September 2011

FALL INTO FASHION

IT’S THE SEPTEMBER ISSUE

FEATURING SEMI PRECIOUS WEAPONS R.I.P. ROCK & ROLL? THE WAR WITHIN JAC LANGHEIM & MUCH MORE!

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IN THIS ISSUE

06 FROM THE EDITOR

THE LIFE

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On The Verge Three projects utilizing the latest technological breakthroughs

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R.I.P. Rock ‘n’ Roll?

The Semi Precious Weapons crusade to bring back rock

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Jac Langheim Designer feature story

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New York Chronicles Style vs. weather

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“Ca C’est Inc’oyable!”

The extreme fashions of revolutionary France.

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The War Within Just how “united” is America?

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Beneath The Shadows Just what may be lurking; photographed by An Le

The American Classic looks, modernized; photographed by Alvin Nguyen

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The Witching Hour Next-level fashion; photographed by Christopher Hench

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BUZZWORTHY

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FASHION FORWARD

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My Generation How young people came to rule the fashion world (part II)

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Pastel Games Lighten your look; photographed by Remi Kozdra & Kasia Baczulis

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Uncommon States Fashion happening outside of the Big Apple

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Fashion Internships Getting your foot in the door

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Beautiful Dreamer Let your mind wander; photographed by Natalie J. Watts

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Papercut

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EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Hayley Maybury CREATIVE DIRECTOR Nicole Bechard MARKETING & TECHNICAL DIRECTOR Jamall Oluokun ADVERTISING DIRECTOR & PUBLISHER Shomari Miller FASHION EDITOR Nicole Herzog COPY EDITOR Nora E. S. Gilligan WEB DEVELOPER Jason DePeaux

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS arTisTech Erin Berry Carley Burke Brittnee Cann Alyssa Davis Nora Elizabeth Sofia Gilligan Lee Hershey Alicia Strusa Samantha Tyler Kristen Uekermann

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Kasia Baczulis Andrew Bradley Ariel Efron Christopher Hench Hadar Justin Hogan Roger Kisby Remi Kozdra MD Laing An Le Tanja Metelitsa Alvin Nguyen Petrovski & Ramone Billy Rood Jiampaolo Sgura Matt Timmons Edwin Tse Natalie J. Watts Saul Zanolari Shamila at Eric Elenbaas Michel Zoeter

ON THE COVER

Photographed by ALVIN NGUYEN Assisted by ALAN WANG & TOMMY O’BRIEN

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Hair NIKO WEDDLE Makeup BRIAN DEAN Styling ALVIN STILLWELL (CELESTINE) Model JAMES FENSKE (HEFFNER MODEL MANAGEMENT) 5

FROM THE EDITOR OUR FAVORITE SEASON HAS ARRIVED!

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: The Papercut team on set at our “Beneath the Shadows” editorial shoot; Hayley at Lincoln Center during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week; Hayley and Nicole in the tent at Lincoln Center for the Emerson runway show.

Hello Papercutters!

My favorite season has finally arrived—lucky for you, so has your favorite magazine!

phenomenal 3-D fashion designers; their work is quite literally out of this world, and you are going to love it!

There are so many things I love about the fall: the colorful trees, apple picking, Halloween, and of course fall fashion! The second the temperature here on the East Coast drops below 70 degrees, I will find any excuse to throw on my boots, colorful tights, cozy sweaters (or my mini-hoodie!) and my favorite fall coat. Not to mention the season also gives way for one of the best weeks of the year, New York Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week (which was amazing by the way, if you haven’t yet checked out our coverage of the week, what are you waiting for!?). Sadly, the crisp fall weather that I so adore does not last long, and soon the bitter winter cold pushes that cute fall jacket out the door.

But while the leaves are falling, I like to make the most of it...by bringing you one of the most amazing issues of Papercut ever!

Finally, we’ve collaborated with some amazing photographers and editorial teams this month— you are sure to be impressed. We were lucky enough to have almost the entire Papercut crew (missed you Nikki and Nora!) with us on the set of our “Beneath the Shadows” editorial shoot. An Le, our photographer, was just wonderful to work with.

The best part? We got to feature our favorite shoe designer Zack Lo’s new collection—it’s a killer!

I can assure you you’re not going to want to look away from this issue. Between the spectacular article covering inside views on fashion internships, to a fabulous interview with the guys from Semi Precious Weapons, September is a definite must-read. We also have a great OTV segment for you, featuring three

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Lastly, I just want to give a huge shout-out to my entire team for making this such an amazing issue. Especially to Nicole and Jamall, for pulling all-nighters during fashion week to perfect this issue. Love you both!

Until next time Papercutters,

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ROGER KISBY

R.I.P. ROCK’N’ROLL?

THE SEMI PRECIOUS WEAPONS CRUSADE TO BRING BACK ROCK FROM THE DEAD. Written by ARTISTECH All answers provided by JUSTIN TRANTER If the Billboard 100 chart is any indication, there’s a new hierarchy in American music, and Rock ‘n’ Roll has slipped towards the bottom. In its place are the new sounds of house, electro and techno. When did this happen, you ask?

Tough to say, but it could have been the summer of 2007, when David Guetta first released his hit single “Love is Gone” and found solid rotation on Top 40 American radio stations. This set the stage (and our ears) for a little monster by the name of Lady Gaga, who released her Fame album in 2008. It’s been downhill for the Rock genre ever since. And in a strange and ironic turn of events, the very band who is looking to turn the musical tide, and bring back all things sex, drugs and Rock ‘n’ Roll, is the very same band who helped start the Gaga takeover by letting her open for them when she was just starting out. This band is the Semi Precious Weapons, and they’re packing some serious artillery for the pending War of Rock.

When you listen to the Weapons’ music and get a glimpse of their outrageous outfits, it’s easy to see how they will help usher in a new wave of Rock dominance. Anything and everything that there is to love about Rock ‘n’ Roll can be experienced through the band’s work and antics. A bad-ass name? Check.

A double bad-ass front man? Two words, Justin Tranter. Ridiculously talented musicians? Done. Above all, the Weapons have down that classic Rock sound that makes you wanna head to the nearest garage and start a jam session (or, if you live in NYC like I do, without a garage in sight, partake in a serious exhibition of air “guitar-ism”).

All jokes aside, for the Weapons to be successful in resurrecting Rock ‘n’ Roll from purgatory, they are going to need more than just a fine pedigree.

They also need a platform with which to showcase it. And, in a funny twist of fate, Lady Gaga just happens to be banging the Semi Precious Weapons’ war drum the loudest. She has invited them to share their unapologetic, inyour-face brand of Rock with hundreds of thousands of fans on the Monster Ball Tour, she made an appearance with them at the 2010 Lollapalooza

festival and she even featured them in her commercial promoting the MTV Video Music Awards back in August of this year.

In the end, only time will tell if the Semi Precious Weapons crusade is truly successful. But with friends like Lady Gaga singing their praise, and a passion for Rock music that is second to none, you gotta like their chances.

In five words or less, describe the Semi Precious Weapons’ (SPW) sound.

Loud. Rock ‘n’ Roll for dancing.

“FUNNY ENOUGH, I JUST READ A QUOTE FROM A POP STAR, TALKING ABOUT HOW POP STARS MUST BE ROLE MODELS AS WELL AS ARTISTS. SO IT GETS IN THE WAY OF WHAT THEY CAN DO ARTISTICALLY AND PERSONALLY. IF THAT’S THE CASE, I’LL STAY A ROCK STAR.” You guys all attended—and actually graduated from—Berklee, a feat in and of itself. Did you gain anything from this experience? Or were you simply biding your time until you got out of there?

We take music pretty damn seriously, so any information gained is a good thing.

It used to be that every band and musician dreamed about being a Rock star, but now more and more shoot to be Pop stars. Is there a difference? And what does SPW think of the state of Rock ‘n’ Roll?

Funny enough, I just read a quote from a pop star, talking about how pop stars must be role models as well as artists.

So it gets in the way of what they can do artistically and personally. If that’s the case, I’ll stay a rock star. But I do want my music on “pop radio,” which really just means “popular.” The state of Rock ‘n’ Roll is kinda dead...that’s why we stopped touring for a minute, because we want to really take some serious time writing and recording our next album (with Tricky Stewart), so we can try our hardest to reinvent it.

What musical artists or genres influence your sound and/or songs?

Everything from AC/DC, to Jay-Z, to GaGa, to Beyonce, to Patty Larkin, to Red Horse, to Tom Petty. Music is good.

How does the band go about writing songs? Is it collaborative? Do you start with a melody? Lyrics?

It will always start with one main idea; a lyric, a riff, a chord progression, a beat.

Something that sparks the whole thing.

It’s very collaborative.

No one can deny that SPW has some serious style. How did the band’s style evolve—was this how you walked around the halls of Berklee?

Well...I always looked ridiculous in some way. As a teen, in Chicago, I looked like a clown most days. But I think we all really found our style when we moved to Brooklyn in 2005ish, and met some really amazing friends with amazing style.

Contrary to all your on-stage antics and over-the-top fashion, your music has a very classic rock sound. Did the band make a conscious decision to pair the elements of sex and glam pop with a normal rock sound?

It just sort of happened naturally. And on our next album we are really fucking with our sound, and trying lots of new things. But most importantly, we are just trying to write the best songs possible.

How was it making that transition from starving artist to recognized act playing tours with Lady Gaga?

Well, we are still pretty starving, and determined to be a lot more successful... but it obviously was amazing. Gaga is such a good friend...and her fans are magic! It was the best opportunity in the world.

On the flip side, to people outside of the “Gagasphere,” SPW is still relatively unknown. Does this fact keep the band motivated and hungry?

Ha! As I said before...yes we are super fucking hungry. We want it all.

What’s next for SPW? A new album?

Collaborations? A line of edible panties?

All of the above xoxo.

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NEW YORK CHRONICLES WHEN IS NEW YORK FASHIONABLE? NOW. Written by BRITTNEE CANN Photographed by JUSTIN HOGAN

New York is considered to be one of the most fashionable cities in the world but sometimes I wonder if it’s considered that by people who don’t live here because often times, well, it’s not.

New York is certainly stylish, yes, but that isn’t a synonym for fashionable. Style isn’t about the clothes you wear it’s the way you wear them and how you carry yourself. Fashion is on-trend, creative, well thought out, body-conscious dressing.

So how can a city be stylish and not fashionable? It’s the old expression about how someone with style can wear a paper bag and look great whereas just because something says Chanel it doesn’t mean it looks like a million bucks on just anyone. As for New York being stylish yet unfashionable, I blame the weather.

Weather is a huge- if not the biggest- factor that influences the way people dress everyday and New York doesn’t see many months of perfect temperatures. Summer is scorching hot and wintertime is bone chillingly cold. Take into consideration the way New Yorkers travel (by foot and by crowded subway) and it makes for a lot of comfort-overfashion dressing.

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Halfway through summer everyone resorts to sundresses and flat sandals. We’re sick to death of feeling our shoes melt into the sidewalk while waiting for the bus and we can no longer stand feeling beads of sweat roll down our legs while riding an underground train. Early December reveals cutesy wool jackets and mid-calf boots but come mid-February it’s puffy ground-grazing parkas and rain boots for all. We simply can’t take it anymore and we just want to be warm.

However, the one time of year that everyone can agree on is fall. This season is, in a word, perfect. It’s the time of year when everyone piles on the layers and busts out the booties yet it’s still warm enough that we don’t have to wear jackets and hats just yet. It’s fashion week again and everyone is back from vacationing ready to get back into the swing of work and dressing. It’s the perfect time for trend spotting and this year especially, the city is in for a treat. Fall 2011 in New York will be packed with bright colors, furs, plaids, 60’s shapes, capes, polka dots and tuxedo-inspired suits. New York is an ever-changing melting pot of fashion and it’s time once again to stir up the soup.

A WAR WITHIN

WHAT WILL IT TAKE FOR AMERICA TO BE THE “UNITED NATION” IT CLAIMS TO BE? Written by ALICIA STRUSA One thing that Americans do not do enough of, is ask questions.

It’s easy for almost everyone to say they want peace and happiness for all but in order to understand our past and strive for a brighter future, we first need to understand why things are the way they are. We need to start asking more questions.

I believe it starts with inner reflection. It’s sad that we point fingers at others and don’t even bother to stop and look at our own lives, our decisions, and our ignorance of other cultures ending in the consequence that is war.

We can say it all we want but we’re not a united nation.

Sure, we call ourselves a diverse nation, but to be as divided and unattached to our relationship as a united nation as we are causes us to be blinded and bound to making even greater mistakes. How can we begin to fix a problem, or even care about an issue outside of our nation, when we have issues stirring within us? If we had been open-minded, understanding and accepting of other cultures—even religions—in the past, I believe our present would not be as cloudy as it is now.

Some other countries view our nation as snobby, selfish and cold-hearted. We’re very quick to put blame and judgment on other cultures, religions and races that we don’t understand, simply because they live different lifestyles than we do.

We need to become more culturally aware. Why isn’t our younger generation being taught to utilize everyday technology for learning about what is going on in our world? Why aren’t we being more deeply educated about other cultures that make up this powerful nation? There is a serious lack of cultural education in this country and that is a scary truth. After all of the wars and tragedies we’ve gone through together, we still stereotype other races and religions showing that we haven’t learned a single lesson from our past. Hatred is an ugly thing, especially when it stirs in the hearts of so many people.

When September 11 happened, we were told that a group of al-Qaeda terrorists coordinated four suicide attacks on the United States. Sadly, after that, many people couldn’t help but wonder if almost every Muslim they saw was a terrorist. They felt fear in their hearts. They developed hatred.

I wondered why no one bothered to really investigate September 11. I wondered why the deeper stories weren’t being told; we’ve heard negative story after story about Muslims, told to us by everyone but a Muslim person. I wanted to know why no one had bothered to go straight to the source and talk to a Muslim who was being stereotyped as a terrorist. I had to ask questions. I interviewed a young woman named Jenan Jondy on a school television program called The Maine Report. Jenan is the outreach coordinator for the Islamic Center of Maine in Orono and an American Muslim. I wanted to hear her side of things in the midst of all the judgments made on her and her family.

“It’s very unfair and unjust for so many Muslims to be aligned with the terrorism acts of September 11. The

message of Islam is not about hatred. Our beliefs are being misunderstood and misrepresented by extremists.”

Each word Jenan spoke was inspiring. She was genuine, a real person. She was a wife, a mother. She believed in peace and she felt blessed to be living in the United States. “If we can bring our differences together, we can begin to learn to grow together to create a positive change.”

Why aren’t we hearing more stories of American Muslims like Jenan who have something positive to say? Instead the public is flooded with fear and stories that leave people thinking that all people of the Muslim faith must be bad. As a great nation— and a powerful one—we have the ability to spread peace. This is not only the media’s job; each and every individual person in America has the right to seek and report the truth.

If we can unite and resolve our corruptions within, then we may truly help our neighbors in other countries who are less fortunate than us. Let’s educate the younger generations about this important stepping-stone in our nation’s history. We need to re-educate family, friends, neighbors and communities about different cultures and rise up against negative stereotypes. We need to incorporate cultural education beyond what the textbooks are teaching children in school. By putting our differences to good use and coming together to protect our nation and the freedom and equality its principles are based upon, we diminish all traces of negativity in our thoughts and in our hearts. When we learn to unite and stand strong, we have a better chance at a better future. We need to act as the change we want to see in this world. For too long hate and negativity has been deeply seeded in our hearts and has accomplished nothing. Hatred will continue to be our crutch if we do not allow love to come in and heal our wounds.

I remember a time back in elementary school when I sat down with my class in the cafeteria to have lunch. Being half Asian, my mother would pack Thai snacks for me in my lunch box. I remember feeling embarrassed because of all the stares I received. The other kids described my lunch as “weird-looking” and “gross” and not “normal,” like their pizzas and bologna sandwiches were. Looking back on that situation makes me want to teach children in today’s society to accept differences and to learn about them before judging others and putting them down for those differences.

War can no longer be our answer. It’s time we lead the way to bettering ourselves in order to give respect, peace and love to a hurting world that desperately needs it. We need to ask questions, seek truth, re-educate ourselves and others about other cultures and religions and most importantly embrace our diversity and unite with love and peace. Peace begins within. Only when we have inner peace within our nation can we begin to see the world with open eyes.

“UNCONDITIONAL WAR CAN NO LONGER LEAD TO UNCONDITIONAL VICTORY. IT CAN NO LONGER SERVE TO SETTLE DISPUTES. IT CAN NO LONGER BE OF CONCERN TO GREAT POWERS ALONE. FOR A NUCLEAR DISASTER, SPREAD BY WINDS AND WATERS AND FEAR, COULD WELL ENGULF THE GREAT AND THE SMALL, THE RICH AND THE POOR, THE COMMITTED AND THE UNCOMMITTED ALIKE. MANKIND MUST PUT AN END TO WAR OR WAR WILL PUT AN END TO MANKIND.” — JOHN F. KENNEDY 11

THE AMERICAN Photography by ALVIN NGUYEN Hair by NIKO WEDDLE Make-up by BRIAN DEAN Styling by ALVIN STILLWELL (CELESTINE) Model JAMES FENSKE (HEFFNER MODEL MANAGEMENT)

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Jacket by OPENING CEREMONY; blazer by N. HOOLYWOOD; shirt

by Paul Smith; sweater and tie by BAND OF OUTSIDERS; glasses by CUTLER AND GROSS OF LONDON

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PREVIOUS Jacket by BILLY REID; sweater

by SHIPLEY AND HALMOS; shirt by BAND OF OUTSIDERS; sweater by VINCE; trousers

by PATRICK ERVELL; shoes by DUCKY BROWN THIS PAGE Sweater by JOHN VARVATOS; trousers by MADISON CONSERVATORY

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THIS PAGE Blazer by N. HOOLYWOOD; shirt

by Paul Smith; sweater and tie

by BAND OF OUTSIDERS; pocket square and belt by Hermes; trousers by GUILIANO FUJIWARA; shoes by DUCKY BROWN OPPOSITE Vest, blazer and shirt by PAUL AND JOE; trousers by PATRICK ERVELL; boots by Timberland

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PREVIOUS Blazer by SIMON SPURR; shirt by GILDED AGE; tie by BILLY REID; trousers by HENRIK VIBSKOV; shoes by DUCKY BROWN THIS PAGE Gingham shirt and cardigan by PAUL AND JOE; zip sweater by T. RAINS; peacoat by YMC LONDON; trousers by PATRICK ERVELL

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Hat by Rag and Bone; shirt and vest by PAUL AND JOE; sweater

by MICHAEL BASTIAN FOR GANT

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MY GENERATION HOW YOUNG PEOPLE CAME TO RULE THE FASHION WORLD (PART II).

Written by SAMANTHA TYLER

VIRTUAL PEDESTAL For the new kids on the fashion block, the Internet has become their new secret weapon.

It’s never been easier to create their own website, page, blog or to network.

And self-promotion has become the norm, far away from a question of vanity. Above all, it allows young people, without much experience, to give a real window into their work, and not only on a local level. Everyone I have interviewed agrees that the Internet is the best thing that could have happened to the fashion world. According to Saul Zanolari, “After [the] Internet, it is so oldstyle to talk about places. You can really do everything everywhere.”

For Victoria Rangayah, “sites such as Twitter are very helpful and beneficial.”

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Victoria could also praise the website Young British Designers, which sells her creations. This site is part of a new movement which aims to help discover new and emerging talents. Sites like this are numerous, creating everyday, and working to promote the work of designers who sometimes are still students.

The boom of the blogs is impossible to avoid, and confirms that social networks are the main tool of this computer-savvy generation; it also forces many mature brands to launch their online spaces and shops. The Internet’s potential to connect people and to open their universe is limitless. For David Benoliel, it is “awesome for inspiration, and more. You can meet other artists easily, and share projects. I had the chance to meet [New-York fashion

photographer] Greg Kadel, for example, who is a great source of inspiration for me.” Saroya Norris confirms that, in terms of inspiration, the Internet has revolutionized the possibilities of an artist, and even of a fashionista: “It makes it possible to be inspired by what’s popular in Tokyo or Brazil and [to] incorporate that into your personal style.”

THE WEIGHT OF THE PAST With this constant access to the latest trends, this race to eternal novelty, notions from the past, of apprenticeship and cultural legacy, are sometimes mistreated. Many individuals from the new generation proclaim that they are self-taught. In the case of David Benoliel, for example: “I didn’t take a ‘history

of photography’ class, and thus I work without any reference or inspiration—it forces me to find my own style.” For Saul Zanolari, it is “the ignorance of the past which is the key of my success!”

Are we dealing with a spontaneous generation? Some youngsters disregard the past, despising the techniques and the work of their predecessors, (a hardliner position, which curiously contrasts with some attempts to reintroduce the past in our wardrobes).

Others give history it’s respective due: “I do think it is important to study the past and there is nothing wrong with aspiring to walk in footsteps of legends, but for me, it is just as important to find your own way,” says Saroya. Still others prefer to plunge back into past decades; take, for example, Olympia Le Tan, who creates bags from ancient books. “In order to innovate, you have to know and understand the past,” defends Yiqing Yin: I’ve always admired the work of [French designers] Madame Grès and Madeleine Vionnet, who, in addition to their technical prowess, have in their own way redefined the notions of sensuality and freedom in women’s clothing. I’d much rather take inspirations from those classical grounds, and innovate from the beauty and emotions I find there, than follow any trend from prescribers today. I don’t believe in trends nor in the relevancy of inventing something absolutely new.

There is much freedom and value in the past than in the present when it comes to imagining a fresh vision for the future.

Trends, or rather fads, seem to make the young designers uncomfortable.

Perhaps because they are afraid to go unnoticed in this frenzy of collections, fashion weeks and daily releases.

THE TEMPTATION OF ART While some famous agitators of fashion, like Galliano, are collapsing, and after the death of Alexander McQueen, two different currents of thoughts have emerged. If one encourages oddity and celebrates young designers such as Iris Van Harpen, the other begs the young generation for more seriousness and the creation of wearable garments.

Some young designers get trapped in

“I DO THINK IT IS IMPORTANT TO STUDY THE PAST AND THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH ASPIRING TO WALK IN FOOTSTEPS OF LEGENDS, BUT FOR ME, IT IS JUST AS IMPORTANT TO FIND YOUR OWN WAY” SAYS SAROYA. this battle. Brazilian Pedro Lourenço, for example, confessed that he would prefer to create classical clothes, but he is only requested by his clients to do avant-garde based things. The fault of Lady Gaga? The young singer seems to irritate many young designers, because their clienthood, influenced by her provocative wardrobe, associate “youth” with “extravagance”. “Recently, I felt

that a lot of designers and artists have to go to the extremes to get noticed,” regrets Victoria. “In the future, I would like to see this changing. It would be nice to see more people appreciating true beauty again, without any ‘Gaga’ aspect.” Sara Battaglia agrees: “Being a young designer doesn’t mean that you are going to create something weird. We are just able to see fashion in a different way, but with real commercial concepts.”

The commercial aspect is what cuts the eccentrics out. Gareth Pugh was reproached for the sales figures (or lack thereof) after showing his first collections, and had to fight critics in order to prove he was not just a fashion crank. Now, Pugh has shown that his brand is something more serious and sellable. But we can’t deny that his approach is closer to Art than to commercial fashion, and he is not the only one. “The future is Fashion-Art, definitely,” assures Victoria. “However, we do need commercial designs to maintain and fund that.” Admits Sara: “To survive, it is important to sell, so I had to divide my collection between a commercial and a more artistic part.”

Conversely, many artists are coming to fashion, precisely for the economic aspect. New Yorker artist Darcy Miro was sculpting metal until she came out with the idea of creating jewelry. Same with Aussie designer Jordan Askill, based in London, who vacillates between jeweller and sculptor. Photography and the revival of fashion illustration

OPPOSITE: two looks from Z Mode’s F/W 2011 collection of recycled panty hoses dresses (photographed by MD Laing). THIS PAGE (L-R): the work of painter Saul Zanolari; three looks from Sara Battaglia’s F/W 2011 collection (photographed by Jiampaolo Sgura); a look from Yin’s F/W 2011 collection.

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further confuse the issue. But if fashion enriches artists and Art stimulates fashion, it is raising the prices.

LUXURY VERSUS DEMOCRATIZATION Haute Couture has always been luxury. But the financial crisis and the pressure of a younger clienthood, with lower incomes, have led the Fashion Industry to a dilemma: does it have to reassert its elitist identity, or, to the contrary, does it have to yield to democratization? “Outside factors, such as production costs and pressure from the fashion world to create something unique and complex limits designers from becoming more democratic,” warns Victoria.

Indeed, the Industry is showing reluctance to give up its pomp. The reasons are various. One is the question of quality. For Yiqing, the products she designs are closer to a very elitist idea of luxury, “but only because everything is made by hand, custom-tailored, with extreme attention to the details and a real exchange with the client. I want to propose clothes that are special and unique.” Also, the idea of the Shakespearian ‘happy-few’ titillates some. David is adamant: “Fashion and Art belong to luxury and should be preserved from democratization”; Saul answers that “luxury is part of the charm, as so many people are still more interested by the price than by the piece itself.” But the dream of accessing the wonders of fashion is still alive: “I believe there are very interesting bridges to build between the highest forms of fashion and art, and a more democratic approach,” says Yiqing. “If done intelligently, it can still preserve a sense of exclusivity and become more accessible, without vulgarity.”

Recently, the mythical French brand Carven, which has disappeared for many decades, chose fresh blood for its rebirth. Guillaume Henry, in his thirties, wants to give splendour back to the brand, but fights to offer quality at a reasonable price. Other designers prefer to secure their position by creating another line, less expensive. This is the case of Alexander Wang. “I think that you have to yield with the market to stay afloat,” says Saroya. “Everyone wants to be fabulous, no one wants to go broke. You shouldn’t have to, and with this market shift, you don’t.”

THE GOOD SIDE OF CRISIS The financial crisis is going to stigmatise the young generation for a long time, and many youngsters have been mowed 24

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down. But most of them try to stay positive, and claim that crisis in fact stimulated them. “It has forced myself, along with others in my field, to become even more creative and financially savvy,” says Saroya. “The pressure has made quite a few diamonds.”

Indeed, those who have survived suddenly became extremely bankable and wish that media would stop talking about economy, to start moving forward. For Sara, “Crisis is now part of the past, but the good point is that it conducted people to be more curious about the young brands.” The downturn also induced a genuine philosophical questioning about fashion, consumption, and the duty and the power of the youth. For Yiqing, “It is a good time to rethink our buying habits: long-lasting investment [as] opposed to fast fashion.

I hate the idea of waste, so I would like to encourage people to change their massconsumption habits, to lead them to be more selective and conscious. It could be a small change, but it is a start.” Some choose to take part in associations, like Sara, who has given one of her bags for an auction to the Heart Naked Foundation of model Natalia Vodianovna. Others are taking charge into their own hands: in the case of Victoria, for example, who decided to promote and raise awareness for sustainable fashion. For her Autumn/Winter 2011 collection, she worked with stockings retailer Tabio, using recycled stockings as her main material: “Stockings are essential in every woman’s wardrobe, however [they have] a very short life span. So I’ve decided to recycle them and put another creative stamp onto fashion recycling.”

It’s with passion that she declares: “I believe this is the way forward for the new generation”; she is joined by David, who claims, “I definitely believe that it is our generation’s duty to help change the world.”

Part I of this article started with the line: “I’m trying to talk about my generation, ‘cause it is a big sensation...”

The verb “try” is appropriate, as it seems almost impossible to contain the whole effervescence of the young fashion industry in just one article. And the notion of sensation is dangerous, as well as the quantity. The fuse could burn out in a few minutes—too many new names to remember, with their new concepts, more or less relevant... they shouldn’t lie to themselves: many of them will disappear. “In order to last, I think that the new generation has to maintain a real concern for quality and uniqueness in what it produces.

Clients need to be reassured in their purchase, they want to spend their money on something extraordinary and which doesn’t fall out of trend too fast,” concludes Yiqing.

For the moment, the fashion world has been quite welcoming to its progeny, helping them with prizes, festivals, foundations. But we are living in a society of brand-switching: what was great today could be forgotten tomorrow, and could cause damages in that generation full of impatience and hope.

“That generation” marked the start of a deep change; now, we have to show that we’re really trusting the future.

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PASTEL GAMES Photography by REMI KOZDRA & KASIA BACZULIS Hair/make-up by MAJA HOLCMAN Model KORNELIA (REBEL MODELS)

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UNCOMMON STATES FASHION OUTSIDE OF THE BIG APPLE. Written by KRISTEN UEKERMANN

EDWIN TSE

The characters in this story are not uncommon. They appear in almost every story about a young designer: the young boy or girl, staring out their bedroom window, sketchbook in hand, dreaming about the day they show a collection at Fashion Week in New York City. They are just like thousands of aspiring designers all over the United States, except for one thing: they don’t want to go to Manhattan.

Fashion was always in Chicagoan Sophie Lin’s blood, and when she decided to go to school and study design, she chose to stay in her hometown. “I believe Chicago is going to rise up”, Lin says, “and I want to be here when it does.” When she and her husband, Cheikh Lam, started J. Cheikh, their own menswear line, there was no question that the company would be based in Chicago. There are a large number of fabric representatives in the city, with, Lin notes, “the same, maybe better service” than in Manhattan. Also important when making their decision was the fact that, “Chicago is a great place to live and raise a family. I can’t raise my kids in New York.”

With a line of sleek jackets, trousers and dress shirts in a sophisticated color palette (think: a basic black dinner jacket with a silver brocade lapel, or a slightly slouchier jacket in the darkest navy velvet), J. Cheikh strives to be the line that makes fashion accessible to the “everyman.” “We are reaching out to the average bloke and making him feel comfortable with fashion,” says Lin, adding that their pieces are all classic items men are already used to wearing, while being “sneaky with fashionable fabric.” She pauses, and adds, “Being based in Chicago definitely affects our design aesthetic. We are a little less affected. We’re not living in a 24-7 fashion world.

Our designs are a little more pure to what men would want, as opposed to trying to be trendy. We’re shopable.”

Abi Ferrin, the 2007 winner of Texas’ Next Top Designer, agrees that her location affects her design. “The women in Dallas are not afraid to try new things, to stand out in the crowd, to wear bright colors and to just be free in their wardrobe choices,” she says. “Women who wear [my designs] might wake up in Texas, and be in England the same evening. My clientele is so diverse and well-traveled, I have to think about my work in a global sense.” After beginning her designing career in Los Angeles, Ferrin made the decision to move her burgeoning company to Texas:

ABOVE: A look from Fischer Clothing’s F/W 2010 collection.

I was visiting my cousin who lived in Dallas. We went to Willie Nelson’s Fourth of July picnic, and I was sold! The way that Texans nurture the entrepreneurial spirit [was] a big contrast from my life in Hollywood. Dallas is a great hybrid of business opportunity and a locally-owned, purpose-driven way of life. The fashion industry has a huge history of success from Dallas that I believe is ready to be revived.

Part of Ferrin’s Next Top Designer prize was a boutique space in a chic loft building just outside downtown Dallas. The building is filled with artists of all varieties, which Ferrin says makes it easy for her to find inspiration. She also finds that her customers are incredibly supportive of the brand, saying, “Dallas has a unique combination of being a big city, while 34

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[still] providing the ability to form real and lasting relationships.”

It’s easy to think that for Parsonstrained Kristina Angelozzi of Fischer Clothing, relationships in the New York design industry are easy to come by.

But this Brooklyn designer notes that, while “Parsons gave me connections and leverage, I went straight into the mass market industry (OshKosh, Gap).

In mass market you get further away from understanding how to do your own line, so you have to figure it all out for yourself. Vendors and factories have actually been of tremendous help.”

While all her manufacturing is in New York, Angelozzi sources her fabric from across the country, recently acquiring her organic cotton from Texas. “I wanted to create it in America,” she says. “With the localization of other industries, like food, I think this is becoming important to people.”

Operating out of her Green Point studio/apartment, Angelozzi notes that her Brooklyn residence is reflected in her designs. “There’s so much going on…you want to make your decisions

easier. My reaction to the city is to try to pare down and minimalize.” Indeed, looking at Fischer Clothing’s classic, American sportswear style, it’s easy to understand Angelozzi when she states, “It’s slow fashion. You can buy a shirt one season and it’s not going to go out of style. We have small closets; we can’t wait for our shirts to come back in style after ten years!”

While all of these artists found that building their business outside of Manhattan works for them, being in a smaller market can be a double-edged sword. “We get plenty of local exposure in Chicago,” says Lin, “but that doesn’t necessarily translate into a bump in sales.” There is also the concern that other markets won’t “get” their designs.

Angelozzi is selling in ten stores this fall (in New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, New Jersey, New Mexico and Japan) and she finds that “people who get the brand really respond to it…but other people don’t get it— they want to see edgy fashion.” Ferrin, whose designs are rolling out nationally through Nordstrom, notes, “Over and

over there have been people who tried to augment what I saw for my company.

Does everybody ‘get’ my work? Not yet.

But I am ready to change the way people see the rules.”

Meanwhile, the globalization of fashion makes it possible for design to grow anywhere. “Being near the Garment District is pretty helpful,” says Angelozzi: Say you see some cool buttons, you can run down the street and get some.

But in this day and age, you can get cool buttons from anywhere! It’s so accessible now—you don’t have to have a subscription to Vogue to know what is going on in fashion. Look at lookbook.nu.

People using fashion to create their own identity? That’s global.

Turns out, fashion fits a pretty common business model after all—you have to think strategically about your plan and where you fit in the industry.

“It all depends on what you want out of your business,” says Lin. “Do you want a successful business, or do you want to be internationally known?”

MATT TIMMONS

BILLY ROOD

EDWIN TSE

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: A look from J Cheikh’s F/W 2011-2012 collection; a look from Fischer Clothing’s S/S 2010 collection; another look from J Cheikh’s F/W 2011-2012 collection.

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FASHION INTERNSHIPS GETTING YOUR FOOT IN THE DOOR. Written by ALYSSA DAVIS

I interviewed former fashion interns from across the country to get the inside scoop on what it takes to become a familiar face in this growing industry. Observers learn quickly that the chance of being offered a job after completing an internship is slim.

Yet surprisingly, that’s not what students are after. Experience is competitive and professional contacts are everything.

Sure skills play a part on this journey, but young professionals argue it’s all about who you know. From their diehard dedication to their daily dilemmas, real life interns share the importance of networking before getting a degree.

NEXT STOP, NEW YORK New York City is at the center of fashion.

It offers unmatchable advantages over its competitors, such as a diverse collection of creative talent and retail space in highly-trafficked locations.

Serving as headquarters to over 900 fashion companies, NYC ranks above any other city in the country. Although the fashion industry faced many challenges due to the global financial crisis, the industry, according to the New York City Economic Development Corporation, currently employs 165,000 people, accounting for 5.5 percent of the City’s workforce.

Prospective students looking to thrive on the east coast: take note that, although Fashion programs are growing at an alarming rate, NYC boasts the countries best fashion schools. Combined, 36

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the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT), LIM College, Parsons The New School for Design, and Pratt Institute graduate over 1,000 students each year, many of whom choose to work in NYC (90 percent of FIT graduates stay).

Aside from housing many of the industry’s premier designers, a majority of the leading fashion publications are also located in the “Big Apple.” After watching socialites Lauren Conrad and Whitney Port begin their careers as fashion mavens on MTV’s The Hills and The City (both were former Teen Vogue interns), producers had students believe that interning for the press was a first class ticket to the heart of the industry.

Megan Lalli, of Lasell College, interned with the fashion department of Women’s Wear Daily in NYC, assisting fashion editors with styling on photoshoots.

While she managed to acquire a “dream internship,” a whopping $12 daily stipend and countless days of checking in and out boxes upon boxes of samples in a tiny, overcrowded closet (with three other girls) was the last thing she’d compare to glamorous. “Luckily all of us got along so well. We were basically drowning in beautiful clothes,” Megan says.

If you have a passion for the field and are willing to do just about anything, the perks of interning are easier to identify. Kaleigh O’Brien, an FIT student, completed an editorial internship with Time Out New York Magazine. She was in

charge of responding to the editors’ fashion week invites, and had the opportunity to go to events they couldn’t attend. “I never imagined within a year of moving to New York I’d be sitting front row at fashion week next to famous editors and bloggers that I admire. I even had my picture taken by Bill Cunningham at the Hervé Léger show.

It was a real taste of what I could have if I continued to push myself through school and future internships.” Kaleigh wasn’t offered a job since she is still in school, but was offered a continued internship through the Summer and Fall. She was also asked to keep on as a freelance style writer. The internship process may sound dreadful, and surviving on a nonexistent salary isn’t easy, but when your resume can mirror those of professionals three or four years into the work force, it comes down to how bad you want it.

Fashion start-ups provide great experience for interns yearning to explore a company on a more personal level. Hannah Kimmerle, also from FIT, completed a womenswear design internship with Mandy Coon in NYC. She saw the perks in interning for a smaller label: “It’s great when I interview at other companies and they personally know who I interned for,” says Hannah, who was also used as the fit model for Mandy. “I guess that makes up for having to run back and forth from downtown to the Garment District all day during snow storms,” she kids. Leading “next-generation” fashion retailers, such as Gilt Groupe, Rent The Runway and FashionStake, are also headquartered in NYC, adding to the City’s innovative fashion start-up scene.

POST INTERNSHIP PAYING JOBS Obtaining a job after completing an internship is difficult, but not impossible.

Jennifer Ugland, from the University Of South Carolina, was offered a paid position after completing her merchandising and styling internship at the high-end women’s clothing boutique, The Pink Hanger. Currently she assists in managing, buying, merchandising, styling, public relations and visual: “The contacts I have made here have helped and guided me on my career path,” Jennifer prides.

Kenna Wynne-Jones, of the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising (FIDM; Los Angeles Campus), turned her internship into a role as Public Relations Coordinator at bebe. Kenna has the Career Center at FIDM to thank for her internship opportunity; she mentions that meetings with her advisor were very helpful in following up with job leads, resume editing and internship/

career advice. “Use the resources FIDM gives you, ” says Kenna. “Talk to your teachers—they are industry professionals and probably are doing what you’d like to do with your own career.”

If you enjoy building relationships with industry professionals, public relations may be just the field. At bebe, Kenna’s typical workday consists of emailing fashion editors of magazines such as Vogue, Cosmo, InStyle and Harper’s Bazaar, and sending them new samples for whatever shoot they are working on.

Kenna also works with stylists who come into the studio and pulls bebe clothes for their clients, aiming to get bebe merchandise in as much press as she can.

Something to keep in mind when searching for an internship is that non-profit companies often do not offer paid positions aside from the director.

This was the case for Anne Hastings of Colorado State University, who interned with TACtile Textile Arts. Although her work was unpaid, she says she gained valuable experience designing class brochures and gallery set displays.

FASHION HAS NO BOUNDARIES Have your heart set on interning for a specific position but there are currently no openings available? Try looking a little further. Many luxury brands originated in Europe, and therefore have their headquarters overseas. Laura Bross, a former student at Stephens College, decided to go abroad to complete her internal public relations internship with Burberry London. Laura was not offered a job upon graduation, but used her references to land a job in the Burberry Americas offices in NYC. Christine Lam, a fashion design major who studied in Boston and the Paris Academy, wanted to reach beyond the comforts of home. While most girls flock to NYC, Christine interned for Georgia Hardinge in London. “Being abroad helped me see things differently— and definitely changed the way I design.

The fashion industry is embraced and more appreciated in Europe, a notion that isn’t valued enough here,” she says.

After spending a decent amount of time in both Paris and London, Christine is convinced that there is a big gap between where the European and U.S. fashion industries stand. “The U.S. sense of style is fairly conservative. We play it safe.

We tend to design things preferred by the masses and hence, we embrace mass production.” Aside from the unexpected gain of a new perspective, Christine didn’t leave empty handed. With an aim to work abroad, she has made an effort

to keep good relationships with both peer and professional groups, and believes that developing a network will no doubt pay off.

WHY YOU NEED TO DO A FASHION INTERNSHIP WHILE IN SCHOOL—EVEN IF IT’S NOT REQUIRED FOR A DEGREE Some majors don’t require an internship in order to graduate. While Lasell College in Boston requires Fashion Merchandising students to do an internship, Fashion Design majors have the freedom to focus instead on their senior collections. Students argue that there’s always the option of fulfilling a full-time internship post graduation— but, others would argue, not so fast.

As you’re surfing the web for internships, you will come across a list of requirements. While they all vary depending on the different skills required and area of the fashion industry, there is usually one that remains constant. You may be left asking, “What’s up with the requirement to be a full-time student?”

Sure, it makes sense to limit the number of applicants to those holding a higher education and maturity level, but what about recent grads? Has the opportunity to participate in an internship suddenly vanished with the completion of a degree?

To answer this question fully, I turned to the language of the law.

According to the Department of Labor’s Division of Labor Standards Enforcement, there are six different rules an employer must satisfy in order to legally hire an unpaid intern. The first of these states: The internship, even though it includes actual operation of the employer’s facilities, is similar to that which would be given in a vocational school.

In other words, when the intern receives school credit that is applicable towards his or her degree and is acknowledged by the educational institution, the internship adequately substitutes for classroom instruction.

Without this substitution the employer risks obligation to pay the intern, at the least, minimum wage.

Over the last five years, the ratio of paid to unpaid internships has decreased dramatically. It makes sense – the economy takes a plunge, and free labor becomes more appealing to industry leaders. The majority of paid internships just aren’t around anymore, at least not in the fashion industry. Every year, thousands of obsessed fashionistas compete to have high-end designers and brands on their resume. We’re living in a world where a single contact, the brief chance to network, has become compensation of its own.

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Sheer printed t-shirt by Helmut Lang at Start; rose leather skirt by JOANNE HYNES; rose engraved cuff and rose tubular bracelet by MARIA FRANCESCA PEPE; embellished necklace by JESSICA MAY BENNETT; white wedges, by ATALANTA WELLER

BEAUTIFUL DREAMER Photography by NATALIE J WATTS at www.nataliejwatts.com Photo assistants DIANA STAINTON & ANNA EDWARDS-MCCONWAY Hair by BENNY HANCOCK for SCHWARZKOPF Make-up by MICHELLE WEBB for MAC PRO Make-up assistant RAQUEL BERNADO Styling by SIOUXSIE at www.obrepresents.com Styling assistants EMMA SAVILL & KSENIA LESNYKH Model GEORGIE (PREMIER) Location 45 MILLBANK, LONDON 39

THIS PAGE AND OPPOSITE Dress by Etro; sequin body by TESSA EDWARDS; necklace by JASMIN GILES; belt, by KIRSTY WARD; gold and rose ring by MIQUELLA; knee high socks are stylist’s own; grey wedges 40 2011 www.papercutmag.com

by PAM SEPTEMBER HOGG

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THIS PAGE Purple sparkly cardigan by ROSS & BUTE; yellow and grey splash print dress by EUGENE.LIN.; embellished collar by JOANNE HYNES; woven bracelets by ELINOR VOYTAL; turquoise earrings, cuff and gold bangle by ERICKSON BEAMON; gold and rose ring by MIQUELLA PREVIOUS Butterfly necklace and grey leather sequin jacket by JOANNE HYNES; hoop earrings by MIQUELLA; silver visor headpiece by CLARE WHITTINGHAM; purple print trousers by VANESSA G. GREY; wedges by PAM HOGG

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THIS PAGE Outfit by HERMIONE DE PAULA; necklace by KIRSTY WARD; eye-piece (made to order) by ARTLESS; Shoes by Alexander McQueen OPPOSITE Silk Top by BEYOND THE VALLEY; printed leggings

by HILDA MAHA; silver neoprene shorts (worn over the leggings) by LUCAS NASCIMENTO; necklace by JASMIN GILES; gold drop earrings by KATIE ROWLAND; mirrored sunglasses by HEIDI at Start; Grey wedges by PAM HOGG

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Sheer printed t-shirt by Helmut Lang at Start; rose leather skirt by JOANNE HYNES; rose engraved cuff and rose tubular bracelet by MARIA FRANCESCA PEPE; embellished necklace by JESSICA MAY BENNETT; white wedges, by ATALANTA WELLER

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THIS MONTH WE BRING YOU THREE FUTURISTIC PROJECTS THAT ARE TRANSFORMING THE VERY NATURE OF FASHION DESIGN BY HARNESSING THE LATEST TECHNOLOGICAL BREAKTHROUGHS IN 3-D PRINTING AND RAPID PROTOTYPING.

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CUT AND PATTERN CONTINUUM FASHION IS REVOLUTIONIZING THE WAY WE VIEW SWIMWEAR. Written by ERIN BERRY

What do these three things have in common: geometry, digital printing and swimwear? Just ask Jenna Fizel and Mary Huang, the co-founders of Continuum Fashion, a company that formulated the first bikini that can be literally printed from a computer. The “N12” bikini, named for the Nylon 12 material it is composed of, is a revolutionary garment that changes the face of fashion by replacing the needle and thread with computer and printer.

Both designers have a background in design, but their combined skills beautifully link Art and Technology to create Continuum. Jenna currently designs interactive environments at Small Design Firm, Inc. in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

She has a background working in computational geometry at Kohn Pederson Fox Associates and a Bachelor of Science in Architectural Design from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Mary most recently worked in interaction design at Local Projects in New York City and is known in fashion for her line Rhyme and Reason, a collection of lightemitting diode, or LED, dresses. She has a Bachelor of Arts in Design Media Arts from the University of California, Los Angeles, and a Master of Arts from the Copenhagen Institute of Interaction Design.

The process for creating the N12 bikini hatched from the concept of textile design and its relationship to computation.

The first computers used the same method as the Jacquard Loom, an early textile production tool that used punch cards to create intricate patterns for the complete product. Modern computers are involved in textile production to efficiently mimic what the human hand can create, but Continuum celebrates what the computer itself can accomplish, utilizing the complexity of three-dimensional (3-D) modeling and printing. The close-knit circular pattern was inspired by a beaded necklace folded upon itself so the circles nest together.

Circles have the flexibility to contour to the curves of a woman’s body, making the bathing suit ideal for custom sizing. Using a person’s measurements, the pattern is created mathematically with flatter areas having larger circles and curved areas having smaller circles. This precise pattern enables the suit to fit like a second skin to any person’s body. The pattern is then entered into the computer to be printed. The Nylon 12 is a solid plastic material used because it is thin enough to be fed through the 3D printer and also offers flexibility and comfort.

This process enables a pattern to be directly printed in one piece, providing an instant ready-to-wear garment.

Although 3-D printing is still a newborn process, Continuum is working to market their garments as fashionable and affordable. As the process is perfected in the future, we could be seeing “printed” clothing in retail stores.

Perhaps eventually consumers could order and print items directly to their homes, making fashion completely accessible.

Continuum Fashion shows that Technology and the Arts can be seamlessly intertwined in an efficient and futuristic way.

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THIS PAGE, CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: a detailed look at the Nylon 12 material that constitutes the bathing suit; alternate views of the three-dimensional modeling techniques employed. OPPOSITE: the N12 bikini (photographed by Ariel Efron and modeled by Bojana Draskovic) courtesy of www.continuumfashion.com.

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MICHEL ZOETER FOR IRIS VAN HERPEN

PETROVSKI & RAMONE FOR IRIS VAN HERPEN SHAMILA @ ERIC ELENBAAS FOR IRIS VAN HERPEN

MICHEL ZOETER FOR IRIS VAN HERPEN

MICHEL ZOETER FOR IRIS VAN HERPEN

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SHAMILA @ ERIC ELENBAAS FOR IRIS VAN HERPEN

DIGITAL DRESSING IRIS VAN HERPEN IS CREATING A NEW DIRECTION FOR COUTURE FASHION. Written by NORA ELIZABETH SOFIA GILLIGAN It has been said that fashion repeats and recycles itself, everevolving but rarely new. The recent collaboration between Dutch fashion designer Iris van Herpen, architects Daniel Widrig and Isaie Bloch, and digital manufacturers .MGX by Materialise are imaginative and boundary-pushing enough, however, to seriously challenge that sentiment. Van Herpen’s Crystallization collection, launched at S/S 2011 Amsterdam Fashion Week, was a first in its presentation of digitally-printed dresses, creating “a new direction of couture that combines fine handiwork techniques with futuristic digital technology.”

Van Herpen hails from Wamel, a small town in the Netherlands, and studied fashion design at ArtEZ Institute of the Arts in Arnhem. After completing internships with Alexander McQueen in London and Claudy Jongstra in Amsterdam, the 27-year-old designer started her own selfnamed label in 2007. Although Van Herpen claimed that she “doesn’t have a mentor” in an Italian Vogue interview (December 2010), both designers’ influence is apparent in Van Herpen’s unique aesthetic. In her own words: In all my work I try to make clear that fashion is an artistic expression, showing and wearing art, and not just a functional and devoid of content or commercial tool. I intend to show that fashion can certainly have an added value to the world, that it is timeless and that its consumption can be less important then its beginning. Wearing clothing can create a very exciting and imperative form of self-expression. ‘Form follows function’ is not a slogan with which I concur. On the contrary, I find that forms complement and change the body and thus the emotion.

Movement, so essential to and in the body, is just as important in my work. By bringing form, structure and materials together in a new manner, I try to suggest and realize optimal tension and movement.

based on an old one. They’re really concepts that exist in my mind. Everyday things that I translate into my collections, I usually start totally from scratch.”

Van Herpen’s latest collection, Capriole, debuted five looks researched and developed with Bloch and .MGX at A/W 2011 Paris Haute Couture. The pieces’ geometric structure and dreamlike aura have been fast-drawing comparisons to McQueen (YouTube her Crystallization show and compare to the Legend’s Paris finale); as the Washington Post review read, “No other designer on the three-day-long couture calendar came anywhere near to pushing the envelope as far as Iris Van Herpen.”

“Re-evaluating reality, shape shifting and frightening concepts. Crafted elegance combined with innovative materials that create a futuristic touch. Complexity and joy for life. Expressing and underlining individuality. The world to come.” When asked by Vogue Italia to describe her “greatest dream,” Van Herpen replied, “That all my dreams come true.”

With her ability to turn vision into reality, I think it’s safe to say that many of them already have.

Crystallization was the first of three Van Herpen collections co-created with an architect’s eye and .MGX’s laser-sintering technique, which selectively fuses small pieces of plastic or nylon powder into a desired three-dimensional shape. A combination of rapid-prototyping and traditional sewing, the pieces in Crystallization were inspired by the “transformation of liquid into crystals,” and the “structure and chaos” dually-embodied by this process: It started with a collaboration with Benthem Crouwel Architekten.

They designed a museum that looks like a massive bathtub and asked me to design a dress inspired by that museum. I decided to design what was missing: the water inside the bath; a dress that is like a warm bath around you, splashed around the body.

While working on the water-dress, I got fascinated by the secrets and invisibility of water. It is the opposite of structure and chaos within water that I translated in this collection.

Van Herpen’s next collection, Escapism, showed at Paris Fashion Week. The aim was to make more lightweight and flexible —read: wearable—dresses, while delving deeper into advanced digital design techniques and computer-aided manufacturing.

Although Escapism was the evolution of her previous work, Van Herpen insists that each piece is utterly unique: “Most of my concepts are fairly abstract. I don’t like creating a new image

OPPOSITE, CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: a look from Van Herpen’s Escapism collection; the opening of the Crystallization show; the designer with models at the close of her Crystallization show; a look from the Crystallization collection; a look from the Capriole collection, Paris Haute Couture show; a look from the Crystallization collection.

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ANDREIA CHAVES AND THE INVISIBLE SHOES FREEDOM OF CREATION TALKS ABOUT ITS 3-D SHOE DESIGNER. Written by LEE HERSHEY Photographed by ANDREW BRADLEY Show designer Andreia Chaves’ “Invisible Shoe” has become something of a sensation in the blogosphere, since its showcase at an exhibition in collaboration with Hervé Léger at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week last February. A native of São Paolo, Brazil, Chaves attended the Polimoda Fashion Institute in Florence, Italy (she still works from Florence, as well as out of Ireland). She began gaining international attention even before her graduation from Polimoda, with her work on other designs, like “The Prism Shoe,” “The Form & Texture” and “The Velcro Shoe.”

“The Invisible Shoe” uses advanced three-dimensional (3D) printing technology, and has a mirrored surface, ultimately creating a deceptive visual effect with every step, and blending into any environment like a chameleon1. The shoe explores the concept of invisibility and optical illusion, while the “Naked Invisible” version of the shoe does just the opposite: reveal. For the latter, each version is handmade in Italy with leather.

Chaves explores concepts like “The Invisible Shoe” and “The Naked Invisible” through her collaboration with the Netherlands-based studio Freedom of Creation (FOC)2. FOC provides design, product development and manufacturing services to corporate industries such as Nike, Asics, L’Oreal and Heineken, as well as to independent and emerging designers like Chaves.

Using the research and technologies behind 3D printing, FOC explores the unlimited expressive possibilities that these innovations provide. Other products that FOC has collaborated on with clients include light fixtures, jewelry, handbags and wallpaper. The range of products and projects are unlimited; from advertising items and gadgets, to home décor, textiles and model-making. FOC has received international recognition and awards, such as the Cannes Lion Award 2008 and The Mobius Award; several permanent collections are at museums like the Fashion Institute of Technology and the Museum of Arts & Design in New York, the Design Museum in Holon, Israel and the Vitra Design Museum in Germany.

Chaves’ footwork is more artistic than practical, however, her work and technique emphasizes a mastery of traditions (such as leatherwork and crafting) which embrace twenty-first century technologies. Leather is used because of its ability to shape to the foot. For the hard structure of “The Invisible Shoe,” laser-sintered Nylon is used to create the tough outer shell. The technique used is a form of rapid prototyping— Nylon layers are built up and fused together by a laser beam.

Chaves’ vision and aesthetic is architectural and structural, as her approach redefines and manipulates conception of movement and space.

Each of Chaves’ pieces is available in limited edition, in three models, and conceived individually rather than by collection. A few of her prototype models include the following:

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“THE INVISIBLE” as described previously, immerses the foot into the environment through its reflective, finished surface, creating an optical effect of obscurity (or invisibility) by “deleting” the foot from the wearer, and essentially, from reality.

“THE NAKED INVISIBLE” has a similar form and structure to “The Invisible Shoe,” however reveals the foot through a grid-like shell, creating juxtaposition to its sister in revealing instead of concealing.

“THE PRISM SHOE” is an origami piece of intricate structure and geometric design.

“THE FORM & TEXTURE SHOE” uses material like leather, sycamore and wood cubes to create an expressive commentary on chaos and order, as the framework combines the indestructible with disorder.

“THE TWIRLED SANDAL” is made from PVC and metal. Again, Chaves plays with the contradictions of order and disorder, as well as optical effects, as she manipulates the aesthetics of footwear, but retains the necessary functional elements.

“THE VELCRO SHOE” is made of ordinary Velcro strips that hold the foot in place. As Velcro, its shape can be manipulated, redesigned.

It is an example of Chaves’ vision to re-conceptualize how ordinary materials can be used.

Blogs are rampant with features regarding Chaves; she also appeared in a feature for Italian Vogue in December 2010, aiding Chaves’ reach to a wider audience and retailers.

At the moment, besides preparing for Paris Fashion Week 2011, Chaves is establishing her business and relationships with partners, like FOC, and potential retailers that will make her shoes marketable at a global scale. Following the Hervé Léger’s show, Chaves launched in Asia in association with I.T Hong Kong, as well as the opening of I.T Beijing in March 2011. She is also working towards launching her first commercial models: “The Invisible Shoe Series.” Beyond I.T Hong Kong and Beijing, Chaves’ fantastical work can be preordered from retailer Not Just A Label, and also from her website (www.andreiachaves.com).

1. The 3D-printing process transforms a computer-aided design file into a real object by a printing press; then adds one layer of matter onto another until the entire object is created.

2. For this feature, Chaves was unable to be reached due to her preparations for Paris Fashion Week 2011. But her collaborations with Freedom of Creation (FOC) have projected her into the fashion spotlight. FOC was interviewed in lieu of its client, Chaves.

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JAC LANGHEIM OUR SEPTEMBER DESIGNER FEATURE. Interview by CARLEY BURKE Photographed by HADAR When I first discovered designer Jac Langheim, and her penchant for latex, my thoughts immediately turned to fetish clothing­—along the lines of Britney Spears’ iconic “Oops!...I did it again” outfit. Instead, what I came across was something truly stunning.

Langheim’s latex collection has brought this natural fibre out of the fetish world and into high-end fashion. Her pieces can be worn on a daily basis, and are completely feminine and flattering to the eye. Lady Gaga became an instant fan of Jac Langheim designs; Langheim returned the favour by dressing the pop star for her performance on Saturday Night Live. I needed to find out more about Langheim, and how her beautiful collections evolved.

Tell me how you started in the fashion industry?

Years ago, I was out shopping with a friend, and we popped into one of those stores that wraps your purchase in discreet, unmarked bags. At the time I was a bigger girl, so normally I stayed away from anything tight and shiny, but for fun I tried on a latex dress. I was amazed at how it smoothed my shape, and how comfortable it was. The store didn’t really carry anything I would want to wear outside of a costume party or the bedroom, and I didn’t have better luck when searching online.

So eventually I decided to just make what I was looking for. I would wear my designs out and about, and people would ask where I bought my clothes. So, I started designing for friends, and then their friends, and so on. Last summer I met Roger and Mauricio of MAO Public Relations and they liked what I was doing. They encouraged me to focus on my work and create an official line. With their mentorship, two months later, I debuted my first collection.

Looking at your fall/winter 2011 collection, what most inspired you when creating these beautiful, wearable clothes?

For fall/winter 2011, I was really inspired by Nell, the heroine from the Neal Stephenson book, The Diamond Age. Nell 56

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develops into this amazing combination of “futuristic cyber punk soldier” and renaissance royalty. I love how she is strong, gritty [and] unyielding, but also demure and regal, so I created a wardrobe for her.

It sounds like you were not initially a fan of latex, until coaxed into trying on a dress made out of the material. As a designer, what was going through your mind while wearing a latex dress for the first time?

I was thinking, “Wow…this is tight and shiny…and makes me look skinny and it feels awesome? Yes! Ohh…but if I bend over everyone is going to see my bits…” But, just to clarify a little, it’s not that I wasn’t a fan of latex because it was fetish clothing and not high fashion. I don’t think the two have to be mutually exclusive of one another. I wasn’t initially drawn to [latex] because I couldn’t find any designs that worked with my personal style.

What most interested you, then, in using latex for your designs?

Well, it’s really fun to wear! I like that it feels good – when it’s snug it shapes the body, and when it’s draped it bounces and makes a really distinctive sound. Like the full, pleated skirt, it sounds like thunder when you jump around in it.

You mention a “silk” treatment on your website that some of your designs undertake (making latex easy to squeeze into, with no need for lubricant or powder—sounds frightening!). What is the “silk” process like?

One of the things I’m very mindful about in my design is that it has to be accessible and wearable. Lubricant and powder can get really messy when you are dressing, and aren’t ideal for when you want to mix latex with other fabrics. So we’ve introduced our “silk” treatment into most of our pieces. The treatment is a chemical bath that alters the molecular structure of the surface of the rubber and leaves it feeling silky smooth. For the wearer, it’s great because it makes garments easier to put on and take off. It also dulls the [material’s] smell, protects the latex from stains and lengthens the longevity of the garment. As a designer, [this] gives me a lot more freedom. I can design without having to worry about if lubricant will ruin other fabrics. And we can do things like rubber-covered buttons and belt buckles, which you will see with the next season.

Lady Gaga wore one of your designs for Saturday Night Live; what other celebrity would you like to create a design for and why? Where would you like them to wear the garment?

Designing for Lady Gaga is always really fun, and I love that, no matter how big a design is, she always carries it with authority.

Next, I’d like to go to the other end of the spectrum and design a dress for Michelle Obama to wear to a party. I like her style.

She is classic, but always shows personality. I think she would look wonderful in something like the Rock-Shock Cylon dress, but probably not in transparent. I don’t want to be responsible for a presidential “nip slip!”

drag queen. I really bond with people who believe life is a celebration, and that we should become more colorful with every year. I foresee a lot of brightly colored hats, and loud jewelry in my later years. So...lots of color! My studio looks like it was attacked by a rainbow at the moment. Also, many other fabrics! I think the collection is about half rubber, and half silks, with some jersey here and there.

How would you describe your daily working life?

I’m not [a] particularly early morning person, so I start at ten. The other girls who work here come in at eleven. We largely work as a team; no one really has job titles. We do a lot of the latex production in house, so they are often busy making clothes. I usually start with the business stuff, sales, emails, managing our new online store, etc. In the afternoon and evening I’m working on the collection, and also creating custom designs for clients.

Recently I’ve spent a lot of time choosing fabrics and trims, and experimenting with different construction techniques to combine fabric and rubber. I spend a lot of time during fittings both with the collection, and with my custom clients. I don’t get as much time to actually cut and construct garments [like] I used to, but I really do enjoy creating with my hands. So I usually finish the day with finishing a garment.

What would you like to achieve within the next five years?

Given my nature, I think that I will want to expand into other areas of design. This summer I’ve been enjoying doing some custom design for event planners. Everything from horned shoes to a cage-like sculpture that a model could wear as a hoop skirt (but also slide down and sit inside of). I’d like to do more events, and I’d love to do costuming for films.

In the near future I’d like Jac Langheim to be carried in more boutiques and eventually department stores. I’d like to incorporate shoes, more accessories and home designs. And of course, later down the road, I’d like to have my own stores in major cities all over the world.

Jac Langheim is a truly inspirational designer; I am already looking forward to her next collection, and I believe it will be even bigger and better than her previous lines as she continues to grow in all aspects of design.

For more information about Jac Langheim visit her website http://www.jaclangheim.com

Are there any other designers you would like to work with one day? Who and why?

I enjoy working with people who see things differently than I do. I have tremendous respect for Gareth Pugh. I would like to work with him, because his work is unapologetically bold, and unique. I think it’s important as a designer, and [as] a person, to constantly push the boundaries of your perspective.

What can we expect from your next collection?

I was inspired by a friend who announced that every year that she got older she wanted to look more and more like a 58

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EDITORIAL CREDITS ARE AS FOLLOWS: photography by Hadar; hair by Lizzie Arneson; make-up

by Roberto Casey; styling by Ryan Richmond; model is Noel (RED).

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“CA C’EST INC’OYABLE!” THE EXTREME FASHIONS OF REVOLUTIONARY FRANCE. Written by LEE HERSHEY Illustrated by TANJA METELITSA Before the emo rockers of our time donned skinny jeans and let their hair grow disheveled, before the grunge glamour of the early ‘90s and the gritty luxe of the punk-rock look, far long before London Teddy Boys created a scene, and Baudelaire and Balzac haunted Paris as bohemians, stepping out into the streets of 1795 France in the wrong colors or cut of dress was a conscious, rebellious decision that could lead to certain death.

FRANCE AND THE REVOLUTION The era of France between 1789 and 1799 was wrought with turmoil: ruling political groups went in and out of power as quickly as one could say, “Off with his head!” Moreover, France was fraught with famine, as well as enormous national debt which shook the traditionally regaled economies like the wine and silk industry.

Perhaps what is so unique about the French Revolution is not only how quickly the country was engulfed in this fiery riot of reform, but, also, how young its leaders were. The main heads of the Revolution, like Robespierre and Danton, were entering their midthirties, but the real instigators were young middle- or lower-middle class men who either served as clerks or had bottom positions in the military.

On both fronts, whether as part of the Jacobins or the Girondist, these youths spurred the fire of political fervor throughout France, especially in the streets of Paris.

The political affairs of France during this time were more than complicated. On the extreme right, there was the National Convention, supported by the Jacobins and led

by Robespierres. The Girondists on the other-hand were affiliated with the Royalists, the Federalists, and the Brissotins. While less extremist than the Jacobins in their ideas of political reform, they were quickly overthrown and Danton, their leader, was guillotined.

Soon after the Reign of Terror (under the direction of Robespierre,

which resulted in the deaths of thousands of people in a few short months), Robespierre and the National Convention were overthrown and Robespierre befell the same fate as many of his own victims and enemies: the guillotine. The Directoire took over power in France, and established a temperate government which would precede Napoleon’s reign during the Consulate era.

LES INCROYABLES: THE ORIGINAL MEN OF SWAGGER The laissez-faire style of the Directoire permitted émigré French aristocrats to return to France and resume their luxurious and vagrant lifestyles. Because many of these aristocrats had escaped to England during the years of National Convention, upon their return, they brought with them many of the English styles of fashion. In many ways, this crossover of cultures would change fashion forever. Clothes became sportier (i.e. the English country attire for horseriding); colors took on gender roles (e.g. womenswear took on lighter shades of pastels and whites, while menswear was of the darker grays, blacks, navies and forest greens, thus giving birth to the origins of the modern-day suit).

While such changes were being made among the higher class, street fashions went to anther extreme as they came to define not only political affiliations, but lifestyles and choices. The youth who had formally supported the Girondist efforts now aligned themselves politically with the Directoire, and aimed to wipe out any Jacobin supporters. Their beliefs demanded a reinstatement of the former monarchy and, particularly, the aristocratic standard of living.

They were named the jeunesse doree, or the gilded youth, and they strutted the streets in titled clothing beckoning back to the court of Louis XVI. They wore eccentric green jackets (with exactly eighteen buttons, to show support for Louis XVIII) with ridiculously high collars, and cravats wrapped high around their necks or

huge neckties. They wore thick glasses, and hats that allowed their hair to fall out by their ears (the style was called oreilles de chien, or dog ears). The jeunesse doree were the first to wear tight pants, which came just to the knee and were elegantly and fastidiously decorated with lace and frills1.

As they became more decorative and decadent, the jeunesse doree took on the name incroyables; “incroyable” or incredible, became one of their favorite words, and so, a namesake. But to show their distaste for those wily revolutionists, they dropped the letter “r” so that they pronounced words in slang, with a bit of a lisp: “Ca c’est inc’oyable!”

LES MERVEILLEUSE: WOMEN OF THE DIRECTOIRE The female counterparts to the incroyables were equally audacious in what they wore: the merveilleuse modeled their dresses off of ancient Greece and Rome, thus changing completely the silhouette of the womanly figure and going without the restrictive corsets of the day. These stylish women— which included famous names like Mademoiselle Lange, Madame Tallien, Madamin Recamier and Josephine Beauharnais (later Bonaparte)—donned wigs (often dyed blonde or outlandish colors like purple, blue, black or green) and took to the streets of Paris, even in the dead of winter, in semi-transparent tunics in gauze or linen that amply displayed their cleavage because of the new Empire waist style (and sometimes, their entire bodies, if they forewent the nude body-suit beneath).

The purse originates from this time.

Before, with their full and heavy skirts, women were able to hide their belongings in and amongst their skirts in secret pockets.

As the dress shape slimmed, there was no place to put their things. The reticule, called such because it was ridiculously tiny, emerged as the first clutch women would carry. As for accessories, women favored buckskin boots (think of today’s modern gladiator sandals), and bedazzled themselves with toe-rings, anklets, bracelets, necklaces and rings. Often their

1. The jeunesse doree carried cudgels and bludgeons like the muscadins before them, claiming the weapons as their “executive power,” but, by now, these were more fashion accessories than used for street warfare.

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hair was left down naturally, or done up in a chignon a l’Athene or a la Titan, or other Greek goddesses.

DECAY AND DECADENCE: THE REIGN OF TERROR INTO A FASHION STATEMENT After the French Revolution and the puritanical reign of Robespierre, there was a furor for entertainment and pleasure. New money from returning émigrés or money made from selling arms, lending money (usury) or other mysterious sources was widely spread throughout Paris, as these fat cats (les gros) suddenly had the urge to spend money and dance, particularly at parties like the Bals de Victimes were held at the Hotel Thellusson.

To go to a ball de victime one had to present the death certificate of a relative who died during the Revolution.

If a woman’s lover died, she wore an elegant white dress with ribbons a la cuisse de la victime, which usually criss-crossed up the back of the dress. If a family member died, she simply wore a red scarf over her shoulders. The macabre manners of these parties were only formalities; the balls themselves were wild and reckless as the Parisians danced themselves to madness.

The famous merveilleuse also held private parties in their own salons, bringing together emerging political and moneyed figures. The leading incroyable, Paul Francois Jean Nicolas, Vicomte de Barras, who was one of the original five who made up the Directoire, hosted lavish feasts attended by royalists and repented Jacobins alike, as well as courtesans (like Beauharnais).

MOVING INTO THE 18TH CENTURY The incroyables are often forgotten, both in the study of the French Revolution and in fashion history. Their period was quite short, spanning from late-1794 to 1799. Despite their brevity, however, they set a lasting influence on the world’s fashion stage.

First, menswear owes much of its cut and color palette from the émigrés who returned to France from England.

The style of the jacket changed incredibly, especially in the details of the cut, pockets and collars. While the incroyables still favored embellishments, they were less pronounced than those of the rococo era, and certainly, colors became much more masculine and dark as men came to favor shades of black, hunter green (for le Comte d’Artois,

Louis XVIII), gray or brown—shades which could appropriately hide the dirt and blood from battling on the street.

Wigs, too, were abandoned in favor of natural hair styled oreilles de chien, which in Napoleon’s time, would shorten to the ancient Greco-Roman styles.

These changes lead into the nineteenthcentury where menswear would be taken in further directions.

For women, their palette of colors became more feminine: whites were particularly favored, but pinks and

“JOHN GALLIANO’S GRADUATE COLLECTION FROM CENTRAL SAINT MARTINS COLLEGE OF ART AND DESIGN, IN 1985, NODDED AT THE REBELLIOUS DANDIES OF 1795.

HIS COLLECTION LES INCROYABLE ET LES MERVEILLEUSE RESONATED THE AUDACIOUSNESS AND DECADENCE OF THESE PRE-CLUB KIDS AS GALLIANO MODERNIZED THE LOOK AND INTERWEAVED OTHER INFLUENCES...”

new way of living. Overthrowing the monarchy once and for all rid France of any sort of feudal system, and it also enabled the rising middle-class to take over the money-power in France, becoming the bourgeoisie.

John Galliano’s graduate collection from Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design, in 1985, nodded at the rebellious dandies of 1795. His collection Les Incroyable et Les Merveilleuse resonated the audaciousness and decadence of these pre-Club Kids as Galliano modernized the look and interweaved other influences, like the dress of Afghan women. The look mirrored the French Revolutionary street scene as Galliano transported his audience to more sartorially-blessed locales than they could have possibly imagined.

The forgotten incroyables and merveilleuses of latter-eighteenth century can only grin at the imprints they have made on history: there will always be youth leaders and rebels, and they will always define themselves by what they wear. And the madcap revel of fashion dances on.

blues were often used, too. Their full silhouettes slimmed to a tubular shape modeled after the Greco-Roman styles, as well. The cashmere scarf made its debut, and peaked in popularity as Napoleon made his campaigns to Italy and Egypt, adding elements of the exotic and the oriental to fashion styles.

FASHION IN REVOLUTION: MODERN TAKES ON THE INCROYABLES Fashion is at once a cyclical and evolutionary process. What once was done is done again—just differently.

The changes made during the French Revolution were a result of economics and industry (e.g. the struggle of the French silk industries, the importation of cottons and linens from England and the invention of the sewing machine), as much as they were a result of politics (what you wore defined who you supported, and vice versa). Culture and society played a role as well: from the cross-cultural influencers (émigrés from England to France) to the first fashion magazines, like Journal des dames et des modes, which scattered illustrations by Carle Vernet and others across the continent.

The changes during the final years of the eighteenth-century ushered in a

1. Panniers and farthingales were used under the skirts of women during the Rococo era. They were often made of wood or whale-bones and were responsible for the fullness of the skirts. Their construction was similar to baskets (hence the name pannier).

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Heka collar, three ring cuff, fang bangle and heart bangle by LADY GREY; gunmetal, silver and gold body jewelry by REBECCA LIEN; dark earth ring by MANIAMANIA; black julius waist tie pants by PLUTOCRACY

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BENEATH THE SHADOWS Photography by AN LE Photo assistants ELLIOT ROSS, CHRIS NEW, CODY J. LANDSTROM & JASON WANG Hair/make-up by JOHNNY GONZALEZ Hair/make-up assistant VERONIKA ROBOVA Styling by EMILY BESS Styling assistant GARY RUSSELL FREEMAN Models AILEEN LOQUET, KAYLAN MORGAN, CHRISTOPHER WENDEL & ARTHUR KELLER (ALL OF RED MODEL MANAGEMENT) Special thanks to LAIR LOUNGE, NYC for the location

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Fang earrings by LADY GREY; black and gold Topkapi bracelet

by LARUICCI; radio ring by LITTLE ROOMS; leather and goat hair cropped jacket by ADRIENNE LANDAU; oxblood leather with braided accent top and black ponte with braided accent dress (worn as skirt) by NATALIE & ALANNA; red belt is stylist’s own; black leather bands with feathers

by KIM + SUE; black feather heels with gold button sole by ZACK LO

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Aileen wears black crystal empire earrings by LARUICCI; Leather shoulder knot jacket by VERLAINE; shoulder jewelry by REBECCA LIEN; two-toned yellow shrug by ADRIENNE LANDAU; black lace bra by CLO INTIMO; black lace garter belt by COSABELLA; fishnet garter stockings with vinyl band are stylist’s own; black heels with vintage lace detail by ZACK LO Arthur (right) wears black onebutton double-breasted jacket by JANET ZHENG MENSWEAR

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THIS PAGE Aileen wears fishnet thigh highs

by SEVEN ‘TIL MIDNIGHT; black fur and stud “punk” heels by ZACK LO Arthur (right) wears heavy wool flannel slim pants by JANET ZHENG MENSWEAR; shoes are model’s own OPPOSITE Dark earth ring by MANIAMANIA; heka collar, fang bangle and heart bangle by LADY GREY gunmetal, silver and gold body jewelry by REBECCA LIEN

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Aileen wears reflected heart ring

by LADY GREY; midnight and gunmetal Matsu necklace by LARUICCI; black goat hair stole and beaded evening jacket by ADRIENNE LANDAU; black “fuzzy” dress by 213; fishnet garter stockings with vinyl band are stylist’s own; black fur and stud “punk” heels by ZACK LO Kaylan wears Tuxedo pants by NINH COLLECTION; Arthur wears Heavy wool flannel slim pants by JANET ZHENG MENSWEAR Christopher (right) wears black wool herringbone double-breasted blazer by COLEMAN ELLIOT; plaid socks by DUCKIE BROWN

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THIS PAGE AND NEXT Silk organza cape with feathers and Swarovski crystals by LUZELUNA; gunmetal body jewelry

by REBECCA LIEN; black mesh basque is stylist’s own; antique gold bloodcell cuff with Swarovski crystals by YOUNG&NG; black lace panties by CLO INTIMO; black lace thigh-high stockings by GIGI K; black leather bands with feathers KIM + SUE; black heels with vintage lace detail by ZACK LO

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Tuxedo SEPTEMBER pants by NINH COLLECTION 88 2011 www.papercutmag.com

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Black lacquer and rhinestone mask is stylist’s own; red and black rose stole by ADRIENNE LANDAU; falcon wing bracelet

by LADY GREY

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THE WITCHING HOUR Photography by CHRISTOPHER HENCH Creative Direction by AN LE Photo assistants JAMES SAKALIAN III, DAVE SWEENEY, KATE RAY, PAT BOMBARD, CHRIS NEW, STEPHANIE PAGE, MELANIE MATHIEU & MORRIGAN RICHARDSON Hair/make-up by LAUREN NEAL, HANNAH AMUNDSON, ZAK MOMO SCHILLER, JANE XIANG & HILLARY MUND Styling by BY BRENDAN COMBS & ROCKIE NOLAN Models JESSE HAMMER, MADISON TAYLOR (FORD TEEN), EMILY PEARL HUM, TAYLOR KRANKOWSKI, TIM ARPIN (CHOSEN MANAGEMENT), CLIFFORD REYNOLDS, BRIANNA FINKLE & KATHERINE ALLEN All weapons by RACHEL GELFELD

Leather bodysuit by 92 JULIAN ROBAIRE SEPTEMBER & PHIL 2011HERROLD www.papercutmag.com

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THIS PAGE Both dresses and sheer top

by BROOKE ATWOOD; hair bottom by JULIAN ROBAIRE & PHIL HERROLD OPPOSITE Black/grey dress by BROOKE ATWOOD; cape by JULIAN ROBAIRE & PHIL HERROLD; bracelet by DEBBIE PANCAKE ACCESSORIES AND SCULPTURES

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Cape by JULIAN ROBAIRE & PHIL HERROLD; leather shorts

by BROOKE ATWOOD; bracelet by DEBBIE PANCAKE ACCESSORIES AND SCULPTURES

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THIS PAGE Leather waist bands and leather shorts by BROOKE ATWOOD OPPOSITE Dress bottom by BROOKE ATWOOD

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Leather dress by BROOKE ATWOOD

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THIS PAGE Leather bodysuit by JULIAN ROBAIRE & PHIL HERROLD PREVIOUS Sculpture by DEBBIE PANCAKE ACCESSORIES AND SCULPTURES

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All garments by BROOKE ATWOOD

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Dresses by BROOKE ATWOOD; capes by JULIAN ROBAIRE & PHIL HERROLD

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THIS PAGE Dresses by BROOKE ATWOOD; capes by JULIAN ROBAIRE & PHIL HERROLD OPPOSITE Sculpture by DEBBIE PANCAKE ACCESSORIES AND SCULPTURES

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