture the attention of many magazine editors by proving that designing at a slower pace actually allowed her to be more creative with her designs. A local company, Raven + Lily, have made it their goal to only use sustainable materials and help marginalized women in developing countries. Another company, Altar’d State donates an amount of every item to a charity of their choice.

Slow fashion is the direct opposite of what has become known as fast fashion. Fast fashion refers to Forever 21, Charlotte Russe, Mango, Zara, and others. While the industry has started releasing products faster to satisfy hungry fashion addicts, those clothes are also coming out at a lower and lower level of quality. On top of quality, the workers

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Hopefully, the concept of living and buying only ethically will grow in the coming years. If it does, we can be sure that fashion can continue to be a form of artistic expression and can continue to be an progressive industry. What every individual can do is try to buy less and purchase higher quality products, and then donate their old clothes instead of throwing them away. Then your closet will be happy, you’ll be able to feed your hunger for style, and the earth will be healthier. â–

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s human beings with different outlooks, we’ve all had feuds with those closest to us. These ongoing interactions where we never seem to see eye to eye with someone else usually doesn’t result in beauty. However, in the hallowed halls of American Vogue, the irrefutable differences between Anna Wintour, editor-in-chief, and Grace Coddington, the creative director, caused innovation and influence throughout the entire fashion industry.

As once stated by the legendary fashion icon, Anna Wintour, “Fashion is not about looking back, it’s about looking forward.” Wintour, the decisive, boss woman has earned many nicknames over her reign at Vogue, like Nuclear Wintour and Ice Woman.

You may know her as the inspiration for the hyperbolically intimidating role of Meryl Streep’s character in the film, The Devil Wears Prada. She refutes this depiction as her representation, but she appreciates the reflection of how demanding the fashion industry is. The one common trait that Wintour and Coddington share is their innovative, daring ideas to move the preconceived notions of fashion forward. As repeated by Coddington multiple times in the documentary directed by R. J. Cutler, The September Issue, “You have to go charging ahead, you can’t stay behind,” which addressed her own personal feelings that she was the one that got left behind with her whimsical, hopeless romantic vision.

Both Wintour and Coddington share their distinctive personal talents and undeniable dedication to Vogue and fashion. Wintour’s view of fashion is that it can be intimidating to the public because no one can predict the boundaries it’ll transcend in the future based on the incredible feats it has, as an industry, surged through to get where it is currently.

Coddington, in an interview from The September

Issue, expressed how important it is to just, “always keep your eyes open because whatever you see out the window or wherever, it can inspire you.” Coddington’s rebellion against the modern corporate values, like money, is what gives her the power and influence to inspire so many photographers and photo shoots alike. Wintour is extremely decisive and doesn’t show any sign of self-doubt, which is shown in The September Issue, when she mercilessly throws out about $50,000 worth of Coddington’s work because it didn’t quite match the rest of the theme or could be confusing to the public eye.

Coddington, without a doubt, puts so much of her heart on her sleeve with every idea and project she pursues. After realizing some of her magnificent work was turned aside, Coddington expresses her defeat by saying it, “gets harder and harder to see work get thrown out.” It is heartbreaking to watch any aspect of Wintour’s rejection of a collection that results in Coddington’s subsequent expression of defeat. Though Wintour’s intuition continues to be trusted, since her adventurous decisions in the past have been stimulating for the fashion industry.

It’s amazing how these two incredible women got their start at American Vogue from such different personal experiences and backgrounds. Coddington was raised in North Wales, where she led an incredibly separate life from the glamour of fashion. She lived for her subscription to Vogue, which would arrive in her young, hopeful arms about 3 months out of date each time. She would scour the pages and get as involved with the fashion trends as she could, since it acted as her only window to the fashion world. Soon that all changed though, because once she was a teenager, her photos won a Vogue modeling competition for her division, which motivated her to travel to London to begin her iconic modeling career. A few years later, her modeling inquiries ►

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came to a stunting halt with the onslaught of a tragic car crash, which left her with severe head injuries.

She was quickly offered a position as Junior Editor of British Vogue, since her talents and experiences were too irreplaceable to not be realized. From Wintour’s personal life, the only similarity to Coddington’s was a coveted subscription to various fashion magazines, especially Vogue. Wintour had always been fascinated by fashion, though never picturing herself working for it, her father, who was heavily influential in her life and renowned in Britain’s editing world, he decided her fate as editor of American Vogue. Wintour had lots of challenges and setbacks along the way to becoming the powerhouse she has been for fashion, though. In The September Issue, Wintour reflects on her time at Harper’s Bazaar, saying, “It’s healthy for everyone to lose a job as well as gain a job,” expressing no regret from the experience of getting fired for wanting to put dread locks on the models in a shoot. From their separate histories, we can conclude that both Wintour and Coddington never apologize for their failures or for their successes, always moving forward to the next idea.

Wintour’s coworkers and all the designers who bow down at her every whim, as defined by her righthand-man, “What Ms. Wintour says, goes.” The only presence at Vogue who seems to have no problem with going against Wintour’s vision is the creative genius, Grace Coddington. Coddington is even heard in The September Issue, saying to a stressed, anxious fellow co-worker to develop a tougher skin because everyone must learn to demand what they want and make themselves necessary for a reliable place in the framework of Vogue. Coddington is the one who reminds Wintour that beauty is not perfection because, “not everyone is perfect in this world, it’s enough that the models are perfect,” as seen in The September Issue. Coddington is the one per-

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son at Vogue who understands the different stances Wintour has on various ideas and issues, which is why she’s not afraid to push her limits and why she knows exactly when to stop. However, as observed in The September Issue, Wintour doesn’t always know when to stop pushing Coddington, as her ideas relentlessly push the fantasy of fashion, telling a story around the subject of the photo before addressing the corporate demands for the clothes.

In 1988, in walked Wintour and Coddington for their very first day of work. Little did they know that they were about to redefine how to successfully sell magazines and the meaning of fashion for their various demographics. Vogue is known as the, “Bible of Fashion,” with Wintour being the, “pope,” as quoted by a co-worker in The September Issue. Wintour was the first one to see the trend of putting celebrities on the cover of magazines.

She instigated the training of celebrities to aspire to be supermodels, knowing before anyone else the significance of the fame-obsessed culture that everyone now lives in and experiences first-hand.

Wintour was unafraid to arrange the first cover she ever contributed to at Vogue to show the very first model to wear an everyday look of jeans. Wintour worked to reach the working woman, who desperately wanted to reconnect with fashion after being out-of-touch for so long. Wintour included attainable, affordable fashion on the cover along with high fashion trends, portraying a guidance for this demographic. Wintour was the pioneer who brought back fur in the 90’s after it had been long forgotten, by celebrating it’s necessity on another cover of Vogue. Just like Wintour, Coddington branched out from the norms of fashion. She was relentless in her goals to defy conformity, continuing her vision that fashion is from, “a world of play and makebelieve,” as described by one of her co-workers ►

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in The September Issue. Coddington was the first to truly make fashion an art form through her visionary, influential photo shoots. According to The Guardian, in 1976 She even, “had Jerry Hall pose in a red swimsuit atop a Soviet monument in the USSR, and had to smuggle out the film.” The two women have established their own individual success at Vogue with their brilliantly unprecedented ideas.

Where are they now? Well, currently you can find both Anna Wintour and Grace Coddington in the front row every Fashion Week. Their continuous presence in the fashion world is what drives inspiration for many people. Coddington works for her own brand, writing books, giving talks, and maintaining a position as creative director-at-large at American Vogue.

Wintour is currently keeping her talents fresh as the artistic director for Condé Nast, Vogue’s publisher.

The regularly turbulent relationship between Wintour and Coddington over the years is a beautiful aspect of the success of Vogue because their ability to continue to work together and fight for their own individual vision is irreplaceable. Neither of these two legends could have gained the power that they did without experiencing the other’s genius. In The September Issue, Wintour says, “I don’t believe I have a sense of what’s going to happen or a sense of real change the way Grace does.”She even goes on to

say about Coddington that there is no one else, “that can visualize a picture or understand the direction of fashion or produce a great shoot,” quite the way she does it. The two opposites attract with their unprecedented contributions to Vogue. What causes Wintour and Coddington to be so successful and iconic in their own right is their battle for their creative ideas to be heard and recognized. The turbulence in their famous relationship is due to their knowledge that they each know what’s best for fashion in defying the boundaries. It’s a unique, iconic work relationship that has influenced the image that Vogue presents for the past 30 years and even today, because they each stubbornly hold on to what they each believe and they refuse to apologize for their hard work. They both embrace the dynamic evolution of the fashion industry and strive for new approaches without being highly specialized in one vision so they can adapt.

Wintour and Coddington are passionate, creative professionals who refused to specialize in one area in order to cultivate the many interests that fashion should evoke. Fashion has never and will never witness the turbulence and beauty of such a relationship again, which is the important part of the Wintour, Coddington dynamic. The evolution of their complex rivalry has shaped both of them individually to work even harder and make decisions based on their ability to expand from known, traditional publishing tactics. ■

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The Door to Dior

Wrtier: Rebecca Adams, Copy Editor: Amy Ong, Stylist: Jena Covarrubias, Photographer: Sylvia Yang, Models: Carley Deardorff, Sarah Tran, HMUA: Saumya Gupta, Layout: Allison Fitzgerald 174

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n a world where it’s necessary to be accepted, it’s truly difficult to represent one’s true self. It’s even more difficult to express one’s personality in an artistic and moving way. Clothing is often a way to execute this self expression. We use clothing as a portrait to show others who we actually are without using tangible words.

Just like a painter brings together different shapes and colors to a canvas, we can do the same, and pull together different pieces of clothing to form our own identity. Similarly, creative directors form the identity for their fashion house. First it starts with a vision of color, light, patterns and systems of design.

Second, hands guiding stitches bring the abstract shapes into full garments. Lastly, when everything has come together, the new collection is reborn again and again as each season passes by. We all have the ability to form our own style, but we are only able to create this sense of self because a creative directors, like Christian Dior. These creative directors create styles for us to utilize in our everyday lives, and without them, we would not have this ability to express ourselves through clothing.

The starting ammunition for the beginning of trends arises from the vision of creative directors in top houses like Chanel, Prada, Gucci etc. Did you ever wonder how the trend of bomber jackets, chokers or velveteen just recently flooded every single clothing retailer like Zara and H&M? Or how trends just even come about? The answer is clear. It was only one season ago that Gucci’s couture collection featured the original bomber jackets that are now seen in Forever 21 and landscaped across every magazine editorial. And two seasons ago, Givenchy, reinstated the velveteen look as a staple seen in closets from celebrities to our everyday street style.

Because of the powerful influence creative directors possess, the responsibility and stress to create something inspirational can sit on their shoulders like a dead weight. This responsibility does not stop there, because in a world where the want to be accepted is overwhelm ingly present, how does each proceeding creative director of a top house, stay true to one’s self while representing someone else?

A prime example of this can be found within the walls of Dior. Dior’s doors officially opened in Paris on December 8, 1946. The opening of Christian’s own brand began as refusal. Dior was asked to design under the name

of the richest man in France, yet he turned the job down to represent his own self. 1946 was a perilous time to open a fashion house, or any business at all. After the final close of World War II came a dramatic change within the economy and culture of France. Paris was not the fashion capital we now know it today, and fashion wasn’t anything, but envelope for the body. It wasn’t until Dior created “The New Look”, which consisted of flattering silhouettes with fiercely cinched in waists. Dior described his look as one for “flower women, soft shoulders blossoming, waists as slender as creepers and skirts as wide as corollas”. After this launch, Monsieur Dior became the most famous man in France. Still, not every woman saw themselves as the “flower woman” that Dior was in love with.

When first arriving in the New World, he was greeted with rejection and strong minded women wailing “Down with the New Look”.

Perhaps this “New Look” was ahead of its time, but to Dior this was who he was. This conflict poses the question of who the creative director actually designs for? If the creative director produces a product that the consumer condemns, revenue would cease to exist in the house, yet the world of fashion operates faster than the speed of light, which is different from the stereotypical work environment. Fashion is clearly a business, but it is more unpredictable than Wall Street. The cliche statements about fashion are true. One day Vogue is praising your couture collection as chic and exhilarating, yet the next that same publication is defaming the house’s name if they consider the collection trash.

Yves Saint Laurent, John Galliano, and Raf Simons, all preceding designers of Christian Dior have received harsh criticism from consumers as well as established fashion institutions. For example, Yves Saint Laurent was hired by Christian Dior to be his chief assistant at the impressive age of seventeen. He was handpicked, because of his raw talent and impeccable vision for original design. Although Christian Dior left his legacy with Saint Laurent, Yves faced criticism that accused him of deviating from what Christian Dior and his business counterparts wanted for the house.

Although Saint Laurent left the house of Dior to fulfill a military draft requirement, he returned to Paris with the opening of his own house and brought an uprising with him. His designs were screen-printed with subversiveness. With his “Le Smoking Suit” and ► 177

“Mondrain Dress” an uprising quickly followed, not just in fashion, but in changing face of feminism. Apart from the changing face of fashion, Yves Saint Laurent is credited with bringing diversity to the runway and personally introduced supermodel Naomi Campbell to his runway shows in a day and age where women of color were never seen walking runways. In an interview with Naomi and British Vogue she even credits Yves Saint Laurent for her success and helping her acquire her first of many Vogue covers.

ticipating the next season. Before Maria came to Dior, she was co-creative director of Maison Valentino, and had a distinct yet genuine artistic direction that she carried over with her to Dior. This shows that Maria isn’t just designing for the personality of the house, she is also representing her character and vision. In a recent interview with Maria and French Vogue, she stated that “The endless wealth of [Dior’s] heritage continues to be a constant source of inspiration for fashion, and I cannot wait to express my own vision.”

A real changeover came in 1997 when the mad scientist of fashion took over Dior. John Galliano brought his own style to the couture house by creating theatrical and magical performances that genuinely transformed his designs into something larger than life. Being credited as being one of the first designers to apply themes to fashion shows, Galliano was notorious for morphing himself into the fashion he created. Although he was dismissed for disdained political comments, his collections and fashion shows are known as some of the most memorable and noteworthy designs of Dior.

Although Christian Dior created a brand all his own, all of his succeeding designers have always represented the same name, all have the same kind of woman and client in mind, yet all the designers have brought a unique and different element to the brand. This has created a full embodiment of what it means to be a woman dressed in Dior. All of the creative directors of Dior have received praise and backlash, but still have expressed their distinct vision and style apart from Dior. Even people who have no interest in fashion know the names of Yves, Raf, Maria, John etc, and each era of Dior is still recognizable as distinct and dissimilar from each other. The designs change with the times, but the ideals promoted through the clothes have always remained the same. Being a woman is not being a facsimile of other women. It’s recognizing that every type of woman can be empowered through the designs of the changing artistry that is found within the changing faces of Dior.

Which each changeover of designers came a different take on fashion. The two most recent designers, Raf Simons and Maria Grazia Chiuri brought styles and ideas completely different from those of Galliano and Yves Saint Laurent. For example, Raf Simons, although only with Dior for three years brought a modern and abstract twist on the classic designs seen at the birth of Dior back in 1946. Simons eventually left Dior in order to pursue “his desire to focus on other interests”. Still, his fashion shows were remarkably intriguing as he reintegrated aspects of classic Dior with modernity and energetic sprightly vigor. As seen in the film, “Dior et Moi”, which focused on Raf and his first collection with Dior, Raf wanted to create patterns on fabrics that the atelier deemed as “impossible to be done”. Yet with the direction of Simons, he was able to do the impossible and made the fabrics that inspired the modernist femininity as seen in the collection.

The newest era, 2016 brings in a new magical element, Maria Grazia Chiuri accepted the position as the first woman to head the house of Dior. Her first collection was more than a collection of couture, but it was also a clear statement of female empowerment. It was inspired by a women’s fencing uniform. After its early success of the show, the world is already an178

These designers never molded into Dior, they did the opposite. It’s like an open ended book.

Each new designer picks up where the old designer leaves off and continues to write the story from their own perspective. Aside from Dior, every house these designers have set foot in have been stained by their own personal mark. Their contributions each different and under a different name and each collection being nothing but less the prior. These pioneers of fashion and femininity mentioned in this piece never changed who they were, what they liked and disliked about styles, colors or fashion.

The designers of Dior have all been the ideal trendsetters, yet have managed to showcase their individuality with and without the name of Dior hovering over them. They have truly given the everyday woman and man the power to create an individualist style all true to their own. ■

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Writer: Amy Ong, Copy Editor: Rebecca Adams, Stylist: Melina Perez, Photographer: Sylvia Young, Layout: Reilly King, Artist: Akhila Janapati

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ot one, not two, but three. They’re not Haim, Hanson, nor the Jonas Brothers. They’re The Bishops, and they’re the next band you need to know. Born and raised in Austin, The Bishops comprise of siblings Cara, Troy, and Chris. Cara, the youngest of the three at age 18, provides soothing melodies that flow over the pulsating beats of her producer brother Troy, aged 19. The eldest brother Chris, drops mad bars under the stage name of Luv, stating, “I think that’s life, loving. It’s just something simple.”

The presence of The Bishops fills the whole room. I enter to hear Troy and Chris laughing, while Cara sits pensively in a chair, writing intensely into a journal. The space brims with creativity as a painting by Cara of a warm female profile hugs the wall near the door. Production equipment floods a table with wires that look like tangled vines. Crystals decorate available surfaces, and the scent of exotic herbs bloom in the room. The Bishops have created their own unique pocket in the world.

While The Bishops are fairly new to the Austin music scene, The Bishops have been making music for a while. Rapper Chris contemplates, “Troy was 12. I was 15, and we downloaded this thing called Free Loops Program. I tried making beats and I couldn’t do it, so I told him to try making beats, and then basically, it started off me and him. I was rapping, and he was making beats.”

The Bishops vibe easily and speak with profound intuition. They brim with a warmth of personality that is infectious to all in the room. At the time of the interview, Copley, a local producer and friend of the band, and band managers Sarah and Saaya, girlfriend to Chris, are present. Their company sets the room in a familiar ease. As the managers explain their role in managing The Bishops, the issue of multiple other bands having the same name comes up. Copley states, “They’re the best Bishops around. They have the best sound.” As

the band works to trademark their name, Chris solidly remarks, “We are the Bishops. There are no other Bishops.”

The Bishops are confidant in their identities, both as members of a band and as siblings. “Cara’s the artist,” Troy and Chris proclaim. Cara states, “Troy is introverted but when he’s out, he’s very great. Everyone loves him. He’s hilarious.” Chris remarks, “I’m definitely an extrovert…we found our sound. It’s always evolving. We found our style and what we like to do.” Troy takes a moment in reflection. “I feel like everything I listen to blends into one and that becomes my sound, changing at all times. It’s just for fun. I’m expressing myself,” Troy says.

The Bishops, currently based in Austin, hopes to expand their audience and travel the world.

“That’s the dream,” Cara says. “Even just the state of Texas would be tight at first,” Troy adds on. Lately, the band has been busy performing shows. In fact, the band has just recently gotten back from a show in Lubbock, “We average about two shows a week. They’re mostly local,” Chris says, “We spent all our money on gas and food. That just goes to show we’re still starving artists. There’s not like a bunch of money in this. There is, but you have to have your comeup first. People think, oh, you’re making money now but nah, like, if we get any money it goes to getting studio time.”

When The Bishops speak with such an emotional maturity and insightfulness that is beyond their years, it is easy to forget that all three of members of the immensely talented The Bishops are still currently students. Troy is a student studying Computer Science at Austin Community College, while Chris is a senior at Concordia Business and Management. Younger sister Cara is still in high school, but already is extremely driven. On balancing music and school, Cara says, “After school, we do music. Actually, I used to get in trouble a lot for writing in class, but you can’t stop me.” ►

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The writing process of The Bishops usually begins with Troy, who comes up with a beat. Despite their incredible musicality, the band members do not have formal music writing experience. “We taught ourselves,” Troy says.

“If you’re going to do something everyday, you’re probably going to get better,” Chris adds. While they might not have always been music writers, The Bishops have definitely grown up as musicians. Troy plays keys and trombone, and Chris plays trumpet. “I took choir for two years, but I lip-synched,” Cara admits. She also plays a little bit of guitar.

The source of The Bishop’s inspiration is the world around them. Troy says, “When you’re writing, you’re literally reflecting on your life’s experiences. You draw inspiration from just being.” Chris views the music writing process as very free, stating, “We’re kind of messing around, freestyling, and we’re like, oh, that’s cool. If you’re in the studio, you can just freestyle for fun. You don’t get judged at all. You just go through your day and think of one or two lines or something that was a part of that day and you’re like, that makes sense. Going through life, you see things ,

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hear things, and you can elaborate off it.” Cara relies upon her ear and gut intuition as she is writing. “We like melodies. I’ll go back over and fix a melody so it’s smoother and flows better,” she says. The Bishops are remarkably comfortable in their own skin. They are also so in-tune with each other that they finish each other’s sentences.

“There’s definitely a structure and a pattern to [our writing process], Chris explains, “but the main focus in the beginning is what I want to say,” Cara finishes. “We just have a certain message,” Chris adds.

The Bishops aren’t just interested in creating music, they are passionate about creating a culture. “We speak the language of music,” Chris says. With regards to her fierce looks, Cara says, “I just pick stuff out but everything kind of matches, like my entire wardrobe.” The band is interested in taking their creativity beyond music. “I want to be like a fashioner designer too, but that’s a whole ‘nother realm. That’s like merchandise. I want to be Kanye,” Cara says. “Or Tyler [the Creator] even,” Troy adds, “Make music and clothes, and have people buy it. It’s like a whole brand. That’s tight.”

When asked about what constitutes good music, each member of the band has a different take. Chris replies, “Either a real vibe or a real message because you can say something or you can just kind of wake people up a little bit. Anything that feels real.” Troy says, “It’s good music. Anything that makes you feel good, feel some type of way.” Cara nods and says, “I think if it holds any kind of emotion, it’s good music…even if it makes you like, “What is that?!”

If we define good music by the standards of Chris, Troy, and Cara, the tunes of The Bishops are greater than exceptional. Self-described as “spacey,” The Bishops are taking music in an entirely different direction. “Everyone’s talking about being on a vibe, Chris says, but [spacey’s] more than wavy.” We’re a little bit different,” Cara states, “[our music], it’s a mix of like all kinds of music. It’s hip hop. It’s R&B. It’s jazz.” The sounds of The Bishops are organic with their flow and their vibrancy. “We don’t just go and [say] like, let’s write this thing and this thing. It just kind of happens. We all get to pitch in ideas.”

The music of The Bishops comes from many avenues of inspiration. Chris says, “It started out with our mom. It ranged from like Madonna. She loved Beastie Boys, and Pac. She loved Pac. She had a crush on him, and then

we went to like Fergie…” The band also cites Kanye, Kendrick, J Cole, Cara is more particular about what she listens to nowadays. “I like FKA twigs and SZA and female artists ,but I’m not trying to watch them too much because a lot of people compare me to them, “Cara says, “It’s not that I don’t like them. I respect them as artists, and I’ll look at their new stuff, but I won’t like look at it all the time because I think I’m influenced a lot by what I’m listening to. I don’t want to become like them because I would love to find my own style first.”

There is no doubt that the future of this band is headed into a bright place. As I head out to leave, the sounds of The Bishops’ new album, due for release sometime during the first quarter of next year, ripple in beautifully constructed melodies through the air like waves. To fans anxiously awaiting the next album, have no fear: “We’ll make music. We make music to make music,” Troy says.

“Whether we release something or not, it’s always going to be us just making music.” There is something inexplicably precious and genuine in not only the music but the lifestyle of The Bishops. Their consumption of life experiences is fuel for creation. The Bishops are indeed spacey, organic, and an eclectic mix of forms that is theirs alone. Their music is life, and it’s all beautiful. ■

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FASHION, BEAUTY, &

EAST ASIA

Writer: Hannah Chung, Copy Editor: Brooke Lynn Decker, Stylist: Taylor Hall, Photographer: Michelle Chiou, Models: Caroline Tsai, Alana Hernandez, Sarah Tran, HMUA: Rachel Cook, Layout: Lauren Tran, Artist: Zahara Atzuri

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f countries in Europe lead the fashion industry, it wouldn’t be an overstatement to say that countries in East Asia have largely influenced the fashion and beauty industry. The rise of East Asia’s role in the fashion and beauty industry makes it easier to find articles about Asian fashion and beauty products in large magazines such as Vogue, Elle, and Glamour. According to Bruno Pavlovsky, CEO of Chanel, “the Asian world is better than the old European world now. Asia is much more about the future, unlike Europeans, especially the French.” So, what’s so different about fashion and beauty in East Asia? What factors about East Asian fashion are grabbing the attention of designers like Karl Lagerfeld? For those who watch makeup tutorials on a daily basis, keep up with famous beauty bloggers on not only their blog, but also Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube, try to analyze what she or he is wearing today, and investigate what type of lip product Kylie Kardashian’s been using lately, it wouldn’t be hard to acknowledge the fact that South Korea, China, and Japan are the three largest countries that influence the fashion and beauty industry.

Also, it’s easy to notice that although the three countries are located side by side, they all have distinctively different standards of beauty.

According to Karl Lagerfeld, head designer and creative director of Chanel, South Koreans “live very much in the present” and are “young and playful”, putting them into tune with the fashion trends. Styles and trends in Kpop, a genre that is rapidly growing in the music industry, influence well known designers, along with makeup and fashion trends throughout Asia and the West. To say that South Korean pop culture is simply “hot” would be an understatement. Countries throughout Asia are feverishly influenced by the popularity of Kpop, along with soap operas, and Hallyu (the Korean Wave), while gain-

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ing a huge following in North America and Europe at the same time. In South Korea, someone with the combination of horizontally long but exceptionally thin eyeliner, minimum eyeshadow, lips tinted red, pale foundation, straight and non-arched eyebrows, and defined under eye fat would be considered pretty. It is rare to see people on the streets with heavily contoured faces, arched eyebrows, and tan skin.

If you’re enticed by fashion and beauty, you’ve probably heard of “Harajuku style” before. Not only is Harajuku a large district in Japan, but it is also a culture. Harajuku culture started during the Allied occupation of Japan when American soldiers and civilians lived in the area.

Eventually fashion designers and their entourages settled in the area, calling themselves the “Harajuku tribe”. The culture got a huge boost when the 1964 Tokyo Olympics brought waves of tourists and shops that catered to them.

Today, the Harajuku isn’t only for Japanese youth but it’s also one of the world’s fashion centers, with Prada, Louis Vuitton, and Chanel setting up shops on their main street, Omotesando. This street proves that Harajuku culture has largely influenced Western industries. A hint of Japanese culture can be also be found in the bomber jackets that have been currently been displayed in many fashion shows and “cool” shops like Urban Outfitters, while being named as the ‘big trend winner’ by Google’s Fashion trend report. Bomber Jackets are deemed distinct because of the beautiful yet unique embroideries that are commonly found on the back, chest area, and sleeve of the jacket. This à la mode jacket is originally from post WWII, which was actually a famous souvenir for American troops who wanted to remember their time spent abroad.

Yet, the country most designers are inspired by is China.

Many shows, outfits, and materials are inspired by the ►

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prints and culture found in this country. For example, the theme of the Met Gala 2015 was “China: Through the Looking glass”, while Dior’s Spring / Summer 2013 show was held in China. Qipao inspired outfits decorated with Dragons and floral designs are some factors that can be found on Chinese inspired outfits in the modern fashion industry. However, designers say that because the country is vast with an enormous population, you can never generalize the fashion and beauty trends in China: “Beijing, because it’s the power base of the government, it has a need for appropriate business attire. However, Shanghai is very fashion forward and less about business needs.” China’s expected to become the largest fashion market within the next five years, says (put name of person who said this quote or article this quote came from) “China’s luxury market is forecast by McKinsey & Co. to soar to US $27 billion by 2015- one fifth of the world’s total- up from US $10 billion in 2009.”

Although beauty is something that is simple to notice, it is something hard to define. However, it is clear that cultures, countries, and individuals all have different beauty standards. In a time where selfies are an everyday ritual, it’s unchallenging to notice what people are considering as beautiful, along with being able to notice how fashion and beauty standards are changing. Just by looking at selfies on Instagram, one could tell what’s trending in the country the owner of the picture is from. For example, on the Instagram of a beauty blogger from Asia, it would be difficult to find intense contour and highlighting, lip lining, and dark arched eyebrows, which is commonly found on the feeds of American beauty bloggers. While some may say that the differences in fashion and beauty in cultures is lessening, as beauty and fashion based on East Asian culture transcends the boundaries of countries. ■

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untitled by lydia yu

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Writer: Lydia Yu, Stylist: Ethan Elkins, Photographer: Michelle Chiou, Models: Julienne Bajusz, Gabriela Tan, HMUA: Emma Holmes, Layout: Ernest Chan

We heard you fucked it up again You hung her carcass out to dry soul gnashed into grits Darling, we put a curse so soft on you 神经的诡异 “Kiss it and slaughter” Do you remember?

We miss you We all want a piece of you Is it ok if I stab your tattoo?

Can I dig down and bury myself, till my fingers catch on fire nails flare and blacken, curl outwards, soot stuck under.

I’m cold as a dead body Give me your fucking jacket Oh babe, he smoked your heart awayYou’re choking on dry air Like a wish forgotten I miss all of our secrets, that I can’t remember All my lovers have no idea, they are not my lovers Wrench their warm faces apart and crackle in acid They are all the others I am the other.

So you rip it for the high and slit it for the low Then kill the rest.

Die in lawless legacy Praise decadence in vain I won’t be home tonight. dismember me, my putrid love: oozing chumps veins popping, spewing trembling thoughts the remains of her crystal heart, beeps Let us turn down til we have no beat,, turn me into disgraceful, glints stolen, thighs twitching to escape but slumped, over a lost love, lips throbbing torn sockets, a sultry throat We speak such an ugly language

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WHITE SLIP | St. Vincent de Paul

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BLACK HAT | Ermine Vintage RED DRESS | St. Vincent de Paul

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BLACK SLIP | Top Drawer

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sometimes all it takes is a spark.