FASHION/ART/DESIGN HORACE MANN SCHOOL vol. 4 no. 1 FALL 2013
WALK On The
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Muttering Retreats Fashion’s New Avant-Garde Adventurous Architecture
Exclusive Ralph Lauren Interview
WIld Side
A note from the editors...
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elcome to F.A.D. Volume 4, number 1, the first issue of the 2012-2013 school year. With contemporary art and design becoming more widely accepted in the mainstream, audiences have developed an appreciation for adventure and creativity in multi-art forms. One does not need to travel to have an adventure. Life is spontaneous and unpredictable; it is thrilling to explore uncharted territory. In this issue, we strove to take you, our readers, on an aesthetic expedition that will hopefully compel you to find your own personal journey in art, design and fashion. Combining the theme of adventure/exploration is our fashion shoot The Girls Guide to Hunting and Fishing. An exclusive FAD interview
with Ralph Lauren sheds light on the long and winding road to a Fashion icon’s success. We also explore these concepts in performance art and in architecture. Our goal is to inspire all of you to see your worlds in a more daring and bold way. We would like to thank our staff for making this production so successful. This 100% student produced issue was possible due to the creativity, dedication, and many hours of hard work by student contributors including writers, photographers, editors, and our models.
Paige Burris & Veronica Williamson
table of contents
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SPONGE
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The Return of Yayoi Kusama Meadham and Kirchhoff’s Not So Ready-to-Wear
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Ralph Lauren Interview
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Funky Form
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Laboratorio Lavgon Fashions New Avant Garde The Science Behind Clothes
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Stylitics: A New Experience
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Preformance Artists: Inside Crazy Experiences
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Shoot: Rude and Reckless
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Shoot: Muttering Retreats
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Shoot: The Girls Guide to Hunting and Fishing
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DIY
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Cover: Photo by Noah Margulis ‘13. Model Emma Schwartz ‘13. This page:Photo by Noah Margulis ‘13. ModelAlex Vogelsang‘14. Back cover: Rebecca Shaw ‘14 and Jenny Heon ‘13. photo by Paige Burris ‘13. Digital Editing by Gina Yu ‘14, Jackson Siegal ’14, Halle Liebman ‘13, and Veronica Williamson ‘13. Hair, makeup and styling by FAD Staff.
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behind the scenes
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fashion | art | design
Staff... Editors-in-Chief Paige Burris + Veronica Williamson Creative Director Noah Margulis Managing Editor Anna Carroll Faculty Advisor Ms. Hines
Features Editor Emma Garcia ShaKea Alston Beauty Editor Rachel Buissereth
Photographers Jackson Siegal Julia Prestsfelder
Production Manager Gina Yu
Writers Alexandra Vogelsang Anastasiya Moroz Assistant Editors Jillian Adler Julia Hirschberg Spencer Solit Julia Pretsfelder Lauren Kady Michelle Kim Diva Gattani Alexandra Vogelsang Julia Pretsfelder Edie Comas Emma Garcia Anna Carroll ShaKea Alston ++ many more
previous issues at issuu.com/fadmag We would like to thank Ms. Hines, Dr. Kelly, Ms. Rubirosa, Mr. Do, Mr. Logan, Ms. Busby, Ms. Cassino, Dr. Delanty, Ms. Johnson and Dr. Schiller for their continuous support in the creation of FAD!
PLEASE NOTE: As a policy, FAD never digitally alters photos to change a model’s fundamental appearance.
LOOK OUT
f.a.d. staff recommend you check out these quick culture fixes this month
Noah Margulis‘13 explores H & M’s new designer!
On November 15th, H&M unveiled their latest designer collaboration. This season the popular chain paired with the avant-garde fashion house, Maison Martin Margiela, a bold and impressive choice for such a commercial store. The collection features versions of the house’s most iconic and bestselling pieces. The collection features unique items like a blanket coat, mirrored leggings, plexi-glass heeled shoes and two dresses that morph into one. Martin Margiela, along with designers such as Helmut Lang and Rei Kawakubo turned the fashion world upside-down in the 1980’s with their eccentric and groundbreaking designs. The concept of deconstruction is important for the understanding of Margiela’s fashion statement. The official launch for the collection took place in an abandoned warehouse in the financial district. The clothes were unveiled to the event’s guests as part of an interpretive dance piece, and certain movements in the dance were inspired by Margiela’s collection. H&M’s designer collaborations are always democratic as they allow the masses to own and wear what are essentially couture designs.
SHOP UP
Nieman Marcus and Target - Claire Hayes ‘15 Celebrating 50 years of design, Target and Neiman Marcus will be creating a holiday line featuring 24 American designers such as Diane von Furstenberg, Alice and Olivia, Marc Jacobs, and Tory Burch. The line will include clothing as well as accessories from the designers. Spokesmen from both stores have explained how they hope the line will increase the range in types of customers; the prices of the line will range from $7 to $499.99. Neiman Marcus is hoping for younger customers to come to their stores whereas Target is looking to appeal to a more upscale customer base. In the past, Target has successfully teamed up with designers like Missoni and has sold out the line within the first few days of being on sale, which both Neiman Marcus and Target are hoping will occur again. The line will debut on December 1st and will be available in all Target and Neiman Marcus stores as well as on both stores’ websites for three weeks.
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fashion | art | design
WATCH OUT
Alex Vogelsang ‘14 writes about some fashionable movies coming soon.
Today’s cinemas bear witness to the return of classic movies like Anna Karenina, The Great Gatsby, and Les Mis. Each remake highlights designer fashions as the key to success. The Great Gatsby, in theaters summer 2013, features Leonardo di Caprio and Carey Mulligan as the love-struck Gatsby and Daisy. The costume designer borrowed from powerhouses like Miu Miu and Prada to recreate 20’s themed silhouettes and incorporate the use of embroidery. Anna Karenina (out September 7) outfits its characters in period pieces from old Russia. Jacqueline Durran, the movie’s costume designer who has already been nominated for an Oscar, paired ‘50’s couture silhouettes with the stark design elements of classic 1870’s apparel. Her goal is to create an increasingly regal, very bourgeois feel to the characters while adhering to the style and fashions of the period. The movie adaptation of the popular musical Les Mis, is set to include quintessential Napoleonic Era-style silhouettes to complete the student revolution backdrop of 1800’s France. Keep your eyes peeled for the Academy Awards’ costume design category. Fashion’s role in cinema is a particularly intriguing topic – one we will actually be devoting our next issue to! Look out for CinneFAD!
BASK IN
Anna Carroll ‘13 revels in the MoMA’s most recent exhibit.
How much do you think a painting could sell for? $100? $10,000 maybe? How about $120 million? That’s about how much Edvard Munch’s Scream sold for at auction last spring. The Scream, which is one of four different versions of the painting, is indicative of Munch’s style with its swirling reds, yellows, and blues, and long, curvy lines. But what could make a painting so expensive, especially when there are multiple versions? Now you can see for yourself! The Scream came to the Museum of Modern Art on October 24th, and will reside there for the next six months. This version is the only one to include a frame painted by Munch and a poem written by the artist himself. So, go to MoMA and check out this quintessential piece of postmodern art with a scream so visceral and so real that you might just find yourself wanting to cover your ears.
Julia Pretsfelder ‘14 travels with airport art
CHECK IT
Your next annoying six-hour layover may not only provide cabin fever but also time to look at artwork on display at airports. Airports across the country have become havens for public art, making contemporary art accessible and pleasantly surprising travelers. Brian Goggin’s witty “Samson”, located in Sacramento’s International Airport Terminal A baggage claim, is two twenty-three foot tall pillars made from 1,400 pieces of luggage stacked on two carts. Karen Doron, a spokeswoman, aptly described the work and the cultural function of public art saying, “It does exactly what great public art is supposed to do: Create a sense of fun and whimsy in a normally utilitarian place.” Many airports and organizations like the Arts at the Airport in Tennessee and Sacramento’s Art in Public Spaces program hold contests that offer opportunities for young artists to publicize their work and create a more thought-provoking environment. Featuring art can characterize local culture and remind us of how we are internationally united in appreciation of art, and allows us to pause and think in an environment that is usually hectic, dull, and stressful.
LOOK UP
Winter Willoughby ‘16 writes about the new undercover label
C.O.I. NYC is the name of a new label that was launched in early September. Not much is known about this incognito collection or about the anonymous person behind the daring designs. The label’s name appears classified and concealed, as if the words between each letter went MIA. C.O.I. stands for “Conflict of Interest,” revealing the label’s secretive yet subversive side. Conflict of Interest is based on a pretend government agency that raids warehouses of unlicensed designer items and releases them to the public in actual evidence bags. Shiona Turini, the editor of CR Fashion Book, was spotted at London fashion week wearing an ironic tee shirt from C.O.I. that was printed “Ballinciaga.” And yes, it was spellchecked. Turini sparked a viral frenzy; many fashion editors and bloggers became fascinated with Conflict of Interert. Turini’s “Ballinciaga” shirt is just one example of the subversive logos from C.O.I.’s first collection, or as the founder calls it, “raid.” The rest of the collection is composed of other logo tees that say “Giraunchy” and “Bodega Vendetta.” C.O.I.’s rebellious logos are able to “create a dialogue of fashion iconography,” blurring the line between what is “accepted” and what is not in the fashion world. The concept behind C.O.I. does not lie in branding a tee shirt with a designer’s name misspelled; their logos spark more than just the controversial aspect of the line. The logos convey a message to society. As C.O.I. grows, black market awareness will increase. The increase of black market awareness and thus the decrease of illegal sales will benefit both designers and society.
http://www.coi-nyc.com
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reviews
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fter a 40-year hiatus from the New York art scene, influential Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama has bounced back into the American public sphere with two exhibitions at the Whitney and a fascinating new collection with Louis Vuitton. She continues to create art at the mental hospital where she now resides, but not since her 2002 exhibit of ‘Fireflies on the Water’ has her albeit obsessively intricate art been openly available to the public. Shown alongside influential pop artists such as Andy Warhol, Yayoi Kusama’s avant-garde work is known for its infinite networks, bright textures, and, at times, increasingly sexual nature. The Upper East side’s Whitney Museum on 75th and Madison presented two exhibitions of her art; one, a remake of ‘Fireflies on the Water,’ and the other a cohesive overview of her New York career culminating with her most recent works. The first few rooms of the exhibit display paintings and sketches from her early experimentation with
New York’s abstract expressionist movement, when Kusama played with muted colors and naturalistic inspirations. Paintings of interlacing plants and tendrils in deceivingly demure colors meet hallucinatory sketches of neurons, cells and sea creatures. Towards the middle of her career Kusama found her near obsession with polka dots that would continue to the end of her career, creating public displays of naked models covered in brightly colored dots. Kusama’s art soon took an increasingly sexual turn, creating photographs of brightly painted nudes and oversized phallic sculptures. Eventually the artist discovered a fascination with infinity, which led to her arguably most famous works of interlacing networks and an abundance of polka dots. Tendrils crafted with bright yellow dots on black canvas appear like an infinite interlocking of snakes or weaving of coral along the ocean floor, while on the other side of the room a green and blue interlacing of lines seem to conjure images of an electric neuron
The Return of Yayoi Kusama
Alex Vogelsang ‘14
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network. The exhibition ends with her most recent works: paintings on canvas in shouting bright colors laced with polka dots, suspending eyes and profiles of faces surrounded by frames of jagged spikes. The exhibitions are now closed, but worry not! To catch a glimpse at Kusama’s art, just take a stroll through any Louis Vuitton boutique. With such attention to Yayoi Kusama’s work, it should come as no surprise that members of other artistic communities took notice, most notably the powerhouse that is Marc Jacobs. When asked in an interview why he decided to work with such an avant-garde artist, Mr. Jacobs responded, “Her energy is endless, and in the painstaking sort of obsession in each of her canvases and installations that she’s created you see this world that never ends and I guess that’s what I admire, and that’s what I love, and that’s what I respond to in terms of feeling for her and for her work.” And so, a collaboration was born. The result was a collection of bags, shoes, sunglasses, dresses and scarves so intricately laced with dot patterns they put the mod-inspired polka dots of a few seasons ago to shame. From the deep optical illusion of the dot tendril pattern on flowing silk dresses and luggage to the pop of red and white polka dot pattern on the finest leather accessories, each item is a work of art in itself. But of course, like any Vuitton piece, the logo was intricately mixed in to the infinity of pattern Kusama created for the collection. The brightness of the bowed-flats and 60’s-esque sunglasses are clear statement accessories, while the blindingly bright, last-a-lifetime luggage is unlikely to be mistaken for anyone else’s bag. Suddenly, the Louis Vuitton location on 5th avenue looks more like a museum than a store.
fashion | art | design
reviews
photos from elleuk.com
Meadham and Kirchhoff’s Not So Ready-to-Wear
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t first glance, Meadham Kirchhoff’s Spring/Summer 2013 collection may conjure images of Halloween costumes. A break from the usual wearable collections that designers put out for Ready-to-Wear collections, this collection was quite unique. Edward Meadham and Benajamin Kirchhoff, the masterminds behind the label, crafted a show that blended the eighteenth century, milkmaids, Western cowgirls and even a hint of Marie Antoinette. This design team has always been known for their eclectic clothing, but this time they have made quite a stir in the fashion world. A sharp contrast from the season’s classic collections of Armani, Mulberry and Valentino, this collection evoked a sense of experimentation and created a much-needed break from the norm. Bright reds, yellows, and blues balanced basic whites and blacks,
Anastasiya Moroz ‘13
grounding the collection and helping the designs shine.The incredible play of pattern and color blocking kept an abstract feel from look to look. Thankfully, impeccable tailoring, highlighted in the outerwear, kept the collection from looking tacky. Corsets over dresses, voluminous skirts, jackets and coats tied with ribbon made up the focus of the collecti on. The interplay of controlled construction and an eccentric color palate clearly gave rise to contradiction. Something so fanciful must be executed with precision, and Meadham Kirchhoff performed. As if the garments weren’t bold enough, the accessories took each look to another level. Pointy-toed pumps with embellishments created a more streamlined look while the hats added a touch of glamour, contributing to the eighteenth century flair. The bold and colorful jewelry, adorned with huge colored gems, completed each outfit. Backstage, the hair was curled into ringlets to perfect the charming, somewhat historic quality of the show.
Overall, the show was a clear embodiment of the designers’ interests. Meadham and Kirchhoff weren’t focused on making wearable, ‘trendy’ clothing for the average girl. Instead, the dynamic duo followed their inspiration and created garments that are drastically different from your little black dress at home. This show proved to be a definitive moment during London Fashion Week, breaking away from conventions to explore something whimsical and not quite ready-to-wear.
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interviews
Wikipedia Fashion icon and designer, Ralph Lauren and the Ralph Lauren Fall 2012 Collection
Ralph Lauren
Jillian Adler ‘16 and Spencer Solit ‘16 chat with fashion icon and designer Ralph Lauren.
What was your first job in the fashion industry? “I started working as a salesman at Brooks Brothers when I was 22 years old but my career really started when I went to work for a tie company.”
America, families in the country, weathered trucks and farmhouses; sailing off the coast of Maine; following dirt roads in an old wood-paneled station wagon; a convertible filled with young college kids sporting crew cuts and sweatshirts and frayed sneakers.”
When did you decide that you wanted to be a designer? “As a kid, I always liked sports. I never knew I was going to be a designer. I didn’t know what a designer was! When I worked at the tie company, I went to my boss and said, ‘You know, I really would like to design these ties. I have some ideas.’ He said, “Ralph, the world is not ready for Ralph Lauren.” My momentum built from there. I went to a company where they would let me start my tie line.”
What was your inspiration for your most recent collection? “For Spring 2013, I was inspired by a vibrant
portrayal of this world you’ve put together. When the show starts you see your work come to life. It’s always miraculous.” What is your least favorite part about Fashion Week? Why? “When working on a show it’s a series of beginnings and pain. There’s a combination of terror because you just finished a show and you’re reeling and you want to see what the reaction is. You want to smile and say, ‘Isn’t it great,’ at the same time you want to be humble. So there’s a mixed feeling that you have when you’re doing the shows.”
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Where do you get your inspiration for your designs? “I am constantly drawing inspiration from everything I see, the places I travel, the people I know and the movies I see. I have always been inspired by the dream of 10
Longevity and lasting qualities are my trademarks
bohemian spirit, the artistry of things made by hand and personal style that is as rich as it is romantic.”
What is your favorite part about Fashion Week? Why? “Fashion week is exciting, full of anticipation, a time to unveil a new story. You get to finally see how critics respond to your
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What advice would you give to aspiring designers? “Well, I think the best thing is either go to school and get more education, or try to work for someone and learn the business. I think it’s very important to get training, and practical training is working for a company that is in the area that you admire, that you like, and that you can relate to. Learn about how the business works and a little more about designing. Learn the craft.”
fashion | art | design
Vogue.com
What hardships did you encounter while breaking into the industry? “The greatest hardship for me was when I went to Bloomingdale’s with ties and the buyer said, ‘I don’t want to buy these ties,’ but I knew they were good. I didn’t get discouraged, I just closed my bag and said, ‘I’m leaving’, and that’s when I knew I had to break out on my own.”
you love and that people are recognizing it. Somewhere along the line something clicks, and you think, now I know why I’m working. I get that exciting and wonderful feeling when I’ve stretched myself to do something I’ve never done before.”
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What is your favorite trend right now? “I’m not a trendy person. I’ve been doing this for a long time. Longevity and lasting quality are my trademarks. I have always believed that what is really good will last.” What is your all-time favorite trend? “For me, style is about quality, integrity and timelessness. It is free of trends, but always feels fresh and new.” What do you love most about your job? “I think the most wonderful feeling you can have is to feel like you are doing something
Style is about quality, integrity, and timelessness
Did anyone in your family also have a love for fashion? “I think we all share a love for fashion; it’s a way of life for us all.” The Ralph Lauren Polo symbol is a really iconic symbol. How did you know you wanted that to be your label’s logo? “My company is not about a logo on a product. It is about the product. I developed a symbol over the years with a polo player. I wanted to build a concept of a brand that people come in and ask for. For
that naturalness, for that realness, it’s about unfashionable fashion-- it’s about elements of style.” You started out making bow-ties. What inspired you to make other articles of clothing? “After starting with my initial design of ties, I went on in my career to do more and more things. My next venture was to make clothes for my wife because it was less expensive. Not long after, I had children and I started doing children’s clothes. Then I went on to make home products after shopping for sheets for my house. I went from product to product; I wanted to do something that had more of a point of view and a concept of lifestyle.” Out of all your stores which do you like to visit the most? “Each store tells a different story and they are all equally important to me. It is really a dream come true to be able to present the entire Ralph Lauren world in such an elegant and beautiful environment.”
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architecture
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architecture
hat does adventure mean to you? Do you think of skydiving at 14,000 feet, wind and freedom ringing in your ears, or do you think of hiking through a rainforest in Brazil, where monkeys braid your hair while birds play their flutes? With architects developing new technologies, contemporary buildings can excite your eyes and take you on a visual adventure. Seattle, today a purple haze of stainless steel and aluminum, is home to the EMP (experience music project) building, designed by Frank Gehry. The museum pays homage to rock music, pop-culture, and science fiction. Since its opening in 2000 the EMP has been a destination for tourists craving its innovative exhibits and unique structure. 21,000 individually cut and sculpted pieces of metal cocoon the building, in electrifying shades of magenta, silver, and blue. The animated building livens up the cityscape of Seattle, usually known for its dreary weather. From Seattle’s best-known site, the space needle, EMT is prominent. Its architecture and design lead many to deem it a landmark adding to the controversy: some consider it to be an eyesore, while others see it as a beautiful work of art. Either way, the building boasts civic pride, honoring the city’s own Jimi Hendrix through both its exhi-
bitions and exterior architecture. Frank Gehry once said, “Liquid architecture. It’s like jazz - you improvise, you work together, you play off each other, you make something, they make something. And I think it’s a way - for me, it’s a way of trying to understand the city, and what might happen in the city.” The EMP building is truly a visual adventure. Gehry takes you through the optic experience skillfully using color, construction, and contemporary culture. The Capital Gate, in Abu Dhabi, was recently pronounced the furthest leaning tower in the world. At 18 degrees westward - four times that of the famous Leaning Tower of Pisa - the Capital Gate quickly became a tourist destination as soon as the architectural firm, Robert Matthew Johnson Marshall, completed the building in 2011. The building is a creative structural feat – with its wave shape and skin of glass scales that shine in the sunlight - combining innovative engineering and a sculptural vision. It made headlines and gathered attention on the international architectural scene. The capital gate takes it visitors on a unique adventure in the United Arab Emirates. New York City is prepping to open a spectacular new gateway to its downtown in the form of a public transit sta-
tion that literally soars above all others. Designed by Santiago Calatrava and scheduled to open in late 2014, the World Trade Center transportation hub is a true masterpiece. Not since the TWA terminal at JFK designed by Eero Saarinen have travel, movement, and everyday commuting been elevated. The building reinvents public transportation at the site scarred by 9/11. It will be the third largest transportation center in the city (following Grand Central and Pennsylvania Stations) and is expected to see 250,000 people passing through on a given day. Unlike the EMC building and the Capital Gate, Calatrava’s transit hub is not just a single building with a specialized purpose, it will be open for all and is sure to inspire adventure in everyday life. Today’s architects have set out to push the architecture’s limits and create bold buildings with fresh designs, intended to inspire and evoke response from their viewers. The EMC building in Seattle, the Capital Gate in Abu Dhabi, and the World Trade Center transit hub in downtown New York City, are excellent examples of modern constructions destined to become some of the most famous structures in history. Next time you are craving adventure, consider exploring all that architecture has to offer in the 21st century.
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Lauren Kady ‘16
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features Laboratorio LAVGON
Diva Gattani ‘13 explores a rising Italian designer with a unique taste on universal clothing.
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n April of 2004, mother and daughter Michela Cittadino and Lavinia Vicenzi, transformed an old barn on a farm outside of Milan to start Laboratorio Lavgon, a visionary company that goes against all norms of the mainstream fashion market. Vicenzi’s design philosophy is to create clothing that you can live in, “Fabric is not just to be looked at.Touch it, smell it, feel it on your skin. Look through it towards the light. See how it picks up the shadows.You can feel that the fabric surrounding your body is alive and vibrating.” Their small clothing company, consisting of only three family members and one employee, is the exact opposite of “mass production.” The small size of the company allows for the creation of unique, hand crafted pieces made from the best materials available, like wool from the softest sheep of Alto Adige, hand woven African cottons, or hemp cloth. “We select the very best quality that we can find, to bring you fashion that delights your skin as well as your eyes,” Lavinia explained. Laboratorio Lavgon is also eco-friendly by innovatively using this leftover luxury fabric from the high fashion industry to
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create circular pins, which they use instead of zippers or buttons on their garments. “Fashion throughout the centuries has encouraged most of us to think we are a ‘mistake’, either by size, weight, height, or bearing,” Lavinia writes. Lavgon does not “size up” women’s bodies- all of Lavinia’s creations are one size fit’s all with a system of laces and ties that can be personalized to suit one’s needs. This idea of fashion without boundaries of age and size is reflected by the use of models from ages five through sixty for Laboratorio Lavgon photo shoots and runway shows, a kind of diversity that is rare in high-end fashion. Vicenzi’s clothing is made for a different kind of elegance, worth trying out. Thankfully, Laboratorio Lavgon is bringing their unprecedented versatility to New York. They have not decided on a location for a boutique but are currently looking for a place on the lower east or west sides of Manhattan or Williamsburg. Lavinia Vicenzi will be one of many young designers to look for in future New York fall and spring fashion weeks, but for the meantime she says she will continue designing in Milan, because, in reality, “every week is fashion week.”
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Fashion’s New Avant Garde
features
Emma Garcia ‘13
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hat is presented as new, within the fashion world, rarely is. The content of many “cutting edge” collections is typically, instead, a revitalization of some forgotten style from decades past, a memory rediscovered from a faded magazine photo. These newly edited designs may be beautiful, but they are too familiar to be original. And yet, our familiarity with this fashion is what has allowed it to survive the test of time.We are comfortable with it because we trust the known and we are wary of the unknown. Only a true visionary can break this cycle and introduce us the adventurous. Today, some of these avant-garde designers are found in prominent fashion houses such as Miuccia Prada and Alexander McQueen. In the case of Miuccia Prada, creativity can come from combining two familiar things in an unusual way. One, visually stunning, example of this label’s originality is its 2011 spring/summer collection. Inspired by Carmen Miranda, a Brazilian samba singer famous for her fruit hat, and black light paint, this collection is far from a rehashing of the past. However, creativity does not necessarily amount to success. The hit or miss nature of the collection’s styles is evident in its shoes. On one hand, the brand’s innovatively designed woven straw heels are gorgeous. My favorites are the kitten heels with bright orange, dark blue, and gold accents. While, on the other hand, the label’s
clunky-looking creepers were disastrous. Although these shoes were a new amalgamation of already popular footwear (espadrilles, flipflops, and oxfords), their look was simply atrocious.The dichotomy between the woven heels’ and creepers’ aesthetic appeal reveals the danger in exploring new fashion: braving the adventurous is not always appreciated. For as innovative as Miuccia Prada may be, the label still falls victim to the confines of Ready to Wear apparel. Alexander McQueen, however, frequently pushes past the mundane barrier that is RTW and achieves real artistry. This fashion house never falters to explore the unusual and create genuinely unique looks. Like Miuccia Prada, some of McQueen’s most outrageous designs are its shoes. Alexander McQueen’s shoes are architectural masterpieces, using unusual shapes to bring new meaning to footwear. One such shoe is its carefully sculpted heel with
no heel – 3-inch platform ultra high heels with no stiletto for support. Such designs are strange enough to catch anyone’s eye, but it would seem that no one is more impressed than miss impressive herself: Lady Gaga. Alexander McQueen has heavily influenced Lady Gaga’s eccentric style, inspiring not only her strange (yet tasteful) outfits, but also her shocking music videos. The “Bad Romance” film is clearly a product of McQueen. This video’s theme of mental ward patients madly in love appears to have been lifted directly from McQueen’s 2001 spring/summer fashion show in which the models acted mentally ill and wandered about a room of oneway mirrors. In this sense, McQueen goes above and beyond expectations by not only making art, but also displaying it creatively. Adventurous fashion may be too different to gain much traction as daily apparel, but I believe it is a noteworthy endeavor. As Miuccia Prada has shown, unusual clothing does have the ability to work as tasteful RTW. However, functionality aside, adventurous fashion is most valuable for the effect it has on us. As McQueen has demonstrated, fashion does not have to be only utilitarian, it can be art and it can be impactful. Worn by such influential people as Lady Gaga and other celebrities, McQueen has indirectly shaped our perception of aesthetic – expanding our understanding of style and helping us gain greater perspective on what can be appealing. This fashion house defies the notion of fashion being cyclical, but instead, like the few other visionaries, helps fashion evolve.
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features The science BEHIND CLOTHES
he United States’ 2012 Olympic teams’ uniforms sparked American outrage – and it had nothing to do with their berets. The attire was entirely Chinese-made, just like 95% of clothing sold in the US is. Although, American outsourcing creates jobs abroad and promotes free trade, many argue that companies also outsource to take advantage of the limited labor regulation in other countries. Despite Ralph Lauren’s refusal to disclose the Chinese company responsible for the uniforms, other businesses are more transparent. In 2005 Nike began releasing extensive annual reports on its website about its factories. It has created a grading system to monitor the environmental safety and health conditions of foreign manufacturers. It also offers profiles of factories and workers, information about wages, hours, the company’s carbon footprint, and each factory’s social impact on the community. Nike’s efforts are admirable because they demonstrate that an American corporation can be responsible in regards to working conditions and employ foreign staff in safe and healthy environments. As a teenager I know that my peers and I never trace our clothing back to their factories. That said, consumer awareness needs to play a more powerful role in everyone’s lives. The combined power of the consumer boycott and worker mobilization was successful in the fight for worker’s rights against DKNY in the early 2000s. In 1998 workers in a subcontracted Chinese DKNY factory began to contest long hours, padlocked bathrooms, and lack of overtime pay. When these appeals to UNITE! Union and the Labor Department failed, the National Mobilization Against Sweatshops (NMASS) wrote a formal letter to DKNY voicing all their demands. According to the NMASS website, the company fired all workers who had spoken up for their rights, while a union official warned other workers that there would be consequences if they were to follow suit. Latino workers joined the
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Julia Pretsfelder ‘14 delves into the technical world of clothing making. Chinese Staff and Workers Association and NMASS to deny accusations of stealing and to report their being frisked daily by factory managers, lower pay, and being forced to sew by hand because “their eyes were bigger than the Chinese.” The company had to back down as the result of pickets and protests in front of company stores and offices, along with consumer boycotts, and lawsuits claiming discrimination and wage violation filed against DKNY and its manufacturer, Jen Chu Apparel. In 2008, the workers received compensation about a million dollars worth - while the company moved many factories abroad. Since the Progressive era, the American media has been fascinated with “muckraking” or exposing the plight of the worker, providing impetus for political movements to reform state labor laws that give American workers and unions some power to prosecute their employers for mistreatment. We should take pride in the American tradition of establishing legal protections for workers by buying our clothing from union-supported, environmentally
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conscious companies. It is crucial that others follow Nike’s shift in corporate culture to embrace transparency. We can become informed consumers. Our country has used its foreign presence as a method to enforce American ideals of freedom. It’s imperative that we extend this effort to bring fair and comfortable working conditions, instead of only taking advantage of the lack of regulation in other regions of the world. It is especially important to pay attention to these issues in the garment industry because making clothing is such a complex procedure: from creating fiber to processing textiles to sewing together a garment, one article of clothing can really have pieces from all over the world that cannot simply be boiled down to a “Made in China” label. As consumers we are not powerless, and we should recognize that the simple act of buying a t-shirt can, through support of exploitative working conditions, have a global impact and undermine our own American fashion and clothing industries, as well as American standards of worker’s rights.
fashion | art | design
features
Sartorialist
styLitics: A New Experience Alex Vogelsang ‘14 reviews a new app that has captured the fashion world’s attention.
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ollowing in the path of bloggers and collection catalogs, technology has found yet another way to enwrap the everyday person farther into the world of fashion and personal style. Stylitics, a new, award-winning app and website duo, has created a new outlet for the stylist in all of us that will also most likely foster the organized, compulsive tendencies of its users. Featured heavily as a company to watch in the tech world by NASDAQ, Stylitics has already launched its own marketing and advertising media fire and been featured by the likes of Oprah and recommended by Vogue as a top website to organize your life. Stylitics attempts to organize the styling technique of the everyday consumer by providing a virtual closet in which users upload items, along with color, fabric, price and brand. From there, planning outfits becomes an on-the-go art project rather than a stressful 6 a.m. fight with your sanity. The site expedites the process by providing information on weather, along with
frequency of wear for any item or outFit. Another fascinating feature provided by Stylitics is its national statistics from other users, like popular colors, brands and outfits for the past week. Additional blogs and theme pages are provided for further styling inspiration, and recently, even popular bloggers of the Glamouri and the Glitter Guide are beginning to offer their inspiration into personal blogs for the company. As the site matured it has been transformed into a source of world inspiration, setting it apart from previous attempts to create the perfect online styling tool. Along with being a technologically advanced fashion tool, Stylitics offers marketing and business experience for modern, economically aware youth. Recently it has begun new work to expand its ambassador program from college coeds to high school members, providing intern-like networking opportunities for students during the year. The ambassadors
gain useful perks through the company as well as networking perks to carry out into their professional careers. By bringing in youth to experience the business side of fashion, the company is providing networking opportunities to students and producing valuable fashion perspectives from one of the industry’s main obsessions: youth. This effort among urban youth has earned Stylitics national attention among ABC news, the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times. In other news, the company has been recognized as one of the most promising technology fashion apps of 2012, both by the Wharton Business Plan Competition and Fashion 2.0’s “Next Biggest Thing in Tech” Award. Stylitics presents yet another way to connect the modern consumer to the fashion world at large, following on a theme of technological integration that has made fashion more accessible over the past five years.
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profiles
david blaine
There have been many preformance artists over the years but it seems once it hit the 80s people really went crazy. FADies look into these adventurous artists who use their surroundings - and bodies - in insane new ways.
Paige Burris ‘13
martha rosler Anna Carroll ‘13
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hen thinking about of performance art, we usually consider artists who strive to produce radical and admittedly bizarre work – like Carolee Schneeman’s Interior Scroll in which she literally gives birth to a poem. However, one of today’s most influential performance artists has done the exact opposite – and made an impact. Martha Rosler’s works focus on the commonplace and celebrate the life of the common man. Her newest work, Meta-Monumental Garage Sale will soon grace the halls of MoMA. The title explains everything: the work is a giant garage sale where museumgoers can browse the selection, buy goods, and even negotiate prices with Rosler herself. Many items are donations from both the general public and MOMA employees, but some are made by the artist herself. Meta-Monumental Garage Sale glorifies this iconic daily-life event that every American can relate to and identify. Check out the sale at MoMA from November 17th to the 30th for your chance to buy a one of a kind work of art. 18
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ome artists allow spectators to participate in a performance and their participation is part of the performance. For example, in 2010, the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) showcased the work of Marina Abramovic. Abramovic performed “The Artist is Present,” a 736 hour and 30 minute static, silent piece, in which she sat immobile in the museum’s atrium, while spectators were invited to take turns sitting opposite her. Another example of this participatory performance art will also take place at MOMA from November 17-30, 2012. The Museum will host performance artist Martha Rosler’s Meta-Monumental Garage Sale. Rosler has held garage sales in museum settings around the world. A garage sale, according to Rosler, is “art that illuminates social life.” Visitors to the museum can engage in face to face transactions with Rosler and actually make purchases at the sale.
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A
number of performance artists focus on the thrill and adventure. The quintessential thrill/ adventure performance artist is David Blaine. In his latest stunt, entitled “Electrified: One Million Volts Always On,” Blaine stood on top of a 20 foot high platform surrounded by seven towering metallic orbs-or tesla coils- that streamed 1 million volts of electricity around him for three days and nights. Another of Blaine’s stunts required him to spend approximately 63 hours encased in a massive block of ice. Blaine has done numerous other stunts including standing on top of a 100 foot high 22 inch wide pillar for 35 hours and spending seven days in a three ton water filled tank. Blaine always seems to draw a crowd.
marina abramovic Paige Burris ‘13
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chris burden
hris Burden, an artist, dabbling in media such as sculpture, performance and installation art, is also an intellectual, having earned ShaKea Alston ‘13 his BA in visual arts, physics, and architecture from Pomona and his MFA from UC Irvine. He began staging controversial performances all sharing a common central theme: personal danger. Shoot, Burden’s most notable performance, featured an assistant shooting the artist in the arm from a short distance. In Trans-Fixed - arguably Burden’s most reproduced piece - he lay on a Volkswagen Beetle while nails were hammered into both his hands, mimicking crucifixion. Burden spent twenty-two days on a platform in the Ronald Feldman Gallery in New York without eating or speaking to produce White Light/White Heat – a one-hour video recounting his experience. Similarly, in Doomed, Burdens spent 45 hours laying motionless on a platform under a piece of glass watching the time pass on a nearby clock. It was only after a museum employee placed a pitcher of water near Burden that he smashed the glass, destroying the clock, and ultimately ending the piece. Burden’s exploration of personal danger as artistic expression makes him a notable performance artist.
horace mann school | fall 2013 | vol. 4 no. 1
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k c e R & R e & d
e u d rru
s s s e s l k e
models embrace the power of punk rock divas in bold and daring makeup
Models: Justine Potemkin '14 , Kasia Kalinowska '15, Morgan Raum '15, Giulia Alvarez '14 Photographed by: Jackson Siegal '14 Hair and Makeup: Rachel Buissereth '13 and Emma Garcia '13 Styled By: Noah Margulis '13
muttering
RETREATS F.A.D. ventured to the Pepsico Sculpture Gardens in Purchase, NY. Models channeled the energy of the modern sculptures there to create a dynamic and otherworldly vibe.
Model Gina Yu ‘14 wears top and pants by Noah Margulis ‘13, accessories stylists’ own Photographed by Noah Margulis ‘13 Sculpture: Triad by Arnaldo Ponodoro
EXHIBITIONIST Model Emma Schwartz ‘14 wears stylists’ own top, pants and accessories Photographed by Gina Yu ‘13 Sculpture: Grand Disco by Arnaldo Ponodoro
Model Alex Vogelsang ‘14 wears dress by Noah Margulis ‘13, accessories stylists’ own Photographed by Noah Margulis ‘13 Sculpture: Triad by Arnaldo Ponodoro
Modern Muse Model Alex Vogelsang ‘14 wears dress by Noah Margulis ‘13, accessories stylists’ own Photographed by Paige Burris ‘13 Sculpture: Double Oval by Henry Moore
Opposites Attract Model Emma Schwartz ‘13 wears vintage dress and stylists’ own accessories, Model Alex Vogelsang ‘14 wears dress by Paige Burris ‘13, Photographed by Paige Burris ‘13, Sculpture: Passage by Richard Erdman.
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f.a.d. magazine
fashion | art | design
Model Gina Yu ‘14 wears top and pants by Noah Margulis ‘13, stylists’ own accessories, Photographed by Paige Burris ‘13, Sculpture: Cube Totem Seven and Six by David Smith
Amber Waves 30
Models Roya Moussapour ‘13, Rebecca Shaw ‘14, and Alex Powell ‘13 in stylists’ own Photographed by Veronica Williamson ‘13
The
Girls’ Guide to
Hunting and Fishing This season, try on L.L. Bean style classics and explore the outdoors in comfort and elegance.
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Lost Highway 32
Model Alex Powell ‘13 in stylists’ own Photographed by Rachel Buissereth ‘13
Gypsy in Me
Model Julia Pretsfelder ‘14 in stylists’ own Photographed by Veronica Williamson ‘13
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This Land is Your Land
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Models Roger Golub ‘13 and Caroline Kuritzkes ‘14 in models’ and stylists’ own Photographed by Julia Pretsfelder ‘13 magazine
fashion | art | design
Over the River and Through the Woods
horace mann school | fall 2013 | vol. 4 no. 1
Models Croline Kuritzkes ‘14, Jenny Heon ‘14, Henry Warder ‘13, Troy Siprelle ‘13, and Diva Gattani ‘13 in stylists’ and models’ own. Photographed by Julia Pretsfelder 35 f.a.d. ‘13 magazine 35
Picnic on Hanging Rock
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f.a.d.
Models Roya Moussapour ‘13, Rebecca Shaw ‘14, and Alex Powell ‘13 in stylists’ own magazine Photogrpahed by Veronica Williamson ‘13
fashion | art | design
horace mann school | fall 2013 | vol. 4 no. 1
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diy
step_1
Y I D r e t it B il a N n io t c Ele you'll need; -Silver Nail Polish -Blue Nail Polish -Red Nail Polish -Corrector Pen
Make sure hands are clean and free of polish
step_3
step_2 Paint a thinck diagonal stripe across the silver base coat.
Paint your nails silver
__emily perelman '13
step_4
Now it should look like this. Now add a stripe of red across the dried blue and silver polish.
step_5
Now add the final strip of dark blue nail polish across the dried polish.
and you're done!
save the date! fad fashion show fundraiser friday, february 8th, 2013
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