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Editors-in-Chief Bianca Scofield & Elena Licursi Executive Copy Editors Eilis Klien & Dylan O’Hara Model Sourcing & Style Directors Emilie Fiskio & Alondra Lynch Finance Director Adam Goldberg Creative Layout Director May Moribe Events Director Maya Sullivan PR and Marketing Director Haley Keegan Photography Tyler Clark, Vessel Day, & Jack Beal Makeup Artists Ramata Diallo & Carolina Díez Contributors Sophia Angele-Kuehn, Jackson Bistrong, Loulou Broderick, Grace Carapezzi, Lilly Conolly, Ramata Diallo, Alex Kruck, Elizabeth Powell, Victoria Slater, Juliet Wilson, Alana Wimer, Yoldas Yoldiz, Haley Zukerberg
Acknowledgements Professor Sabrina Notarfrancisco & Our Wonderful Models
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WINTER/SPRING 2017
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What a bittersweet feeling this is, giving you our last issue before we hand it over to two new fabulous editors- in- chief, Grace Carapezzi and Yoldas Yildiz. We have thoroughly enjoyed working with our executive team and general body members to leave our unique mark on theLOOK. We are so proud of many things about this year: the social media platform that we created, our new events subcommittee, and the dedicated underclassmen we have met that will continue the legacy of theLOOK. Just two weeks ago, our amazing team put on our first Connecticut College community event, the Fashion Forward Panel, where alumni, family, and friends came to the college to talk about their experience working in the fashion industry. One big take away we got from the panel is that the different aspects of theLOOK, such as digital and photoshoot design, make the magazine an ideal outlet for anyone interested in a future career in fashion. All in all, we hope the Fashion Forward Panel will become an annual event that grows into something larger and even more fabulous (check out photos from the event on pg. 5). Inside you will find two incredible photo spreads on pages 17 and 36. Our spring break shoot occurred in September. We took advantage of the beautiful weather and wanted to create an easy, breezy California vibe that got our readers excited for spring break. Regarding content, a first-year superstar, Loulou Broderick wrote an eloquent article elevating the work of a selection of Muslim fashion designers. These designers create exemplary work and have achieved worldwide recognition, despite the obstacles of longstanding Islamophobia, particularly from the Western world. Loulou reminds us that, “an interest in fashion does not preclude anyone from a responsibility to remain politically aware and accountable,� (pg 28 ). We found this to be an important sentiment as fashion has not always been taken seriously when it comes to having and showcasing political opinions and beliefs. So, as midterms end and our last leg of senior year begins, we would like to thank our readers, general body members, and executive team for making theLOOK such a joy this year. We will miss theLOOK immensely but we look forward to seeing the amazing things Yoldas and Grace will do with our beautiful little magazine. With Love, Elena and Bianca
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INSIDE THE LOOK 6 THE OSCAR ST YLE 8 A LIBERAL ARTS PERSPEC TIVE ON PURSUING A CAREER IN FASHION
10 INKED UP CAMELS 12 FASHION WEEK RECAP 14 A ROOM OF HER OWN 16 WHY FASHION MAT TERS: INDIVIDUALIT Y THROUGH ST YLE
17 COLOR POP 28 THE PERSONAL IS POLITICAL 36 SPRING BREAK
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Fashion Forward Panel Saturday, February 25th, 2017
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The The 89th Academy Awards
OSCAR
Style By Sophia Angele-Kuehn
Besides the red carpet, the Dolby Theatre on February 26th mirrored the brilliance of the starry Hollywood night sky during the 89th Academy Awards - it sparkled with celebrities, dresses, and golden Oscar statuettes. Yet even the fashion of the nominated movies made the world pause and get inspired, be it the bringing back of a 1960s style icon, a slightly eccentric twist on a Roaring 20s wardrobe, or a World War II glittering manifestation featured on modern screens. Here were the nominations for Best Costume Design:
La La Land Mary Zophres, 2nd Nomination True Grit (2010)
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Winner) Colleen Atwood, 12th Nomination Alice in Wonderland (2010) 6 theLOOK
Sketch Credits: Above by Colleen Atwood, Opposite Page from People
Jackie Madeline Fontaine, 1st Nomination
Allied Joanna Johnston, 2nd Nomination Lincoln (2012)
Florence Foster Consolata Boyle, 2nd Nomination The Queen (2006)
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This past Saturday, the events team put together a panel of four people currently working in the fashion industry. Speakers incwwluded Janice Sullivan and Helen Turner from Rebecca Taylor, Grace Bennett from MZ Wallace Handbags and Taylor Angino from Vogue.
Speakers spoke on the subject of forming a Liberal Arts education to the fashion industry. They, too, emphasised the importance of proving knowledge and interest into the industry and reasoning behind why you chose the major you did.
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A Liberal Arts Perspective on Pursuing a Career in Fashion by Elizabeth Powell
Like a number of industries, fashion is a field in which most liberal arts schools do not offer a degree. Advertising, marketing, communications, public relations and real estate make up a handful of common internship fields that have seemingly no direct relation to the available majors at Conn. What are we liberal arts’ students to do? How does one market themselves for an industry that, in fashion’s case, may not relate to a major they are currently pursuing? There are ways for us liberal arts’ student to tell our stories and show we’ve got superior transferable skills that can beat out all those vocational majors. For this article, let’s focus on the fashion industry, though these “soft” skills can be transferable across many other industries as well. The following tips come from a combination of alumni advice from the fashion and marketing industries and Conn’s Career Office tips on transferable skills. 1. Have a thirty-second elevator speech about why you chose liberal arts. Make sure to place emphasis on the strengthening of communication skills and other transferable skills acquired from an interdisciplinary curriculum. 2. Be able to talk about your major choice versus your internship/job industry pursuits, especially if they are not seemingly related. Instead of approaching it as something you need to defend or explain, use it as a distinguishing factor to raise your candidacy and get you the position! 3. Get involved and be engaged in your industry field of interest. There has to be evidence of exposure to the industry on your resume to make yourself a strong candidate. (shameless plug- join theLOOK!)
4. Have a strong social media presence (create your profile and use LinkedIn to explore your network today). Marketing yourself as your own brand is an example in and of itself of highlighting your skills. 5. Show knowledge of the industry and where you see yourself. Saying “I really wanna work in the fashion industry” will not make you a legitimate candidate. Prove your abilities by using S.T.A.R. (Situation, Task, Action, Result) to tell your stories and skills developed from your fashion related experiences. 6. Connect with Alums…80% of internships/ jobs (all industries, especially true in fashion) are gotten through connections. Networking can be hard - start with alums, they know the struggle and will help you out! Resources: Condé Nast, Vogue, Ralph Lauren, Marie Claire, Refinery29 & W Magazine are just an example of companies that have had, or currently have Conn Alumni as employees. This list also includes companies that have accepted Conn students for their Junior Funded Internships. If interested, take initiative to contact alumni or internship coordinators to inquire about internship opportunities. These networking resources and tips can be found through Digital Commons: Internship Reflections, CamelLink, or the Moodle by Class Year Career sites. Use LinkedIn to explore alumni and find a list of alumni involved in the fashion industry. Feel free to contact me, epowell@conncoll.edu or the Career Office if you need any additional help.
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Inked Up Camels by Yoldas Yildiz
Tattoos have long since been a taboo subject. The older generations often see them as “millennial rebellion” however I believe that tattoos are a work of body art that can be used to depict a person’s life story, their interests or simply something they love. Tattoos, when done right, are beautiful artworks on the a human body canvas and this beautiful form of art is rampant on our campus. I decided to interview some of my favourite tattoos on campus and really understand the meanings behind them. Molly Provencher ‘17 I got Spacecat in Cuba while I was studying abroad. It's funny because when I got it I mostly did it because I liked the art and cats. It’s different now. Going to Cuba was one of the hardest decisions I made in my life. I had never been away from home with so little ability for communication back home. I had been experiencing anxiety attacks that would keep me in my room for days and even a week. While I was there I went through a transformation & a healing process. When I look at Spacecat it reminds me of how I was before Cuba and how I am now. It sounds so weird and corny but I think that this tattoo really embodies who I am. It's weird, unique, bold, and unapologetic. I would love to get more tattoos but they are so expensive! I love the art form so much. My boyfriend has 5 really large pieces that are so beautiful and they were part of what made me fall in love with him. I think tattoos are unique in that way. They are art that is a part of your body so much so that they become part of your personality. Ali Plucinski ‘20 I've always really liked tattoos and the idea that people can be proud of something to the point where they want it permanently on their body. I've always had a special connection with wolves- my spirit animal if you will. They embody a lot of the virtues I aspire to have including working together and being closer to nature. I've always just felt a deep and powerful connection. This was my first tattoo and it was carefully thought out and I would like to get more. I certainly don't have regrets.
Teo Mavrokordatos ‘18 I got this tattoo because I wanted one but didn’t know what to get... it was kind of impulsive. I got a rainbow because I identify with the LGBTQIA+ community and being queer has really shaped my identity. The placement is important to me because I like that it is hidden but I know it will always be there. I want more tattoos, but for me they have to come in uneven numbers so if I get another one I will need a third one. 10 theLOOK
Antionette Burgess ‘19 I got the tattoo because I hold those three words, faith, hope and love very dear to my heart. I am not super religious, but one of the only bible passage that has stood out to me is the chapter about love, and how the the 3 things that individuals should seek to have in life is hope, faith and love. It reminds me everyday to strive for those three things and it shapes how I view others, the world, and myself. I was suppose to get one as I accomplish them, but things change. I only want 3 more.
Camrin Cohen ‘20 I wanted a tattoo that represented where I'm from, but I didn't want to get some cheesy NYC tat because the empire state building is not what I think of when I think of home. In general I like the idea of skylines just not the new york city skyline. However, when i think of home i do always think of MY own skyline, the only one I see from my terrace. This is what my tattoo is of. It represents home and my childhood, the skyline I've seen the sun set behind during every summer dinner on the terrace. Being from nyc is very much a part of who I am. I wanted something that represented this part of me, and this did that perfectly. I have 3 other tattoos! One representing my cousins, one for my parents and one pf my lucky number. They are all small and easily concealed which is my favorite kind of tattoo. I already have at least two other tattoo ideas in the works, potentially more down the line. I think tattoos are veyr expressive. Being permanent may seem scary, and if the idea is too scary than you know it wont be right for you. But for some people, it just becomes a part of your skin and a visual representation of a piece of your identity. If I believe something is worthy enough to be on my body, then I'll get it tattooed.
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Manrepeller.com
Fashion Week Recap by Dylan O’Hara
New York and London’s Fashion Weeks stand as some of the most televised artistic events of the year so far. Their star studded and increasingly diverse runway models, and the clothes that adorned them, were a true display of the creativity, but also the responsibility, of art! Here, we will take you through all you need to know so far about what’s been up with Fashion Week 2017.
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Trends: Some of the biggest trends of the 2017 NYFW! We’ve been seeing a TON of 90’s nostalgia! Chokers, chunky platform shoes, and a whole lot of denim. Pull that old stuff out of your closets and don’t be afraid to put those baggy, high waisted, light-washed jeans back on! Embroidered jackets, old sneaks, and some funky eyeshadow also defined some designers’ shows, like Victoria Beckham. Prints were also a major player this year. They’re big, they’re loud, and mixing them up doesn’t clash! Large prints made a kind of comeback, and a lot of asymmetrical geometric prints made the runway. Some were floral, most were thick striped, and almost all print patterns were paired with another print. Bare, in a couple of ways, was pretty prevalent at Fashion Week this year as well. For one, lots of models look like they aren’t wearing any makeup. Not too much crazy shadow and not too many red lips! Au natural won the day on the runway. Sheer clothing, and the freeing of a lot of nipples, was also had at this year’s Fashion Week. A lot of bare models were sent down the runway by Raf Simmons of Calvin Klein and Prabal Gurung. Free the nipple!
Is There Stuff I Can Even Wear That Comes Out Of Fashion Week? Of course there is! Street style is one of the best ways to take some wearable things from Fashion week and incorporate the latest styles into your wardrobe. Here are some ideas to consider if you’re thinking of shaking things up in honor of NYFW! Layering has been one of the strongest trends on the runway but also in streetstyle. Statement jackets, sweaters, scarves, and vests all are a good starting point, and coupled together they actually do the work for you. Key wardrobe items that defined street style that anyone can incorporate into their style include: white washed or stonewashed jeans, mid calf boots, or some spring prints. No makeup or hair product is needed… like we said before, bare is in this season! Be yourself!!!
New On The Radar: Buzzworthy things you might see people talking about. Diverse runway models were a major part of NYFW this year, and people are pretty excited about it. The range of racially diverse models this year was really quite amazing and has been praised. Another amazing aspect of diversity in model casting was Simone Rocha’s collection which was modelled by women over 55! How fabulous is that?! In addition, Marc Jacobs and Coach both featured transgender models this year, expanding the bounds of artistic expression in fashion. Because activism is in in 2017, some designers invariably picked up the hint. Some designers and models sported the pink Planned Parenthood pins on their shirts. Some created graphic tees that read things like “The Future is Female” or “Be the Change You Wish to See in the World.” So in terms of wearable activism, it was made quite chic at Fashion Week! Oscar de la Renta’s stamp dedication was another hot spot for political chatter. Hillary Clinton spoke on the behalf of Oscar de la Renta, one of her favorite designers, on the last day of Fashion Week. She remarked on de la Renta’s success as an immigrant and made sure to leave the crowd hopeful. She even gave us some light reading for homework: the Constitution!
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Room of Her Own
by Yoldas Yildiz
In this issue, I caught up with Riley Burfeind in her woman cave in Branford. Riley is a junior who just came back from studying abroad in Perugia, Italy. She is a Economics major with a minor in sociology and a scholar in the Holleran Center for Community Action an Public Policy. She is also the business manager and singer for the ConnArtists a capella group, a tour guide for the office of admissions and vice president for club volleyball. In her spare time she also volunteers for a local NGO in New London called Brigaid. I managed to catch up with busy bee Riley to ask about her room and how she managed to make it look so homey in the short amount of time that she’s returned to campus.
Why did you choose Branford? I chose Branford because I really love the central location, and I also feel like Branford just has a great sense of community What’s your favourite piece in your room? Why? Hhhmmm, probably my tapestry because it fills an entire wall and I love the colors and the patterns. I think my design style and taste can be summed up in that tapestry. It’s also from this really cool store in Maine (Mexicali Blues), so it’s a nice reminder of home. 14 theLOOK
Where do you buy most of your decorations and furniture from? I’d say 90% of my furnishings came from target and or Walmart. As for decorations, I printed all my pictures using this app called parabo, which is amaaaazzzzing. They offer really good deals and the packaging is really cute.
How do you insure your room reflects you as a person? I tend to keep my bed, rug and furniture pretty neutral and let the walls provide the color. I really appreciate organization and clean lines but am also a fan of soft and cozy details, so I’d like to think my room has a good balance of both. Do you have any plans to add anything to your room? Not really, which is very unlike me, I’m usually very indecisive when it comes to the layout of my room (and life in general)
Is there an interesting story behind a piece of furniture in your room? or a piece of art? The “Keep Calm and Carry On” print is actually from a TV set that my uncle was on. Not sure what the show was or how it ended up in my possession, but I’m glad it did.
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Why Fashion Matters:
Individuality Through Style by Grace Caraprezzi
Ralph Lauren Spring 2016
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t age four, I ventured out into the world wearing an oversized plaid jumper, bulky navy blue knee socks, and an enormous un-tailored smile. The reality of wearing a uniform for my first day of school was exciting and new to me. It symbolized maturity and the notion that I was equal to the other girls in my class. However, as I grew older the idea of that uniform no longer held the same prestige in my mind. I found it mundane and constricting. A sudden urge to break free from uniformity washed over me. The critical shedding of the uniform was like losing a layer of skin. I now had the opportunity to celebrate my individuality through the clothes I chose to wear. My mood deeply affected the color, shape and texture of what I saw fit for the day. This revolutionary source of expression changed the way I viewed the world by acknowledging the conscious decisions of others to manifest their being, whether it be under satin, silk, or shearling. Over time, I realized style can be so much more than outfit, it symbolizes purpose and power. Fashion connects us to the wider world and spreads values of beauty, diversity, acceptance, and risk. Whether you leave your imprint on the world with a Doc Martin or Prada footprint, individuality is what makes life interesting and beautiful.
Phot og Vecto raphed b r Art y by Bi Tyler Cla r anca Scofi k eld
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The Personal is Political by Loulou Broderick
Fashion is a visual extension of oneself, a representation of one’s personhood, values, and experience. Fashion speaks to our shared humanity. With an outfit, one can express resistance and solidarity simultaneously. In this volatile and strange political moment, fashion is a device that we look to in order to better evaluate our own place in the world and to empathize with those around us. Muslims in America are not a hot button issue - we are not people to pity in bouts of performative allyship and then discard just like so many other groups of marginalized people have been by the soft liberal mainstream. Muslims have been in America long before it was a country, and the marginalization that is now taking the form of Travel Bans comes from long standing Islamophobia that has gone unchallenged. Muslim fashion designers seek to challenge these norms with the public art of their design and style. An interest in fashion does not preclude anyone from a responsibility to remain politically aware and accountable, and in fact may be a method of examining politics by experiencing the fashion of Muslim fashion designers. Talepasand is an American-Iranian artist whose work is often very centered on her identity. She was born in 1979, the year of the Iranian Revolution, an event that shapes much of her artwork and catalyzed a diaspora of Iranian people, many of whom came to the United States. The Persian influences in her work are vivid and are not only in textiles but 3D sculpture, installations, and paintings as well. These influences are so well rendered because Talepasand was trained in Persian miniature painting, an old craft that requires an immense amount of discipline.
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Ayah Tabari of Mochi: The Art of Embroidery Tabari is the Palestinian designer behind the fashion house, Mochi. She draws inspiration for her work by centering her designs on work from local artisans. Mass media can often deny the diversity of Muslims as we are seen as a homogenous group. However, Muslims exist in countries all around the world. Mochi’s focus on locality means that the designer can work directly with people of each area to showcase the diversity that exists within Muslim fashion, with collections from Central Asia, North Africa, South Asia, the Middle East, and other regions of the world. The clothing lines that are inspired by these places take everything into account from traditional colour schemes, dyes of thread, levels of embroidery, and design motifs.
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Hushidar (Hushi) Mortezaie Mortezaie is a designer who worked in New York City for a long time before getting recognition for his designs that don’t hold back on juxtaposed colors, materials, accessories, and lots of glitter. His pieces catch the eye and and showcase the Persian cultural influences he grew up with in his own experience being an Iranian immigrant to the United States. Hushi often cites the illustrative Persian epic, The Shahnama, as a cultural point of connection for him. He remembers his parents reading it to him and showing him the vivid Persian illustrations, alongside the European fairytales of Hans Christian Andersen that he became familiar with from American media. Similarly, the infatuation with both American and Iranian pop stars and high-fashion enables him to see intersections of culture, and ensure his work does not feed into the reductive binary between “Eastern” influences and “Western” ones. It is big, bold, and beautiful, and reflective of a multicultural life experience that resonates with many first and second generation Americans. His designs have been worn by Madonna, Beyonce, and Brad Pitt.
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Anniesa Hasibuan
She might be remembered as the designer who absolutely changed the game in the fall of 2016 by making every one of her designs include a headscarf, the first time ever in New York Fashion Week history. The young designer takes her inspiration from her home city of Jakarta, which is the most populated Muslim city in the world. Her designs are feminine yet modern, and well-adorned with a variety of textural elements from lace to silk and metallic fabrics in between. The looks she debuted at NYFW really utilized beautiful jewel tones as the cohesive theme to her pieces, which showcased immense diversity in terms of texture and arrangement.
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Omer Asim A designer originally from Sudan, Asim creates elegant and androgynous pieces that cut through runways with their clean lines. Asim studied with Vivienne Westwood and now bases his practice in London. Asim came to fashion in a roundabout way, first studying architecture, then psychology and visual anthropology, and finally making his way to fashion. His knowledge of Sudanese garments influences his pattern-making, dabbling in pieces made from a single cut of fabric and going beyond to challenge oppressive Western concepts of gender. “A-gender appeals to me because I’ve always been interested in garments as cultural objects, and culture is not gender conscious, culture is culture,” as he says explaining some of his thought processes.
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Rahma Mohamed:Rahma The Label
Rahma is an Australian-Ethiopian fashion designer. With a degree in fashion and marketing and a desire to create something, she was inspired to start her own fashion label after visiting Ethiopia with her parents. With the designs coming out of her home in Melbourne, and the textiles being produced by artisans in Addis Ababa, Rahma the Label is a truly transitional design label. The local sourcing of the cotton fabric is instrumental to the design process as it informs the neat and structured cuts of her pieces. This is not a choice of convenience but rather one of personal ethics. Rahma is not oblivious to the political implications of her fashion, as she has made statements about the West’s perception of Africa and how reductive it is to homogenize an entire continent. Fighting back against this reductive Western gaze comes through in her process: “I feel like sometimes people have a narrow-minded idea of how culture or traditions can be applied or even exist if you are ‘forward thinking’ or ‘modern.’ Most of the time you’re either one or the other.” Rahma is doing both. We agree: embracing traditions and respecting the locality of craft can have a role in the modern world, while cultural appropriation and mistreatment of garment workers is something to leave behind.
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Karim Adduchi
A Moroccan son of two fashion designers, Adduchi often felt intimidated by the art of clothing, out of sheer respect for his parents craft. His Amazigh heritage and warm memories of the sound of a sewing machine from his childhood home are what inspired him to create avant garde collections that take local fabrics usually saved for rugs, and transform them into high fashion. The Amazigh culture does not have much global presence and is quite esoteric to Morocco, so there is the immense pressure that comes when your whole art form is at high risk for being misunderstood. Aducchi rose to the challenge and brazenly displayed his culture on international runways. His pieces are fresh and futuristic, all while remaining authentic.
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Rami Al Ali
Al Ali is a Syrian fashion designer who found his interest at a very young age. Always seeking to create the most elevated aesthetic experience with his clothing, Rami Al Ali was inspired to design couture gowns for the runways of Europe. Now based in Dubai, this lover of all things opulent has a client list that includes Beyonce, Kerry Washington, Jennifer Lopez, and Iranian pop singer (and personal fashion icon of mine) Googoosh. Although Dubai is a city of wealth, beauty, and modernity, Al Ali has said, “Designers based in fashion capitals, such as London, Paris and New York, are closer to the right international media and celebrities so anything done in this region requires a lot more effort,� in a 2015 interview. It is almost as if international media is disinterested in the beauty and ingenuity of The Middle East and only cares to report on war and strife.
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SPRING BREAK 2017 photographed by Jack Beal
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