December 2017

Volume 50

Issue 3

December 2017

MASTHEAD Andrea Navarro Daniel Nissim Editors-in-Chief

W27

A LETTER FROM THE EDITORS

Kayla Renshaw Treasurer

EDITORS Mason Auman Shani Hashemi

ART Victoria Houman Art Director Lara de la Torre Photo Editor Alexander Lopez-Guevara Thuy Anh Dang Designers

CONTRIBUTORS Anushree Sheth Grace Kranz Sophia Ostapenko Lara de la Torre Richard DiFrisco Adam Har Shemesh Alexander Lopez-Guevara

Dear Readers, As we look toward the new year, it is important reflect upon 2017. What were some of your memorable experiences? What do you hope to change in 2018? This semester has been a good one for the paper, but we know that we can do better next year.

We have some great content for you in our December issue. In On the Block, we feature Runway27’s fashion show and the Dean’s Forum: Business of Curves event. Our featured artist this month is Exhibition Design Major Shona Neary. We also have a two-page edition of The Gallery with artwork from three student artists.

We hope you have a restful winter break, and we look forward to getting back to work on our February issue next semester.

Wishing you a happy and healthy new year, Andrea Navarro & Daniel Nissim Editors-in-Chief

Ellen Davidson Alexandra Mann Faculty Editorial Advisors

Professor Albert Romano Faculty Advertising Advisor

W27 Newspaper

ON THE COVER: @W27 Newspaper Artwork óna Neary @W27 Newspaper

www.w27newspaper.org www.issuu.com/w27newspaper

FIT

DECEMBER 2017

contents ON THE BLOCK

HAUTE CULTURE

4

A Night Among the Stars

Be By Your Name:” Embracing A 20 “Call Feeling / Yayoi Kusama’s “Festival of Life”

5

The Business of Curves: How Curvy Women are Out and Proud /“Fashion for Action:” Doing Good Never Goes Out of Fashion

6

Student Spotlight: Josefine Sanfridsson, on Crafting Her Own Business

21

Murder She Wrote and Murder He Directed: Inside “Murder on the Orient Express” / MoMA’s First Fashion Exhibit in 70 Years

FIT SPEAKS DEAR INDUSTRY

7

A Time for Change: Shake-Up in the Retail Industry

8

In Conversation with Roza Sinaysky, Vogue and Elle Contributor

9

The Next Met Gala: A Trip to the Vatican?

FEATURES

10 11 12

Sewing Gifts for All

22

How Toxicity in Hip-Hop is Taking Lives

23 So Everyone’s a Foodie Now…?

Defense of Impractical Fashion, 24 InMeaningless Art and Pure Aesthetic Beauty

MONTH IN REVIEW

25

Historical Moments on Election Day: A Celebration of Individuals

THE GALLERY The Battle of Black Friday

Cover Feature

26

The Gallery

STYLE ON 27

14

Finding the Holiday Spirit on Fifth Avenue

16

What Do You Want for the Holidays?

18

Hit the Road These Holidays: The Best Mini Road Trips Near NYC

HOFIT

19

Humans of FIT

W27 is PRINTED ON RECYCLED PAPER. PLEASE RECYCLE AFTER READING. A FIT STUDENT ASSOCIATION PUBLICATION.

28 Style on 27

3

4

ON THE BLOCK

W27

A Night Among the Stars

BY ANUSHREE SHETH On a brisk Thursday evening, a long line formed outside the Haft Auditorium as spectators eagerly waited to watch Runway27’s fashion show. This semester’s theme was “Cinematic,” and the show was every bit as glamorous as one could expect. The show was divided into four segments; Dark Fantasy, Romance, Sci-Fi and Drama. It was captivating.

As the house lights went down and the curtains were drawn, we were exposed to a very urban backdrop made of dark green construction boards covered in movie posters from different eras.

The Dark Fantasy segment mainly had clothes that were both rock-chic and elegant with its use of leather and lace. Romance had soft colors — some very Victoria’s Secret-esque outfits — and a fun and flirty vibe. The Sci-Fi theme was one that I personally do not have a taste for but they conquered the idea with metallic and neon printed attire. And finally, the Drama segment proved to be an incredible collection of stunning gowns and over-the-top clothes.

All of the clothes were either sponsored by industry professionals or current students of FIT. Full length body suits, dresses, wedding gowns, athleisure, nightwear lingerie and swimwear for women were displayed while the men wore pants, shorts, jackets and even a dress. The models’ walks were very synchronized, welltimed and professional. The beauty department did a great job of having their hair and makeup compliment all of the different styles modeled by the students. The music was very upbeat and in tune with each segment’s theme.

The show successfully captured its cinematic theme. The designers adopted both classic movie looks and current styles in a way that perfectly represented today’s fashion trends.

PHOTOS COURTESY CHRISTINA HENNINGTON VECTOR ART BY STARLINE/FREEPIK

FIT

DECEMBER 2017

5

The Business of Curves: How Curvy Women are Out and Proud

BY GRACE KRANZ Walking into the Business of Curves forum on Nov. 15 was like walking into a high-profile event. The lighting was moody, and upbeat music played softly in the background. Behind the chairs, photographers and videographers toyed with their equipment. Meanwhile, on the side of the stage, models and attendees posed for pictures against a backdrop representing the Business of Curves.

President Joyce F. Brown was greeted by the audience’s applause as she walked onto the stage.

She stood at the podium and spoke a few words about the plus-size fashion industry. “They feel like second class citizens,” remarked Brown in reference to curvy women. She stated that it’s time for us to accept them in the fashion industry.

“They are out and they are proud!” Brown exclaimed.

With a thunderous clap, President Brown walked off the stage and a film introducing the guest panelists started. An interesting fact that stood out from the film was that 67% of women in the U.S. are size 14 or larger. That is over half the population, and yet plus size women are still frowned upon in society. Susan Moses, a celebrity stylist, stated, “The word plus is a positive, and it means a little bit more. A little bit more to love, a little bit more to hold onto,” and as soon as the film ended, the fashion show began.

It started with beautiful, curvy women walking down the makeshift runway in lingerie. After lingerie came ready-to-wear and ended with sophisticated dresses. I stared in awe at the these women and could feel their confidence radiating throughout the room. They looked amazing in the garments, and they knew it! Their smiles were genuine and contagious. The runway show was

more than just another fashion show. It was created to make a statement: Curvy women aren’t going to hide anymore — it’s their time to shine.

Up next came the panelist discussion moderated

by Fern Mallis, the curator of New York Fashion Week. The panelists included Catherine Schuller, Susan Moses and Emme. Schuller is a fashion event empresario, as well as an educator for plus size fashion at the Fashion Institute of Technology.

Moses is an illustrious celebrity stylist, blogger,

on board is really a good thing.” No woman’s personality can be defined by their size. A woman that is a size 0 can still have the same dreams and aspirations that a size 18 woman.

Another difficult topic the speakers tackled was misconceptions within the fashion industry that have affected plus size women. “[The plus-size fashion industry] is a $21.4 billion business. 58% of women don’t find anything they really like. Can you imagine if we satisfied those other 58 percent? That number would double. That would help the economy,”Catherine Schuller explained.

In response to the lack of well-fitting clothing for curvy women, she passionately exclaimed: “Help curvy women use their bodies and their voices to encourage more designers to be inclusive in their collections…use your voice, use your Instagram, show yourself in the clothes because everyone’s paying attention. (...) And that’s where we have to start. Using your voice is the most powerfully positive thing you can do.”

spokesperson, and designer. Emme is a globally recognized women’s advocate for positive body image and self-esteem.

The panelists discussed a range of topics regarding plus size women and their place in the fashion industry. In regard to the “normal” size going from a size 14 to a size 0, Emme stated, “It’s not that [the plus size woman] walks into life as a plus size person. She’s a woman first with a whole plethora of personality to reflect, so the industry getting

Each comment made by the panelists created a fresh perspective. If there is one thing the Business of Curves Forum proved, it is that curvy women are not only desirable, but they deserve to make their mark in the fashion industry. Not only did I leave with a couple fresh perspectives, but I also left with a newfound sense of self-love. In an industry as competitive and shallow as the fashion industry, it’s good to know that there are people who embrace who they are instead of conforming to society’s standards or, even more, try to change society’s standards.

Fashion for Action: Doing Good Never Goes Out of Fashion

BY ANDREA NAVARRO Housing Works hosted their 14th annual “Fashion for Action” fundraiser on Thursday, Nov. 16 in their flagship Chelsea store. Guests were invited to shop from hundreds of brand donations at 50% to 70% off their original retail price. The event was made even more enticing by the additional promise that they could also buy pieces from the closets of some of the most stylish and influential individuals in New York City, including model Iskra Lawrence and popular “Le Happy” blogger, Luanna PerezGarreaud.

People familiar with Housing Works know that their mission is to end the double crisis of homelessness and HIV/AIDS in New York City by 2020. To do so, all profits made from their products — which are all completely donated — in their multiple stores around the city and their bookstore cafe in SoHo go towards their life saving services, which include fighting for funding and legislation to ensure that all people living with HIV/AIDS have access to quality housing, healthcare, HIV prevention and treatment.

Guests were encouraged to purchase tickets for Thursday’s opening VIP experience as well, in which they could shop while enjoying cocktails and

mingling with influential fashionistas. However, the event was open to the general public until Saturday Nov. 18.

Over $2 million worth of clothing and accessories were donated from brands such as Alexander Wang, Calvin Klein, Derek Lam, Everlane, Manolo Blahnik, Moschino, Michael Kors, Theory and more.

For volunteers of the event — such as the W27 staff — an additional 25% markdown over the already heavily discounted prices was offered. For FIT students, it was a great opportunity to use our passion for fashion to do a good action, and in the case of this writer — to get 100% silk Open Ceremony pajamas.

6

ON THE BLOCK

W27

BY MASON AUMAN I recently sat down with FIT student Josefine Sanfridsson to discuss her new business venture, AWAKE | The Space. She and her partner, Jules Hunt, have just launched AWAKE. The concept is an effort to promote wellness in New York City–certainly no small feat. AWAKE coordinates events like meditation and wellness workshops. Keep reading for details on what inspired her to take on this task and how exactly AWAKE operates.

Mason Auman: What inspired you and Jules to take on this project?

Josefine Sanfridsson: Jules and I met at a restaurant in Brooklyn, we were seated next to each other.

After some friendly exchanges, we decided to sit at the same table and bonded over similar interests and personalities. After that, we have pretty much been each other’s sounding boards. We both have a background in fashion marketing and entrepreneurship. Jules is a wellness writer and I had previous experience in PR. Since we live such busy lives in New York, we noticed that there was a missed opportunity to have moments to truly connect with people. To fill this void, we decided to start AWAKE | The Space.

MA: Why is wellness important to you? Why should it be important for everyone?

JS: Wellness is the foundation of everything. If you take care of yourself, you have more energy to put back into the world. Wellness, for me, is a broad term. It includes mental health, movement, nutritious food, the people you’re surrounded by and so much more. Being healthy is what keeps you alive.

MA: Can you talk to me about what AWAKE does in the city?

JS: AWAKE is all about bringing people together.

Our mission with every event is to create awareness and provide everyone with something valuable to bring into their own lives. We carefully choose the partners we will host the events and workshops with. We address topics that including wellness, lifestyle, entrepreneurship, sustainability and fashion.

MA: Do you have any exciting events planned in the upcoming weeks that you can share with W27?

JS: Right now, we are finishing up the last bits and pieces for our launch event on Saturday, Dec. 12.

We have teamed up with Well+Good and Portland-based meditation instructor, Kait Hurley, for a morning of meditation. We are overwhelmed by the positive response we’ve receive so far.

MA: How can readers get involved with AWAKE and where can they find you?

JS: We love hearing from like-minded people who want to make a change! Anyone can get involved by emailing us at hello@awakethespace.com or visiting our website www.awakethespace.com. On Instagram, we’re @awakethespace.

PHOTOS COURTESY VICTORIA MORRIS

FIT

DECEMBER 2017

7

A Time for Change: Shake-Up in the Retail Industry

BY ANUSHREE SHETH

The retail industry is rapidly changing as the advent of e-commerce threatens the business of brick-and-mortar stores . To learn more about this changes, I sat down with FIT Professor Shawn Carter. Carter started her career at Bloomingdales, then went to work at Bergdorf Goodman as a buyer before moving on to Ann Taylor as a product developer and finally to Macy’s top serve as Vice President. Now, she dedicates her time and expertise to the students of FIT.

Anushree Sheth: What are the major changes that the fashion industry has gone through in recent times and what caused them?

Shawn Carter: One of the biggest changes that we have gone through is leveraging technology to engage consumers in the shopping experience. E-commerce has been a significant change in how consumers shop.

Companies are creating an Omni-channel retail experience, which creates a brand synergy. But one of the big factors that has changed is that consumers who are younger don’t go to shopping malls the way their predecessors did and that’s a seismic shift in terms of how consumer behavior is dictating the survival of retailers in the fashion industry today. The other big change is that designers used to be in the driver’s seat to tell consumers what to wear. Now consumers are in the driver’s seat telling designers what to design. The democratization of fashion is another huge shift. And then the final big change is globalization. We’ve always sourced products all over the world wherever we could get it in terms of price value for quality but what’s different is that you have certain industry sectors that are now saying we have to have conscious consumerism. Adhering to these new demands from consumers to create a product that’s well priced, where you’re paying the worker a living wage and also not polluting the environment to create the product. And so, these kinds of changes are a huge shift, in terms of retailing and fashion.

AS: How do you think this will affect retailers?

SC: We’re seeing the effects already. We are in a sharing economy in the United States and that has created a different idea of how we consume products. With companies like Rent-the-Runway.

Why buy a gown if you can lease it? And that’s one area where retailers are going to have to think about how to make the consumer to want to buy.

Another change is that foot traffic is down in the stores, it is changing the footprint of the business model and that change is causing tremors in the

retail sector. The biggest challenge is that you have too much product sameness in stores. You have to have some kind of differentiator from your competitors. You always see customers in the Apple store in any mall that you go to while the rest of the mall might now be busy. Apple has created a retail experience that’s compelling for consumer engagement and that’s what is lacking in department stores. This idea that you go shopping for fun has been lost in the consumer’s consciousness. It’s supposed to be indulgent and an opportunity for you to be excited because you’re spending your money on something that you don’t need but want. We have to do a better job of creating consumer experience that is fun online and offline.

AS: How important are brick and mortar stores in today’s market setting?

SC: I think smaller mom and pop stores are starting to flourish in local communities because of this “shop locally” movement. So, we are supporting shoppers that are purchasing products which are made closer to where they live. Brick and mortar is not dead. What’s dead is the old brick and mortar idea. We need to take the existing space and reconfigure it to create an exciting place to shop.

But I also think it’s important to have great product.

Apple has created a fashion brand and that’s how they beat their competitors. Because they come up with new fashionable products and they keep the customer entertained and all it is, is a phone.

They drive their market growth by offering a new product that’s enticing to the customer to come into the store and try it out, and experiment and have fun with it and learn about it. We used to do that better in fashion and we need to get back at it.

AS: How do you think this will affect fashion trends and the pace at which they change?

SC: Consumer behavior is changed by the fact that consumers drive the fashion purchasing as opposed to fashion buyers and editors. And so, millennials are forcing others to change the behavior in terms of who they market to and what their values are. Depending on what your friends say, you might agree or you might disagree.

Millennials are more individualistic in their fashion choices. And the other change is this notion of dressing down. Being very casual in the workplace and in your life. Millennials have ushered in an idea of not having to dress up. That kind of behavior makes people believe that they don’t need to go shopping for new clothes and we’ve allowed that to happen in retail, which in my opinion was a big mistake. Because when you allow people to wear the same clothing everywhere, why would they buy a suit? And we now have athleisure.

We wear active wear, everywhere.

We dress down for everything. It’s fine to be comfortable but clothing also identifies you in other ways because you’re presenting yourself as a personal brand and I think that we, in fashion, have to remind consumers that it’s not about being uncomfortable when you’re wearing a suit, it’s about wearing the right suit.

AS: For those of us who are just entering their industry, what advice do you have?

SC: Big opportunities await. I think this is a great time to be in fashion because we are in a different risk-element of fashion and young people are fearless. Our industry is changing rapidly. I think in 5 years 50% of every physical store’s sales will happen online. I think young people should be analytical, inquisitive and aware of what’s happening in the world. Learn a new language so you can access a new demographic! Young people can give the information, innovation and the creativity that is needed to drive physical stores to reinvent themselves to accommodate the changing lifestyles of consumers today. It gives you an opportunity to be entrepreneurial and drive the new business models. That’s what FIT is producing; graduates to think innovatively and outside the box.

8

DEAR INDUSTRY

W27

In Conversation with Roza Sinaysky, Vogue and Elle Contributor

BY SHANI HASHEMI The Faith in Fashion event in New York City this past month brought many fashion influencers together to speak about the culmination of fashion. One standout speaker came to the Fashion Institute of Technology to see, first hand, all of the hard work that our students put into their craft. Her name is Roza Sinaysky, and she’s a contributor for Vogue Italia and Elle Russia. Originally from Kiev and now living in Israel, she has travelled around the world and garnered a great deal of fashion experience. In addition to her professional writing, Roza has a personal blog called “Moody Roza” on Instagram. I had the chance to sit down with her and talk about her work and the industry at large.

Shani Hashemi: What made you get into fashion writing?

Roza Sinaysky: I’ve been into fashion from a young age. My mother was a shoe designer and always made sure we looked our best. Even in the USSR when there weren’t many options [for personal style], she made sure to dress well. I started writing young, too. I wrote a book about moving to Israel at the age of eight. However, my first real opportunity writing for a publication was in 2014, in Israel. I wrote their fashion section for five years.

SH: What topics do you write about?

RS: Fashion, traveling and life in Israel.

SH: How does your work for Vogue and Elle differ?

RS: I’ve been with Elle for six years, and I mainly visit designers and interview influential women.

For Vogue, I write about smaller fashion shows during fashion week, like the one in Kiev. I go backstage and write about young designers.

SH: Do you travel often for your articles?

RS: A lot. Once a month, even more sometimes.

It’s been a fascinating year, I travelled with major brands like Chanel. It’s been fascinating.

SH: This is a silly one, how many languages do you speak?

RS: [Laughs] Three, fluently – English, Hebrew and Russian. I am practicing French. I love when I go to France and I understand most of it. My dream and goal is to learn German! Don’t ask me why, I just want to.

SH: What inspires your personal blog?

RS: Mainly people – creative and driven people. It could be anyone, from a designer to a hotel owner – just people with passion. Also beautiful places, faces, and clothes.

SH: Where did the name “Moody” come from?

RS: When I went to London College, I interned at British Vogue and constantly had to make mood boards and collages. I hated technology, but in 2011 Instagram became so popular and it was like a digital moodboard. So I have been creating mood boards since 2012 and the name “Moody” developed.

SH: How do you think consumers and mass production is affecting fashion?

RS: Everyone knows something has to change.

[Fashion] shows are getting harder to produce and sell.

They used to prepare two collections [a year], now they are doing five. People will not wait for the next thing to come out, they want it now. I actually went to a meeting at the UN about this, which tells you that it’s a real problem. There’s too much labor and overproduction and half of the mass produced clothes end up going to waste. Trends influence life. We have to educate consumers to buy less or buy better quality. There’s also the issue of wanting to be fashionable but not having enough money to buy things that are not fast fashion. It’s up to all of us to make a point. To be more conscious of quality over quantity.

SH: How do you advocate for Israel in your work?

RS: I think it is my purpose to give Israeli designers a platform to get them out there. I support local designers.

SH: What is the best advice you’ve received as a journalist?

RS: I had the pleasure to interview Tim Blanks, editor-at-large of The Business of Fashion. He is a big inspiration to me and I asked him the same thing. He said, “just be curious.” If you are curious, you’ll always find the answers.

SH: What advice can you give to FIT students about the fashion world?

RS: This is a big industry and not a lot of people know that. You have to know that not everyone makes it big so find what you are good at and give 100% to one thing. Be persistent, find your own voice, have a signature. Keep practicing, keep designing, keep writing. Focus. Whatever it is that will help you find your voice – do it.

FIT

DECEMBER 2017

On Nov. 8, The Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Costume Institute have officially confirmed that next year’s Met Gala theme, “Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination,” will have to do with – you guessed it – Catholicism.

The exhibition will be the first of its kind, and it will feature traditional Christian dress that will be arriving directly from the Vatican. The MET will also utilize its vast collection of religious art, while 150 designers, including Dolce & Gabbana, Versace, and Givenchy, will all pay homage to the heavenly aesthetic.

According to The New York Times fashion critic Vanessa Friedman, the exhibit will be the biggest presentation to date regarding this theme, and it will be displayed in the galleries dedicated to the Costume Institute, spreading to the Medieval and Byzantine art sections of the museum. In addition, the honorary chairs of the night have also been announced: Rihanna, Amal Clooney and Donatella Versace will be some of them. Unfortunately, Lady Gaga and Madonna, two women who have often managed to collide the provocative worlds of fashion, music and

PHOTO COURTESY VOGUE

9

The Next Met Gala: A Trip to the Vatican?

BY SOPHIA OSTAPENKO religion together were not chosen for the honorary chairs, however, they will be honored for their influence.

The next Met Gala has the fashion world already on its toes. Some are wondering how provocative will the exhibition get, meanwhile others are hopeful for a more peaceful outcome, where fashion and religion are depicted more as a harmonizing unit, rather than a confrontational household.

rings) to Chanel’s notorious Quaran dress from the 1994 collection (which at the time was called “Satanic Breasts” by the weekly Journal du Dimanche) the exhibition will have plenty of opportunities to make a statement in the Metropolitan Museum and beyond.

Hopefully, the exhibition might actually portray a different perspective on religion, although is no secret that often the celebrities invited to the gala take the spotlight away from the exhibit itself.

Yet, the representatives of The Met are optimistic about the exhibition’s ability to promote understanding and creativity. They believe the only thing that will be provoking will be the thought-provoking dialogue between its visitors.

The Met Gala invitees often tend to dress for themselves rather than for the theme, and next year’s exhibition might become another case of cultural appropriation if it isn’t done appropriately.

Fashion has always had a history of including the influences of the Catholic church into its crafts.

From the famous Dolce & Gabbana designs that walk down the runway every season and have some sort of religious context (such as a dress that had a portrait of Virgin Mary wearing cross-shaped ear-

“Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination” might become one of the biggest and most well-known exhibits to date, and perhaps it will be able to achieve the unachievable: combine the worlds of fashion and religion, and make peace between them once and for all.

PHOTO COURTESY ALAMY STOCK/DPA PICTURE ALLIANCE

PHOTO COURTESY IMAXTREE

10 DEAR INDUSTRY

W27

Sewing Gifts for All

BY DANIEL NISSIM

ART COURTESY VECTEEZY.COM

The holiday season is upon us. As people prepare to celebrate the various holidays, it is time to start purchasing gifts. While it is nice to purchase a personal gift, there is nothing more personal than a handmade gift. The time and care involved in crafting such a gift, whether it is well-made or not, cannot be matched by any other sort of present. As this is FIT, here is a list of gifts you can sew for beginners and intermediate/advanced sewers.

For Beginners

For a Man: Pocket Square The construction of the pocket square is identical to that of the woman’s scarf. You can select a nice wool or cotton. Again, silk can be difficult to sew. I suggest a nice, firm cotton with a plain weave — that’s easiest. As for the pattern, you can’t go wrong with a gingham or check. If you’re feeling a little more adventurous, go for a houndstooth or herringbone. I like to cut a 14 inch x 14 inch square, but the sizing is up to you. Other than the fabric selection, follow the same steps as the scarf construction.

For a Woman: Scarf A scarf is a very simple gift to craft. First, you must select a suitable fabric. You can pick a wool knit or felted wool. Rayon and acrylic are inexpensive alternatives. Be careful of selecting silk for a scarf. It is very delicate and can be difficult to sew. With your fabric, cut a rectangular piece. The width and length of your scarf is up to you, but I suggest a 72 inch x 12 inch rectangle. This next step can be accomplished two ways. Merrow the raw edges of your rectangle.

This cleans up the edge and creates a good seam allowance guide. If you don’t have a merrow (serger) machine, you can chalk in a one-quarter inch seam allowance around the edge of the rectangle. Now, fold your seam allowance toward the back and press in place. Roll your seam allowance again and press in place. Miter your corners. This is a cleaner finish than having one side rolled over the other with exposed edges. Pin everything in place and edge stitch along the inner fold. Be sure to lock in the mitered corners.

If you’d like to add some fringe to your scarf, you’d remove some weft yarns. This can be a tedious process depending on the fabric you have selected, so I would suggest a simple rectangular scarf as a gift.

For Intermediate/Advanced Sewers

For a Woman: Clutch A woman can never have too many shoes or too many handbags — having options is always best.

Sewing a clutch is not too difficult, but one must have experience with sewing zippers and working with interfacing. You need to buy an exterior fabric, an interior fabric, a zipper, interfacing and some colored thread. In this instance, you can have a little more fun with the fabric choice. I wanted to make something for summer use, so I purchased linen fabric. If you want something more luxurious, you can buy some silk shantung. Mood Fabrics has some beautiful iridescent silk shantung that is a lot of fun to work with. For instructions, Google “Elm Street Bow Clutch” and select the first result. The directions are very clear.

For a Man: Tie

For a Young Child: Blanket We all had that special blanket as a child. You hold onto it, and it can often serve as a fond memory well into adulthood. My 30 year-old cousin still sleeps with her tattered baby blanket. When it was time to make a gift for my young cousin, I decided a blanket would be best. He was, and still is, in a Thomas the Tank Engine phase — everything is Thomas. For a blanket, select a nice fleece material. You can find a lot of fun patterned fleece fabrics at Jo-Ann’s. I selected an excellent Thomas the Tank Engine pattern and cut out a 60” x 36” rectangle. You can adjust the size of the blanket based off the size of the child, but I thought a huge blanket would be best to grow into.

Again, the construction of the blanket is identical to the scarf. A nice touch would be adding your own label. My gifts are always labeled “Daniel Ian.”

Every gentleman must have a proper pair of shoes, a navy blue blazer, a white dress shirt and a tie — that is his wardrobe at the simplest. I have already outlined how to sew a pocket square, a nice addition, but a man without a tie is a man lost. Ties can be fat, more of a business look, or skinny, more of hip look.

Fabric wise, you can select woven silk, wool, linen or even some knit fabric. I would avoid working with a knit as its less stable and silk can be expensive and difficult to work with. I like working with a nice suiting wool that is soft and has a little luster. I love, like seriously ‘ship on, Prince of Wales Check (also known as Glen Plaid). For this project, you will have to find a pattern or purchase one. McCall makes a good tie pattern. A tie requires a main fabric, a lining fabric and interfacing to add stability. I suggest acetate for the lining. It is an inexpensive alternative to silk. Note: you will have to buy a lot of fabric for one tie as your pieces are cut on the bias for a good drape. You can always use the leftover fabric to make some pocket squares.

For a Young Child: Teddy Bear How can you have a blanket without your teddy bear? As a child, I had a little stuffed bird that chirped when you shook him. “Chickie” was my companion for many years, and I was sad when I lost him when my family moved. Our reunion some years later was a tear-filled affair, and Chickie continues to reside in my room by my typewriter collection. You can have a lot of fun with this gift. I recommend the Howjoyful Bear Tutorial. It includes the pattern pieces, which you can print out, and detailed sewing instructions.

You will need two pieces of fleece fabric. One should be a neutral color, like cream, and the other will be an accenting color — a little brown, pink, blue or some other color. You will also need a plastic eyes, a plastic nose (or felt) and stuffing ---- all of which can be found at Jo-Ann’s. This project is more challenging than the blanket due to the curved seams and many connecting pieces. You can add ribbon or alter the bear with a pocket in the back or a sound generator in the stomach.

FIT

DECEMBER 2017

T he Batt le of

BY MASON AUMAN

The following account is a less-thantrue tale of a young man and his epic quest to conquer the hellscape of Black Friday. What you are about to read is very loosely based on a true story and should be considered accordingly.

Sweat glistens on my brow. In my peripheral, I can see comrades being swallowed up by torrents of our adversaries. I claw over a barricade into no man’s land. Like Diana Prince in “Wonder Woman,” I press onward with a band of brave men and women at my back.

payload is splayed in every direction. Deciding to take a risk, I spring toward the loot. Hitting the deck, I am joined by my enemies. We clamber for any bit of the treasure. I come away with a small piece. My body is intact. But is my soul?

Our lead strategist told us that we only had clearance to take calculated risks. But now she is fighting in a different region – and my risks are anything but calculated. Desperation is tightening its grip. I have lost contact with the entire unit. The only way that we can salvage this mission is to get what we came here for and hope that one of us can make it out to tell the tale. Perhaps I am the one who will survive.

But if I don’t, then I will falter in a moment of courage.

But I can’t cover them all. My brother is overtaken.

Before I can process his horrified screech, he is muted and folded into the throng of flailing bodies. We knew that this could happen, it’s all part of the job.

This is what he signed up for. However, as madness erupts around me, I can’t help but think: is our plan sullied beyond repair?

It was supposed to be a simple and direct mission.

We get in, we hit them hard, we get out. Our unit was instructed to form three teams. The team running point would consist of three individuals. Me and two of my brothers-in-arms. Two separates teams were to attack from the sides, cutting inward and meeting us in the center to capture the target. One lone comrade was instructed to wait in the wings as a reserve. She would meet us at point delta and provide us with an escape via mobile transport. There are enough seats in the transport for all of us. But now it seems as though we won’t be needing all of them.

A sickening crash resounds and disrupts the battlefield. Slamming into the combat zone is a piece of scaffolding meant to hold a sizable payload. The

Steeling my nerves, I collect myself from the scuffle, batting away aggressors with my free arm. When I look ahead, I see it. Somehow, without realizing it, I seem to have plowed all the way through to the other side of the field. My target emanates a beautiful and colorful aura, transfixing my gaze and infusing me with the will to persevere. I dash forward. To my left, a challenger shows their face. She grimaces as she gains momentum. This foot race will end it all. If I lose, then I will have lost my comrades in vain. But if I succeed…

The target grows as we near it. With mere feet left between me and my grail, I leap. In a swift motion, I secure the target. My opponent retreats. I am able to crawl all the way to our reconnaissance point, target in hand. Looking into the eyes of the transport pilot, I know that it was all worth it.

It wasn’t clean, but I secured the elusive and coveted KitchenAid 16 Cup Food Processor with DieCast Metal and Commercial-Style Dicing Kit from the ravaged region of Macy’s in the largest national battle of the year. This Friday, as we lick our wounds and mourn our losses, we will wear black.

PHOTOS COURTESY CAPITAL CHRISTIAN MINISTRIES

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The Visual Language: How Shóna Neary Plans to Make Art an Accessible Experience INTERVIEW BY ANDREA NAVARRO ART BY SHÓNA NEARY

In the basement of the A building there’s a room that’s half classroom, half workshop. In it, Visual Presentation and Exhibition Design students are hard at work building holiday windows for eight different Harlem small businesses. The opportunity was brought to them via one of their VPED (as they refer to their major) professors. They were originally promised a $500 budget (which was then reduced to $200) and now only have two days to complete the assignment.

The room is filled with golden mannequins, half-finished displays stuffed with Christmas lights, and in the case of Shóna Neary’s design, an incomplete — but promising-looking — rendition of the Three Kings coming to deliver the gift of music — a strategic choice related to the holidays, but is still broad enough to feel inclusive. All of the students look exhausted, but they also look they are having a lot of fun. This is the Visual Presentation and Exhibition Design degree program — the first and only one of its kind in the country.

Andrea Navarro: How did you realized that you wanted to study at FIT? Shóna Neary: I remember when I was in high school, I had that “what are you going to go into in the future” conversation with my guidance counselor, and I said that I really loved art and design, but I knew that it wasn’t an actual field. And she turned to me and said, “no, there are designers in society.” And you know, I just really didn’t know that you could get paid to do that that! So eventually I contacted the one artist that I knew had graduated from my high school in the past eight years, and I was like, “do you know what art schools I can go to?” and she gave me a whole list — and FIT was one of them. Which I know isn't the most glorious coming to FIT story, but I remember coming to see the school and thinking “this is exactly what I was picturing.”

AN: Did you always know you wanted to study Visual Presentation and Exhibition Design?

SN: I started out in Fine Arts, actually, but the thing with Fine Arts is that it's so hard to show it — because you can go to the Chelsea galleries and think “Well, my parents aren't seeing this. People I grew up with aren't seeing this.” I mean, it's great that people are seeing it, but when you create art from your past experiences, they are sort of a reflection of those moments and people. So it sort of seems like you are almost cheating, in a way, if the people or the influences that generated [an idea] or you sort of derived from to create the art aren’t there to see it.

AN: It’s such a unique major, too. I mean, FIT has so many unconventional majors and possibilities to different career paths.

SN: I personally love the motto of FIT, “where creativity goes down to business.” It’s so true! I think it’s great to think about the conceptualization of art, but you also kind of have to make a living out of it, which is kind of where my mind is now, so close to graduation. I think a lot of the majors of FIT are kind of looked down in terms of how they can contribute to society, but I think this school sort of rebels to those ideas. I mean, if you keep approaching a problem through the same hypothetical solution that hasn’t really worked in the past, it isn’t going to work now either. You need the out-of-the-box thinkers — the weird careers. Those are the ones who will actually come up with solutions. So I’m really glad I decided to come here in the end.

AN: If you could pick your ideal client, brand or business, which one would you pick?

SN: That's a tough one. Since it's thesis time, I’ve been thinking about what I want to do my thesis on. I really want to focus on museums like the Whitney or the MoMA, but my whole idea is to sort of do a pop-up of a museum that travels to places that aren't as metropolitan as New York so people have the chance to experience the exhibitions in different parts of the country.

Think about how important pop-ups have become over the years — and you know I really love art. So it’s something that has been really huge in my life, but I also want to make it accessible to other people because art is also a representation of culture and what's going on in politics. So to me that's like my dream project. And there’s obviously the fun projects. Something like 29 Rooms would be absolutely amazing because you have so much creative freedom. I guess the more boring projects are probably conferences or when you have a brand that’s so branded that you can't really do that much.

FIT

AN: I think a lot of people are somehow scared of museums because they think they are not accessible enough or they simply don’t get them. How does Visual Presentation and Exhibition Design play into that?

SN: That’s what I'm trying to tackle with my thesis. If you don't grow up going to museums or if you don't grow up in a sort of artistic environment or even if you don't take a course in, you have no idea where what you're walking into.

My family is not from an artistic background whatsoever, so if I bring them to a museum like the MoMA or the Whitney, they are just so confused and it makes me frustrated because you really do need that extra step of education, sometimes, to fully understand it. And this is also where the Exhibition Designer comes in, because they sort of create the bridge between what the art is trying to say and who's actually viewing it and how to create a bridge to let them connect it. So we're designing not only for an experience. Tt’s sort of a visual language, which is where the visual presentation part of the major comes in.

AN: You talk about a visual language. How do you believe it would have an impact to the people at large?

SN: You have these great educational centers that have amazing works that are representations of human history since the beginning of time — the first record of just what a human is goes all the way back to the cave paintings. Before writing was developed, visuals already existed. I think visual communication is the most universal language there is. Someone will always understand a drawing of a person versus the word “person” in different languages; and to me, especially coming from a military background, they use visual language like crazy to communicate. I think the visual language does not get enough credit. Even with advertising, you really do see the power of it, even if we are not aware of it.

AN: How did you came up with the idea for your thesis?

SN: The town that I lived in during high school was super small. It was right next to this military post, so there was no art whatsoever — it's like all the creativity was sucked out of this area. The local school in the area had just been closed down, and there was really nothing to do over the summer— but you had all these artists there! And yet they had no outlet or platform to actually present their work. So I reached out to the person in charge of the closed school, and I just went ahead and asked him, “Can we use your gym for like 3 days to have an exhibition?” We wanted to feature local talent and local art because we're all sitting here. We have all these resources, but no one is doing anything with them. So that summer of 2016, me and two other people planned this exhibition and the entire town came out to see it. And, you know, people came by not only to look at the art and buy the art, they would also bring their families and hang out for like five hours. So you can also make this sort of community space. And after I saw that, I really understood the impact of making a connection to the people through the art.

AN: How will your thesis project be different from this idea that you already implemented?

SN: I want to make it more national and not only in one community, but instead, a project that could travel to multiple

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communities. Sort of like a pop-up of a museum that would give local artists a platform in which they can also bring people into the exhibit.

My idea is to call it “The Creatives,” because I think when you just say “ar”’ people think of drawings or something, but I want to present music, dancing, any kind of performance, all of them are linked to art — but that’s a discussion for another time [laughs].

AN: What drives you to create these type of things?

SN: There are museums, art exhibition, and different cultural spaces showing you technology — and they're all in New York City or other big cosmopolis.

When you travel out of the city, it's so different. Not in a bad way, but you do realize how something is lacking. Especially coming from a high school that wasn’t really in contact with an urban area, and specially when I started applying into colleges and I realized I had no idea about what's going on, because I wanted to go into something like Exhibition Design.

AN: What’s your hope after graduation?

SN: To buy a one-way plane ticket to… somewhere, and figure out a job from there. I’m that cliche, free-spirited person. Freelancing via computer is becoming a huge thing now, so supporting myself with this sort of nomadic lifestyle, working as I travel, that’s my dream. With creative fields like this you are allowed that freedom. That’s why a lot of people are scared of getting into them, because you are not guaranteed a job — it’s a career that society is begging for, but not many are willing to really go into.

AN: Any last words for the FIT students?

SN: It’s all good. Live life in a chill way — I know that everyone’s so stressed out all the time, but you are living in New York City! It doesn’t get much better than that. Also, save the bees! *Interview edited for length and clarity

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Finding the Holiday Spirit on Fifth Avenue

BY LARA DE LA TORRE

From Macy’s legendary windows to Tiffany and Co.’s dazzlingly jeweled displays, New York City is the place to be when it comes to window-shopping during the holiday season. The windows are best when viewed during an after-dinner stroll.

Two displays that really caught my eye this year are Bergdorf Goodman and Saks Fifth Avenue!

The iconic 118 year-old department store, Bergdorf Goodman, tackled the challenge of designing a series of window displays based on New York City. Named “To New York With Love,” each set was inspired by a different influential NYC attraction, such as the American Museum of Natural History, the New York Philharmonic Orchestra and the New York Botanical Garden.

These are only three out of the seven cultural institutions being celebrated this holiday season, so be sure not to miss out on seeing any of these beautiful visuals along Fifth Avenue.

If finals are getting to you and you feel the need for a little break, head over to see Saks Fifth Avenue’s fashion-forward homage to the 1937 Disney classic, “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.”

In celebration of the film’s 80th anniversary, Saks is paying tribute to everyone’s favorite princess. With elaborate recreations of scenes from the movie and dresses made by designers like Marchesa and Alberta Ferreti, in the style of a 21st century Snow White, Saks has created a really impressive and thematic display. Displays are to be taken down January 1, so as soon as you walk out of your last final, visit these beautiful windows in search of some – perhaps needed – holiday spirit.

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PHOTOS COURTESY RICHARD DIFRISCO ART COURTESY VECTEEZY

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What Do You Want for the Holidays?

Andrea Navarro, Editor-In-Chief: I want what I’ve always wanted: the complete set of the Oxford English Dictionary (what can I say, this editor is a sucker for etymology). 20 volumes. 22000 pages. $1100 retail price at Walmart, because of course Walmart would sell that. Also, I have my eyes on this vintage Cartier Double C bracelet…

Daniel Nissim, Editor-In-Chief:

Mason Auman, Editor:

I’d like to sleep in every day. I have enough possessions. Materialism has nothing on a good night’s sleep.

I suppose I would not begrudge a good meal as well. I look forward to some of my mother’s cooking and a nice Christmas meal with our family friends.

For Christmas this year I really just want to spend time with my family!

That, of course, is guaranteed. What’s not guaranteed is the pair of Saint Laurent silver lambskin Wyatt boots I’ve been lusting after for months. I hope Santa pays well, because he might be my only hope.

Shani Hashemi, Editor:

Victoria Houman, Art Director:

Of course I want peace and happiness in the world and, as a student, less stress. I would also like a really nice tool box for my studio supplies. Being a Jewelry Design major, I have some hardcore tools and I don’t want just any plastic one. I want a designer brand one, if possible.

A life size cutout of Tim Gunn... but some downtime with family and friends would suffice.

Sophia Ostapenko, Social Media Manager:

Lara de la Torre, Photo Editor:

I want two things. 1) A great planner and 2) Some sort of anti-stress tool that I could use whenever, especially since this semester has been an intense one.

Anything with Pusheen the cat on it would be ideal. And maybe a second hard-drive, since I’m a photography major and I would like to try to be ahead of the game this season when it comes to random technological crashes.

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Adam Har Shemesh, Photographer:

Alexander Lopez-Guevara, Writer:

What I want for this or any holiday is to have lunch with Adam West’s ghost.

I want to go ice skating for the first time since childhood, and maybe go see a broadway show. It’s something that’s crossed my mind far too often, but I can never bring myself to do it.

Either because no one wants to go with me or because life gets in the way!

Anushree Sheth, Writer:

Helen Anh Dang, Writer:

I want to get french fries for a year!

There’s nothing I want more than to go home, play charades with my brother and eat a good bowl of rice with boiled pork and spinach soup cooked by my aunt. I also miss my mom’s special spaghetti. When we were young we couldn’t really spend money in something as expensive as pasta sauce, so we used ketchup, instead.

Grace Kranz, Writer: I want knitting needles and yarn.

After taking a textiles class, I’ve developed an interest in learning how to knit. Plus, I’d really like to knit my dog some ridiculous booties.

Watching videos of dogs wearing shoes is hilarious!

Richard DiFrisco, Photographer:

! s y a lid o H y 7 p 2 p a W H t a s U f o l l A From

What I would like for Christmas is the blessing of an amazing 2018.

Also, for the health and happiness of my loved ones.

VECTOR ART COURESTY VECTEEZY

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Hit the Road These Holidays: The Best Mini Road Trips Near NYC

BY ANDREA NAVARRO

Washington, D.C.

PHOTO COURTESY WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

If you are looking for a change of scenery from the city this winter, we understand. Even though we think that New York is one of the coolest cities in the world, it can get a little intense during the holidays. This is when tourists flock en masse to try to recreate their favorite festive movies, spend countless hours in Macy’s Herald Square (the only miracle on 34th street that I’ve experienced was to survive Black Friday shopping unscathed) and hopefully get dreamy White Christmas shots, if our picky weather allows for a snowy day.

If that, along with overcrowded subway trains and endless lines everywhere sounds like too much for you, don’t worry — we have you covered.

Even if you can’t commit to a long vacation period because of time, budget or availability, you might consider taking one of our ideas for the best weekend trips from the city. These places offer you a change of pace from the city; and what’s best, they are close enough to allow for a weekend trip, and in some cases, even a one day trip. So pack your bags, call your friends and get ready for a relaxing road-trip out of the city.

Hershey, Pennsylvania

PHOTO COURTESY WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

How far is it from NYC?: 4 hours, 20 minutes in car.

How far is it from NYC?: 3 hours in car.

How to get there using public transportation: You can take the Amtrak train from Penn Station (the train can get you there in anything from 2 h 50 min to 3 h 20 min, depending on how many stops is doing) or take a Greyhound, Peter Pan or Megabus to the city (around 4 hours or a little more).

How to get there using public transportation: You can take an Amtrak train from Penn Station to Harrisburg. Or you can take a Greyhound bus from Port Authority to Harrisburg. From the Harrisburg station (both the bus and the train), take a CAT (Capital Area Transit) #322 to Hersey Park. Also, a company called The Coaster Bus will take you there for $60 round trip, departing between 7:00 AM and 8:30 AM and returning at 10:30 pm for maximum enjoyment.

What to do: The nation’s capital is a relatively-close to New York destination to have a nice road-trip, and with its countless cultural institutions, it surely deserves a visit. If you want to learn all about its historical importance, make sure to pay visits to the White House, the Capitol, the National Mall and some of the most amazing art and history institutions like the Smithsonian, which is completely free to attend. A particular favorite museum in the city, though, is the Spy Museum, which is huge, interactive and requires spending a few hours exploring for maximum enjoyment.

Boston, Massachusetts

PHOTO COURTESY PUBLIC DOMAIN

What to do: If Disneyland is the Happiest Place on Earth, Hershey might be the Sweetest Place on Earth, or at least in the USA. Have a day of fun getting to know this Pennsylvania town where the focus is on all things chocolate. Go to the Hershey Park, a theme park with roller coasters and multiple rides, perfect for all the holiday thrills that you have been craving. And of course, eat all the chocolate that you can handle.

Bear Mountain, New York

PHOTO COURTESY WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

How far is it from NYC?: 4 hours, 20 minutes in car.

How far is it from NYC?: 1 hour, 20 minutes in car.

How to get there using public transportation: You can take the Amtrack from Port Authority or a Greyhoundor or Megabus (around 4 hours).

How to get there using public transportation: Take the Hudson line to Peekskill station (45 minutes) and then a 15-minute cab ride to Bear Mountain.

What to do: Have fun recreating the Boston Tea Party and taking a stroll through the Freedom Trail. Follow it up with a lobster roll at Quincy Market. If you are an art lover, you can’t miss the Museum of Fine Arts. The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum has one of the most beautiful architectures of any museum I’ve ever been (and is home to John Singer Sargent’s masterpiece, “El Jaleo”).

Fun fact? If your name is Isabella, they let you get in for free any day of the year.

What to do: If you need a day of relief from the hustle and bustle of New York City, head to Bear Mountain for a day of hiking, biking, picnicking and fresh air.

Enjoy the views of the lake, which has fishing access, admire the animals at the zoo and then maybe have a splash in the swimming pool. This beautiful state park, close to the Hudson River, is one of the closest places you can travel from NYC which still will give you the feeling that you are in a totally different place.

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HoFIT HUMANS OF FIT

BY ADAM HAR SHEMESH

Julia Feeney Production Management

PHOTO COURTESY ADAM HAR SHEMESH

Alexis Owens PHOTO COURTESY ADAM HAR SHEMESH

Fashion Business Management

What’s the best holiday present you ever got?

What’s the best holiday present you ever got?

“One year, me and my brother got big matching Toboggans. Whenever we go skiing, my parents never want us to pay for it since the lift tickets cost like 200$ so they bought us those so we could slide them at home”.

“I’d have to say my sewing machine when I was like 12. My grandma taught me how to sew and I was in the Fashion Academy, which is how I got into fashion in the first place”.

Favorite part of the Fall 2017 semester?

Favorite part of the Fall 2017 semester?

“I was the only person to pass my Production Management midterm”.

“I’d have to say going to a Mac Demarco concert. It was epic”.

Tahiry Guevara Fine Arts What’s the best holiday present you ever got?

“When I was little, my dad got me the Spiderman movie on DVD”.

Favorite part of the Fall 2017 semester?

“Meeting New People”.

PHOTO COURTESY ADAM HAR SHEMESH

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Embracing A Feeling

BY ALEXANDER LOPEZ-GUEVARA The past few years have allowed for some of the best films involving homosexuality, such as TK . It’s safe to say that “Call Me By Your Name” tops them all.

Set in the summer of 1983, in Northern Italy, we are introduced to Elio (Timothée Chalamet), a 17-yearold vacationing with his parents, one of which is a Greco-Roman Professor (Michael Stuhlbarg). The Professor is greeting a new intern named Oliver (Armie Hammer), who will be staying with them for six weeks. Oliver is odd, tall, handsome, clever and a little bit brash. This sparks a sort of curiosity within Elio, who comes from a family that has nurtured within him sophisticated ideas, talents and behaviors — he plays Bach on the guitar and piano, he can easily switch from speaking Italian, French, and English and he’s highly critical of himself.

ILLUSTRATION BY ALEXANDER LOPEZ-GUEVARA

We watch the relationship between the two main characters evolve slowly, but it is done through a lens that only director Luca Guadagnino and cinematographer Sayombhu Mukdeeprom can give us; that of observing not just the characters, but their surroundings and the things they read or the things they wear. Juxtaposed with these fragments that further expose their affection is the music — what could be better at carrying us through each stepping stone of this romance? Throughout the movie, we catch glimpses of the beautiful setting, specifically the trees, which hold glistening fruits like apricots and peaches and the river that beckons under

the summer sun. We learn about what the characters read into and what philosophies resonate with them, such as a dissection of the word apricot (hint: “premature” and “precious” are derivatives) and the story of a knight who asks “should I speak or should I die?”. The camera follows Elio, as his hidden curiosity and attraction for Oliver demands attention from the audience.

We can see that Elio is haunted by the reality that this romance can’t extend past the six weeks mark; it will ultimately end when Oliver hops on a plane to go back home. But does that mean that Elio shouldn’t act on his attraction at all? Should he tug away, keep his silence and hate his desire? What we see is an explosion of adolescent passion, fragility and tenderness that radiates from the screen. The confessions lead to heartfelt moments of pure intimacy and affection, never to the point of uncomfortable eroticism – a gift, almost, to the ones rooting for Elio.

“Call Me By Your Name” stands out as a film that features heavily a sense of melancholy and introspection, and which is even stronger because of it. It also explores the realities of adolescence; how attraction keeps us alive and on fire, both tormented and fascinated, and how embracing it might be an experience worth a lifetime of longing, even if we know it’s going to suck when it’s over.

Yayoi Kusama’s “Festival of Life”

BY LARA DE LA TORRE

For many millennials, Yayoi Kusama is an artist who is recognized through the floods of social media posts on platforms such as Instagram, Tumblr and Twitter. The posts are saturated with images depicting rooms that appear to be something found down the rabbit hole. Some of Kusama’s most iconic pieces center around multicolored twinkling lights that resemble shooting stars as well as mirrors covering every surface of a room to make spaces appear never-ending. Unfortunately, for anyone that may want to experience these sensory-driven art exhibitions, a wait of two to four hours is typically the price to pay.

Running from November until Dec. 16, the David Zwirner Galleries are hosting two major solo exhibitions featuring Kusama’s most recent work, including some of her famous “Infinity Rooms.” Her work is being presented across three separate spaces: “Infinity Nets” on the Upper East Side and a two-part exhibition of “Festival of Life” in Chelsea.

Aside from the hours-long wait to just be allowed inside each Infinity Room for 1 minute and the amount of Instagram-users flocking to both shows, Kusama’s work proves itself to be worth more than the cultural hurricane that surrounds it. Her pieces show a versatility that many artists fight to maintain throughout their careers – the kind of quality that has make Kusama’s work feel contemporary, even at 88 years old. To take the time to go see one of her shows is taking the time to support someone that has found a way to make her voice heard and her vision seen even through the tangled din of artists that social media has created. Ever since she moved to New York City in 1957 from Japan, Kusama has not stopped working to make herself known. And even when she moved back years ago, her work remains as relevant as ever, and I certainly don’t see her losing that momentum any time soon.

PHOTO COURTESY DAVIDZWIRNER.COM

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Murder She Wrote and Murder He Directed: Inside “Murder on the Orient Express”

BY SHANI HASHEMI PHOTO COURTESY FOXMOVIES.COM

The everlasting debate of “book vs. movie” continues with the release of the newest adaptation of famed mystery novel, “Murder on the Orient Express.” Agatha Christie’s timeless novel has been recreated for the big screen for the second time since 1974, this time by Kenneth Branagh. Lovers of a book always desire to see justice done to it on the big screen, so a comparison is inevitable.

“Murder on the Orient Express” is the story of a detective named Hercule Poirot solving the mystery of who killed the villain, Ratchett, while aboard a train to Europe. He must examine everyone in the car and use clues to figure out their motives.

Christie is excellent at creating suspense. You feels like you are discovering the clues and learning information along with the detective, instead of watching the detective figure it out on his own and

explaining how he did it. Suspense, intrigue, keeping the audience on their toes – these are the elements that make a successful movie. Branagh uses the same methods in his adaptation of the novel by having Poirot interview the suspects and investigate the crime.

Like many movies these days, this film tries to say something about justice and the human condition.

For example, a lot of superhero movies try to show the different aspects of humankind and what they are capable of. In “Wonder Woman,” the director was making a point to show that people have good in their hearts and aren’t entirely evil. But that movie didn’t need that theme to show how amazing the character of Wonder Woman is. On the same note, “Murder on the Orient Express” is supposed to be a fun ‘whodunit’ novel, written by the original mistress of mystery herself. Its point isn’t to have a

heavy plot that makes you think of the injustices of the world by going to deep depths to describe what causes a person to seek revenge.

Another problem was that it had too much build up and a rushed ending. In a novel, events must be presented and explained in order to develop a theme.

Films, in contrast, have to be careful when unraveling the truth, which could mean losing the audience’s attention by pacing it too slowly. In this case, the film struggled to find a middle ground.

Overall, “Murder on the Orient Express” is an exciting but basic adaptation of the critically acclaimed novel that brings characters to life with an all-star cast. I felt as in-suspense watching the film as when I read the book, so overall I would say that is worth a watch.

MoMA’s First Fashion Exhibit in 70 Years

BY SOPHIA OSTAPENKO

During October of 2017, it was announced that the famous New York’s Museum of Modern Art has decided to open a new exhibit which title poses also poses a question: “Is Fashion Modern?”

The same question was last asked in a fashion exhibit, also held at MoMA, in 1944. The current exhibit, curated by Paola Antonelli, is displaying 111 garments and accessories that have contributed to art and design as a whole. It might sound like a lot, but, many visitors might be surprised at how many clothing items can be found in their own closets.

Everything from Coco Chanel’s iconic little black dress to Calvin Klein’s infamous boxer briefs can be found in this exhibition. Even simple items can be iconic, such as a hoodie, which is displayed in the middle of one of the galleries.

Each piece, however, as simple as it might seem, carries a message that is beyond the garment itself. They are all meaningful.

For instance, the hoodie hanging in one of the galleries is actually a tribute to Trayvon Martin, a 17-year-old unarmed African American teen who was fatally shoot in 2012 by a neighborhood watch volunteer who claimed he shot the teen in self-defense. The incident set off a nationwide debate over race and justice at the time, and hundreds of protesters around the country wore hoodies in honor of the clothing item that Martin was wearing when he was killed. In this sense, the meaning of the pieces goes way beyond their fabric.

Each item presented in the display – which included some from the 20th century –opens new doors and fresh perspectives to the visitor who walks into it.

The exhibition offers an unexpected twist on a controversial topic (Is fashion modern? Is fashion art?) yet is still approachable to any visitor. It feels current because it’s transformative and reflective of the current political, social and economic climates.

If you are interested in obtaining a new perspective on famous and ordinary clothing items, the exhibition will be open to the public until Jan. 28.

PHOTO COURTESY MOMA.ORG

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I didn’t know anything about Ghustav Ahr before the third week of November. The singer and rapper, better known as “Lil Peep,” got his start on the internet and with his first few mixtapes ushered in a unique niche of hip-hop that leans heavily on emo styling and culture.

I didn’t know anything about Lil Peep — until he died.

Now I can’t escape him. His face can be found in every other Instagram post and his name is in the headline of every culture article circulating on the internet. Lil Peep passed away on Wednesday, Nov. 15. and was pronounced dead moments before he was supposed to take the stage in Tucson, Arizona. Although it is theorized that he died due to an overdose of prescription drugs, the Arizona Police Department emphasized that the musician’s death cannot be ruled an overdose until the toxicology report comes back in six to eight weeks.

However, it’s speculated that the drug he used, Xanax, was laced with another lethal drug called Fentanyl, without Peep’s knowledge. Although I’m not an expert on Lil Peep’s music and private life, I think this tragedy marks an important turn on existing issues that have been present in hip-hop music and culture for some time. I know that even without an existing familiarity with Lil Peep, I’m heartbroken.

Before anything else, Lil Peep was a kid. In a recent video-interview with GQ, he spoke about his hopes for the future and why he chose the name “Lil Peep.” His answer was endearing at the time and gut-wrenching now.

“Peep” is what his mother called him since he was a child. In the video, his eyes look amused, happy to share this detail of his life. Yet it’s unnerving to consider even this minor interaction in the context of today. Peep had turned 21 exactly two weeks before his passing, the November 1. The details of exactly how he died are fuzzy and disconcerting. They include the fact that he was left lying in a tour bus for hours prior to raising any alerts because the people around him thought he was just sleeping. Attempting to conceptualize death is maddening and I’m not foolish enough to even try, but it’s vital that we internalize what happened to Lil Peep and use it as a window through which to observe hip-hop culture at large.

to it. The industry’s attitude of acceptance and defeatism is best exemplified by a tweet from Lil Peep’s manager, Chase Ortega: “I’ve been expecting this call for a year. Mother fuck.” The reality that Peep’s death was almost unsurprising to those close to him is harmful. It means that he had been struggling with depression and addiction — something obvious to anyone who listened to his music — and nobody around him tried to help him. Perhaps that’s presumptuous and cynical to assume. But I can’t help but feel like Ghustav Ahr was crying out for help though his music.

Complicit in the perpetuation of drug culture in hip-hop is everyone who has given money to experience this type of music — a group that includes myself. Hip-hop megastar Future topped charts and even invaded pop-radio with a song that centered around the phrase “molly, Percocet.” And we all nodded our heads along with him while people

consuming drug-centered music and because of it, it would cease to be created. But that’s not going to happen. Instead, we need to listen to people who are crying out for help, including those who are doing it over lush and syrupy trap beats.

It’s not enough to tell the 17 year olds who love Lil Peep to “say no to drugs” when their heroes are implying that they are glamorous through their music and lifestyles. Real, tangible help must be supplied.

It should have been given to Lil Peep. He didn’t get the Xanax from thin air. Someone in the pharmaceutical industry let it slip into the streets, someone sold it to him and someone watched him take it. In fact, everyone watched him take it over and over again in music videos and Instagram photos. Is his death enough to jolt us out of the delusion that it’s okay for our idols to be clinging to destruction and flirting with death as long as they make good music?

I wonder if it’s healthy that people are so quick to assign “mental illness” to everyone who feels sad.

Because the perception that sadness can be cool or beautiful only leads to more people being sad. Lil Peep may have actually suffered from mental illness. But maybe he didn’t. Regardless of the distinction, he was certainly in pain. Was his pain amplified by the hordes of fans who fed off of it? It must have been.

Maintaining a personal brand that features depression and suicidal tendencies is ludicrous and must be unconscionably taxing.

How Toxicity in Hip-Hop is Taking Lives

Lil Peep’s music and the music of many of his contemporaries leans heavily on themes of drug use, depression and suicide. These elements are not only talked-about, but often feel fetishized in much of the music that has spawned from Lil Peep and artists like xxxTentacion or Lil Uzi Vert, who recently won two Grammy nominations.

While it’s admirable and valuable that these artists have chosen to express themselves through their music, I fear that such music is creating a culture that glorifies addiction, sadness and death, and I believe Lil Peep paid the ultimate price for it.

Said culture is toxic, and it seems that many of the players within hip-hop have become complacent

BY MASON AUMAN

were falling into rabid addiction with these very substances. More than any music Lil Peep released, songs from universally known artists like Future are partly responsible for the cultivation of an insidious drug-fueled industry.

Lil Peep’s movement in that culture and his motivation were a result of his predecessors. I refuse to blame Lil Peep for this tragedy because it simply wasn’t his fault. It was the world in which his career bloomed — a world which influenced him and encouraged his own self-destructive tendencies. This is a complex issue, so I fear that the solution is far from simple. In a perfect world we would all stop

xxxTentacion, another rapper who blends hip-hop and emo, but has a heavier emphasis on grunge, is specifically known for his dark lyrics and his self-deprecating persona. I can’t say that I have any love for him — he allegedly physically abused a young woman with a pitchfork — but I don’t want to see him die like this either — I don’t want to see anyone else die because of drugs.

So, I urge you to do whatever you can to prevent the glamorization of depression and drug use from seeping deeper into hip-hop and popular culture. I’d love to think that an Op-Ed could fix this situation, but I know it won’t. Those with power in the music industry, however, can change things for the better. Let’s hope that they do.

Notably, some artists have started to publically declare that they will stop using drugs in response to Peep’s passing. Rapper Lil Uzi Vert tweeted immediately after news of Lil Peep’s passing broke saying: “Rip Buddy I 100% Understand and I Don’t Fault U.” Lil Uzi then said he would try to stop using drugs. He has been updating his fans on his mental state via social media. Another tweet read: “Sober 2 day I have been shaking. I have been cursing my love ones out and fighting In the studio with no thoughts in my head. Teeth biting down because I just wanna be angry at something.”

Lil Uzi’s honesty about his situation is encouraging and his stance is exemplary of what hip-hop may need in order to both shed its tainted reputation and be a safe place for artists to create and thrive.

DECEMBER 2017 23

FIT

BY LARA DE LA TORRE

The whispers follow me everywhere. Tickling the backs of necks and trailing down the halls of FIT; they are a piercing hum that comes in relentless waves… the talk of yet another new restaurant, food stand, or pop-up that has gone viral on social media. Powered by PR gimmicks and fake food-coloring, this recent form of restaurant marketing via Facebook videos and Instagram posts is beneficial for businesses, but not always so wonderful for the average consumer.

Visiting these often over-hyped eateries is always an entertaining experience; from the huge lines that are wrapped around city blocks, the blinding phone camera flashes that blind customers with every bite of fabled-food and overpriced food that assure you that this will be the only time you’ll eat out for the next couple of months. More often than not, the content you see on Facebook advertising about all these new and Instagram-friendly places is a trap.

Take my recent trip to The Meatball Shop as a telling example. It was Friday night and some friends and I were wandering Ninth Ave in search of a tasty, not-cooked-in-the Kaufman dorms dinner. During our walk, we happened to stumble upon the Chelsea location of this Lower East Side original restaurant. I had seen an INSIDER video across multiple social media platforms depicting the restaurant’s signature “Bucket O’ Balls” plate, a name that always incited an awkward chuckle and a wince. We were curious — were the spicy pork meatballs really as good as Ina Garten had said they were in the Food Network’s promotional video?

Upon entering the restaurant, we were immediately greeted by dim-mood lighting and a lively atmosphere — a good first impression. Thankfully, we only had to wait 20 minutes until we were seated at one of their cafeteria-style communal tables, sharing our space with another group of young people.

The longer we sat and chatted, however, the more it seemed to sink in that all of us were borderline screaming to be heard. For some, this may sound like the typical New York City eating-out behavior, but in this instance, having to get up and crawl half across the table to make a point to someone an arm’s length away seemed like a bit much. We were two-glasses-of-water too deep into the situation, however, to turn back. We felt unable to leave.

Finally, the waiter came to take our order. At this point I had already almost completely memorized the majority of my options when it came to “Naked Balls” and couldn’t help but be indecisive as to whether or not to add a pair of “Family Jewels” (fried eggs) to my meal. Ultimately, I ended up settling on an order of four spicy pork meatballs with the classic Meatball Shop tomato sauce, parmesan cheese, and a side of focaccia bread — you know, keeping it classy.

Once the waiter left, it was obvious that we were all collectively excited to receive our helping of the famous balls. But when our order was placed in front of us, there is no way of describing the reaction we had as anything other than anticlimactic. The amount of food that I received was pitiful — a plate about the size of a baby’s cereal bowl, filled with a meal that appeared to have come straight from the children’s menu. Tearing my eyes away from my sad portion, I was able to see the looks on my friend’s faces. It was obvious that we were all thinking the same thing: “We saw the Internet buzz for months — over this?”

I still had hope, though, because if there’s one thing that I’ve learned over my twenty-one years of eating, it’s that looks can be deceiving.

After a quick mental drum-roll, the first forkful of food unfortunately proved itself to be unworthy of the jaw-power it took to chew it… Everything was cold. The balls and the sauce they were sitting in tasted as if it had been left out for 20 minutes after they had been prepared. And if that wasn’t enough, the lack of any type of memorable flavors acted as a period at the end of a very disappointing, shortlived sentence. At that point, my friends and I were

simply too hungry to care anymore, and the chilled meatballs were unceremoniously inhaled one by one. Each bite acted as a mental promise to never go back to this or any of the other Meatball Shop locations, no matter the amount of “good things” I might continue to hear about them.

From Black Tap’s milkshakes topped with tons of whipped cream and cavity-inducing candy to the unnecessarily colorful rainbow bagels of The Bagel Shop and the $100 donuts sprinkled with gold leaf of the Manila Social Club, these locations end up becoming some of the obstacles that a modern-day foodie must navigate.

Separating what’s actually good from what will only get you an inordinate amount of likes on Instagram is what proves itself to be the biggest challenge nowadays with every new tide of trends. Maybe my meal at The Meatball Shop was just a one-time bad experience that I actually would not end up re-living if I decided to go back and give the restaurant a second chance… or maybe it’s just another mediocre place that has been put on a pedestal by the millennials on social media enchanted by the quirky names of the food and the restaurant’s aesthetic.

In our generation, these are the things we all must consider before we step out of the affordable comfort of our own kitchens — is spending my money going to be worth it or is this going to be another traumatic experience that I will add to my list of “Reasons The Internet Has Made Me Cynical”? Either way, you’ll never know until you give it a try yourself. Who knows, maybe someone out there doesn’t mind cold balls?

24 FIT SPEAKS

W27

In Defense of Impractical Fashion, Meaningless Art and Pure Aesthetic Beauty

BY ANDREA NAVARRO PHOTO COURTESY RICK HAWKS

As this semester comes to an end and I prepare to graduate next Spring, I have a confession to make: I used to believe that loving fashion was frivolous.

I’ve always been rather conflicted about the significance of dress. In some ways, I’ve approached the topic of fashion, pretty dresses and sparkly jewelry as a sort of guilty pleasure; a private indulgence.

Fascinating, of course, but not important enough as to really give it my undivided attention. Humanities and science — those are the things that matter. And obsessed as I am with meaning — finding it and creating it, if those two things don’t happen to be the same — I can now admit that my reluctance to give a profound meaning to dress comes from a sense of embarrassment. I worried about how I would be perceived. I feared that liking things just because they are beautiful made me shallow.

So, before officially enrolling into FIT — and even a few times after — I was hesitant to say I was going to attend a college quite literally called the “Fashion Institute of Technology.” Even when I ended up disclosing the name, I was adamant to always follow it up with “but I’m not studying fashion! I mean, I have nothing against fashion. It’s just not what I see myself working for my entire life, you know?” Even to my own ears it sounded snobbish, ridiculous, dismissive. I’m sure I’m not the only person who has been in a similar situation.

Why is fashion so easily dismissed, then, at least within the context of art? Perhaps it’s because fashion as an artistic medium is so closely related to fashion as an industry — a $2.4 trillion one at that, according to a report by McKinsey & Company. Very few designers are allowed to have a completely free creative vision for their houses because they are ruled by executives that demand that sales be put first. With so much money at stake, it’s no wonder why this is the case.

This is why Haute Couture is so precious. Like the mid-century Renaissance artists that lived from the patronage of their benefactors, Haute Couture designers follow rigorous rules to even be qualified to use the term. To be an official Haute Couture house, designers must create one-of-a-kind, made-to-order clothes for private clients that require more than one fitting. They should also have their own atelier, employing a staff of, minimum, fifteen fulltime people and twenty full-time technical workers.

If they are also able to design and produce a collection of at least 50 original day and evening garments every season — both in January and July — then the Chamber Syndicale de la Haute Couture, the official French institution that handles this matter, might qualify them.

A Couturier creates each piece individually, with hundreds of hours dedicated to only one dress, which is then only worn by one person, one time, perhaps never again. If we are lucky, said dress will be donated to a museum, eventually — which gives

the owner a nice tax break, and us, a glimpse at some loving it solely for its beauty, decide what it means of the most beautiful craftsmanship in the world. If to you and then love it. There. Now it has a meaning. this is not true artistry, I don’t know what it is.

When you ask a typical fashion student why they Should we blame fast fashion for the decaying of want to pursue a career in fashion, many will just the art, then? We could. However, mass production reply “because I love it!” That’s fine, I suppose, but I made fashion accessible to the public and not just a find that love without introspection eventually gets tiring. The true creatives — the ones who stay in the select few. It evened-out the play field. industry for the long run — love it madly, hungrily, But thinking about it in that way also begs the ques- with an explanation they might share with you or tion of how we can admire Andy Warhol’s Pop Art not, but that they truly understand. work, for example — pop as in popular, designed for a mass audience — which represents and elevates I urge you to go a little deeper, think it through. everyday objects such as, say, a Coca-Cola bottle or Why do you love fashion? What about it makes your a Brillo box, and consider them important fixtures blood sing? of the Modern Art canon without doing the same in this other similar context? Does this mean that, in Personally, I love fashion because it can be used to the future, a Forever 21 shirt could be considered in give context to history. It tells us a story of who we have been as individuals and as a community, who the same way? we are now, and who we could be. For that reason, My theory is that fashion is such an intrinsic part I don’t think that science and dress need to be muof our culture that we take it for granted. It’s every- tually exclusive — in fact, dress could and should where. It’s the most accessible form of art, if you are be studied as a science, if only because it reflects on to accept that it really is art. Perhaps that’s another human nature, in how we decide to show ourselves reason for fashion’s struggle to be taken seriously and the meanings we wish to encode in our appearby some people as an art form — simply because ance. It reflects on the present culture, our underclothes, as a matter of fact, are purely utilitarian. We standing of the eras that have already passed, and dress because we must. By covering ourselves, we maybe can act as a prediction of what is to come — are adhering to society’s rules. Design shouldn’t be if what we have already seen is correctly analyzed. too important a factor in that decision.

Also, I love fashion because it can be gorgeous. If I And perhaps that’s the reason why structural, archi- could, I would dress solely in chiffon and lace, silk tectural fashion is so often misunderstood and even and velvet. Give me all the bows, ruffles, glitter and hated — what’s the point of creating clothes that embroidery that your heart can muster. But also no human could ever actually wear? Case in point, give me black leather and tailored suits. If you ask the terribly disappointing response to this year’s me about my favorite kinds of fashion, I would say Met Gala 2017 theme, Rei Kawakubo / Comme des Japanese and Scandinavian. Yet, between French Garçons. Some of the most influential people in the or Italian houses, it always baffles me when people world were handed the chance to have fun at the choose the former — have you ever seen a couture most coveted red carpet event of the year, and al- dress by Valentino? A gown by Giambattista Valli? most every single attendant — except Rihanna and Granted, Dior has its merits, but I’ve always thought Solange, bless their hearts— threw away the unique that Chanel is awfully overrated. opportunity to dress in something weirdly extraordinary. So yes, what’s the point? The point is that After reading that, what do you think of me? What there’s not necessarily a point. The point is that art- kind of associations do you assign to those descripists can design outrageous, imaginative, wonderful tions? Isn’t it really easy to make character assumptions just by knowing someone’s tastes? Isn’t it easier things — so they do. still to do so just by glancing at their clothes?

I think that what we need to ask ourselves as viewers is why we expect a work of art to have any meaning When you think of fashion, you think of cycles. Of beyond its own existence. Aren’t we allowed to love time returning and moving forward. Trends show us things just because of their own inherent aesthetic a specific moment in time, fads are glimmers of our present. If they get to be too much that’s because beauty? we, as humans, are too much. We are the ones who Whenever I think of beauty and meaning, I think saturate them, copy them and can’t get enough of of Oscar Wilde, also a writer, editor, and admirer of them. That is, until we get bored and move on to the beautiful things: “Beauty is a form of Genius,” he next thing. said. “Is higher, indeed, than Genius, as it needs no Now, I realize that whether it’s fashion or someexplanation.” thing else, you shouldn’t indulge — you should love After all, there is no meaning in anything — mean- whatever it is that you love unapologetically, with an ing only exists because we assign it. So if you see open disregard to what others believe. We have only something beautiful, whether it’s art, or fashion, or one life, so why waste it by not taking the chances of an artful fashion item, and you feel uncomfortable wearing whatever we see fit?

DECEMBER 2017 25

FIT

Historical Moments on Election Day: A Celebration of Individuals

BY ALEXANDER LOPEZ-GUEVARA

Within the past year, there’s been an amalgam of political views, topic discussions and controversies that have paved the way for a new era of activists and leaders. With the quickening pace of the digital age, more awareness is being brought to important issues and more voices have sprung up to discuss solutions. We have also seen the hostility that can come with stereotypes and misrepresentation. It is fair to say that the political realm is louder than ever.

That being said, it’s important to call out a few of the people who have taken steps to confront said issues and eventually become leaders for their people. And what makes a more admirable story than learning that a person once marginalized and ridiculed, or even a former refuge can actually rise to have a seat in the Office to confront these issues head on?

results of the election made for some debate on the importance of representation in these positions.

Having two Latinas in the House of Delegates shows that they can run successful campaigns in areas that probably aren’t used to them stepping up. But they have come to deliver solutions, and that’s what the people want.

By talking about the problems that matter and reaching out to the people that care, one can take great strides to become, say, even mayor. Such was the case for Wilmot Collins — a Progressive — who fled a war-torn Liberia 23 years ago. Collins made headlines by becoming the first African American mayor in the state of Montana. What led to his in-

On the evening of Nov. 7, Danica Roem (a Democrat) became the first openly-transgender person elected to a seat in the state legislature in Virginia. Her campaign focused on issues regarding Route 28, a road known for causing massive delays and disruptions, improving school conditions and encouraging equality. Her opponent was 13-term incumbent Robert G. Marshall (a Republican) who labeled himself as the “chief homophobe” of the state. Along with an advertisement criticizing Roem for being transgender and her past with her Heavy Metal band, Marshall would refuse to attend debate forums and supported the passage of a bill that would restrict gender-identity selected bathrooms for transgender people. As the race took its course, both candidates knocked on thousands of doors and received a lot of donations and support. But Danica took the win with her campaign, which chose to focus on issues that she new the people cared about. “Discrimination is a disqualifier,” she said after her win, and it enforced the message that someone so often marginalized has the potential to represent the people as well as focus on issues and their solutions.

It nurtures the idea of hope and acceptance.

A few more wins that stemmed from the election came from the same state, where Democrats Hala Ayala and Elizabeth Guzmán became the first two Latinas elected to the House of Delegates. Following an advertisement that focused on anti-immigrant and anti-Latino messages, placed by the Republican gubernatorial candidate Ed Gillepsie, a surge of voters stepped up to support the Latina candidates. Ayala was involved in the organization of Prince William’s involvement in the Women’s March, and decided to quit her job to pursue a seat in the House of Delegates – and won, despite running against long-term incumbent Richard Anderson. Guzmán, a public administrator, beat 8-term incumbent Scott Linghamfelter, Republican as well. Both Latinas focused on issues regarding health care, the improvement of schools and transportation and the importance of equal rights. The

terest in politics was his desire to create change, sparked by former president Obama’s message of taking action. Collins was very aware of the misconceptions many Americans had about refugees, which made him go out and dispel these misconceptions as well as talk about important issues regarding homelessness and funding for providers of necessary services such as police and fire departments. Collins beat a four-term incumbent by about 300 votes in a place that consists mostly of caucasians. But Collins has said himself that it was never a matter of race to him. His campaign focused on the issues that mattered and by knocking on hundreds of doors and talking to the people.

Another person to be granted the title of mayor is New Jersey’s Ravi Bhalla. In a mayoral race that con-

sisted of 6 candidates, it came down to the two top contenders – Bhalla and Michael DeFusco. Both garnered a lot of support throughout Hoboken, but in the end, Bhalla was elected the new mayor of Hoboken. Backed by current-mayor Dawn Zimmer, Bhalla was able to address a variety of issues like transportation, infrastructure, budgeting, the environment and even the arts. Throughout his campaign, he resonated well with residents of Hoboken – who share his desire to nurture and protect their community.

The race turned sour when fliers depicting Bhalla as a terrorist began to circulate around town. The source of the fliers was a mystery, although DeFusco’s campaign became a suspect. He would go on to personally call Bhalla and assure him that such racism would not be tolerated. Bhalla agreed and went on social media to clarify his stance on another prevalent issue: “No matter your race, ethnicity you are welcome here in our City. As Mayor, I will work hard to keep it that way. At [a] time w/ President seeking to divide us, it is critical we come together as a community and stand up for American values.”

It’s a beautiful thing when American values can be represented, honored and expressed by people like Roem, Ayala, Guzmán, Collins and Bhalla, especially under the current presidency. Trump’s administration has been in serious trouble for failing to acknowledge the basic qualities that make America the land of opportunity and hope for a lot of people. The aforementioned candidates are just a few winners of the recent election. Many other winners across the country stood out as significant firsts. Kathy Tran, a Vietnamese refugee, was the first Asian American elected to a seat in the Virginia House of Delegates. Jenny Durkan became Seattle’s first female mayor since the 1920’s and will also be Seattle’s first openly lesbian mayor. Another very worthy mention is Andrea Jenkins, who became the first openly transgender black woman to be elected into public office. The bottom line is this: representation matters in a country that has been so visibly divided under this presidency. Many would regard the results of Election Day as an immediate reaction to the Trump administration; a big “Hello, I am here and I’m not going anywhere!”

Following her win, Andrea Jenkins referenced the current power dynamics in politics and being a part of the lower side of the spectrum: “We don’t just want a seat at the table — we want to set the table.”

Hopefully, following these results, upcoming generations will find hope and inspiration in these representatives, and seek to change their country for the better too.

26 THE GALLERY

W27 Each month, we feature artwork from FIT students. Whether it’s something you’re pursuing professionally or just trying to have fun with, nothing is too big or too small for The Gallery.

THE GALLERY

Da Eun Kang, Accessories Design

See more of Da Eun’s art on Instagram @daeunlarakang

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I think colors are wonderful. My interest in art and fashion wouldn’t have sparked without them.

Deep Blue was created out of the restriction of having only 10 colors to work with.

I had started working with blue and decided to depict the tranquility of water and being engulfed in it.

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Tiffany Tang, Illustration

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Inv Illness Vine is a piece about mental illness, specifically the disparity between my ability to process and conceptualize thought and my ability to transform those thoughts into coherent speech, as well as the physical feeling of pressure on my lungs if drowning

See more of Tiffany’s art on Instagram @tamadraws

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DECEMBER 2017 27

FIT

PHOTO COURTESY : MILLER RODRÍGUEZ

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Silvana LoFria, Textile Design

I had never painted before last September, but once I started I became obsessed. My main subject is art about food. This was due to the fact that whenever I would go through a creative drought, I would look through the pictures on my phone in search of something to paint – and all of the pictures on my phone were of my food and drinks from various locations.

See more of Silvana’s art online at www.artbysilvana.com

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Would you like to see your artwork featured in The Gallery? Send us an email to w27_newspaper@ fitnyc.edu for a chance to have your work featured in our next issue.

28

STYLE ON 27

W27 w ANDREA NAVARRO BY & MASON AUMAN

1. How do you decide what you’re going to wear each day?

2. If you could have any fashion-related gift for the holidays, what would it be?

NGOZI ODEGE, ACCESSORY DESIGN

1. What I’m listening to helps me pick out what I’m gonna wear. The music inspires me.

2. Alexander McQueen shoes or any Jean-Paul Gaultier clothing item.

DANIELLE BUTLER, ACCESSORY DESIGN

1. The majority of the time I get inspiration from other people, I see something cool that someone is wearing and I think about how I can style clothes I already own in a similar way.

2. Balenciaga platform boots.

LEVI HOWEL, FBM

1. First I check the weather and then I pick one item and choose things to match everything to that item. I always try to pick something that’s very different to what I wore the day before.

CHRIS SMITH, AMC

1. I just bought this jacket yesterday, I’m styling it today by looking for things I haven’t worn in a long time and picking out colors that flow well together.

2. I want the Junya Watanabe 2. I want the yellow Balenciaga Levi’s patchwork denim jacket Stretch-Knit High-Top sneakers from Grailed.

— the ones that kind of look like socks.

JEMILA SEYDOU, FBM

BAYARMAA BYAMBATSOGT, FASHION DESIGN

1. I sit in my bed, put everything out, and look for one piece that is going to be the piece and then I find other things to dress around it.

1. It usually depends on the weather. Everything in my closet matches each other — most of it is red, black and white, so it’s not hard to match things. It’s been like this since I changed my hair to red and 2. The Off- White “For Walking” black 1 year ago. knee-high boots.

2. I honestly have no idea. I would have to think about it for days.

ARYANA KINGWOOD, FASHION DESIGN

1. I get inspired by my clothing pieces. I pick one piece and figure out cool ways to incorporate the piece I choose into my outfit.

I really like jackets, and shoes are always my outfit starting point.

2. I want the new black-strapped Fenty boots from Rihanna’s collaboration with Puma.

ANGELIKA HAQUE, AMC

1. Today I based it off of my coat, but I usually base my outfits starting by my shoes or my coat.

2. I love stacking and layering gold chains and statement earrings, so I want as many of those as I can get.