. . ’CoolGirls’ magazine, issue #01, April 2016
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CoolGirls
magazine
index Editor’s Letter 3 #01 self acceptance 7 #02 authenticity
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#03 ideal vs individuality
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#04 real woman
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Writing the first page of this magazine, I would like to share my own experience with you ... As a little girl, I never experienced how it feels to enter an inspiring wardrobe of my mommy or granny. How it feels to get lost in clothes. Fit the different pieces on and mix them together into the craziest combination that only a child imagination can create. Wear high heels that seem to be too huge. Became a small lady for couple of moments. Yet their wardrobes were very practical, too basic in a way. They kept only what they needed, what they attached the great value to or simply were not able to throw away due to the connection to the memories. For many years, I did not understand this simplicity. I am still not sure if I do. But one thing I know. They did not want to spend mornings in front of a mirror to make a choice for a ‘perfect’ self of a day. My mother and grandmother lived and enjoyed their current ‘self’. They set own preferences coming from listening to their inner voice, body, needs. Yet not always the perfect ones, but authentic and with own statement. They embraced who they were without limiting themselves.Honest to themselves, honest about their emotions. Since they were very aware of every moment and celebrating it, aging became a natural process for them. I wish to say the same about each woman … Yours Klara
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On next pages, I will invite you to the world of beauty that society often tends to hide with a longevity revolution. A kind of beauty that lasts far beyond the physical prime of youth. It is a type of beauty often ignored by a culture that pressures woman to remain forever young.
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#01 self acceptance
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flabby skin
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W wrinkles
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G grey hair
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#02 authenticity
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There has been quite a flurry of older women appearing in campaigns across both fashion and beauty over last couple of years. For example, we can name a former dancer Jacqueline Tajah Murdock for Lanvin Fall 2012, actress Catherine Deneuve for Louis Vuitton SS 2014, Jessica Lange for Marc Jacobs Beauty Fall 2014, etc.). Yet, I have to be critical about the intend and whether it was an honest question of angeism or marketing ploy that has been addressed to the audience. Looking at those advertisements with gracefully aged ladies I still can not avoid the impression of a temtation to perfection and the desire to a particular beauty. A beautiful scene, make-up, clothes on a famous persona. With a condition of musthave a personal style at any age. Those celebrities seem to me still superficial in a way and quite far from the most women who we meet on the street everyday. Therefore I search for a right voice that communicates the best to me the relationship between eldery in campaigns and beautiful real women who I meet and who might potentially look at those campaigns.
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Every year, a number of young and handsome models and new faces hope they sparkle at the fashion scene. Every year, several designers hope that this glimpse of diversity and freshness in youth will make their work stand out and possess the ideal shape or complexion of what consumers should aspire to. In a world overrun by thirst, seemingly ageless models and celebrities it seemed like a storm when Celine and Saint Laurent released their campaigns for Spring/Summer 2015 starring masterminds Joan Didion (81) and Joni Mitchel (72) i n January 2015. Was it a message towards the abolition of ageism in the fashion industry? I believe so. Though there was no aggressive rebellion visible. It was a hint, but clear one and refreshingly progressive. A moment where fashion met strong character of two women in their 70s and 80s in a very natural, authentic, empowering way.
Joan Didion (* December 5, 1934)
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An American author known for her novels and her literary journalism. Her novels and essays explore the disintegration of American morals and cultural chaos, where the overriding theme is individual and social fragmentation. Her most popular book Blue Nights, a memoir about aging, was published in 2011. Didion is heavily influenced by Ernest Hemingway, whose writing taught her the importance of the way sentences work within a text. Interesting: She read everything she could get her hands on after learning how to read and even needed written permission from mother to borrow adult books, biographies especially, from the library at a young age. With this, she identified herself as being a “shy, bookish child�, who pushed herself to overcome social anxiety through acting and public speaking.
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Joni Mitchell (* November 7, 1943)
A Canadian singer-songwriter and painter. Her lyrics are noted for their developed poetics, social and environmental ideals alongside personal feelings of romantic longing, confusion, disillusion, and joy. She is responsible for hits such as “Both sides Now” and “Big Yellow Taxi”. Interesting: She responded badly to formal education, preferring a freethinking outlook, and was drawn to art, a pursuit often regarded as peripheral at the time. One unconventional teacher did manage to make an impact on her, stimulating her to write poetry, and her first album includes a dedication to him. In twelfth grade, she flunked out (though she later picked up her studies) and hung out downtown with a rowdy set until deciding that she was getting too close to the criminal world.
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Notwithstanding Hedi Slimane’s grunge-bohemian aesthetics and gangs of teens and twenty somethings appearing in campaigns, he has signed another amazing mature woman for SS 2016 campaign. Just right before his departure from Yves Saint Laurent. This time it was 69 years old Jane Birkin who became face of the brand. Known for her oft-referenced personal style, she poses with a nonchalant smirk in Saint Laurent’s iconic mannish-cut Le Smoking Tuxedo.
Jane Birkin (* December 14, 1946)
An English actress and singer. She is perhaps best known for her relationship with Serge Gainsbourg in the 1970s and being the namesake of the popular Hermès Birkin bag. In recent years she has written her own album, directed a film and become an outspoken proponent of democracy in Myanmar.
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Interesting: She has asked the French leather goods purveyor to rename the version of the Birkin bag made out of crocodile skin, in protest of crocodile farming and skinning practices. The request came after an investigative report at a Texas farm. (2015).
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Disillusioned with modeling, she had moved into music. After many years she returned back when asked by Vivienne Westwood to be a face of her SS 2014 campaign. Since Leslie’s life was quite wild and rebellious, there is no wonder that this combination works well.
Leslie Winer
An American fashion model, musician and poet. She is considered to be grandmother of trip-hop, former punk, dub lesbian, witch. She was picked up by Elite Agency for her special androgynous look and started modeling, mainly for Italia Vogue. She worked with Pierre&Gilles, Helmut Newton, Irving Penn. She soon became one of the world’s first supermodels. As early as 1983 became more interested in music. She debuted with album “Witch” (1990), whose deadpan feminist musings are as relevant today as they ever were: “because a woman’s work is never done, and underpaid, boring, and repetitious. And I’m the first one to get the sack.” Interesting: She was born in Western Massachusetts on a Christmas Eve to a 16 year old girl. She is married to a French man and has five daughters.
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Charlotte Rampling in the NARS Audacious Lipstick Collection campaign from 2014. Shot by François Nars.
Charlotte Rampling, (* February 5, 1946)
An English actress, model and chanteuse, known for her work in European arthouse films in three languages, English, French, and Italian. She began her career as a model. Thanks to her daring charisma she was quickly cast in many movies as actress. She also appeared as an extra in the Beatles film A Hard Day’s Night (1964). She has performed controversial roles, for example in The Damned (1969).
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It was not a first time Charlotte Rampling appeared in the campaign. In 2004, she posed in edgy advertising when snuggled with a photographer Juergen Teller in a bed for the designer Marc Jacobs. According to Teller, Rampling put up a brief resistance when he first broached the idea: “She said, ‘Who wants to see an old woman naked?’ ” She was 58 years old at that time.
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#03 I /\ I
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... building a bridge between IDEAL
/\ INDIVIDUALITY
... a bridge between a dream and the reality
How might seemingly very ordinariness become the extraordinariness when one become aware of it by looking from a different perspective? Those fashionable ladies know much better what it means than we would even think. Obviously, they prove the individual approach toward fashion and that age does not matter at all. It is a mindset that makes a difference. Every woman is exceptional. Yet she has forgotten about it. There is no mediocrity. Re-find this hiden beauty and call it for example ... authentic exclusiveness.
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34 left - Gucci Fall 2015, Ready-to-Wear; right - Anne, March 7, 2015
left - Emporio Armani Pre-Fall 2015; right - Julie, May 13, 2015
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36 left - Prada Fall 2015, Ready-to-Wear; right - Simone, February 27, 2015
left - 3.1 Phillip Lim Fall 2016, Ready-to-Wear; right - Marieke, November 11, 2015
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38 left - Blumarine Spring 2010, Ready-to-Wear; right - Nicolette, August 8, 2015
left - Jonathan Saunders Spring 2015, Ready-to-Wear; right - Jaroslava, June 30, 2015
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40 left - Nina Ricci Spring 2015, Ready-to-Wear; right - Jane & Nathalia, July 1, 2015
left - Vetements Fall 2015, Ready-to-Wear; right - Erika, September 14, 2015
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#04 real woman
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Women are too much deluged with what is coming from the outside that they quietened the inner voice that they could listen to who they really are. Without any excuses. It is the honest embracing of ourselves that allows us to love any age. With all the changes that it brings, with all the characteristics and emotions.
powerful gentleness gentle power
Women (mens also of course!) are sated with ideals, standarts, conditions that makes them all perhaps overanalyse how they should look like, as well as how they should live and behave. Yes, I admit there has been a certain picture of a catwalk beauty, but it is not really relevant anymore.
A woman does not have to search for herself, for a style. Everything who she is, is there. Sometimes she forgets about it, but she will remember one day. Then, there is no hidding and immitation neccessary anymore. No tunes of make up, no dying hair, no dressing up like twenty somethings girl, if she just does not feel it that way. It is a celebration of pure self. Does not always have to be opulently visible. Not always powerful. It can be silent and discreet. It can feels something in between. All is right ...
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I would love to empower every woman in finding own voice of expression. Ladies on following pages are just like you. They might have thought they is nothing special about them at all. I have met those beautiful women when living and travelling in three different countries. The Netherlands, Germany and The Czech republic. I am very glad that they were so much willing to spent with me a couple of amazing lovely moments and shared their story. ... thank you, Gwendolyn, Marieke, Anna, Alena, Julliet, Margareth.
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Gwendolyn (67)
I have met her when she was buying and eating cheese. She was shy and talked very calmly. She says it is very important for her to feel comfortable in what she wears. She always visites the same stores. She cares how the clothes she buys is made.
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Marieke (83)
Marieke was in the middle of a cute argument with her husband over removing a closet in their livingroom when I stopped her. You can see she is very energetic and proud of her age. She loves to experiment and visit different stores you would not expect a lady with this age. She is passionate about snickers from Ecco (she was wearing a silver pair of snickers). She says she always had her own head to make choices in dressing. She loves a street style look, slightly eccentric regarding her age.
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Anna (69)
It was a beautiful sunny day when I met Anna. I immediately fell in love with a print of her skirt suit. When I kindly asked her if I could take a picture of her she could not understand how someone could be inspired by her. She was very shy, but when I saw her walking away, she walked with her head straight up and smilling. Anna likes to visit ‘her’ few shops with larger size clothing. She rarely can find well fitted nice pants. Therefore she mostly wears what is easily available in Czech shops - a very basic pattern skirt or skirt suit with a longer sleeve to hide her arms.
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Alena (57)
I know Alena very well. She is an amazing energetic sociable woman. In her 20s, she used to dress very chic - high heels, woollen coat, A-line dress or skirt, a scarf around the neck. She always took the best care of her clothes. She worn some of them only a few times in order to keep it in the best condition. She still keeps garments from her youth in her wardrobe. Suddenly, her uniform became jeans, T-shirt and pair of slippers or snickers and an old leather jacket nowadays. She says it is difficult to find a pair of elegant pants since all of them are too long, loose in hips. Also her waist is a bit more larger. She dreams about a store that she would come in and a shop assistens would help her to fit everything from the underwear to the hand bag, all matching her taste.
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Julliet (59)
Unfortunately I can not say ‘I met Julliet’ since she was the one who started our conversation. She asked me if we could take a picture together since she felt like twins from the street due to the shade of lipstick. She was gorgeous. She loves to go to the flea market and second hand stores. She was the only one from all the ladies I have met and talked to who does not care if clothes does not fit properly. She claims, it is a self confidence, body and a spirit of a woman that can make a garment always look great.
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Margareth (59)
It seemed like a coincidence we have met each other with Margareth. She was very honest about her emotions and opinions, weaknesses and strenghts, and also about a feeling of hidding in a corner. Yet she is not that self-assertive, Margareth was very critical and has a very strong opinions on fashion industry. She never goes to store just to have a look what is on the market. She always has in mind what she wants and she finds and buys it. In general she thinks that sizes in stores are just not fitting. Sleeves are too long, trousers too short. There is no shape in patterns and it feels like someone just enlarged a smaller size without thinking about a human body and its different proportions. Garments just do look indistinctive, not powerful. She wears black colour most of the time. She thinks that colour hues are just too dull and cheap looking. She admits that many women (including her) nowadays lack self-confidence. They think they are not good enough, they do not look good enough - actually what does ‘being good enough’ mean? Who can judge this?
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Text, photographs and collages: Klara Valkova Front cover: Inge Morath from ‘The Mask Series’ with Saul Steinberg, /1961/ Back cover: http://pinterest.com Campaign pictures: from various sources Look book pictures: http://style.com Thanks to my mother Jana and grandmother Anna who inspired me to work on this project. Thanks to Gwendolyn, Marieke, Anna, Alena, Julliet and Margareth.
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special thanks belons to ...
who unintentionaly inspired this project.
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