Letter from the Editor
1
Self-image in the Technology Generation
2
Modern Art and High Fashion
3
Runway Features: Resort and Couture
4
The Role of A Fashion Editor
29
Society Style
30
Fatigued Elegance: Photoshoot
31
Nolita Boutiques and Street Style
49
Let’s Bring Back: Eighties Coats
53
Continued
55
Beauty in the Details
56
Since the earliest days of human civilization, clothing has been used as a means of displaying wealth and opulence, with ornate textiles, jewels, and copious amounts of fabric. One displayed one’s social status through dress, and often laws prevented people from wearing materials that made them appear wealthier or more powerful. These days, however, the modern fashion industry of ready-to-wear clothing and freedom of dress allows us to send whatever message we choose through our clothing. We of Dandy Magazine believe that if we can dress however we please, we might as well wear the most beautiful clothing available to us. Fashion is art, after all, and what better way to celebrate art than to display it in all of its finery? We do not suggest that you go out and buy a wardrobe of designer dresses—this is a magazine for everyone interested in the beauty of fashion, not restricted to those who can afford its most exclusive pieces. But go to your local Forever 21 or H&M, and regardless of the season there are always golds, sequins, and embroidery. There are brocades and bows. There are costume jewels and rhinestones. Since the 1990s we have seen an upsurge in minimalism, with color blocking and straight silhouettes. Yes, such styles could be classified as practical for day-t0-day wear, but a sweater with gold thread running through it or jewels sewn onto one shoulder is just as comfortable as one without. It is the opulence of fashion which we wish to celebrate; the touches of light and beauty that make you feel dressed up and special even if you are only getting groceries. We also wish to look at the most ornate styles of high fashion, runway gowns
and gala dresses. For even if we cannot hope to wear it ourselves, we can appreciate it for the work of art that it is. Only by looking at the real jewels and handspun silk embroidery can we be inspired to bring that detail into our own wardrobes. In this issue, we will examine two sides of the decadent life: the one which we all have access to, through the power of social media; and the one of the truly elite, which we observe through photographs and literature. The similarity between the two is that the members of both create personalities for themselves catered to the approval of the public. This pressure invites people to make everything about themselves interesting and extravagant, including their clothing. This magazine is not meant as an instruction for dressing, but merely an inspiration. Admire the floral silk in that ball gown, and later, when you see a similar pattern in a blouse at the mall, you will be able to mirror the look. And if you have no desire to emulate these fashions, at least appreciate the attention to detail, the complexity of the fabrics and silhouettes. Because first and foremost, fashion is an art form, and all we wish to do for you is help you to bring a little of that art into your everyday lives. Emma Deshpande Editor, Writer, and Photographer
If you go just about anywhere these days, you are bound to see people taking pictures of themselves, either to send to someone or post on social media. Those who make a habit of updating their statuses and profiles know the right angle from which to photograph themselves, and the most flattering poses, and the times to post for the maximum number of likes. There is concern that social media has increased narcissism, and while that may be the case for some, the fact remains that wanting to create an image of themselves for others is not a new human characteristic. Humans psychologically need to see themselves through the approval of others, and all technology has done is facilitated a process that would have otherwise existed in a simpler form. Instead of taking pictures and talking about our lives for our closest friends and family, the people we see every day, we can now do it for hundreds of loose acquaintances. People to whom you may never have spoken can know how silly your cat looked in the laundry basket yesterday morning, or how you were stuck in traffic for five hours going into Manhattan last week. And while it is odd to many people that their lives are open to near strangers, this is not necessarily negative. Social media has made the average person into a celebrity—there are people who have made millions from videos on YouTube. But even for those of us who do not achieve worldwide fame, every person who uses social media lives, in part, the life of a celebrity.
Accounts are updated frequently, as often as daily by many people, and young people with accounts such as Tumblr and Twitter reported feeling pressure to maintain their profiles. “I can’t forget to post something,” a Tumblr account user said. “I’ll lose my followers. They’re ruthless—they stop following if you don’t update every single day.” In an environment with so many “artsy” pictures and humorous anecdotes, the challenge of standing out can be daunting, especially if you do not cater to your audience. When you post pictures with inside jokes as captions, fewer people will like it because they do not want to pretend to understand. Thus, social media in part forces you to become a generalization of yourself, only posting pictures which can be appreciated even by your most distant acquaintances. Your profile does not have to be a generalization of yourself, however, if you do not feel the need to make your page like everyone else’s. What you can do, however, is create a perfected version of yourself for the people who are not part of your day-to-day life. Your personality on social media can be a little more cynical, a little less stressed, than in real life. You do not need to emphasize the characteristics that you think will please the most people, but the ones that you know please the people you’re friends with. If they loved your political satire, write more of them. If they passed around your sketches during class, make more of them. Social media has given you the opportunity to act as Continued on page 55
When you visit the MOMA, you see a variety of mediums and subjects dating from the beginning of the last century to this year. What the artists featured in this museum have in common, of course, is their modernity—their desire to reject the rules of art which dictated the work of more conformist artists. The exhibits at the MOMA are an inspiration, not only as the literal theme of a collection, but in the way that they show the result of creating something entirely from the artist’s mind. The Surrealists, for example, painted the world as a warped version of itself. Magritte’s 1927 painting The Menaced Assassin, for example, shows a man standing in a room with a corpse on the couch, while two men stand hidden in corners in the foreground of the painting and three men are at the window in the background.
The painting is open to interpretation by the reader, and that is the beauty in surrealist art—the motivation of the artist is not conveyed and indeed is not necessary for the viewer to enjoy it. The painting was created for the sake of creation, the ability to transfer the artist’s thoughts into images, and the same principle can be applied to runway fashion.
In Viktor & Rolf’s Fall 2015 Couture collection, the models wore canvases with broken frames over chambray shift dresses. Though the ensembles are not practical for any occasion, they show the viewer that fashion in its highest form, a couture collection, has no need to be practical. Designers have the ability to create whatever they want, and Viktor & Rolf Continued on page 55
Resor
t 2016
Alexander McQueen
Marc Jacobs
Valentino
Dior
Proenza Schouler
Lanvin
Fall 201
5 Couture
Atelier Versace
Chanel
Schiaparelli
Elie Saab
Giambattista Valli
Probably the most well-known fashion editors in history, not just of Vogue, are Diana Vreeland and Anna Wintour. Though both are acclaimed, there is a key difference in the two women’s attitudes towards the magazine, and it can be found in their respective documentaries. The September Issue, a film about the work leading up to the largest and most important issue of Vogue each year, opens with a shot of Wintour speaking directly to the camera. She explains that many people think fashion is too materialistic and not serious enough, and goes on to describe a person who understands fashion as one who would have a Caroline Herrera gown. In contrast, during the Vreeland biography The Eye Has to Travel, there is an interview in which Vreeland says that “Vogue always did stand for people’s lives. I mean, a new dresses doesn’t get you anywhere; it’s the life you’re living in the dress, and the sort of life you had lived before, and what you will do in it later.” Her definition of fashion centered on beauty, the appearance of the dress rather than who designed it. Their views of physical beauty further reveal their attitudes towards fashion, as Vreeland’s was more experimental while Wintour’s is conventional. Vreeland photographed celebrities such as Barbara Streisand and
Mick Jagger, and she emphasized unusual attributes such as Streisand’s nose and Jagger’s lips. She wanted to show that individuality was just as beautiful, if not more, than the accepted standards. Wintour’s conformity is revealed in a scene of The September Issue when one of the documentary camera men is photographed for an article. Wintour sees his stomach and immediately recommends that it be photo shopped, and her creative director, Grace Coddington, had to step in and say that the picture was better if the man looked natural. The two women also differed greatly in their roles of running the magazine. Vreeland sent memos out to the people of the magazine each day, asking them for inspiring stories or giving them one of her own. She would choose exotic locations for fashion shoots and would often accompany the models, stylists, and photographers there. Wintour, however, works primarily with retailers and designers. She meets with department stores so they know what to buy for the next season, and views designers’ collections before they are debuted so she can tell them what will be successful. The difference between the two women can be summed up in Vreeland’s own words: “I think I always had a perfectly clear view of what was possible for the public. Give ‘em what they never knew they wanted.” Vreeland catered to the variable qualities of beauty, letting her Continued on page 55
Every generation, there is a group of the select few, those who have the funds and influence to dictate the fashion of the moment. While we have had the aid of photography for the past century to show us how these people dressed, there is another means of recording the wardrobes of the elite—literature. During the Gilded Age, Edith Wharton wrote several novels which revealed the ugliness and stress behind the wealthiest and most powerful of New York society. Her novel The House of Mirth centers on Lily Bart, a young woman who can never manage to find a secure position among the elite. One of the ways in which she must impress them is through her clothing, and at the end of the novel, when she is reflecting on her efforts, she looks through her gowns. The scene not only describes the beauty of the clothing, but also the memories that we ascribe to clothing—even though Lily is destitute, she cannot bring herself to sell or even give away the gowns, because she remembers the height of her position whenever she looks at them. In a conversation with her friend Gertie, who is removed from the fashionable sets, she explains that she fell into debt because of the pressure to spend money on clothes and other accessories in order to impress the wealthy. Twenty years later, F. Scott Fitzgerald offered another insight into the importance of clothing for the wealthy in his debut novel This Side of Paradise. Amory, the novel’s hero, notices during
his youth that all the young girls he is acquainted with wear particular sweaters to parties, a loose jersey sweater which he names the petting sweater. Unlike Lily Bart, these teenaged girl are not dictated to wear particular dresses, but are taking control of their wardrobes and dressing according to their modern lifestyles. Just as Wharton provided insight into the stress behind the elite lifestyle of the Gilded Age, Fitzgerald allows his readers to see what young people actually did during the Roaring Twenties behind their parents’ backs, and descriptions of their clothing show us how it related to their lives. Written around the same time as Fitzgerald’s work, but set in England and taking a more humorous view towards society life, the Jeeves and Wooster short stories by P.G. Wodehouse also cite clothing as an important part in the daily lives of British gentlefolk. Bertie Wooster, who lives under the direction of his butler Jeeves, occasionally tries to rebel by wearing clothing that he chooses. Bertie’s fashion decisions are often experimental, such as a new Derby hat or a purple waistcoat. Jeeves hardly ever approves, however, and by the end of each story Jeeves has brought Bertie back into line. Though the tone of the stories is dry humor, the message is that the aristocracy is bounded by the rules of traditional fashion, and one must defer to the judgment of someone well-versed in the rules, such as Jeeves.
FATIGUED ELEGANCE
Walking in and out of the shops in Nolita, one expects to find ornate, beautifully crafted pieces, and we were not disappointed on our most recent visit. An examination of the inventory of several boutiques and consignment stores revealed that decadence is indeed present, and in a variety of forms. One of the most prevalent was sparkles, shown here on two shift dresses and a pullover. The grey are classic, of course, but for those who wish to combine texture and color, one of the dresses had a warm-toned ikat pattern.
Sequins were also used for accents, as seen on this Tory Burch jacket. While the other dresses, and the sweater if worn with going-out shorts or a skirt, seem ideal for nightlife, the jacket is a more muted day piece. The effect is therefore less daring and more elegant, but both styles convey the opulence of metallics.
Embellishment also featured: beading shown on the black dress and grey shirt, and fringe on the white shirt. The metallic palette and elegant lines of the art deco movement seem to have influenced all three of these pieces.
We also saw beautiful accessories, including jeweled d’orsay flats, a jeweled belt, and sparkly colored earrings. If you think sequins on a dress or shirt is too much for daytime, then these pieces are the perfect way to dress up your outfit.
We also visited Lord Willy’s, a menswear store. The emphasis was on sophisticated but colorful coordination between jackets and ties for day wear. Accessories included silk neck scarves and straw boaters, as well as ties and bowties in a variety of colors and patterns.
There were also tuxedos, of course, for black tie evening wear. The lines of the tuxedo are so elegant that we wish more were available for women, as well.
Singer Janelle MonĂĄe in a tuxedo
Street style in the subway: The jeweled necklace and gold sandals paired with ripped jeans and a graphic tee show that ornate pieces can be paired with casual clothing to create a balanced outfit.
Men’s street style: The traditional three-piece suit has been altered for modern day wear by adding a grey striped patter and placing a white t-shirt underneath instead of a button-down.
Looking through the Vogue archives recently, we noticed an article on coats in the 1984 September issue. They were huge, they had furs and plaids and scarves, and they were beautiful. Why shouldn’t we wear winter coats this large again? So many people walk around freezing, because they choose to wear short jackets as an alternative to the puffy down ones. And though there are tailored coats with Thinsulate, wouldn’t you rather be swathed in yards of fabric than buttoned and tied up when you’ve already got three sweaters on underneath?
The plaid jacket underneath is beautiful with the coat—an idea for a modern update would be to have patterned layers sewn inside the coats, so that the big coat could be left unbuttoned to show off the inside, or closed as well if the extra warmth is necessary. The inside layer could be buttoned and tied, both for warmth and to accomodate those who feel they need a more structured look. We love the fur collar in this illustration— it adds texture, and the quality of synthetic fur these days would ensure that no animals would be harmed if the look were recreated.
Both of these styles show that the length of coats would drop to below the calf—a style which is practical for warmth and also elegant, especially when belted. If the coat is solid or a simple pattern such as herringbone, the belt could have some sort of detail, such as a geometric pattern if it is fabric or an ornate buckle if it is leather.
SELF IMAGE IN THE TECHNOLOGY GENERATION though you are famous, so take advantage of it—but do it with someone you know you love, not something you think others will. MODERN ART AND HIGH FASHION showed that they possess the courage and creativity to test the boundaries of conventionality. Their collection takes inspiration from art to a literal and beautiful interpretation, reminding us of the amazing things which form when the imagination guides creation. THE ROLE OF A FASHION EDITOR inspirations lead the magazine. Wintour adheres to the boundaries of consumerism, creating a magazine that has features more wearable styles and is accessible to a wider audience. But in curbing the boundaries of artistic inspiration in fashion, Wintour has lost the readership who loved Vreeland’s Vogue, those who wanted to look at fashion for the sake of beauty, and not practicality.
Beauty in the Details