PLUI magazine (8) NEED A HAIRCUT, GREASER? [ENG] by PLUI Magazine

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Editor's Note

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Credits

Mercedes-Benz AW2K14: Trends

The Greaser: An American Tough Guy

MUOTI

SEHNSUCHT

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The Good Old Days

Dance Dance Dance

Tell Me About It, Stud

Free spirit

SEHNSUCHT

Grease Is The Word SEHNSUCHT

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Rebel, Rebel: A Short History Of Black Leathers MUOTI

FREE SPIRIT

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James Dean, Still Trending

Rebel Without A Cause

Before Elvis, There Was Nothing

Welcome To The Jukebox Jamboree

SEhNSUCHT

MUOTI

free spirit

SEHNSUCHT

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Custom Projects

A «Grease» Date

Pin-Up

Handmade Love

muoti

conceptive

free spirit

CONCEPTIVE

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StockList

credits: GENERAL DIRECTION Andrea Bolland Priscila Cano

EDITORS Fabián Moreaux Jair Solís Paola Zamora Roberto Gaona

GUESTS Abraham Saraya Alejandro Moreno Andres Zarnoski Cody Heath Johnson Diego Reyes Castro Dolores Reyes Emmanuel Santin Etre Esthetiques Fernanda Arellano Gustavo Bortolotti Ilián Castañeda Luis Oscar Ríos Luiza Ramalho Sofien Legrin Raquel Herrera Tatsiana Nicole

MERCEDES-BENZ FASHION WEEK AW2014 by: PRISCILA CANO Mexico’s Fashion Week AW2K14, was an event full of new trends for the upcoming season in which we could see jerseys, transparencies, and such. Which are the trends that you prefer for the next season?

BLACK IS SUCH A HAPPY COLOUR.

WELL... I PREFER THE PRINTS’ STUFF.

I’M NOT NAKED, IT’S TRANSPARENCY.

SO COMFY IN MY JERSEY.

THE GREASER:

AN AMERICAN TOUGH GUY

by: ANDREA BOLLAND

The role of the American Greaser is one of interest. He influenced fashion, culture, history, television, and everything, you name it. Originated in the Northeastern and Southern United States street gangs. There was a large population of Italian Americans, Europeans, and those of hispanic decent located in the northeast. This high concentration of cultures caused these gangs to form. And what’s in a name? Would a greaser by any other name still be as greasy? Sure. The name referred to their classic greased-back hairstyles such as the pompadour (worn by Elvis) or duck-tail (worn by Danny Zuko in Grease), held in place with pomade. The hair was king. Fonzie from Happy Days always had a comb handy and even the more contemporary greaser, Uncle Jessie from Full House was very particular about his hair and hairdryer. The Fonz left quite a lasting impression on culture. The character of Fonz was originally to be played by Mickey Dolenz of the Monkees. The popular term today “jumping the shark” refers to an episode where the Fonz put on some water skis and jumped over sharks. The term, if you’re unfamiliar, refers to a point in a television series where the quality begins to decline beyond remedy. Fonz was well-known for hitting the jukebox to “fix” it and this trademark is still referenced to today in movies and on television. Make no mistakes though, greasers mean business. While some might regard a greaser as a victim of fashionable fads, this simply isn’t so… they invented this look. It was a fashion rebellion against how you were supposed to dress in contemporary American society in the 1950s. The “look” that we’re so familiar with, (donned and easily recognized as a contemporary Halloween costume nowadays) was the everyday attire of a street gang member. In the 70s, television censors weren’t fond of the idea of the Fonz wearing a leather jacket on Happy Days. They thought it was a little too “hoodlum”. The compromise that was reached allowed him to wear his leather jacket in close proximity of his motorcycle (since it promoted safe riding gear) or right before/after using his motorcycle, arriving, departing, etc. It’s hard to imagine a greaser without his leather, although not all street gangs in the 50s and 60s fit the description of a greaser. In West Side Story, the Sharks and Jets don’t entirely look like greasers from head to toe although there are some greaser-inspired elements, especially their hairstyles. Through rebellion, greasers expressed their disdain for contemporary 1950s society. And really, who can blame them? Would you be content in contemporary 1950s American society? Think about it.

Rebellion was expressed in multiple ways in the 50s and it really wouldn’t take a lot to be considered a “rebel”. However teenagers today rebel in similar fashion over some of the same issues. While the times and technology have changed, teenagers and young adults push their limits concerning curfew, dress, the opposite sex, etc. These are timeless arguments. And when I say timeless, I mean as far back as the beginning of the parent-child dynamic. However, when I hear the words “rebel” or “rebellion,” I immediately think of the American greaser. They weren’t the first teenagers to say “no” or break the law, but they seem to be the first recognizable group of kids with an unforgettable attitude and “look.” The show Laverne and Shirley was actually a spin-off from Happy Days as both female characters had been introduced earlier as acquaintances of Fonz. It featured two unlikely greasers, Lenny and Squiggy, who tried in every episode to exude strength and attitude. Leonard “Lenny” Kosnowski was actually the 89th in line to the Polish throne and Andrew “Squiggy” Squigman collected moths. Even though these tough guys were probably far too cool and rebellious to be caught singing and dancing, these are usually traits that are associated with greasers thanks to popular musicals-turned-movies like Grease and West Side Story. The Outsiders is another piece of work that features the lives of a gang of greasers. It was originally a book, written by a 15 year old author and then later turned into a movie. This portrayal of the greaser subculture is a bit more gritty than glamorous. A high school class sent a copy of the book, The Outsiders, to Francis Ford Coppola with a letter asking him to turn it into a movie and he did. In The film, Emilio Estevez has practically an entire wardrobe of Mickey Mouse shirts, but don’t let that fool you.

coming back to this look even fifty years after its origin. Men want to be the object of desire. The appearance of being very masculine with an attitude to match has transcended time. Today, more than fifty years after the Greaser heyday, we can still see the very evident mark that has been left on our society. Most notably is the style, not so much the attitude that we have seen portrayed so many times in films but we have seen the style so much more. Confidence was key to the original Greasers. They had to believe in who they were, what they were doing and why in order to stand up against the norms of society.

While the golden age of the greaser is gone, the essence lives on forever and every few years “comes back in style” in some way or another. While the question of who was the first greaser? is debatable since the look, lifestyle, and beliefs didn’t happen or appear simply overnight– the question of when were greasers first represented on the big screen? is a little easier to answer. You could say it was (a very thin and attractive) Marlon Brando in The Wild One (1953) and/ or the equally handsome James Dean in Rebel Without A Cause (1955). But the greaser subculture is also portrayed in tons of other films such as American Grafitti (1973), Grease (1978) The Outsiders (1983), Rumble Fish (1983), and Cry Baby (1990). If you haven’t seen these, you’ve got some homework to do (they’re all fantastic films). Talking of films, in films where the Greaser subculture is portrayed, the main character is very often the man every guy wants to be and every girl wants to be with. He has the allure of being basically a badass who knows he is looking good at all times but, only if his hair is in its proper place. Although he may seem masculine and tough, the greaser guys might have a soft, almost feminine side from time to time. Ponyboy Curtis, from The Outsiders writes poetry and is afraid to really let anyone in his group of friends to know, except his brother Sodapop and his best friend Johnny and maybe Cherry Valens. Wade “Cry Baby” Walker, from the film Cry-Baby, very often is shown shedding one single tear. He is very blatant about is soft side. He does not hide it at all. Apparently this make all the girls go crazy for him. Danny Zucko, even though the film Grease doesn’t really portray Greasers like other films, his feminine or softer side is signing and dancing. The Greaser is always shown as object of desire. The ideal man is that of an edgy look, tough guy attitude and has a soft side. The idea of being of a more edgy look keeps men

‘Hey Johnny, what are you rebelling against?’ asks a pretty college girl, an epitome of teen convention with prim dress and neatly coiffure hair. ‘What’ve ya got?’ growls back the leather-jacketed leader of the Black Rebels Motorcycle Club, played as a study in taciturn brooding by a wickedly sexy Marlon Brando… The Wild One, loaded with defiant nihilism, Brando’s retort exemplifies the mood of renegade alienation and freewheeling machismo that pervades the film. It was his sense of undirected anger and unleashed passion that became central to the succession of movies based around the exploits of marauding motorcycle gangs- a genre whose combination of sexually charged menace and seditious nonconformity had special appeal to both the hucksters of exploitation cinema and the underground auteurs of the arthouse circuit.

Attitude is everything when talking about the Greasers. The desire to have that “I don’t care what you think of me” attitude is still very prevalent in today’s society, especially in fashion. People want to portray the ultimate cool just like the original greasers did and how the films have cemented that attitude into our minds. While Matt Dillon remains my favorite (seriously go watch The Outsiders and Rumble Fish), there are many greasers who have punctuated pop culture. Some of my other favorites include Ponyboy Curtis from The Outsiders, Lenny and Squiggy from Laverne and Shirley and who can forget Dylan from the original Beverly Hills 90210? And do NOT let me ever forget Alex Turner’s post-2013 greaser look. Honestly, just grab your leather, some 501 jeans, a white t-shirt, pomade, and motorcycle boots or Chuck Taylors, and dress like a greaser today, just for one day, or everyday… They’re really not so bad and you just might have more in common with them than you’d ever had imagine. They pioneered talking back to your parents, slamming the front door, and staying out late, perhaps paving the way for some of our own teenage freedoms.

dance dance dance by: JAIR SOLÍS

e n o e h t e r ’ ! u t o n y at i wa th

During the early 20th Century, Americans couldn’t boast of its own dance but the influence of Europe, the music of the time, see Jazz, and African and Latin rhythms, led to unique results. Amongst these dances, the highlight is the Swing; born in the southern USA and places such as New York. Such was the acceptance of the swing, that it later gave birth to newer popular dances (which are described below).

LINDY HOP This dance was born of Charleston, and with time, Lindy Hop, was transformed into other varieties of dancing (Boogie Woogie, West Coast, Jive, etc.). This dance was such a big impact, even LIFE magazine dedicated an issue declaring it the national dance. Wanna see it? Click here.

BOOGIE WOOGIE The Boogie Woogie was born from the intention of making the Blues danceable, and after failing at it the dance was created with a different overall rhythm. It was present almost during the entire 1940’s. The most recurrent image we have from the Boogie Woogie is the one of a woman dressed as a soldier or sailor (kinda something like Christina Aguilera’s Candy Man). It’s time to transport us to the 40’s, click here.

JITTERBUG This dance, is a sub-style of Swing, popular in the United States during the 30’s and 40’s. It was characterized by being a very acrobatic dance. Watch it here.

CHARLESTON After World War I, the Charleston became popular in the U.S. and most parts of the word; this dance precedes the Swing. Charleston, remains a benchmark of the roaring 20’s; the culture of that time is frequent reference for designers, directors, and the inspiration for musicians. Without the appearance of this dance, the story of the dances that preceded it would had been really different or it would had been nonexistent. Go back to the roaring 20’s here.

SWING The Swing was born in the southern United States, and evolves into Lindy Hop and Jitterbug… It was considered as the greatest American contribution to the dance world. In Grease (the 1978 film) the song “Born To Hand Jive” became super popular and a whole style was created for that rhythm, which, if it wasn’t equal to Jive, it was very original. Click here.

T WIST The Twist is the super popular dance from the 60’s. Yeah, that dance based on Rock & Roll and that distinguishes itself because in the majority of the cases couples don’t touch each other when they’re doing the twist. Now click here, and Twist around the clock

And since Grease, the Swing, the Twist, and other dances were mentioned; I consider it relevant to remember three ICONIC dance scenes with John Travolta. (Click on the images)

GREASE

IS THE WORD

BY: ROBERTO GAONA

In 1971, Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey wrote Grease, the musical. This musical, was named after the lower working class known as greasers. The year was 1959, the city was Chicago, and the school was Rydel High School, and there were 10 students living how complex love can be. Sandra Dee and Danny Zuko met and fell in love in the Summer of 1959. Sandy’s a good, girly, and naïve girl. Dany, the classic bad boy, inspired by James Dean, who smokes, rides a motorcycle, and is always combing his hair. Thus it seems and sounds that both characters are incompatible, but they aren’t and so during the length of the film both of them will seek ways to strengthen their love and to, as in any (most) Hollywood movie, live happily ever after.

But it was not until 1978, when cinema halls exhibited worldwide a film adaptation of Grease starring John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John. The film would make the musical achieve the popularity it has today, and it would minimize its criticism. After the film was featured worldwide, the musical became super popular and it was recreated in different languages across the world. And in 1982 it was decided that a sequel had to be done, and so Grease 2 came alive starring Michelle Pheipher and Michael Cauldfield, it recreated the same story with different songs and cast, but it would never really achieve the popularity of the first one.

Years later, the musical would continue being adapted worldwide, especially in Mexico, where the child-band Timbiriche The musical recreates the classic sounds of the 50’s Rock would interpret these songs in Spanish making them popu& Roll. When Grease was featured in Broadway, it was dis- lar amongst the Mexican public in general. missed as vulgar and of praising teenage problematics, such as violence, pregnancy, gangs, rebellion, sexual exploitation, and conflict amongst social classes; and as a result, the musical lost popularity.

tell me about it, stud! Photography: ABRAHAM SARAYA modelS: CODY HEATH JOHNSON @PARAGON TATSIANA NICOLE @PARAGON styling: priscila cano assistant: roberto gaona make-up: GUSTAVO BORTOLOTTI accessories: CUSTOM PROJECTS, DIEGO IBAÑEZ

REBEL, REBEL:

A SHORT HISTORY OF BLACK LEATHERS. BY: ANDREA BOLLAND

Like many wardrobe staples what we’ve come to know as the quintessential leather jacket was born out of functionality, when they were created for aviators in the First World War. The first leather flight jackets were bulky, often featuring shearling-lined collars and lapels to protect pilots from the elements. Since, the leather jacket has become as essential in fashion as the little black dress, abandoning its more practical uses in favor of a sartorial importance fueled by pop culture and the evolution of trends.

According to Jason Schott, a fourth generation member of the Schott family, and chief operating officer of Schott NYC, the jacket’s rock ‘n’ roll bad-boy aesthetic was “absolutely not deliberate” in the initial construction, however. “The truth is, my family has always focused on the factory, on the building of the jacket, rather than how they are perceived by the outside world. That’s how my grandfather started it,” he says, marveling at the powerful visceral connection people continue to have with the Perfecto. “When you look at the jacket, you can register emotions about the person wearOuterwear designer Irving Schott and his brother jack cre- ing it. Whether you are trying it on yourself or looking at ated the iconic perfecto style in 1928. The perfecto was cut somebody trying it on, you look like a badass. It’s something in thick leather, and featured wide snap-buttoned lapels and that has been reinforced over generations. It’s so identifiably heavy zippers, making it durable enough to protect motorcy- tough a jacket.” clists in the event of an accident. It quickly became a popular choice among the biker gangs of the 1930s, and soon the James Dean, Bruce Springsteen and The Ramones figure perfecto became as infamous as the bikers who wore it, gain- among other contributors to the Perfecto’s myth. With its ing a reputation through brands like Harley Davidson, the cult street appeal, the emblematic garment’s journey from jacket’s first distributor. the highway to the runway was inevitable. Yves Saint Laurent was the first to show a perfecto-inspired jacket on the It was then that a certain silver screen hero, Marlon Brando, runway in 1960. That period also saw a sleeker distillation of was to seal the garment’s fate as the emblem of the biker out- the prototypical American biker look. In Britain, the Mods law. In the 1953 film The Wild One, he donned a skull-and- sported leather jackets, but unlike their biker cousins across bones-stamped Perfecto for the role of Johnny Strabler, lead- the pond, mod boys and girls rode mopeds, and sported trim er of the Black Rebels Motorcycle Club (BRMC). According silhouettes and clean, cropped cuts. For the first time, the to Jasmine Helm, the film was inspired by the 1947 Hollister leather jacket became a uniform for girls as well. riot in California, which became a defining moment in motorcycle history and the biker jacket. “Reportedly, an unruly The biker trend peaked in the 1980s. The 1980s saw the birth motorcycle club called the Boozefighters, incited the riot,” of the Grunge movement, and the decade saw cropped, overshe says, adding that a July 1947 Life magazine article cover- sized leather jackets gaining popularity (much like Michael ing the event featured an image of a biker jacket worn by one Jackson’s red leather Thriller number). By the end of the 80s, of the club’s members during his arrest. This canny move by the leather jacket was appearing on the runways of labels like the film’s wardrobe department was to strike a chord with Versace and Chanel. Contemporary leather jackets showcase the era’s subculture tribes – led by greasers in the US, and a slimmer, more tailored silhouette in line with the refined rockers (also known as ‘leather boys’ or ‘ton-up boys’) in aesthetic of modern outerwear. Current styles remain true to Britain, as a symbol of youthful rebellion. But it was Marlon the jacket’s classic look or offer interest through bold use of Brando’s perfecto from the Wild One became the ultimate color or contrasting textures. Really all it takes to realize the symbol of bad-boy notoriety. presence and importance of the leather jacket in the present day is a look at Rick Owens, Saint Laurent, Balmain, Jean Paul The greaser subculture was born in the late 1950s, most- Gaultier, etc, etc, etc. ly-American countercultural groups fueled by teenage angst rebelled against just about everything. They adopted the Remarkably, over its 86-year history the Perfecto’s original leather jacket as a kind of social signifier that identified them design has pretty much remained intact, bar tweaks on fit as “outside the law.” Rebellion and the leather jacket were and a few added features to give extra range of motion. “The soon ineluctably intertwined. Spin-off movements, such as Perfecto’s initial design was purely functional. It was practipunk, also displayed a penchant for the jacket. The Punk era cal for motorcyclists in 1928 and it still is today. Thus, its conof the 1970s erupted with anti-establishment sentiments and struction and various design elements endure, not as stylistic a desire for individual freedom, expressed in part through choices of one particular decade, but as symbols of the open patch-covered leather jackets. The Sex Pistols’ Sid Vicious is road and the various subcultural groups who have since adeven said to have asked to be buried in his double-riders opted the jacket,” says Helm of the classic garment, which, biker jacket, which he also sported for his police mugshot, like denim or fine wine, just gets better with age. following his arrest for the alleged murder of his girlfriend Nancy Spungen in 1978.

JAMESSTILLDEAN TRENDING BY: ROBERTO GAONA

To talk of James Dean in the present day is to talk of him as if he had never died because we keep seeing him present wherever we turn. James Dean is the original bad boy with the perfect hair, the always lighted up cigarette, his leather jacket and his bike. James Dean was born in September 5, 1931; his career began in TV, and actually almost all his career was based on doing TV shows and films for TV, but in 1955, he succeeded in the film industry with his 3 films: Rebel Without A Cause, East of Eden, and Giant. He won 2 Academy Awards, one for East of Eden and one for Giant. In both those movies, he won as best actor, but both were awarded post-mortem. Years later, Grease (the musical) would use the image of the bad boy to bring Danny Zuko, the main character of its story, to life; of course, James Dean didn’t dance or sing with a falsetto, but the hairstyle, the dressing style, and how he acts comes from Dean.

Much, much later, models like Jon Kortajarena, Sean O’pry, and David Gandy would appear and put back in trend James Dean’s peculiar hairstyle. In 2009, Kortajarena made a cameo in Tom Ford’s A Single Man as a malewhore who approaches George (Colin Firth) and tries to reach a meeting agreement with him, which in the ends fails; though one of the key scenes of this film happened while they smoke a cigarette lying on the car, and Jon asks George “do you like my hair? I cut it like James Dean”. Sure, trends are very changeable but, certainly, this hairstyle has been around for several years now, despite the volume that goes with it doesn’t make it a disheveled hairstyle anymore, but it gives elegance and style. A fashion trend I would like to see for a longer time. Another thing, is that many have tried to copy James Dean famous black & white photograph in which he’s smoking but nobody will ever equal it, (not even you Bieber). ( Yeah, sadly, the young star recently said he is pretty much a modern James Dean. Biebs, pls, STOP!)

rebel without a cause Photography: ABRAHAM SARAYA model: SOFIEN LEGRIN @BROKE styling: FERNANDA ARELLANO

make-up: ALEJANDRO MORENO EMMANUEL SANTIN CLOTHES & ACCESSORIES: ALEJANDRO MORENO, ARTURO, CLASH, CONVERSE, H&M, OLD SCHOOL, PULL & BEAR, RIP, ZARA

BEFORE ELVIS

THERE WAS NOTHING by: ANDREA BOLLAND

Elvis Presley is the single most significant figure in rock and roll history. Elvis completely revolutionized music and his influence changed the entertainment industry FOREVER. In the 1950’s, the South was heavily racially segregated, but Presley’s music broke past these racial barriers. He allowed African American music to be accessible to white American youth who had never really been exposed to it. Elvis changed the social and moral values as his music and provocative dance moves created an entirely new generation.

Elvis grew up as a poor, white, country boy who drove trucks for a living and seemed to have “sprung on the world without a history.” One author describes Elvis’ emergence in the mid-fifties as “so sudden, his music so fresh, his personality so evocative that he could not be labeled. People went crazy. There has never been a mania quite like it.” Although there is no exact date or time that history tells us is the birth of rock n’ roll, July 5, 1954 in the studio of Sun Records changed music forever. Rock n’ roll had been “brewing for years, but its defining moment was Elvis.” And Elvis might have died 36 years ago, but it’s difficult to believe he isn’t still with us. Apart from his records, and the millions of internet links to his name, we find references to him constantly in newspaper headlines, greeting cards, commercials, tourist memorabilia, West End musicals and even jokes. The there are Elvis karaoke specialists and Elvis impersonators, while almost no Pop Idol type of TV show seems complete without his hits being sung by someone who probably wasn’t even born when he died.

By 1955, Elvis Presley had gone from a local to a national sensation. People quickly fell in love with his amazing voice and pelvic thrusting hips. Critics both loved and hated him, while girls swooned over him. As Elvis became more popular, the older generation began to resent hum and controversy quickly surrounded him. The fact that Elvis shook his hips, thrust his pelvis, and danced passionately on stage, turned parents against his music. Presley posed a threat to the values that white American society strongly believed in. Elvis set in motion a style of music that dominated the world for the rest of the century. It was the beginning of youth culture, the breakdown of sexual inhibition, and the end of racial segregation. Elvis truly paved the path and opened the door for white Americans to listen to African American music. His popularity increased the opportunities for African Americans both inside and out of the industry which had a positive effect on racial relations, particularly in the South. Little Richard, who was a popular African American artist of the time, spoke very highly of Presley “He was an integrator. Elvis was a blessing. They wouldn’t let black music through, but he opened the door.” Elvis not only played a significant role in the integration of whites and African Americans but allowed people to have the freedom to express themselves physically and sexually. He challenged the social and moral values of the time and ended up creating a generation that was able to have the freedom of expression. Elvis Presley forever changed music and left a lasting legacy which positively influenced American society.

The spirit of Elvis is everywhere. So what if Elvis had never lived? What if Elvis, instead of his twin, Jesse Garon, had been born dead in that shack in Mississippi and buried in that unmarked grave? How different might our lives have been? Great cultural personalities are unique. They can alter our world just as much as statesmen or inventor. And Elvis, though he almost certainly never understood the process, did exactly that. In a world without Elvis, John Lennon might have become the journalist he imagined being, without Elvis to inspire him. “Before Elvis, there was nothing,” Lennon used to say of those pre-rock and roll 1950’s days when popular singers crooned statically and politely in front of dance bands in the style of Perry Como. White ones did, anyway.

But Elvis came from Memphis and grew up loving the blues and black artists. He copied them, visited a black church to observe the religious singers, the sang the same raucous, unrestrained way. Howling, yelling, and sobbing, he was an untrained tenor who sang the blues and, in so doing, freed popular singing from its polite straitjacket. His pumping legs

freed singers’ bodies, too. With his long hair and sideboards, Elvis looked like a runaway from the American civil war when we first encountered him. But his guitar was plugged into an amplifier and soon it was heard and copied by groups of boys in every town and city across the Western world.

sistor radios, found its Pied Piper and, in his wake, youth entertainment exploded. A new teenage market would have happened in the 1950s anyway - economic conditions demanded that. But all movements need a leader and, looking the way he did, he was the one, the archetype.

Through him was popularized the four-man group that would become the template for every generation of rock band that followed - from the Beatles to Creedence Clearwater Revival, Genesis, Led Zeppelin, the Clash and on to Arctic Monkeys, Franz Ferdinand and thousands more.

With Elvis came a new kind of idol, one more potent than any film star had ever been, namely, the rebellious, modern, sexy, young rock star, a species seemingly from a different planet to the family entertainers who’d preceded him. Admittedly, he sabotaged his image completely by making all those terrible Hawaiian-type beach movies in the 1960s. But by then the torch of sexy rebellion had been passed on, along with the evolution of rock music to the next generation - to the guitar-playing Jimi Hendrix, the brooding Jim Morrison and all the way down the decades to Eminem and Justin Timberlake.

Although he was without doubt a great original, Elvis didn’t start rock and roll: it had already begun rippling along when he appeared. It sounded rather different, though, with a saxophone or a piano as a more prominent instrument in many bands, not least those of Bill Haley and Little Richard. But Elvis was a guitar player, the instrument becoming an extension of his personality and sexuality. Through him, the guitar became not only the lead instrument of rock music, its shape became an iconic, priapic image - the totemic symbol of late-20th-century youth. And it’s difficult to imagine Cliff Richard singing to a saxophone accompaniment, but when in 1956 he first heard the guitars of Heartbreak Hotel his life was, he says, changed for ever. Soon, along with Cliff, there were dozens of mini-Elvises. Without Elvis, there would have been no Cliff, no Marty Wilde or Billy Fury. In America, it was Elvis who school boy Bobby Zimmerman listened to long before he’d heard of Woody Guthrie and changed his name to Bob Dylan.

In terms of popular music and culture, it’s easy to see the chain of influences that helped create today’s music, but I would suggest that the Elvis phenomenon had wider social repercussions.In the mid-1950s, many Southern states were still racially segregated, with many radio stations only playing records by either white or black performers. There were even separate charts for black rhythm and blues performers. With a style which owed so much to rhythm and blues, Elvis brought black music to a much wider audience of white teenagers. White racists accused him of singing “jungle, nigger music”, while some black activists said later that he “stole” black music. Undeterred, he, and then many others, kept on singing those songs, helping to open the doors for the acceptance of black music right across America and on round the world. Perhaps music was only one small fragment in the battle against racism and Elvis, born into a poor white family, almost certainly didn’t understand the social effects of what he and other singers were doing. But by helping to popularize black music he was also chipping away at the barriers of racism.

Without Elvis to open the door, would artists like Buddy Holly, who would later so influence Paul McCartney, and the Everly Brothers, who were cast in the Presley Southern mould, have got a break? And without the Everlys’ harmonies, who would the early Beatles and Simon and Garfunkel have had to copy? Quite apart from his music, in Elvis a new industry, based on Today Elvis is an industry. For 35,000 Elvis impersonators a teenage market of records, magazines, fashions and tran- around the world he’s a livelihood, to the city of Memphis

he’s a huge tourist attraction - his home, Graceland, being ora of Elvis wedding chapels in Las Vegas, where you can the second most visited house in America after the White get married to Love Me Tender - and probably divorced to House. And to others, he’s a semi-mythical creature at the Hound Dog. head of some weird devotional Elvis religion. There will be those who regret that Elvis Presley ever did But to most people he’s simply a one-off who, like Homer exist, seeing his arrival as the beginning of an increasingly Simpson, has become part of our everyday life and language. depraved downward spiral into an abyss of moral turpitude “Who’s the Elvis here?”, Bono asks when he wants to know and decadent, primeval music. On the other hand, that most which of the people he’s speaking to is the top man; Bill distinctive of voices has delighted and motivated for over half Clinton’s staff refer to the former president as “Elvis”, while a century. Personally, I’m with John Lennon and Cliff Richard former prime minister Koizumi of Japan thanked President and millions more on this one. He changed my life, too. Bush for taking him down to the singer’s museum home of Graceland by breaking into an impromptu Elvis song. It’s hard to say what the career of Priscilla Beaulieu might have been if the GI she met in Germany in 1959 hadn’t been the famous singer but his surviving twin, Jesse Garon Presley. Would she have married him and gone to live in a tenement in Memphis? Would their daughter have married Michael Jackson and then Nicolas Cage? And would she ever have appeared in Dynasty and The Naked Gun? Probably not. For the rest of us there would have been no Elvis tribute songs from Dire Straits, Bob Dylan, Neil Young and hundreds of others; Paul Simon wouldn’t have written Graceland and Cher wouldn’t have sung Walking in Memphis. According to John Lennon, “if there hadn’t been an Elvis, there wouldn’t have been The Beatles”. There would have been no pleth-

CUSTOM PROJECTS by: PRISCILA CANO

Four years ago, five friends decided to innovate sunglasses design with something sustainable, demonstrating that nature and design could merge and create something incredible. After seeing wooded glasses from a European brand, this group of friends got inspired to create this project and to use their own design, which slowly began to gain popularity among their friends and acquaintances. The Mexican brand, Custom Projects, creates handcrafted sunglasses and each pair is carefully made with wood from certified sustainable forests from Mexico, Colombia, and Costa Rica, and the lenses come from the german brans Carl Zeiss. I had the opportunity to visit their workshop and realized that the procedure for creating sunglasses isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t something we acknowledge can become so complex; during my visit at the workshop, I realized the dedication put to each pair of glasses and that each pair has a different unique shape of assembling because since they are made with wood they tend to be more delicate. This project, besides creating a necessary accessory, is made in a sustainable and consciously way environmentally speaking as the company has the commitment of planting a tree for each pair of sold sunglasses.

A «GREASE» DATE

BY: PAOLA ZAMORA

A thing that characterizes this time is without a doubt the diner. A place where the youth went to have fun, eat, and listen to music; a place which they generally went after school and in their spare time. These diners were decorated principally with pastels, and amongst the colors that were the most typical youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d find: pink, blue, yellow, and green. Others, anyway, used a set of 3 colours: red, black, and white. But despite what their colors were, they all had similar characteristics and that was definitely the staple characteristic of diners, the painted walls and 2-colour squared floors, high and coloured chairs, sofas, a bar where drinks were served, and, the most important thing a diner must had, THE JUKEBOX. Of course, we shall not forget and leave aside the fresh, and a bit extravagant, way teens dressed in this time; full of color and notorious hair-dos in both men and women. Men, usually dressed in black and white, with leather jackets and sunglasses. Women, could be more playful on how they dressed; they could go from sweet and cute dressing in pastel skirts to badass dressing in black leather. Diners were without a doubt places full of style, where more than one has dreamt to had a perfect date. I was thinking about it and ended up asking myself: whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s behind a grease date? I would argue that having a date in this style is possible, and a starting point would be knowing how to dress for it, so here Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll show you how to do so in the modern era.

Clothes: Pink Magnolia Accessories: Tiffany & Co. Shoes: Steve Madden

Clothes: Marc Jacobs Sunglasses: Ralph Lauren Watch: Guess

PIN-UP Photography: LUIS OSCAR RÍOS PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR: DIEGO REYES CASTRO model: LUIZA RAMLHO @BROKE styling: ILIAN CASTAÑEDA ASSISTANT: DOLORES REYES make-up & HAIR: ETRE ESTHETIQUES CLOTHES & ACCESSORIES: Alan Zepeda, Ay dela by Lola, BIMBA Y LOLA, FASHION LOVERS, H&M, ONE BY ONE, ZARA

HANDMADE LOVE by: PRISCILA CANO

We live and coexist with people with whom you never thought in the future youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d have something in common, like ever. Time comes by and as the world becomes smaller you come across those kinda guys you never really fully realized what they did because you were living in a complete different channel, world, space, universe. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s what happened to me with Maff Salas, she was illustrating since I met her. She was the type of classmate from whom you never expected her birthday letter, because she was one of the type of people who get inspired and create a beautiful letter full of color and drawings. A while ago, I was going through my Facebook timeline and I found myself stalking what she did (because duuh thats what Facebook is here for, stalking). Her illustrations have been improving with time (and practice) and now you can see a more professional type of work. Slow and steady, she has been growing, and now she has put her creativity in the cover of some small notebooks, Moleskine type, which are unique because each one of them has a cover that is different from the other. There exists a lot of illustrators who are VERY passionate for what they do, and we should follow what they do. New promises aka new talents, in a world in which everyone wants to get ahead of the pack and a very few achieve what they want from the very beginning. If you wanna see more of her work, you can do so by clicking here.

STOCKLIST: ALAN ZEPEDA ALEJANDRO MORENO ARTURO AY DELA BY LOLA BIMBA Y LOLA CLASH CONVERSE CUSTOM PROJECTS DIEGO IBAÑEZ FASHION LOVERS H&M OLD SCHOOL ONE BY ONE PULL & BEAR RIP ZARA