FRECKLED
SPRING 2013
FRECKLED MAGAZINE
ISSUE #7 SPRING 2013
FEATURING
ARTWORK 19 YAS IMAMURA 75 MARIE GOSSELIN 39 MARIA MENDEZ
WRITING 37 KIM VISDA 57 BIANCA STEWART
PHOTOGRAPHY 03 BRIAN W. FERRY 47 HANA HALEY 27 MARIAM SITCHINAVA 59 JONATHAN JACQUES 85 ALEX CRETEY SYSTERMANS
FASHION 119 JC CHANG 115 CAITLIN SHEEHAN 123 KATHERINE LOWE 111 MATT SMITH
MUSIC 99 THE ZOLAS COVER PHOTOGRAPH -MARIANO BRIZZOLA http://www.flickr.com/photos/marianomio/ BACK COVER PHOTOGRAPH - YOSHINORI MIZUTANI http://yoshinorimizutani.tumblr.com/
FORWARD PHOTOGRAPH - TOM HUMPHREY http://www.flickr.com/photos/tomhumphrey TABLE OF CONTENTS PHOTOGRAPH - FANNY ROSE http://www.flickr.com/photos/62310963@N07/
ISSUE EDITORIAL PHOTOGRAPHS - SHANENE LAU & TING SHUEN http://www.flickr.com/photos/shanene/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/oceanfragrances WORDS - SIMONE LITTLEDALE http://theartofunbelonging.tumblr.com
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Dear Readers, From the time the early fledgelings cut their first feathers to the longest day of the calendar year, we work to gather the best and brightest artists and creative people to feature in our spring issue. It’s always a relief coming out of winter, especially here on the West Coast where a single dry day after weeks of low-pressure systems can feel like a vacation. Spring fills us with a glorious hope and inevitably outlandish plans for the coming summer. Even the pale days are warmed by the previous contributors who have stayed in touch and by you, our readers and supporters. Working on this year’s spring issue has been once again a great privilege for all of us here at Freckled—we’ve got some incredibly talented contributors to share with you this season! We hope that once again the folks featured in Freckled will amaze you, inspire you and help to nurture whatever you are creating yourself. Much love,
The Freckled Team!
Find us at:
FRECKLEDMAG@GMAIL.COM FRECKLEDMAG.TUMBLR.COM INSTAGRAM.COM/FRECKLEDMAG FACEBOOK.COM/FRECKLEDMAG
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BRIAN W. FERRY Brian W. Ferry is a freelance photographer based in New York City. He strives to create mood-driven, exploratory, personal photographs that demonstrate a unique way of seeing the world and its often-overlooked details. His work is focused on distilling experience into mindful and atmospheric photographs that tell a story, and he is constantly looking for the extraordinary in the everyday. Brian’s work has been exhibited in London, New York and Los Angeles and his first book of photographs, “Quality of Life”, was published in 2011 by Lawson’s Books. In addition to his personal series, he works with a variety of commercial and editorial clients and collaborators to shoot everything from interiors to portraits to travel stories. His clients include Freunde von Freunden, Sight Unseen, The Aesthete, Wilder Quarterly, Martha Stewart Living, Bon Appetit and advertisements for Starbucks/BBDO.
www.brianwferry.com
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Quill And Fox Paper goods by Yas Imamura
GIVE US A LITTLE ABOUT YOURSELVES; where are you based out of, when did Quill and Fox evolve from an idea to a business, and how would you describe your art style? My name is Yas Imamura, creator of Quill & Fox. We illustrate cards and stationery straight from our home-studio here in Oregon. As an illustrator, I take a lot of inspiration from children's book art. I think, in the past few years, I've slowly become more confident in honing it more distinctly towards a more simplistic mid-century style.
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What's your creative process like, from conceptualizing to making the final product? A lot of it starts with brainstorming, and sketching out visual ideas, before doing the final illustration. The concept can be final at that point, but I've found myself going back on color choices and doing tweaks digitally. What drew you to paper goods as opposed to other mediums for your illustrations, like apparel or housewares? Getting married and doing my own invites was definitely a huge motivation. But apart from that, I really did enjoy the idea of being a "part" of people's correspondence. To know that my cards have been through different homes and handwritten on by loved ones for their own loved ones. Where do you envision your crafts being used or displayed when you create items? Since most of it is stationary, I imagine that it would be on someone's desk? Tucked in inside the drawer or in a special box of mementos people keep. From what sources do you draw most of your inspiration? Roger Duvoisin, Charley Harper, and Henri Matisse are some of my visual inspirations.
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The custom invitations in the Lookbook section of the Quill and Fox website are incredible! What's been the most fun project you've been commissioned to do? Honestly, they're all really fun, and were such great brides to work with. Perhaps, if I had to choose, it would be the secret society suite I created and collaborated with Alison. It was just really different from the usual! Is there a season or holiday that you enjoy the most for creating products for? What makes it your favourite? Christmas is always our favorites, but I also love creating products for Valentine’s Day. Do you have a favourite motif, and do you usually work in keeping graphic trends? I take inspiration from old children’s books and mid-century style art.
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Are there any favourite Etsy shops or artists that you’d like to recommend? I've been sort of oggling all the hand-made shoes at https://www.etsy.com/shop/ TamarShalem?ref=l2-shopheader-name . It's totally my style and maybe I'll finally succumb and buy a pair :) Do you have a favorite piece from your body of work so far? My newer ones are always my default favorites, like my notepads and my Write it Down print-- for the most because I feel like I'm always honing my style each day. Are there any techniques or art forms that you'd like to explore and expand your personal art into? I've been really into writing stories lately (I am not remarkable at it whatsoever. It's a totally new endeavor I've never tried before), and eventually get a good idea going for a small stop-motion animation.
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What’s something that you dream of one day seeing/doing? If I ever get the chance to collaborate with Wes Anderson, my life would have come full circle! What plans do Quill and Fox have for the future? We just want to keep staying on the road we're on. Nothing grand or any aggressive plans for the business, to be honest. We meant to work for ourselves, to keep stress low. So it would be really ironic if our business became the main source of our own stress and anxiety! :) VISIT QUILL AND FOX AT: http://www.quillandfox.com/ http://www.etsy.com/shop/QuillandFox
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Mariam Sitchinava
http://www.mariam.ge/
Born in 1989, Tbilisi-based freelance film photographer Mariam Sitchinava started shooting without any formal education in 2009, and after only 8 months was offered her first commercial project. Since then, Mariam’s photos have been exhibited in several countries and her photo prints and first book are in worldwide demand. A deeply passionate artist, Mariam takes her main inspiration from nature and women, both of which are featured heavily in her portraits and her fashion photography.
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Hydrotheraphy Writing by Kim Visda http://luxology.tumblr.com
Photograph by Julia Jones http://www.flickr.com/photos/missjuliajones/
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Look at all this blue. These lakes and rivers meandering into seas, making up seventy percent of the surface of the Earth. Seventy percent of the human anatomy. So much of us is ocean, but I don’t think there’s anything I could do to make you understand how much I mean it when I say you are my favorite body of water, so the floods swelling beyond the concrete walls of this empty apartment will just have to speak on my behalf. It’s monsoon season now and I can no longer step outside without the sky spitting at my ankles. Without fogging up my bedroom window. Mist burrowing inside the shafts of my hair. The puddles on the sidewalk look like mirrors and I leap into them hoping the cloud reflections will break my fall, but there is no alternate world beneath these layers of asphalt — only pavement and more pavement. And when you jump without thinking as often as I do, rock bottom almost feels like home. The pebbles in the canal down the street have gone astray and lodged themselves in my throat. The pit of my stomach. Paper weights for someone too in love with lightness to keep her feet planted firmly on the ground. Sky and sea are twins, I tell you, and you laugh about how I spend too much time with my head in the clouds. My incessant need to daydream is insatiable, yes, and my lips are always parched and I crave too much water, too much blue — the kind that swallows up every inch of the horizon, leaving you feeling anything except empty. But believe me when I say only you could quench this thirst.
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Maria Mendez www.mariaelinamendez.com
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Little Champagne PHOTOGRAPHS BY HANA HALEY I’m a 22 year old photographer meandering between the hills of San Francisco with a camera around my neck. I like to prescribe my photos with cinematic elements and delicious colors. It is always a goal of mine to evoke as much mystery as possible in a photograph, so I prefer to shoot film and instruct my model to never look the camera in the eye, as we are all outsiders peering into a secret world that’s not meant to be seen. I have been shooting for four years and have watched my work fluctuate between phases of rubbish and goodness. I am in a highly inspired time right now and am looking forward to whatever projects I create later this year.
http://hanahaley.com/
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Written by Bianca Stewart wakethetrees.tumblr.com
Trees abandon their humility every spring. I am no different. During the long, buttoned-up months of wool and fur, when fever turns falling snow into eraser flakes brushed off white paper skies, trees panhandle for companions by shaking unoccupied nests, many of them too dilapidated to provide shelter. New tenants arrive eventually, bringing only those songs proven to put loneliness to sleep. On what day did you come flying through my door like joy the out-of-work sun flicked off a beam? “Just until the leaves are born,� remember? Soon the countryside began perfuming herself with wildflowers and wearing garments made of yellow light. I waited for the trees to dismiss the birds before sending you away. Somehow, you knew I needed you.
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Photograph by Stefaan De Clerck http://www.flickr.com/photos/denflater/
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Jonathan Jacques 51 59
I use my camera to feel more connected with my surroundings. Inspired by the elegance of classical paintings and the melancholy I find in 19th century photography portraits, I try to create small visual poems that speak in ways that can’t be talked about, a quiet celebration of existence. http://www.jonathanjacques.be/
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Photograph by K책re Gade http://www.flickr.com/photos/kaaregade
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Marie Gosselin In my drawings, I travel and I want people who see them to travel with me. Going to new places is not what I can do every day so I imagine them. This feeling, when everything is a big discovery, brings me back to childhood. I think it is the best way to happiness. http://cargocollective.com/mariegosselin http://mariegosselin.tumblr.com http://www.flickr.com/photos/mariemur/
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Alex Cretey Systermans www.systermans.com
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Excerpts from the press release for “Let Us Slowdown, Alex Crétey Systermans photographs, Nov 2012, Galerie Everest Standard, Paris: “Alex Crétey Systermans’ photography is always the result of an “attraction”—a coming together of a special moment and a special place—and he continues to question the meaning behind this attraction. Photography, for him, is a means of getting out of the studio and immersing himself in the world. Using medium format film cameras, he has developed a poetic/documentary style, and he takes great care during the editing process and the sequencing of the photos. Let Us Slowdown is a political reaction to the critical state of our civilization. As a reaction to the requirements of a modern and globalized world, the Slowdown series explores questions of scale and the subjectivity of time within nature. The Familiar and Presqu’Ile series are bodies of work that approach everything that is familiar to the artist, who tries to maintain his naïve fascination and the delight he still experiences while documenting what he finds exotic in foreign countries during his work as a travel/documentary photographer. Familiar is long-term project that documents a family as a ever-changing landscape. The family is represented as an evolving language, constantly creating its own complexity. Presqu’Ile is the French word for “peninsula”, but the word literally means “almost an island”. The series is a personal trip into a region that is full of memories for the photographer, and it proceeds to document a peninsula, all while asking what it is about the place that gives a visitor the feeling of being on an island.”
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THE 99
ZOLAS
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The Zolas An interview with Zach Gray of The Zolas. We first met Zach Gray through a mutual friend at a housewarming party. The three of us discussed bowties, the universe, and everything and we found ourselves mystified by his enthusiasm for knowledge. We later met in July for this interview, when we were invited to visit his neighbourhood and his wonderfully unique house. After chatting with Zach, the essence of The Zolas became clear: It is the musical mirror image of his persona—that intelligent, fun-loving, curious nature and that sense of wonderment that becomes so apparent when you talk to him. Zach is a trailblazer both intellectually and in a practical sense; his conversations are peppered with weird and wonderful facts, stories and personal experiences. The Zolas’ sound is both intelligent and upbeat, with a subtle weft of nostalgia and pure longing. These threads allow the music to convey specific feelings in a much clearer fashion than your typical forlorn love ballad. You could listen to their music in any season and still appreciate the curious juxtaposition of energetic tone and heartbreaking lyrics.
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WHERE DOES THE NAME “THE ZOLAS” COME FROM? It comes from a French writer named Emile Zola who was big around 1900. He started off as this classic bohemian writer, living in shitty coldwater apartments with other artists in Paris. He was the first guy to make it big selling novels about low-class people (prostitutes, grimy mining communities, etc.) and sell it to the upper classes. All the rich people publicly denounced him as pulp but were secretly reading him every night before bed. He was also involved in this insane political fiasco called The Dreyfuss Affair which is a good Wikipedia read. He essentially humiliated the President and highest generals in France. WHAT’S THE PROCESS THAT YOU AND TOM GENERALLY GO THROUGH TO WRITE AND CREATE SONGS? It ‘s always different. Usually I write the skeleton of a song and then I bring it to Tom and he proceeds to change it in ways that I think are ruining it and then we stop working on it and
then two weeks later I re-listen to what we had and decide it’s way better than my original idea. But for our next album we’re going to be writing as a full band. Lately the only fun way to write for me is to hear a beat first and our drummer Cody makes nothing but beats that make me want to decorate them. HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR SOUND? I usually say we play pop-rock music but bearing in mind that if you told me your band played poprock music I wouldn’t be that stoked to hear it. WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR FAVOURITE VANCOUVER MUSICAL ACTS? We Are The City is making the kind of music Coldplay would have made if they had come up in the hyper-compressed loop-driven world of music today. And Hannah Epperson might have one of the most exportable live shows of any of us. She’s a triple-threat. Make that a quadruple or quintuple threat.
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HOW DID THE CHOICE TO PURSUE MUSIC COME ABOUT? WOULD YOU SAY THE DECISION HAPPENED ALL AT ONCE OR MORE ORGANICALLY? I’m not one of those artists that just needs to create all the time, who breathes art in and out. If I wasn’t playing music I wouldn’t likely be a painter or anything. I’d be a high school guidance counselor. That’s what I always wanted to do after I gave up on playing pro soccer in England. DO YOU HAVE A FAVOURITE PIECE OF ALBUM ART OR FAVOURITE MUSIC VIDEO? I haven’t watched a lot of music videos lately. I have a real love-hate relationship with them. Album art... hmmm...this is going to sound brutal but I haven’t bought a physical CD in ages either. I can’t picture what my favourite covers looked like. Oh wait! The first Youth Lagoon cover was really nice. With the weird Google maps rainbow glitch making up the “YL”. I love art that draws from glitches in technology.
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HOW WAS THE VIDEO FOR KNOT IN MY HEART CONCEPTUALIZED? WHAT WAS YOUR REACTION WHEN YOU SAW THE FINAL PRODUCT AFTER 6 NIGHTS OF THOUSANDS OF LONG EXPOSURES BEING TAKEN? It was the idea of the animation wizards Sean Arden and Nathan Gillis. Ah, the stopmotion-meets-instagram video from hell. We wanted to rip off this incredible video from the 60’s of these professional dancers gliding through Prague at night in black and white. I wish I could remember what it was called. By the end of it we had literally slept 2 hours a night for a week and we just hated our lives and to some degree each other. It took a while for us to recuperate and appreciate the accomplishment. Anyone who does stop motion is always really impressed by it since they can tell we had to do 4-second exposures. Ugh.
THE ZOLAS’ SOUND HAS BEEN DESCRIBED IN A HUGE VARIETY OF (OFTEN VERY COMPLICATED) WAYS. SOME EXAMPLES:"SOME OF THEIR MUSIC FEELS LIKE THE SOUNDTRACK OF CHILDHOOD, BUT WITH DIFFERENT WORDS”,"ANCIENT MARS SOUNDS LIKE A 1920s PULP NOVEL THAT IS INEVITABLY GOING TO BE REMADE INTO A DISNEY BLOCKBUSTER STARRING CHANNING TATUM”). IS THERE ONE YOU REMEMBER THAT YOU LIKED OR AGREED WITH THE MOST? No, not really. I usually don’t read reviews, even good ones. It’s always so nice to hear that you really got to someone but it’s healthier not to go out of your way to read about yourself. IS THERE A PARTICULAR SONG (EITHER YOURS OR SOMEONE ELSE’S THAT MEANS A LOT TO YOU OR THAT YOU KEEP COMING BACK TO? Life in a Glass House by Radiohead is one of the most beautiful album-ending songs of all time. When it comes on it basically melts my entire temporal lobe. Those horns!! It’s just the saddest, sexiest and yet most exuberant song I know. WHAT ARE SOME EXPERIENCES THAT YOU WANT TO HAVE IN LIFE? AND IF YOU COULD CHANGE PATHS, WHAT WOULD YOU DO? I’d want to go on a long trip through Asia. Start in Uzbekistan in Central Asia and make my way east to China and Hong Kong and Shanghai. I’d want to orchestrate it so certain legs I traveled alone and certain legs were with specific friends.
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BETWEEN THE WORLD MAP MADE OF WIRE, GIANT ABSTRACT PAINTINGS AND A GENERAL ECLECTIC FEEL, WE THOUGHT YOUR HOUSE WAS PRETTY SWEET. WHAT WOULD YOU SAY YOU ENJOY MOST ABOUT THIS ENVIRONMENT (OR YOUR NEIGHBOURHOOD)? The house I live in is kind of magic and creates its own luck. Everyone who lives with and adjacent to me is a close friend. I wake up 3 mornings a week to a text saying “Waffles? They’re on the grill. Bring yogurt.” It’s a calm neighbourhood in the city but also right by the beach. We have an aluminum canoe that sometimes we portage down to the beach and watch the fireworks or go get gelato on Denman. WHERE ARE SOME INSPIRING PLACES IN VANCOUVER TO HANG OUT AT? I like to write in the Chapman Learning Commons at UBC. I’ve written some of my best lyrics there and if I’m ever stuck that’s where I go. I also like the observatory near the planetarium. On clear Friday and Saturday nights in the summer they open it up from dusk til midnight and let you see whatever they’re pointing it at. It’s just a dark airy room full of strangers waiting to see through the telescope and they tend to play music like Ray Charles on a cassette deck. WHAT’S THE BIG DREAM FOR THE ZOLAS? WHAT’S NEXT? We’re about to go on a big tour of Canada with our friends Hollerado, playing in Europe a little, and getting down to writing a new album. I made a demo the other day and sent it to the other guys and I’m kind of in love with it. It’s recognizably us, but definitely very different. I want to take experimental aesthetics and use them to make s omething catchy as fuck.
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THEZOLASMUSIC.COM HTTP://TWITTER.COM/THEZOLAS HTTP://THEZOLAS.BANDCAMP.COM/ HTTP://WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/THEZOLAS 110
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MATT SMITH
HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR SENSE OF STYLE? This is always a hard question because style is very subjective. I never like to put myself into a box and I try to pull from many different influences. Words like “timeless” are thrown around so often that I could never describe myself as such. It feels awkward, to me, when someone compliments what I’m wearing. I don’t see myself as “cool” or “different”, I just enjoy getting dressed and I like it when other’s share the same view. My favorite people are those that look like they’ve lived in their clothes. They’re a second skin. Clothes are meant to be worn, not kept in museum-like condition. I’ll always find far more inspiration in those people than whatever is new and cool at the moment. What it boils down to is that I always want to look comfortable. http://rebelsandrogues.tumblr.com/ http://instagram.com/leftofthedial
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DO YOU HAVE A GO-TO OUTFIT? OR DO YOU PREFER TO GO WITH YOUR INTUITION EVERY DAY AND EXPLORE NEW STYLES? I really don’t think in “outfits”, honestly. I just put on clothes. I feel as comfortable in a suit, tie and dress shoes as I do in beat-to-hell jeans, a tee shirt and boots. Recently I’ve been trying to mix things up and find pieces that I wouldn’t normally think of wearing. Things like a French Work Jacket, a safari jacket, brothel creepers or some insane popover. I like the idea of a uniform, but would get insanely bored if I wore the same thing every day of my life. IS THERE ONE COMPONENT IN YOUR OUTFITS THAT YOU CAN’T GO WITHOUT? I feel like this is a running joke amongst my friends. I am never without my Caran d’Ache pen. And, usually, a Moleskine. I’m borderline OCD about the items I carry every day, so if I forget one of these items I feel almost naked.
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DO YOU HAVE ANY GO-TO PAIRINGS OF PATTERNS OR TEXTURES? I typically don’t wear a lot of patterns, but I love a University Stripe mixed with just about anything. As for textures, a gnarly tweed or flannel mixed with denim, an Oxford cloth shirt and a silk knit tie never fails for me. I also really love houndstooth, but have been searching for the perfect jacket for quite a while now. WE CREEPED YOUR INSTAGRAM ACCOUNT, AND WE HAVE TO SAY, YOU HAVE SOME AMAZING NECKTIES. DESCRIBE YOUR FAVOURITE TIE AND TELL US WHY IT’S THE BEST! Thanks! I love neckwear. My photos make my tie collection look a bit more vast than it actually is. Ha. If I had to pick a favorite, it’s a tie between a burgundy silk Drake’s tie with blue and green florets or a Sid Mashburn forest green tie with foxes on it. Those two are basically my go-to ties, with a black silk knit coming in right behind them (I can thank my friend Jake from WaxWane fame for that).
WHAT ARE SOME FAVOURITE HANGOUT SPOTS IN NEW YORK? Well, one of my favorites just closed up shop, unfortunately. It was an awesome tiki bar between the Lower East Side and Chinatown called Painkiller. A dark, divey bar with drinks that will knock you on your ass. Oh, and let us not forget the awesome 90’s rap that was constantly blaring. It will definitely be missed. Other spots that I enjoy are Lucky Dog and the Drink in Williamsburg, or, basically, anywhere with an outdoor seating area. Can’t be beat. GIVE US YOUR FAVOURITE “STYLE BANDWAGON” THAT PEOPLE HAVE BEEN JUMPING ON THIS PAST SEASON. Honestly, I’m pretty stoked that guys are dressing up a little more than they were ten years ago. For all of its faults, the internet has provided a wealth of knowledge and accessibility to an otherwise stodgy and closed-off world. I’ve had an interest in clothing since my mom took me to my first thrift store as a child. It’s always been something I wanted to be involved in and cared about. It’s great, in my eyes, that a normal person in some forgotten city can go into a store and buy something that fits well and makes them feel better about themselves. It’s a highly saturated scene, and a lot probably move on to whatever the next trend is, but there are also people who grow to love clothing for the personal expression that it is. That, in my humble opinion, is what it’s all about.
Photographs by Anthony Smith | www.anthonyearlsmith.com
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Photographs (pgs 115, 117) by Leslie Shewring | www.leslieshewring.com
Caitlin Sheehan http://admiralandtea.typepad.com/ http://instagram.com/caitlinls
My style is fairly classic and simple...a bit preppy, boyish and sporty with the addition of more elegant, modern pieces. I am very picky about fabrics, construction and fit, and invest in high quality outerwear, footwear, denim and bags that I can wear constantly. My daily outfits are a mix of those investment pieces, some quality basics, and usually one piece that is more seasonal or on-trend. My overall theory is to have a good balance between “highs + lows” in what I’m wearing. I’m very specific about what colours and patterns I wear, tending to stick with neutrals and picking a few accent shades each season. I’m also very simple when it comes to pattern: all stripes all the time. I like adding a statement necklace or hat to keep basic looks from becoming boring.
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WE LOVE YOUR BLOG DESCRIPTION, “DRESSING LIKE A 12-YEAR OLD BOY AND LEARNING TO LIVE LIKE A GROWN-UP LADY IN THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST”! WHAT PARTS OF YOUR WARDROBE AND LIFESTYLE DO YOU SEE AS BEING VITAL TO THIS IMAGE OF YOURSELF? My friend Taryn and I moved out to Victoria together and within a few months realized how much our styles changed being on the coast. Our new uniform was made up of jeans, Converse, t-shirts and plaid button downs, hoodies, vests and denim jackets. We’d always look at what we were wearing and say that we were dressing like 12-year old boys. It was a surprising change but definitely not a bad one. I think it has to do with the casual lifestyle on the island, which has definitely added a more easygoing element to my style. The fact that I’m constantly stealing sweaters and baseball tees from my boyfriend isn’t helping the matter! The learning to live like a grown- up lady part is another natural transition that has happened since I moved to BC. In the past few years I’ve been learning to balance the responsibilities of being in my twenties with really enjoying all the freedoms and advantages that come with being a grown-up. WHERE ARE SOME FAVOURITE PLACES TO SHOP AT IN VANCOUVER? I have actually barely spent any time shopping in Vancouver, but hopefully that’ll change soon! I always head to Robson St. and go to J.Crew and Club Monaco. I’d like to check out some of the boutiques that I’ve heard a lot about, including Charlie & Lee, Vincent Park and Nouvelle Nouvelle.
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WHAT OR WHO WOULD YOU SAY IS YOUR GREATEST STYLE INSPIRATION? For as long as I can remember, J.Crew styling has been one of my main inspirations. I also take cues from old photos of stylish women like Jane Birkin and classy guys like Paul Newman, and am constantly impressed and influenced by all of the amazing ladies I come across online. I have a very strong sense of what I like and what I don’t like, so it’s easy for me to pick out images or outfits that I find appealing, and then pull out the aspects that I like and appropriate them in my own way. A simple photo of Jane Birkin in a white tee with layered necklaces can inspire my overall spring style. WHERE ARE THE BEST PLACES TO FIND JEWELRY AND ACCESSORIES? Even though I’m not that into accessories, I love what they have at Public Boutique in Oak Bay. They have really special and unique jewelry, sunglasses, and bags (including my favourite, Clare Vivier) and I’d love to own a lot of their pieces. For now, I tend to keep my everyday accessories pared down...thin silver rings, a Timex watch, and a leather wrap bracelet. They all have special meaning and I like being reminded daily of the people who gifted them to me. WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR FAVOURITE THINGS TO DO IN VICTORIA? WHAT MAKES IT A GREAT PLACE TO LIVE IN? I’m so passionate about how much I love Victoria. I moved here from Ontario almost two years ago, but have loved it since the first time I visited eight years ago. There’s something magical about being on the coast surrounded by the ocean and mountains... I’m not over it yet. I love how Victoria has the cultural benefits of a big city, like amazing restaurants and boutiques, but it still feels like a small town in such a nice way. I love grabbing coffee at Ottavio Bakery, getting food from Big Wheel Burger or Pig, and having drinks with friends, either on a patio or one of the many beaches. Victoria is lovely because it’s so easy to access nature, whether walking by the ocean or going up Mt. Doug to freak out about the view. Every day I’m reminded to not take living in such a beautiful place for granted.
Photograph by Taryn Coulson | www.taryncoulson.com
WHAT ARE SOME EVERYDAY THINGS THAT MAKE YOU HAPPY? People I care about make me happiest on a daily basis—a phone call with my Mom or a hug from my little siblings cheers me up no matter what. In the summertime nothing beats having a beer or a caesar on a sunny patio with friends. One of my favourite things is getting into a bed made with clean sheets at the end of the day and chatting with my boyfriend. There’s also something great about the feeling of having a good book to read or episodes of a show left to watch.
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JC CHANG
HTTPS://TWITTER.COM/PLUS_J | HTTP://INSTAGRAM.COM/PLUS__J
A friend of mine said to me recently: more tassel loafers, less drama. I agree with the sentiment, there are details that form a core center of gravity for all us when it comes to style. You’ve discovered your style when it can lend you grace under pressure. Humility will always wear well. I admit, I can sometimes seem more severe in character because I inflect towards more tailored images— highgorge lapels, six-on-one button stances, rope shoulders, waistcoats, cutaway collars, tie dimples. But I respect and admire the ability to take the edge off of these.
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Photograph by Christopher Fenimore | http://christopherfenimore.com/
WHAT’S BEEN A PIVOTAL MOMENT IN FORMING YOUR SENSE OF STYLE AND IDEAS?
Colin Firth unwrapping the same white shirt every morning was such a powerful statement for me.
Where to begin?
If I look at a glass of red, I’d want the color but not the wine, if that makes sense. There are minor vignettes like these that can tell us more about what we hope for in our style, whether it’s a color, a texture, or a shape. But the major resonance? Perfection by way of being been lived in—clothes are a measure of our experience.
I try to remind myself every morning of the scale of my privilege. I think it is rare to have what you love push itself further into love and then into life. A Single Man (2009) was so impressive to me upon its release. Four years later, it’s such an instructive work for me. I think it’s a pitch-perfect example of how to express simplicity with texture. I like to take a view of things from 30,000 feet, keep a wide lens, but my eventual focus is more incisive and sharp. Case in point, risking the three-dimensionality of the film for a moment,
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No one does this or communicates this better right now than Michael Bastian. Photographs (pgs 19, 122) by Kwanaam Chu http://www.wecouldgrowuptogether.com/
A well-made garment is equal in value to a well-made argument. I hope that’s a dialogue I’ll continue to be a part of. We need to make that old conversation new for every student in every classroom whether that’s in life or in (#) menswear. WHAT LINES/BRANDS DO YOU KEEP TABS ON EACH SEASON? WHAT MAKES YOU ENTHUSIASTIC ABOUT THOSE BRANDS? I always keep these designers in play: Bastian, Brunello, Coppens, Dries, Ervell, Geller, Jil. So many can make the list in every given year—Stephan Schneider is someone I wish had more of a banner.
Photograph by Justin Chung | http://justinchungphotography.com/
WHAT DETAILS REALLY MAKE AN OUTFIT FOR YOU?
WHAT GIVES YOU THE GREATEST SENSE OF JOY DAY TO DAY? Greatest sense of joy day to day? You can’t be afraid of your best. It’s about growth, not gold. I’m striving toward that every day. WHERE DO YOU ENVISION YOURSELF BEING IN THE NEXT 5-10 YEARS? The dream has always been to teach. Still is.
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KATHERINE
LOWE HTTP://WWW.KATHERINEISAWESOME.COM/ HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR SENSE OF STYLE? Very casual. I am not good at dressing up, no matter how hard I try.
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WHAT’S YOUR FAVOURITE ARTICLE OF SPRING CLOTHING? I just got a striped silk Lonely Hearts (NZ designer) dress last week that I think will be great for warmer days. I’ve got a few other Spring/Summer items on their way, including some navy Karen Walker loafers that I’m looking forward to wearing. Otherwise, pretty much any striped tee. BEST SHOW YOU’VE BEEN BACKSTAGE FOR? Burberry Prorsum F/W 2011. I actually watched the show from the front, and then got to go backstage afterwards and meet Christopher Bailey. That was pretty cool. FAVOURITE LOOKBOOK OF ALL THE TIME? I don’t think I have one, but the Karen Walker Resort 2013-2014 is pretty good. As is the latest Madewell one. Also the Carhartt WIP lookbooks, they’re always good. WHAT ARE SOME CURRENT ASPIRATIONS? Aspirations? This might sound cliché but I want to get better at everything I do. Right now it’s getting better at the technical side of photography. I also aspire to be a less pedantic, paranoid person. That’s an overshare, but it’s true. How does one become more relaxed? I have a goal to travel more. Can you aspire to win the lottery? Because if so, I aspire to do that too.
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WHAT COMPANIES ARE CONSTANTLY CREATING THINGS THAT AMAZE YOU? Apple. WHAT DO YOU WANT TO SEE HAPPEN IN THE FASHION WORLD? I don’t really know. Is that a cop-out? I just think it’s changing all the time and fashion is accessible to so many people these days. I love that. It’s so odd though, fashion and the people in it. The industry is extravagant and crazy and sometimes you just think, “what is the point in all of this and who even cares? It’s just clothes!” but I like it that way nonetheless. WHAT’S SOMETHING YOU’D NEVER WEAR? Never say never! But it’s unlikely I’d ever wear Crocs. PERSONAL MOTTO? I don’t know if it’s a motto, but I’m always telling myself (and others), “the definition of crazy is repeating the same thing over and over again and expecting different results”.
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Spring Playlist
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1. Golden Light - Twin Shadow 2. Bloodbuzz Ohio - The National 3. I'm Going Down (Bruce Springsteen cover) - Vampire Weekend 4. Pulling Our Weight - The Radio Dept. 5. It's Only Life - The Shins 6. Inní mér syngur vitleysingur - Sigur Rós 7. Equestrian - U.S. Royalty 8. Santa Monica Dream - Angus & Julia Stone 9. Fir Coat - Widowspeak 10. Marathon - Tennis 11. Missya - Toro y Moi 12. Blood - The Middle East 13. California Stars - Wilco 14. Southbound - Sea Oleena 15. Don't Stop - Owen Pallett 16. Zebra - Beach House 17. Youth - Daughter 18. Rise - Azure Ray 19. Hiding Tonight - Alex Turner 20. Girls - Death in Vegas Photograph by Chrissie White | http://www.chrissiewhite.com/
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FRECKLED MAGAZINE
ISSUE #7 SPRING 2013 FRECKLEDMAG@GMAIL.COM