the Vibes
It’s Me, Katie
#02 FEB 2015
the Vibes The goal is to spread the positive vibes, in hopes to act as an inspiration source. “the Vibes� is a publication that is focused on spreading a positive vibe, or aura, to its readers. The goal of this publication is to explore, gather, and showcase the current vibes of an individual in hopes to inspire that of others. Each issue has a different vibe, with a different editor curating it to match their own vibe. This visually pleasing publication will act as a source of inspiration for the young design hopeful, who is inspired by life around them. Each story is designed in the same cohesive way; acting as a way to connect the widely different content that will be featured within one issue, while also being easily readible.
the Vibes Publication February 2015
Katie DeAngelis Editor in Chief
editors letter VIBES
Natasha Chandani Managing Editor
Editorial PSAM 2070 Contributing Editors
Blurb.com Production Editor
vibe
(n)
/vib/ a persons emotional state or the atmosphere of a place as communicated to and felt by others.
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Remember all the things we wanted when we grew up? Back then - when we were young - our dreams had no limits. We thought we could have everything, and anything, which all in all made us feel free. Because of this, positivity came easy, and our imagination ran wild with the endless amount of inspiration we could gather. There were no impossibilities and even it maybe our dreams were more beautiful to inhabit than reality, we never felt guilty about it. We were brave and bold, and naÎve enough to believe we had capacity for it all. I am not sure how it happens but for many of us, there’s a temptation to lose sight of our grand plans. In growing up, we edit things back a little, we rationalise and do what is expected of us until one day we take a hard look at our dream and realise it has become too conservative, or worse, that it no longer exists. The older we get, the harder it is to find inspiration within every day life. Channeling the younger, free years of childhood, this issue is a gathering of positive vibes that I am personally attracted too. Hopefully, this will inspire you back to your dream.
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the Vibes Contents
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Personal Vibes
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Photo diary
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Music Vibes Current playlist
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Art Vibes Marc SĂŠguin
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Fashion Vibes
CĂŠline Spring 2015 Rag & Bone Fall 2015
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Blog Vibes Blogger Maja Wyh
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Color Vibes
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Color vs. Mood
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Cool Girl Vibes It Girl; Alexa Chung
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Personal Vibes Photo diary
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It’s Me, Katie
personal VIBES
Welcome to my personal photo diary.
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music VIBES
Current Playlist
My favorite tunes from my current playlist. (Please, no judgement...)
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Help Me Lose My Mind - Disclosure. A disco, electronic, soul and pop all in one, with lush, ethereal dance beats skimming under London Gram mar’s powerful and soaring music. The track spins you around but without dizzying you up; it’s chilled out but makes you want to dance at the same time.
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Ooh Yeah - Moby This song ticks all the boxes of what classic Moby should sound like. Moby is an artist that can take a classic dance sound and make it modern and relevant, and all good.
Flaws - Bastille The fragmented intro has evoked screams in various venues and the melodic spoken verse almost become chant like before the chorus kicks with that undeniable vocal, with the right amount of promotion I think this single has the potential to crack the top 20.
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Flagpole Sitta Harvey Danger Harvey Danger was a band that never really found its niche. After it was featured prominently in American Pie, the band found themselves in a strange place between the mainstream and the underground.
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Million Voices Otto Knows With a UK chart hit under his belt and a slew of big name remixes, Otto Knows is yet another young Swedish DJ to enter the big-leagues. This song has become a club anthem, and no one seems to mind.
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Habits (Stay High) Trove Lo
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This song spits pained quips over post-coital hurt like a dance floor targeted Lena Dunham production. Pop haters: It’s your loss. 26-year-old Tove Nilsson is a pop adept fond of big hooks and self-aware emoting.
I.D.G.A.F.O.S Dillon Francis
music VIBES
Far from cavalier about his own output, however, Francis is a prolific 27-year-old producer who released his first full-length album, Money Sucks, Friends Rule, on Columbia this week.
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Prayer in C - Lily Wood and the Prick Prayer In C was originally released by the French-Israeli duo in 2010 but after being remixed by German DJ and producer Robin Schulz found popularity all over the world.
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All You Had To Do Was Stay - Taylor Swift If Auto-Tune is in use here, it’s well-camouflaged by more other, more interesting vocal treatments — the blending of her high note with a ringing, compressed backing track on the chorus of this jam. Judge me all you want; this is a banger.
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Fitzpleasure - Alt J The album’s most frenetic and even schizophrenic, jumps between Gregorian chant to Afropop-tinged dubstep to ethereal electronica yet never feels contrived. Lyrically, it’s nearly indecipherable, obscured by Joe Newman’s nasal falsetto vocals that recall tribal singers.
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art VIBES
Marc Séguin
A talk on his recent popular exhibition in New York, I Love America and America Loves Me Mike Weiss Gallery is pleased to present Marc Séguin’s third solo show with the gallery, I Love America and America Loves Me. The title references Joseph Beuys’ definitive 1974 performance where Beuys spent three days in a room with a coyote after being transported from the airport while blindfolded and not once touching American soil. He explained, “I want to isolate myself, insulate myself, see nothing of America other than the coyote.” This experimental sentiment is echoed in Séguin’s recent painted snapshots of America, reflecting on the prerogatives of our cultural empire and the right of individuality we use as a defense for our actions. Each painting, primarily in oil and often supplemented with soft charcoal, uses devices and visual tools to separate the storied, social, and cultural identity of 16
the subjects from what is hiding beneath the surface - leaving the good, the bad, and the ugly as memento mori. The lurking issues present in Séguin’s subjects’ lives are provoked by their own use of individuality as a means of carving a cultural niche. Many of the subjects use the guise of individualism as an excuse for behavior even when it is misleading or harmful. The characters in the exhibition, like Andy Warhol or Elvis, are known for their prolific egos and eccentric and definitive personalities. Michael Jackson, for example, is featured juxtaposed over a child with a red line-drawing tracing his form. The line-drawings, reappearing throughout, function as mechanisms pointing to the fragility beyond the characters’ façade.
Marc Séguin, I Love America and America Loves Me 2014, Oil on canvas, 36x48 inches
Many of the subjects in I Love America lack sy m bolic meaning because of their repeated appearences in culture that ultimately dull their resonance. Séguin is very interested in the ongoing attention paid to serial killers. In one painting, 80-year old Charles Manson appears next to his 26-year old bride, staring at the viewer with the words JUST MARRIED in dripping red paint, obscuring his swatstika tattoo, and mimicking the pig blood smeared on the walls of the infamous compound during Manson’s reign of terror. This eerie wedding portrait is self-mocking, a theme that also appears in a portrait of Elvis wielding a paint brush, complete with a crown he has painted on his head. Séguin chooses his characters based on whether their “cycle is completed,” as many of the characters have lost their
personal identities and now their image is based on social context. Séguin’s paintings render his subjects, once of mythic proportions, as vulnerable and challenged regardless of the audacious social constructions surrounding their empire. The viewer is left to come to their own resolution about how to perceive the characters when they are unpacked with painted devices hinting at a deeper understanding of our cultural icons. Marc Séguin splits his time between Montréal, Québec and his Brooklyn, NY studio. Discovered at his NY studio, Mike Weiss Gallery was attracted to his aesthetic. His work has been exhibited extensively in Canada and the United States and is in numerous museums, including Musée d’Art Contemporain de Montréal, Musée National des Beaux-Arts du Québec, Musée des Beaux-arts 17
art VIBES / Marc Séguin
Marc Séguin, i love america and america loves me part 1. Oil on canvas 48 x 72 inches 2008
de Montréal, François Pinault Collection, Bibliothèque Nationale du Québec, and the Cirque du Soleil Collection. Marc Séguin uses found images culled from the internet, historical textbooks, photographs and his own urban landscape to create realistic renderings made out of charcoal, oil paint, tar, ash and unexpected appliqués like taxidermy animals, rhinestones, and locks of hair to create bold motifs that bespeak our contemporary climate. Séguin gently reminds his viewers of life’s beauty through his wry sense of humor and raises questions about value, access and power. Touching on themes of the politically backwards, the environmentally compromised and the socially divided, his work reveals deeper truths about the nature of humanity 18
through images that are not only thought provoking, but beautifully elegiac. The Mike Weiss Gallery is hosting a phenomenal show by Marc Séguin. I Love America and America Loves Me is a powerful exhibition that simultaneously exalts and eviscerates new age Americana. An arcade of obesity, pop culture and hallowed violence, Séguin’s show truly resonates with its audience. Skewed depictions of Andy Warhol, Michael Jackson, Charles Manson and Ted Bundy line the walls making the gallery into a conceptual ossuary—with the except of a still living Manson. Montreal based artist Marc Séguin uses found images culled from the internet, historical textbooks, photographs and his own urban landscape to create realistic renderings made out of charcoal, oil
Marc Séguin, So What I’m Drunk. Oil and pigment on canvas 48 x 72 inches 2014
paint, tar, ash and unexpected appliqués like taxidermy animals, rhinestones, and locks of hair to create bold motifs that bespeak our contemporary climate. Séguin gently reminds his viewers of life’s beauty through his wry sense of humor and raises questions about value, access and power. Touching on themes of the politically backwards, the environmentally compromised and the socially divided, his work reveals deeper truths about the nature of humanity through images that are not only thought provoking, but beautifully elegiac. His work has been exhibited extensively in both Canada and the United States and is in numerous museums and collections, including Musée d’Art Contemporain de Montréal, Musée National des Beaux-Arts du Québec, Bibliothèque Nationale du Québec, and the Cirque du Soleil Collection. 19
Being a Canadian Artist, what were some of the difficulties you faced breaking into the US market? Starting over again. But it’s also very challenging to “start” again. And you MUST be part of it if you want to break it. No other way. The physical presence is important. Americans are very protective, but they’ll listen to someone that makes the effort to be on their “grounds”.
art VIBES / Marc Séguin
Do you think it is crucial to have an art agent? In your opinion, what are some of the advantages? Are there any disadvantages? The system works that way. You have to use the existing “plumbing”. In this case it’s Galleries. They have an outreach through contacts and fairs that is otherwise almost impossible as an unrepresented artist. The disadvantages are somehow lost in
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the system: exclusivity and the 50% they take on everything. But then again, if they work for their half, I’ll get mine. You are currently working out of Brooklyn, New York. What influenced your decision to move away from Montreal? Has the move furthered your career in a way that could not be done in Montreal? At first, it was a survival decision. I needed to get out of a certain comfort zone. I needed stimulation and challenge. I wont use the word “easy”, but going to the studio every day in Montreal, having a show every 18 months or so, had become predictable. Although surprised by the outcome of my move and the positive reactions the work got, I believe that the risk I took was immensely beneficial to the work itself. And that alone, would have been worth every effort and fear.
Your first solo exhibition was in 1996. In the last 15 years, what are some of the most important lessons that you have learned regarding the business aspect of being an artist? That it is indeed, a business. I still consider myself a romantic artist, but it has become (romanticism) a very private thing. It’s very simple: I make an object, called and agreed on as Art, with social implications, references, wanting it to be meaningful, intelligent and sought after. This is where I stand alone. The rest of it falls into codes that we understand as being a “market”, quite public. Once you understand some of these codes, it’s your decision to play along or step out. The art, in my case, remains the same. What was the hardest part of getting your work in the first exhibit? Having someone convinced. Not as much as I, but close enough to give you a break. Throughout the years, your painting style has been consistently improving and always complemented by refreshing subject matter. How do you choose the themes for your series? It’s an organic thing. Un-planned. Instinctive. Some ideas occur over reading, listening to music, drinking… when they bear a “psychopathic” insistence, I give them more thoughts and sometimes they become a painting or a series. In all cases, all themes have to be emotionally intelligent, dense and present.
Mike Weiss Gallery 520 West 24th Street New York (NY) 10011 Tel. +1 (212) 6916899 mikeweissgallery.com Opening hours Tuesday - Saturday From 10am to 6pm and by appointment.
When was the last time you cried? Yesterday or the day before. I can’t say why because it’s the cheesiest thing. I don’t understand why, but some cheesy stuff that moves me and then it happens. But like every other guy I try to hide it. What book are you reading now? I’m reading a biography of Jackson Pollack. The one that won the Pultizer Prize. You know why it’s brilliant? Before they even say Jackson Pollack it takes 300 pages. So it’s the whole history of America, of immigrants. It’s brilliant and dense. Are you planning a move back to Canada in the future? Not in the immediate future. I have not yet thought of it. One thing for sure: If it ever feels easy again, I’ll find a way to sabotage New York and start something again, somewhere else. Out of respect. 21
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fashion VIBES
Fashion Vibes A review and critique of my favorite runway collections by CĂŠline and Rag & Bone.
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Céline
fashion VIBES / Céline
Spring Summer 2015 Ready-To-Wear
“This Woman’s Work” by Kate Bush opened the Céline show this afternoon. “She’s with me today, I hope,” said Phoebe Philo, wearing a T-shirt from Bush’s recent 22-night session in London. “I was incredibly inspired by that song. I couldn’t believe how vulnerable it was. And being vulnerable is an incredibly important part of being creative.” Vulnerability for Philo this season meant embracing uncertainty. “In a way, I was open to everything—no preconceived ideas, very little of me saying no.” The collection was almost a stream of consciousness, a random portmanteau of moods and emotions from the very first outfit: a utilitarian top paired with a fitted knit skirt, provocatively slit front and back, that dissolved into a mass of fringing. Work and play in one artful package. It set the tone for what followed. It was fascinating to watch the way in which shapes as practical as a coat, a tunic, or a shift were unhinged by lacquered inserts, cutouts, streamers of fabric. The shoes were flat, elasticized, functional. If the topstitching also emphasized utility, the belts of string weighted with a metal something that could be either a padlock or a bell pointed toward mystery. Like the ceramic hand that clutched a throat, or the ceramic pair of lips that dangled in pendant form. The floral prints were new—a bourgeois insertion into Céline’s implacable cool. A risk, perhaps. But, as Philo pointed out, edit certainty from the equation and the connection between creativity and risk be-
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comes even more graphic. That connection— raw, dynamic—is the same extraordinary one Philo has made with women all over the world. What is a woman’s work? “Being a mother, a sister, a friend, a fashion designer,” she said. “A huge amount of different things, all of them fulfilling, all of them equally important.” SHE has a certain kind of gait, Phoebe Philo’s Celine woman. The way she charges out, that unmistakably wide, pacy stride assertively clutching onto her bag (since you asked, the new shape is an ergonomic oval leather slither shaped a little like a Pringle). That stride seemed to feel all the more defined today with legs clad in cropped, exaggerated flares with turn-ups. Not the kind that swish about by the ankles, these
were rigorously crisp, sharp and structured, and they didn’t budge an inch. They were topped with a-line knitted tunics with circular cut outs. Springy, knitted tank dresses were also in the offering, they bounced with tiers of stringy tasseled fringe; another knitted number was woven from fuchsia and navy wool, and unraveled at the hem. Next, a series of bold, unmistakably Seventies florals were clashed and spliced together, layered over those flares or elsewhere fashioned into midi length dresses with wafting petal sleeves. The minor details at a Celine show are as vital to proceedings as the clothes themselves, like the manner in which a singular spaghetti strand of wool was knotted around a crinkled black coat; the desirability of those gold hoops clipped into half-up-half-down hair, and also of note; a series of white porcelain jewellery: pendants and brooches - a coiled snake, a miniature lady’s hand - pinned to short sleeved cuffs. Those loose and cagey buttoned harnesses also had huge appeal. All that being said, this wasn’t a show that grabbed spectators in the way that Philo’s collections have done in the past - the styling was handled in-house this season, which could go some way in explaining that. But, that did come with its own appeal. These clothes are imbued with such authority, such self-assuredness, every look you can picture hanging in Celine stores the world over - and moreover, actually selling - and wearing. Those game changing side-buttoned flares, irresistible knitted tunics, that gold hair slide, even - women everywhere will be coveting those and more when it comes to contemplating spring wardrobes, because as ever with this house, it’s simply all too good to resist. 25
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fashion VIBES / CĂŠline
Relaxed, inspiring, visionary. Phoebe Philo was in a mood to let things flow when she was designing spring—and that, she said, is far from a normal mood for her. “I was thinking how edited the world has become, and how edited my process is. I was thinking, too, about our obsession with certainty, our need to know the outcome of everything—but maybe it’s okay not to! So I really just allowed this collection to be.” It even—to her own surprise—opened up Céline to flower prints—ditzy vintage florals and big schemic seventies daisies—a fact that seemed to astonish some journalists backstage. Philo just smiled at them. “I wanted a feeling of things which could be given, borrowed, touches of things you might have collected,” she said. “A feeling of warmth.” Let’s just say that none of her sharpness was lost—check the knife-edge precision of the cut of the very slightly cropped, minimally cuffed, kick-flared pants. Nor was her ability to kindle a desire. This time, it was impossible not to walk away thinking: “Tunics over pants. Okay. Nice way forward!” We all want clarity in fashion, but equally, nothing is truly compelling unless it has an emotional meaning to it. Watching this show felt like a clarification of the “serenity” feeling, which has been rising like mist this season. There’s a bit of the seventies in it (A-lines everywhere), a hint of New Age spirituality, and a lot of a genuine desperation to go off-grid and live a bit. But then again, how exactly can a modern woman clothe herself in anything like the robes of a hippie earth-mother? With this collection, Philo came close to describing a synthesized answer. It contained variety, movement, and even a touch of nutty eccentricity. There were miniature cowbells in place of fastenings, white porcelain pendants and brooches depicting female body parts, and at least one belt made out of garden twine. In the end, it read less as a singular uptight, dictatorial fashion statement than as a woman-to-woman message of encouragement: Let’s all relax and just be who we are.
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fashion VIBES / Rag & Bone
Rag & Bone
Fall 2015 Ready-To-Wear
Designer: Know thyself. If there’s one thing that this Rag & Bone show proved, it’s that brands are at their best when their collections poke and prod around their most deep-seated preoccupations. The latest Rag outing was a fluent re-articulation of familiar themes—classic menswear tailoring; sport, military, and workwear-inspired looks; innovative fabrications; an offhand, streetwise way of putting everything together. Label honchos David Neville and Marcus Wainwright found a new way to spin their signatures this
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season by integrating a hip-hop vibe. The influence of ‘90s hip-hop was most apparent in the collection’s pops of vivid color, inspired, Wainwright explained, by a deep dive into the TLC and Salt-N-Pepa videos of his youth. “It’s funny how everything that looked kind of cheesy comes around and seems awesome,” he noted, ahead of the show. Indeed, that statement could be taken as a précis for much of this show, as indebted as it was to ‘90s aesthetics. There were those colors, for a start, and the likewise hip-hop-influenced puffer jackets, but
the ‘90s-ness extended to the layering of lace-touched slipdresses and knee-length pencil skirts over pants nearly as trim as leggings, and then topping off the ensemble with a vast parka. Wainwright and Neville’s take on all those motifs was a good sight more polished than the original versions. Their pencil skirts in shiny nylon or Lurex knit were expertly cut; their outerwear was done in literally slick fabrications such as vinyl-coated melton wool and given the flourish of an oversize collar, a quilted military lining in a pop color, or a shearling-lined hood. The puffers were equally covetable—muscular yet chic. All of which is to say, Wainwright and Neville were looking back at their adolescence, and their own recent archive, and viewing it through rose-tinted glasses. That was all to the good: They gave aesthetics in which they are totally fluent a notable upgrade, rendering them polished and modern, which is a better way of handling retro references than a straightforward homage. The Rag boys conjured a vintage attitude, but piece for piece, it looked new. With New York in the bone-chilling grip of Winter Storm Neptune, the one question that’s been on everyone’s lips is, how does a fashion editor—or any stylish woman for that matter—stay warm without losing her cool? It’s something that Rag & Bone duo Marcus Wainwright and David Neville addressed head-on with their fall 2015 collection. Aside from being an excellent lesson in layering, the opening look—a black cropped jacket, worn over a slip dress and sharply tailored capri pants, with a superfine, superlong-sleeved tee and a Fisherman’s yellow quilted vest—managed to bring together all the great things that the label stands for in one fell swoop: tomboy toughness spliced with girlish 29
fashion VIBES / Rag & Bone
“ If there’s one thing that this Rag & Bone show proved, it’s that brands are at their best when their collections poke and prod around their most deep-seated preoccupations.”
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fashion VIBES / Rag & Bone
charm, military rigor shot with feminine attitude, and urban sportswear cut with a tailored hand. But let’s circle back to that slip dress for just a moment, because the ones they showed weren’t exactly the kind you usually find lingering in the lingerie drawer. Lace-trimmed satin skirts came in bright workman’s orange and were paired with slinky zippered track pants, and there was even a jumpsuit version of the dress, a look that managed to meld the spirit of Sigourney Weaver in Alien with a twist of Fifty Shades of Grey. The slinky Lurex knits thrown into the mix lent a glittering playfulness to the collection too, particularly given all the techy anoraks and serious leather puffer coats on their runway; pieces that took their inspiration from old-school NY hiphop royalty like Run DMC, as well as the streets of London. (Brits in the crowd might have picked up the U.K.-born designers’ reference to the Naf Naf puffer craze of the nineties.) In fact, the covetable outerwear options were endless; you’d be hardpressed to choose between the burgundy patent leather mack, the neat naval-inspired jackets, and the puffer vest. On a frosty night like this, the idea of wearing them all at once doesn’t seem that far-fetched; many a cool city-dwelling woman would call that a perfect storm. For fall 2015, designers David Neville and Marcus Wainwright looked to the ‘90s for inspiration, especially when it came to the layering and outerwear. One of the collection’s most pervasive styles was the shiny puffer coat, which came in a number of shapes and in loud shades of yellow, orange and burgundy. Another stand out piece was the bright orange hue that was gracing the runway wihin the collection. These immediately brought to mind the Missy Elliott-era rap videos of yore (fitting 32
that Elliott is also currently having a “moment”), but thanks to long, slim-fitting cuts (and interesting details on the shorter ones), they didn’t appear too bulky.
and oversized buttons to refresh. Quilted bom bers, cashmere turtlenecks, quilted liner vests and even parkas made utility a sticking point for the range.
As for my aforementioned mental shopping list, the items that top it this time around are the coats. The label reimaginedvthe camel coat as a shiny nylon windbreaker. The smartly tailored suiting pieces and button-downs that have become Rag & Bone staples were present, too, done up in shiny new materials, with exposed zippers
Slip dresses were on offer layered over a coterie of tees for warmth — but the more likely of combinations? Lurex skirts and pant/leggings of the same material. It was a very large collection in terms of pieces, layered into only 32 looks, but besides a wide, seemingly jousting-inspired white coat with camel trim, every bit of it was magic.
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blog VIBES
Blogger Crush; Maja Wyh Spotlight on a new, upcoming style blogger focused on the oversized and chic
Is frostbite getting your wardrobe down? Before you give up attempting to find the balance between comfort and chic (and inevitably settle for a look that consists solely of puffer jackets and ski masks), take some inspiration from this new it blogger, Maja Wyh! Call us crazy, but we list dressing like Mary-Kate and Ashley as a life goal up there with getting in shape and traveling the world. Accordingly, we were delighted when we came across a blogger whose oversized, lived-in outfits inspired the same sort of admiration usually reserved for a standout Olsen ensemble. The over sized clothing seems nothing but comfortable, stylish, and expensive! Wyh makes us envy the baggy, and start to think about throwing away the spandex.
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blog VIBES / Maja Wyh
So when you’re of the blogger-sphere and especially when you occupy the fashion space of that sphere you can start to feel a pull or tug in a certain aesthetic direction. It can be a good thing. We’re all so bombarded with images everyday it only makes sense for some inspiration to stick as a result of our endless peering/ scrolling. Recently, I’ve noticed that I’m relatively covered up compared to some of my blogger favorites. My choices are sometimes of the looser more mom-core variety. When the weather gets even close to sixty degrees, I layer...perhaps excessively and when it’s hot, my every day look is ty pically an oversized shift dress, boyfriend jeans, a long button down or some off combination of the two. I like
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looking refined and comfortable. So it was such a pleasant breathe of fresh air this morning to stumble across a blogger that appreciates the allure of oversized, layered chic. Maja Wyh’s site is an ode to the baggy and the mixture of lounge-ware feminine cool makes for really creative dressing. Her style is sexy-reserved and minimally detailed. I could click ‘older posts’ all day on her page. Reasons we love her? We always wanted to be an Olsen Twin, and with her style, we can pretend! Also, things don’t need to cling for appeal and who doesn’t want to say yes to that extra cupcake!? Saying no to cupcakes is rude. It’s so rude. You should always say yes.
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blog VIBES / Maja Wyh
Maja Wyh turns the street into a catwalk. Wherever she shows up she turns heads. But you will look for her outfits in magazines and on online portals in vain – because she masters the art of combining garments to produce her own unique look. Maja Wyh is a fashionista with a pronounced sense of style. For over a year now she has shared her outfits on her blog majawyh.com – sending a daily growing number of readers, fans and followers into raptures. But she ended up blogging more by chance than anything else. “To be perfectly honest, I somehow just “slipped” into it,” saysthe 24-year old from Düsseldorf. It all started about a year ago in a phase of change in her life:
her theatre, film and media science studies in Vienna turned out to be the wrong choice and her flat share a disaster. A friend suggested she should blog about her extraordinary outfits. Without knowing the up-coming trends, how to blog or even what fashion blogs are about, Maja got started – simply taking to the street, setting up her camera and taking photographs of herself with a self-timer. She presented her photographs on the blogging platform Tumblr where people can post their own texts, photos and illustrations. In no time the online fashion community was enthused: “likes” were posted, cooperation enquiries from well-known labels rolled in and readers called for more. Her blog majawyh.com came into being. 39
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blog VIBES / Maja Wyh
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Color vs. Mood
color VIBES
An exploration on how wearing a certain color can affect mood. Written by beauty expert Rachel Grumman Bender.
It you think of the way we describe certain emotions (seeing red, feeling blue, green with envy), there’s no denying that color and mood are inextricably linked. Slip on a tailored LBD and you instantly feel chic and sexy or pop open a sunny yellow umbrella on a gloomy day and some of that sunniness will undoubtedly rub off on you. There are several reasons why colors are able to influence how we feel. “We react on multiple levels of association with colors -- there are social or culture levels as well as personal relationships with particular colors,” explains Leslie Harrington, executive director of The Color Association of The United States, which forecasts color trends. “You also have an innate reaction to color. For example, when you look at red, it does increase your heart rate. It is a stimulating color. This goes back to caveman days of fire and danger and alarm.” You also have learned certain associations with color, such as red making your heart race since it’s linked with fire trucks and ambulances (in other words, alarm) or yellow having positive association simply because it was the color of your beloved grandmother’s kitchen. “As you get older, you become much more conscious of those 42
learned reactions than the innate ones,” adds Harrington. “I use clothing and texture to enhance people’s moods. You can channel the different moods you want with different colors.” In this article, I explore the possibilities of color and how one wears it, to the effect on that individual’s mood (or emotions). Feel like changing your frame of mind for the better? Play around with these colors when picking out your clothes, makeup and accessories: Seeing Red Red is the hot, crazy girl of colors, evoking powerful emotions such as fear, anger and passion. “Red would be one of the most complicated colors,” says Harrington. Unlike, say, yellow, which is sunny whether it’s a pale or bright version of the shade, the mood red conveys changes dramatically when you lighten it (sweet and innocent pink) or darken it (sophisticated burgundy). Although research shows that the best way for a single gal to attract a guy’s attention is to wear red, you may be garnering attention you don’t necessarily want. “There’s a reason they call it the red light district,” notes Harrington. Adds Andrew Elliot, Ph.D., professor of psychology at the University of Rochester: “We link red to passion because red is the color we exhibit on our skin when sexually interested -- a red flush or blush.” Rather than having your outfit scream “sex kitten” (unless that’s what you’re going for), the best way to rock this passion-producing color and get into a sexier frame of mind is by carrying a red clutch, donning a bright red polish on your nails (try Essie Well Red) or lining your lips in the right red. “Red lips can be your best accessory, especially if you’re wearing all black,” says Harrington. A Calming Case of the Blues Need to chill out after a stressful day? Slip on something blue. “Psychologically, blue is the opposite of red -- it low-
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color VIBES
ers blood pressure,” says Harrington. “Red picks you up and blue takes you down, but not down to depression level.” That may be because if you look to nature, such as the sky and the ocean, blue conveys tranquility. That’s also what you project when wearing the shade. “I encourage women to wear blue when they want to create a calming essence,” says Mai. “Wear it on a first date -- something turquoise or a light aqua sweater with a soft texture like cashmere. It makes a great a first impression and creates relaxation.” Another beneficial time to make blue your go-to hue? If you’re going for a job interview or meeting your partner’s parents for the first time. “Blue is associated with trustworthiness, strength and dependability -- hence, the blue power suit because it projects dependability. 44
It’s Easy Being Green From grass to leaves to other verdant vegetation, the color green is closely linked to the environment, which can put you in a relaxed or refreshed mood. “There is some tentative evidence emerging in the literature showing that green is relaxing because it is associated with growth and nature,” says Elliot. Green also looks good on every skin type and has a wide range of shades that allow you to modify your mood -- from serious and sophisticated to fresh and bright. Dark green, especially in dresses and long pants, can elongate the body, for a more slim figure. “Green ranges from old traditional English libraries in a dark hunter green where you can sit down, concentrate and read to a spring-like yellow-based green, which symbolizes new birth. Although the color
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color VIBES
green may not be (most) people’s go-to color, it sure can enhance one’s eyes based off of not only skin tone, but the shade of green that is being worn. Anything-But-Mellow Yellow Yellow carries both positive and negative connotations -- from sunshine, which conveys a joyous, happy mood to jaundice and sickliness, according to Harrington. In Mai’s experience, wearing the bright, fun color helped her stand out and put people at ease. “Wearing yellow creates a very open atmosphere with people,” she says. “When I was a reporter on Extra, if I was going to meet a celebrity who was a bit standoffish I found that wearing yellow would bring a smile to their demeanor right away. It’s an inviting color.” 46
That said, going overkill on yellow can leave you looking like a walking banana so Harrington recommends investing in yellow accessories instead to give you that same uplifting boost, such as a bright yellow clutch, scarf or even a pale yellow blouse under a sweater or suit. This pop of color will not ruin an outfit, as well as not be too in people’s faces. This will up your mood, and spirit. Orange You Glad You Wore It This highly popular color marries the sunniness of yellow with red’s depth. In fact, orange is the perfect substitute if you’re not comfortable seeing red. But the color is by no means ho-hum -- orange evokes action. “Orange is much more of a casual, active color—it’s big in active wear—whereas red is much more sophisticated,” ex-
plains Harrington. The perky shade is your best bet when you want to rev yourself up so you can hit the gym or channel creativity for a work project. “Orange is said to stimulate enthusiasm and creativity,” says Mai. “It symbolizes vitality and endurance.” It’s also the color to choose when you want to stand out without taking a big risk. That’s because orange is considered a little edgy without be too “out there.” Harrison says that “Orange is in the middle. It says, ‘have a little more fun and be a little different but not too different. Because of that, you see a lot more orange colors showing up in cosmetics.” The rich color is associated with royalty and luxury, according to Mai. “Anytime you need to feel confident and regal, such as for a job interview, wear purple,” she says. If you have a young-looking face and want to appear more sophisticated, make purple your go-to color to help you look more mature, suggests Mai. Back in Black Having a “fat day”? Slipping into something black makes you look five pounds slimmer -- instantly improving your mood. “We all know what happens when you put on black jeans versus white jeans -- it’s slimming,” says Harrington. But the darkest shade of all can affect how you feel in two other distinctly different ways: Wearing black can be a downer (think funerals) or make you feel trés chic (think Audrey Hepburn in “Breakfast at Tiffany’s”). Although in old movies, the villain always wore black, over the years the color has become more associated with high class -- black limousines, patent leather shoes and elegant black tie affairs, according to Harrington. Black is clearly the go-to color when you want to look more regal and formal. “It can be very elegant”” says Mai. “Every woman needs an LBD. It plays everything else down so you stand out. It lets you shine.” Besides being the unofficial color of New York City, black is seen as a favorite for women of all body types. 47
It Girl; Alexa Chung
cool girl VIBES
A conversation with the coolest it girl turned street style icon.
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“I’m scared of bright colours,” admits Alexa Chung, the for mer presenter-turned-global fashion icon, with four successive British Style Awards from the British Fashion Council under her im maculate belt. Despite her aversion to typical spring shades, she is as impatient as the rest of us for the warmer weather to arrive: ‘I like seeing trees that don’t look like they’re from a witchy nightmare.’ Chung’s style evolution hasn’t always been a smooth one. ‘I got punk a bit wrong when I was 17,’ she ad mits. ‘I misinterpreted it and crossed it with some weird Pokémon-Tamagotchi hybrid.’ Today she cares less about emulating others and dresses for herself. ‘People don’t take risks,’ she reckons, ‘because they’re afraid something isn’t in season, but you should have fun with fashion and wear what you want.’ 49
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cool girl VIBES / Alexa Chung
“ People don’t take risks because they’re afraid something isn’t in season, but you should have fun with fashion and wear what you want.”
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cool girl VIBES / Alexa Chung
What is your favourite thing to wear right now? ‘Well, today I turned up in my pyjamas, so that is sort of an indication of where I’m at, clotheswise. At the moment I’m into things that are comfortable. When I get home I’m really focused on jeans, sweatshirts and comfort.’ Do you have a style philosophy? ‘Stick to the classics, and you can’t ever go wrong. I see old ladies on the street who have fabulous style and realise it’s because they are probably wearing really classic items that they’ve had for years and years. I think if you find something that suits you, you should just stick to it.’ What’s your favourite era for style? ‘I love the ’60s and sort of wish all design had stopped in 1967. That would be my 52
dream. They were really just nailing it, everyone looked great, but then it started getting a bit slippery after that.’ What is your favourite clothes store? Dover Street Market on Dover Street, West London. What items do you save on, and then what do you splurge on? ‘I love Gap for affordable men’s sweaters. I tend to splurge on fancy dresses because I always think I’ll get a lot of wear out of them, but it’s false logic. You should really spend more money on the things you wear every day, like jeans. But I only own two pairs of jeans. One I designed for Madewell, so they are literally made to fit me. Another is a cheap pair from Danish brand Vero Mod that I got from a photoshoot.’ 53
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cool girl VIBES / Alexa Chung
one of those people who is good at organization. I have a catalogue in my head of things I already own, so it’s easy to shop and I always know exactly what I’m looking for. I collect everything in multiples. You should see how many white shirts I’ve got!’ What’s inspiring you this spring? ‘I like being able to walk outside without wincing at the cold, and I like it when my eyeballs don’t freeze over. I find spring and summer in New York particularly difficult to dress for because my style is absolutely based on layering. When I can’t do that, I don’t understand what I’m going to do.’ Go-to spring outfit? ‘Jean shorts, always.’ Will you tell us about the first pair of jeans you fell madly in love with? In the ‘90s, there was a pair of black, sorry it’s another brand, Levi’s and they were really skinny and I loved them, was obsessed with them. That was the first pair I loved and lost, and my life has replicated that through denim and men.’ Who are some of your style icons in music? ‘There are so many... Iggy Pop, George Harrison, Jane Birkin, Patti Smith, Courtney Love in the ’90s.’ Dream interviewee? ‘I’d love to interview Mick Jagger, but that might be scary!’
Talking to the groovy and clever Alexa Chung is exhausting. The conversation is so banter-heavy, that when we’re done, we both need a nap. In the interest of sparing you our endless chatter, here are the highlights of an afternoon with Chung. But, I’m certainly not the only person who feels connected to Alexa in this way. She’s got a huge, cool cult following that’s composed of a community that thinks she’s just the bee’s knees, with incredible style, wit, and a certain je ne sais quoi. 55
With Love, Katie The older we get, the harder it is to find inspiration in every day life.
personal VIBES
Hopefully, this inspired you back to your dream.
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VIBES
good vibes
(n)
/ɡo͝od/ /vib/ meaning all of the people, places, ideas, and possibilities that evoked positive, safe, happy sensations. Good vibes indicated a “green light, go for it” type of decision and described synchronicities, beneficial encounters, and sensations of protection and grace.
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the Vibes Publication February 2015 Credits
Music Vibes Album cover, Alt J - An Awesome Wave Album cover, Disclosure - Help Me Lose My Mind (Latch) Art Vibes Artwork, Mike Weiss Gallery www.mikeweissgallery.com/exhibitions Gallery images, Mike Weiss Gallery www.mikeweissgallery.com/exhibitions Interview, Marc Seguin www.sunriseartists.com Fashion Vibes Imagery, Céline runway Style.com & Vogue.com Review, Céline runway Style.com & Refinery29 Imagery, Rag & Bone runway Style.com & Vogue.com Review, Rag & Bone runway Style.com & WhoWhatWear.com Blogger Vibes Imagery, Maja Wyh outfits MajaWyh.com (blog website) Review, about Maja Wyh WhoWhatWear.com Color Vibes Imagery, Pantone Color Swatches Essay, Color affecting mood Refinery29 Cool Girl Vibes Imagery, Personal Alexa Chung “It” by Alexa Chung Interview, with Alexa www.stylist.co.uk/
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“Before you can change the world you must realise that you, yourself, are part of it. You can’t stand outside looking in.” - The Dreamers (2003)