armour. armourmag.blogspot.com
SPRING 2012
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“Fashion is the armor to survive the reality of everyday life. To do away with fashion would be like doing away with civilization.� - Bill Cunningham
in this issue 7 Styles & Spaces
15 Heavy Metal
31 Meet the Kuumba Boyz 4 5 6 11 13
Letter from the Editors History of the Bowtie A Call to Arms Pandaphilia DIY or DIE
23 27 28 37
Kickin’ it Old School beautif{EYE} From Catwalk to Sidewalk What’s On Your Back?
armour. Founders & Editor-in-Chief Jacob Lenard Felicia Podberesky Chantal Strasburger Stylists Jacob Lenard Felicia Podberesky Chantal Strasburger Annie Waizer Photographers Anna Bang Alexander Haubold Jacob Lenard Carly Oshima Directors of Layout Ariella Elovic Kyle Newton Layout Team Carmi Cioni Erin McLear Claire Olson Paul Roth Contributers Nicole Bell Mary Bishop Angie Chen Chase Feree Helena Hay Amanda Pearlstein Annie Wazer On the Cover Imani McKenzie A Special Thanks to Roy and Eva Strasburger QUESTIONS? COMMENTS? WANT TO GET INVOLVED? E-MAIL US AT armourmag@gmail.com
letter from the editors Check it. This is the first issue of armour, a style magazine on a mission to encourage, connect, and cultivate. It’s not about competing with the runways or impressing through name brands but about being comfortable enough to express your own style. We named the blog and magazine armour because we believe that style can give you confidence and strength for your everyday battles. Being in the art school, we have found it much easier to get away with wearing anything {insert Chantal’s sequin blazers, Felicia’s vintage jumpsuits, and Jacob’s Hawaiian shirts here} but style lines shouldn’t stop at Hoyt Drive (for those who haven’t ventured that far past the library, we’re talking right in front of Brookings). We get the common defenses: “I watched the sunrise from Whispers”, “I only have one hour of subsection and I’m not even going”, or the classic, “I can’t pull that off”. WORD TO THE WISE: If you’re putting it on, then you’re pulling it off. Hopefully you have all seen the street-style blog (armourmag.blogspot.com) and have started realizing how well some of our classmates dress. WE WANT MORE! And don’t think you have to wear something ridiculous. It’s not about good or bad style but just having a personal style, a simple way to express the type of person you are. Get your armour on,
Felicia Podberesky
Jacob Lenard
Chantal Strasburger (P.S. its pronounced AR-mour. Think that shiny stuff on knights.) armour. / 4
\'bō-'tī \ The History of the
By: Felicia Podberesky
Lets go back to the Prussian Wars of the 17th century. Croatian soldiers utilized colorful scarves in order to identify rank within their troops. Their French opponents took this new fashion trend with them, evolving into the more formally acknowledged “cravats”. The upper-class popularized the accessory, providing their more formal context today. Take note from these original Armour men and try a bow-tie for your next date party or formal to add some wit and class.
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Photography: Jacob Lenard Model: Ish Fofana
A Call to Arms by Mary Bishop
WashU has a beautiful campus, great food, and excellent academics, however, when it comes to our sense of fashion, we definitely fall short. To be perfectly honest, I was secretly happy when I learned just how low the bar is set in terms of fashion at WashU. The lower the bar, the higher I can fly over it, right? Wrong. On Friday nights I’ve even considered wearing a bandage skirt and crop top for lack of a more aoriginal idea. Maybe it’s the mid-west or maybe its because WashU kids are too busy to worry about style, but I attribute this campus’s lack of style to our good-natured and nerdy student attitude. In high school, style was not a fun way to express oneself but rather a race for who could find the coolest DIY cut-off muscle tee featuring a wolf face. People here want to become doctors, not win the Hipster Olympics of style. While academic success is a more respectable goal, I don’t think style must be sacrificed in order to achieve this end. With the sun out and shining, it is the time to experiment. People don’t need to put more money into their clothing fund, but rather more energy. Rock a bandana, wear more dresses, or bedazzle your denim jacket with a cat patch . Try, and when you fail, call it artsy!
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st yles and ''...everything i could ever need or want is already out there in the biosphere of 'stuff'...''‌
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spaces a conversation on [interiors] with kathleen brophy and amanda spector
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amanda “
I grew up around modern art and design, which have been some of the most prevalent influences on my taste. I love pieces that have history or significance—nothing in my room is without a backstory. I guess you could say the same thing about clothing—I love shopping in my grandmother’s closet. Most of my favorite clothing items have history in my family.
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”
“
My style is based on the core belief that everything I could ever need or want is already out there in the biosphere of “stuff”—I just have to find it. There is seriously too much “stuff” already existent in the world to buy new things and I’m really trying to live by that. I like buying clothes and especially furniture that have already had a life and a history. I like to put pieces together hodge-podge, not buy things in sets. I try and find out how a bunch of random small things can work together to create a new whole picture. I swear by Value Village and Treasure Island and do the occasional dumpster steal. One man’s trash is another man’s kitchen table! Just kidding, I bought mine I swear.
”
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SPOTLIGHT | WASH U BLOGGER
Pandaphilia By: Angie Chen Major: Neuroscience/Biology Senior When I came to WashU to study pre-med, I never would have expected to be a Neuroscience student by day and fashion blogger by night. Pandaphilia.com was inspired by my obsession with the black-and-white bears and a need to reflect and write on my daily experiences in college. Over the past three years, it turned into a way to nurture my artistic side. Fashion is so cool because every day becomes a chance to play dress up, to imagine life in someone else’s shoes. Playing with different pieces to produce transformative looks can make you feel versatile and free, like a chameleon. However, it took a long time for me to accept this blogger alter ego as a compatible part of my identity. It is ironic because my passion has always been in drawing and literature, while science doesn’t come as naturally. I was afraid that my classmates wouldn’t take me seriously and that this was a frivolous, narcissistic hobby. But to my relief, even my professors and med school interviewers were interested to hear about my experience. My friends, parents, and colleagues have also been nothing short of supportive. When ALIVE Magazine asked me to cover St. Louis Fashion Week last fall, it was plain unreal. If you have a little faith, you really can have your cake and eat it too. 11 / armour.
If you have a little faith, you really can have your cake and eat it too. *It’s not a one girl band. My boyfriend usually takes my outfit photos around campus – I can’t thank him enough for everything. armour. / 12
DIY or DYE (with Helena Hay)
This project was conjured up by a combination of two previous projects. The first: any and all friendship bracelets. I made an embarrassing amount of these over the summer. Side note: I’ve seen these sold for $4 at Target and Urban Outfitters. Money can’t buy you friends, people. Anyway... The second: beaded safety pin necklace. I also made this over the past summer. This was taken from a StyleCaster DIY tutorial.
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1. You could simply wrap the string around the pin but I chose to do the chinese staircase stitch just because it seems more secure. If you aren’t familiar with the stitch, it’s literally just a knot but to learn more, google it! I will warn you to be careful during this, as you can see, safety pins are sharp and my finger learned that the hard way. Tip: You can adjust how tight you want the spiral to be.
I love a good DIY. No, seriously. In high school, I was obsessed with making tie dye shirts, my bedroom wall was decorated with hardware store paint chips, and I made a solid fraction of my own jewelry. I don’t mess around with this stuff.
2. Pretty soon you’ll have a whole lot! It’s your call how many pins you want to include and how big you want the safety pins to be-‐ mine are 2 inches. When you are finally finished and have the desired amount of pins, I recommend putting it all on an elastic cord and tying adjustable knots. Not only will this let you adjust the length of the necklace but you can stretch it over your head to put on, no clasps necessary. Double win!
3. Voila! I personally like to wear this necklace under a collar but hey, whatever floats your craftin’ boat. Now when people ask you, “who makes that necklace?”, you can say “ME, BETCHES”. This was seriously asked to me in real life, although I didn’t respond exactly like that.
Happy DIYing!
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HEAVY METAL *amplify your style
Layer it, drape it, stack it. Keep it simple or go all out. Whether it's a solo piece or the supporting role, let your jewelry make the statement.
Photography: Jacob Lenard Styling: Jacob Lenard, Felicia Podberesky, Chantal Strasburger Make-up and Hair: Felicia Podberesky, Chantal Strasburger
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Models: Catalina Ouyang, Tori Wesevich, Erin McClear
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armour. / 21 Model: Jess Vance
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Homecoming Quee� By: Chase Feree One of our archivists found this announcement to apply for homecoming queen when going through old copies of the hatchet, washington university’s yearbook. It provides a fascinating glimpse into what our university thought of personal style and poise over 50 years ago. Do you think you have what it takes to become this university’s homecoming queen and wear the hatchet crown? As follows are the application requirements for the 1961 washington university in st. Louis homecoming court.
Attire Athletics Teeth Poise
Our namesake, George Washington, is a paragon of modest dress. He never showed any cleavage, and neither should a candidate for Homecoming Queen. All skirts must be below the knee, at the highest, and heavy coats should be worn at all times to diminish whatever sort of “figure” a candidate may want to show off. George Washington competed at the professional level in three sports: Archery, Tennis, and Women’s Basketball. Any candidate for Homecoming Queen must participate in at least one of these fine sports. All points made regarding Attire should be maintained in Athletic clothing, as well. George Washington was not known for having good teeth, but all Homecoming Queen Candidates must have all of their adult teeth, no cavities, and, most importantly, they should not have any noticeable speech impediments. Pull out your purse, ladies. Take a look at a $1 bill. Does George Washington look like a slouch to you? I think not. Sit up straight.
We wish the best of luck to all candidates for Homecoming Court 1961. Perhaps you too can prance around McMillan Courtyard like last year’s Homecoming Queen, Eleanor Washington! #justkidding
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By: Chase Feree For Washington University, the late 1960s brought about some significant change. Students, in the university’s growing liberal environment, protested against the administration, sat in on Brookings for over a week, and even burned down the ROTC building. It’s a time in our history that we don’t talk about a lot and something that we should take time to learn more about. These were watershed years for our University, laying substantial groundwork for Washington University to be the place it is today and providing many opportunities for students and faculty that weren’t available before.
But this is a fashion magazine, so we’re going to leave it at that and share some images that we found in a fascinating retrospective of the 1969-1970 school year from the Hatchet. These photographs help personalize something about a time that feels removed from us. We hope that they will capture your attention and encourage you to find out more about this a fascinating moment in Wash. U.’s history.
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Even with tensions running high, some students still found time to connect with WUPD officers. Ah, the tenuous bonds of friendship. Maybe bringing the hat back in style will improve relations on campus today. Try it!
The aforementioned “Rosy” was consumed before entering into this giant bubble structure for an enormous concert out on the Quad.
High Fashion, ca. 1970. We’ve got to give it to her: Though we have no idea what this is, at least she looks comfortable.
Students horseplay in Brookings Quad. The column on the side mentions taking a hit of “Sweet Rosy O’Grady.” Even without those haircuts, a lot has changed. Sidenote- did anyone else know that John Lennon went to Wash U?
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Many of the protests were for equal rights on campus, as well as for an increase in African American faculty. Student protesters came from many different backgrounds to fight for change. Those glasses probably helped with clarity.
On those days you just don’t feel like wearing anything at all: take a hint from our forefathers and don’t.
The caption at the bottom says ‘Greek Rush.’ We feel ya.
Wash U students pose for contemporary fashions. But no need for a photographer’s studio today- treat everyday as a fashion shoot. Make the walk from Brookings Quad to the DUC your runway. Blast the Beyonce and start struttin’! armour. / 26
the metallic smokey eye Tired of the harsh black smoky eye? Luckily this season, navy is the new black. Here are some easy steps to transform this dramatic runway trend into a wearable yet sexy look. written by
Amanda Pearlstein
photographs by
Anna Bang
model
Annie Waizer
First, prime the eyelid. If you want the color to pop, use a dark primer so the navy pigment will have a dark base to grab onto. Once the lid is primed, use a stiff flat shadow brush to pack on the dark shadow across the lid space. tip:
Do under eye concealing after the eye is done, because some dark shadow will fall out.
After the shadow is packed on, use a blending brush to begin blending out the harsh lines. Use a color close to your skin tone to help the dark shadow blend seamlessly and pull the shadow slightly above the crease and out to give the eye a soft winged shape. Now, the fun begins! Metallic tones are huge this season and the perfect way to add a little sparkle. add a silver color to the ball of the eye and the tear duct to make the eye appear bigger. Add some shine right under the high point of the brow bone to add some highlight.
Once the shadow is done, take a black or navy liner and line the lash line. You can also use this color on the water line for a darker look, or use a teal like we did to brighten up the blue in the look. Finally, finish the eye with 2 coats of mascara. 27 / armour.
To finish off the face, keep the skin fresh and add either a coral or a golden bronze blush to warm up the skin. Add a nude or light pink lipstick or gloss to balance out the face. If you want to plump the lips add the same silver color from the eyes to the cupids bow and the middle of the bottom lip to give your mouth that pouty look.
Everyday runway BY: ANNIE WAZER
Fashion, though imaginative, expressive, and
PHOTOGRAPHY: ANNA BANG
dynamic, is often intimidating. As a self-declared
MODEL: AMANDA PEARLSTEIN
fashion fanatic, I want to pull my hair out when I hear my friends react to fashion week pictures with, “I wish I could pull that off ” instead of, “I’m going to try that.” Intimidating, maybe; impossible, no. Participating in fashion—in one of the most direct forms of self-expression—is not to try to look like a model, but rather to draw from aesthetic aspects that inspire you, and interpret them in wearable ways.
peek-a-boo lace Sheer materials can cause understandable hesitation. They imply an overt sexiness that’s off-putting for many potential wearers. But they’re pretty—graceful , delicate, often intricate, and, of course, very on-trend for this season’s feminine push. For a daytime look, try pairing a light-colored, lace top with a skin-colored bandeau. Top it off with a leather motorcycle jacket to toughen the lady-like lace, and add a silk mini-skirt to mix up the textures. Layer a couple of long necklaces over the lace and finish off the look with a pair of casual sandals or wedges. The final look is one that tones down the sexy factor with rich textures, layered dimensions, and the contrast of masculinity against femininity.
Bottega Veneta Fall 2012
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from the catwalk
socks-made-sexy “Socks” and “sexy” are two words rarely used in conjunction. One’s practical, the other’s generally not (think Transformers’ Megan Fox working on an engine in a mini-skirt and heels). We’ve all seen models make the pumps-withsocks look seem effortless, but are sexy socks really wearable?
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buttoned-up button-up Structured collars are having a moment on and off the runway, making an appearance from street style shots to fashion weeks in New York, Paris, and Milan. The easiest way to emulate this style choice is to take any button-up in your closet and just button it up—all the way up. This schoolboy look feels awkward for many sartorially curious individuals, but don’t let that stop you from giving it a go. Done right, a buttoned-up button-up transforms a wardrobe staple into an on-trend focal point. Emphasize a structured collar by adding a statement necklace. This added element elevates the outfit by polishing and embellishing it. Paired with black, skinny jeans and black flats, the structured collar and statement necklace draw attention to the neckline. The final look is one that is a playful take on a classic, making the buttoned-up shirt feel less schoolboy, more chic.
Derek Lam Fall 2012
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meet the
KUUMBA BOYZ Armour sat down with three of the fine gentlemen from Kuumba Tv to get to know them a little bit better. From their photography skills to their creative brains, these boys have got it going on. If you aren’t familiar with Kuumba yet, you should be. Kuumba is a group of students whose goal is to highlight and unite the creative community at Wash U through multimedia storytelling. Check out their website and blog at kuumba.tv to see what’s cool around campus and keep your eyes peeled for the second annual Kuumba Lookbook, coming out at the end of this semester. Photography: Alexander Haubold 31 / armour.
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ALEX zandi
Major: English Literarture and Economics and Strategy Year: Junior Hometown: Boston, Massachusetts Kuumba position: Creative Director
Describe your style: New age fun with a vintage feel.
Favorite clothing store: I got really into the whole East London look while studying abroad. My favorite stores were a variety of boutiques and thrift shops that I found traversing the cobblestones.
Favorite Musicians: The music I listen to depends on the mood I’m in, which usually turns into a cacophony of indie rock, jazz, and electronic music
Hobbies: I like to dabble in creative writing – usually short storys and poems. Recently I’ve gotten into interactive design, and of course the usual jolly stuff like going to concerts, exhibitions, watching old movies, and a good game of basketball.
Ideal date spot: I don’t do much dating, but probably a tasty coffee shop, restaurant, show, etc.
Favorite hangout: I’ve been frequenting the Grove recently with my friends and have especially enjoyed some of the 80s nights at Handlebar.
Plans for this summer: I’m taking a few design classes at the MFA in Boston and am currently looking for that elusive internship.
Coolest adventure:
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One of my friends goes to art school in Amsterdam, and I visited him during Museum night where every museum is open all night. My memory of the night is a series of baroque passwords, inebriated biking exhibitions, warehouse raves, and randomly Samuel Beckett.
CELSO white
Major: Mechanical Engineering Year: Senior Hometown: Littleton, Colorado Kuumba position: President
Describe your style: My style is simple and comfortable.
Favorite clothing store: Hypebeast.com is my favorite place to find styles and trends.
Favorite Musicians: Blu
Hobbies: Photography
Ideal date spot: Art hill with a bottle of wine
Favorite hangout: Cherokee Street
Plans for this summer: New York City
Coolest adventure: I traveled around the state of Ceara in Brazil with a youth drum band for a month. I was their photographer and also played drums with them.
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MAX
campbell Major: Urban Studies with a Photography Minor Year: Sophomore Hometown: St. Louis, Missouri Kuumba position: Creative Director and Photographer
Describe your style: I am not very consistent. A lot of basics. Hood-rad.
Favorite clothing store: The internet !?
Favorite Musicians: Kanye, Discovery, Frank Ocean, Local Natives
Hobbies: I slackline — I’m not very good. But, hey!
Ideal date spot: Anywhere that has food I haven’t tried or live music; or pretty much anywhere outdoors.
Favorite hangout: The City Garden downton and Forest Park.
Plans for this summer: Photo Intern for Urban Outfitters in Philadelphia.
Coolest adventure: Once I forged a supposedly haunted trail called “Zombie Road”...left with a trespassing ticket. :/
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What’s On Your Back? By: Nicole Bell
Backpacks are an absolute necessity in college, regardless of what’s held inside. The common bag on campus is neutral colored and heavy-duty, which comes in handy carrying 50 pounds of textbooks. But why let your backpack weigh you down? To make a statement, try a military-inspired canvas backpack with a spunky pattern or rustic flair. To spice things up, a patent leather backpack in a bold color will catch other’s attention on the way to class. Another alternative would be a canvas backpack with a fun pattern, such as a bold graphic or oversized floral print. Urban Outfitters, Aldo, and Eastpak currently have many lively patterned backpacks to choose from at affordable prices. Your backpack should say something about you! Not all Wash U students fit the neutral stereotype, so don’t be afraid to channel your inner self through bright colors, printed patterns, or vintage textures.
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