#THELOUNGE UNLOCKING ART IN FASHION
05 04 16
INTRODUCING SAZ The hand crafted luxury footwear brand ART INFLUENCERS Paul Andrew Ursula Goff Boky Lee CUBA, the island that has long tempted travellers with its elegance and enlightened French spirit ARTISTIC DESIGNS hand-picked by The Clothing Lounge
“ACCESSORIES ARE LIKE HERBS AND SPICES FOR AN OUTFIT”
– Iris pays homage to personality and Paris
EDITOR SARAH ROKER
CONTRIBUTORS BRITTANY THORLEY JESSICA HOWARD SHANNON BLANKS CATHERINE PHIPPS NADINE VIEIRA
ALL ADVERTISING ENQUIRES TO Info@the-clothinglounge.com
ART DIRECTION & PRODUCTION GABOR KAMASZ
Editor's note It’s funny how two things that both have so much in common, the ability to construct an abstract world, and communicate through style to invigorate opinions, insights and thoughts can have such a love/hate relationship. But in the 21st Century, fashion is falling head over heels for art – clothing designs, visual art work used in catwalks and shows, have become extremely significant in today’s fashion industry. They both appear beneficial to one another – as opposed to the previous radical judgement on fashion and the aptitude that designing was a flippant applied art, while the other, an artist could possibly reach a wider audience. Both art and fashion are occasionally misinterpreted or perceived as too difficult to comprehend, but you don’t always have to search that hard to see it.
CONTENTS
As you can see for yourself in this issue, we visit the delights of Iris as she opens up a personal exhibition in Paris, and from Paris we travel to Cienfuegos in Cuba to observe local painters and sculptors at work, and then we shall explore the balance and harmony created by our very own brands and designers featured by The Clothing Lounge. The body is a canvas, a space on earth, allowing a designer to collaborate just as an architect would do with soil or a sculpture with a block of stone. We will also be discussing several designers that search for inspiration around the globe in able to hand draw and design their own pieces of aesthetic clothing; as well also unveiling our favourite pieces that relate perfectly to our fascination with art and fashion. Sarah Roker Editor
3|4
HOW TO WEAR IT
5|6
BEHIND THE SCENES
7|8
FASHION FIX
9|12
COVER STORY
13|14
THE STATEMENT
15|16
HAIR HAUL
17|18
IRIS IN ACTION
19|22 23|24
Team Clothing Lounge rates our favourite products
Backstage with SANS for a Spring Summer look.
SANS and Paul Andrews urban edgy shoes
Modern magic from our very own Neo Nail Tech
Boky Lee talks designs, influence and jewels
Achieving unique art inspired hair with Ursula Goff
A look into Iris’s new project taking place in Paris
WANDERLUST ESCAPE
A look into the art filled cities of Cienfuegos and Havana and what to wear
THE ONES TO KNOW
We speak to fashion photographer Henerico Rossi
ART, FASHION THE LOUNGE'S or Both? Art and fashion worked hand in hand
long before Frida Kahlo had even picked up a paintbrush. Whether you prefer Cézanne or Chanel, the two together, The Clothing Lounge have handpicked pieces worthy of a spot in the National Gallery.
DELICATE FIRE
SCULPTURAL CHIC
Every so often we find it difficult in stand out from the crowd in the height of summer – when it’s hot and breezy all at the same time it’s hard to pick out an outfit. Make an entrance with House of Cannon’s Zip Kimono. The precise pattern and texture of the fabric move seamlessly through chilli red tones, enhancing that devilish movement, finished off with a luxurious delicate silk fabric. Let this kimono do all the talking and keep your accessories minimal. Complete the look with these Japanese-inspired wood Wedge Sandals by Karen Topacio.
Make sculptured inspired fashion work for you in your day to day activities by adding Irina Dzhus’s Cotton Corsage dress to your wardrobe. The fluidity of the raw hemlines contrast with the distinctive cut out patterns and tonal palette of the dress, you only need to add a pair of soft fabric flats and a statement ring or earrings to accentuate the opposing elements of the piece and bring the look together.
HOUSE OF CANON - ZIP KIMONO £225.00
KAREN TOPACIO - AMBER WOOD WEDGE SANDALS £425.00
IRINA DZHUS - COTTON CORSAGE JERSEY DRESS £210.00
COLOUR ME BEAUTIFUL
CHOICE
Play around with daring hues for a glamorously cool spring look. Draw out the colourful accents in this Kirsty dress with well-placed, eye-catching accessories to create a bright, fresh and sophisticated look. By combining bold colours with the simple, grown-up shape of this bowling bag and the elegance of these heeled sandals, this outfit is full of colour without feeling childish or overly eccentric.
HOLSTAD & CO - CROCODILE CUFF, CHERRY RED £135.00
OSTEL - YUMI SANDALS £123.00
AEVHA LONDON - BOSQUE SHOULDER BAG £745.00
Geometric patterns don’t have to be boxy and sharp. This dress from Katya Komarova balances modern, graphic shapes with a girly skater cut for a perfectly cute geometric print that’s beautifully intricate and eye-catching. Team with De Siena platforms to complete this edgy, flirty and feminine look. KATYA KOMAROVA - SNOWFLAKE DRESS £75.00
MEI-LING DE BUITLÉAR - SQUARE HOOP EARRINGS £220.00
PINK MAGNOLIA - KIRSTY DRESS £220.00 MEI-LING DE BUITLÉAR - SWAHILI EARRINGS £215.00
GEOMETRIC INTRICACY
DE SIENA - MYRCELLA SANDAL £374.00
MEI-LING DE BUITLÉAR - SQUARE BANGLE £297.00
DE SIENA - SWAN PLATFORM SANDAL £218.00
'Behind the scenes with SANS'
WILD THINGS Charming creations of artistic design and craftsmanship
SAZ AND PAUL ANDREW A perceptible form of art is fashion. There are increasing amounts of fashion exhibitions, flaunting extensive collections of designers and the revolutionary changes in fashion. Different fabrics, complimenting colours, detailed stitching and more, each put together delicately and purposefully to create a designers masterpiece. Fashion gives you the opportunity to create your own art, the naked body is just a canvas.
SAZ - TROPICANAS £251.00
With several designers, the art of fashion doesn’t just show in the clothes. Sanita Avotina and Inga Sabovicasaz are the two creators of SAZ, the luxury brand that has a very creative edge to their designs. Their collection includes architectural heels, and bold colours that pull their shoes from the side-lines and into the spotlight. Their attention to detail and interplay of textual contrast is considered to be an important factor when designing. Originality waves on all of their pieces. With their latest collection a must-have in every woman’s wardrobe as a part of their playful attire.
Paul Andrew is a British-born designer that acquires his inspiration for women’s shoes from modern art, classic films and the beautiful women that surround him. Andrew’s shoe designs are gracious and sophisticated, something you can’t help but take a second glance at. The shoes are hand drawn by the designer himself, with artistic flair flowing from beginning to end in every single shoe, just proving that fashion through his shoes really is an art form that he has put his ‘sole’ into.
When you have two professionally skilled designers, both with freshness and uniqueness overflowing from all their designs, who says you have to stop expressing yourself with one style to reflect the chic, stylish woman that you are.
TCL: How did you come up with the idea to create 3D nail jewellery? JVB: NEO NAIL TECH was founded one year ago after I graduated from university with an Honours Degree in Health Sciences. During my studies I developed an interest in innovation, and I quickly discovered that new things, like 3D printing, really fascinated me. Alongside my studies I was working part-time as a make-up artist, it was here that I noticed how the nail art industry is evolving rapidly. Nevertheless, I also noticed there is a lot of room for innovation.
MANI MAGIC FROM NEO NAIL Available in a range of sizes, designs and Neo Nails aren’t just stylish, they are TECH colours, also ready to wear and can be pressed on Today fashion is so much more than the clothes we wear, a fact that emerging brand NEO NAIL TECH understands implicitly. With creativity and innovation at its heart, NEO NAIL TECH has taken nail jewellery to the very next level to produce a new product that is futuristic and fashionable.
top of the nails and re-worn multiple times, with wearers able to mix and match to create their own unique look. We caught up with the founder and designer behind NEO NAIL TECH, Jaleesa van Beek, who was kind enough to reveal more about her cutting edge, exclusive 3D designs…
Like Jaleesa said, we will soon be one of NEO NAIL TECH’s first retailers, so watch this space!
TCL: Why is your brand so innovative? JVB: We are launching one of the world’s first 3D printed nail jewellery collections. 3D printing is an innovative production method that enables us to create state-of-the-art nail design that was first not possible to make. We are also introducing nail art as a fashion accessory that can be taken on and off whenever desired and thereby can be perfectly matched any time with any outfit. Therefore we stimulate creativity and flexibility by allowing the wearer to choose when to stand out with eye-catching nails.
TCL: How exactly do you create your 3D designed nail jewellery? JVB: First we collect inspiration. Our first collection ‘Future Candy’ was inspired by futurism, geometric shapes and symmetry. Then we start sketching. These sketches are modelled in 3D software by our product designers. During this process technical errors can occur that have to be repaired before we send the 3D models onto our manufacturer. Once the models are checked, they are then 3D printed. We then evaluate the prototypes and adjust it where needed. The final 3D models are printed for production and finished with colour. Finally Neo Nails are placed in their packaging, together with adhesive tabs for application, ready to sell.
TCL: We heard you are currently collaborating with Alexandra Frida, can you tell us more? JVB: We are collaborating with Alexandra Frida in a special edition Neo Nails collection. The designs are inspired by the FRIDA collection, and consist of four designs in four different colours. What is really special about this collection is that it is all matte and two designs are cut-outs of lace.
TCL: What’s next for Neo Nail Tech? JVB: 3D printing will make the world as we know it today barely recognisable in the next 10 to 20 years. NEO NAIL TECH is going to be frontrunner in the 3D printing revolution and our goal is to make it fashionable for hip girls and trendy women. We have plenty in store for everyone, we never stand still and always look future fashion forward!
TCL: Where can our readers buy your products? JVB: For early adopters NEO NAIL TECH is open for pre-orders on www.neonailtech.com. The expected delivery is by the end of this month. Also, The Clothing Lounge will be one of our first retailers, which we are really excited about!
TCL: Any colour trends our readers should look out for in the season ahead? JVB: Violet, yellow and hot pink – vibrant colours from our Future Candy collection.
THE STATEMENT
BOKY LEE - LIEN BRACELET KIT £404.00
BOKY LEE
Intricate designs within cathedrals and complex formations present in modern constructions all stem from varied art forms. Architecture has always been an enormous element of art as it evolves through time. Scaffolding is used to support the rising of new buildings but can be used as art and as a means of communication. Though scaffolding was once only utilized as a supporting mechanism, it has recently adapted as a new art form and represents creativity and innovation. Nowadays fashion designers feature this style of art and attribute it to their clothing as a representation of enclosure and stability.
BOKY LEE -LIEN BRACELET KIT £452.00
Luxury jewellery brand Boky Lee aims to gain insight into the theories behind structure art and the link it has between supporting the body and mind as well as a building. By combining modern and traditional techniques the brand create playful jewellery that is unique from the rest. Inspiration behind the designs lie within the connection parts of scaffolding pipes and the configuration of the jewellery allows for customization and varied combinations.
BOKY LEE - BOTTOM BROOCH KIT £178.00
BOKY LEE - LMIEN CHOKER KIT £349.00
This allows for the collection to compliment emerging trends and to be used with both feminine and masculine silhouettes. The day to night transition is easy with the Boky Lee bracelets as it adds edge to a ladylike ensemble and provides a framework to structured attire. Brooches offer the wearer the chance to add spiritual sentiment to their everyday pieces and provide a sense of grounding. The pleasantries surrounding Boky Lee make the brand not just a place for fashion and trends but for one that adds meaning and brings an emotional element to fashion. Accessorizing allows for an expression of personality and the range of colours that Boky uses creates the ability to adapt and change the bracelet making it such a versatile collection. The investment piece will ensure you have something beautiful to wear that will allow your individuality to shine and your being to be one of strength and constitution.
STAND OUT STYLE The stylist and beauty blogger that unveils art inspired hair-dos.
SWAP YOUR PAINT BRUSH FOR A HAIR BRUSH. One incredibly talented artist has recently received huge amounts of attention after embracing a revolutionary new medium: hair. Ursula Goff from Kansas began posting her follicular creations on social media in December, to collective oohhs and ahhhs from her now 62,000 Instagram followers. The 33-year-old may have been dying hair for 20 years, but has only recently discovered drawing
her inspiration from famous paintings. In her “Fine Art series”, she recreates iconic works of art with hair, including Monet’s Water Lilies and Munch’s The Scream, through her mastery of colour scheme, style and shading. This captivating, innovative idea is surprisingly effective and most of her work brings a moment of instant recognition. Goff’s admits that her vivacious interpretations usually take between three and six hours to create, although more extravagate styles have taken up to 10 hours – with each design establishing a variety of new and exciting shades and colours. The 33-year old hair stylish studied art, before dropping out and retraining as a hair stylist. Her career has allowed her to experiment wildly, and she confesses that her inspiration and influences ranges anything from celebrated pop artist Roy Lichtenstein to renowned Johannes Vermeer who specialised in domestic interior scenes of middle class life. In one of her Instagram posts, Goff explained her unconventional talent: “"I have done art since I was 5, first developing hand skills as a sketcher, and then expanding those skills into colour by working with acrylics, tempera, and especially water colours. I tend to colour hair much the same way I colour a canvas, using the same sorts of colour application techniques and identical colour theory. So in honour of my art background being so useful, I thought I'd do a Fine Art series." Goff may well be paying homage to timeless, classic artistic paintings, but she is also unabashedly reinventing them and reworking them in a completely modern way. This beauty trend is
not only stunning, but a fascinating merging of high-brow art with the everyday beauty of expertly coloured hair. Goff’s creations are forcing us to question our own attitudes about art and snobbery towards equally deserving and often overlooked mediums. She’s also really putting your forays into Sun In and Avril Lavigne-style stripes to shame.
IRIS IN PARIS “Accessories are like herbs and spices for an outfit: they add zest and zing, and are exceedingly transformative.” Iris Apfel, the nonagenarian known throughout the fashion world for her unique, zany style and her oversized glasses with their signature circular frames, is in Paris. From the 27th March to the 19th April, an exhibition dedicated to the fashion icon and self-described “geriatric starlet” is being held at Le Bon Marché (the French equivalent to Selfridges).
goat coat that nobody else wanted or one-of-a-kind costume jewellery from far-flung corners of the world that she picked up on her extensive travels. Iris is definitely not afraid to mix styles, combining a gaudy hand-knitted dress that she found in a jumble sale with bespoke jewellery. The designer and stylist also loves wearing coats as dresses, although this is partially motivated by feeling the cold, and adding layer upon layer of jewellery. She is particularly obsessed with bangles, in every material from bakelite to shell to wood, and piles dozens onto her arms, alongside gobstopper-sized beads, to expertly balance her eccentric look. Now 94, Iris has been visiting the City of Lights since the 1950s and has seen it grow and change in that time. She paints a picture of marchés aux puces (flea markets) where one could simply stumble upon elaborately embroidered silks from China's Qing dynasty and pick them up for a song, and of nights spent eating caviar and dancing.
Based around 10 outfits that Iris has painstakingly created for 10 different Parisian experiences, such as going to the opera or riding on a bateau mouche, the exhibition is also interspersed with videos of Iris describing her relationship with Paris and her relationship with the different pieces selected, as well as where they come from. As Iris contemplates her choices, she also tells us parts of her life story and the tales behind individual pieces, such as a Mongolian
This exhibition is not just an homage to a celebrated personality, but to Paris. Iris extols the city’s glamour, its way of constantly changing and its rich history and beautiful architecture, as it acts as a backdrop and a source of inspiration for her exceptional outfits.
As Iris says, “PARIS
IS ALWAYS WONDERFUL.”
THE CHIC ESCAPE –
CUBA
AND THE AESTHETIC CITIES OF CIENFUEGOS AND HAVANA
Pristine beaches, wildlife rich rainforests and vibrant cities, it’s easy to see why Cuba is so precious. The largest of the Caribbean islands which has seemingly also become the trendiest to visit this summer, the country has long tempted travellers with its elegance and enlightened French spirit – where vintage cars still roar through the streets of Havana, and locals dance to endless salsa beats.
The unique culture in Cuba is attributed to its ancestry as a French and Spanish enclave, and still remains as a time capsule of Spanish and French colonial history. Originally being inhabited by the French who arrived in 1803 and later by the Spanish n 1819 who founded the town which
would subsequently become an important industrial area after the Cuban revolution. Cienfuegos is Cuba’s unsung gem, a small town on the south coast. The waterfront city has earned its title as the Perla Del Sur
meaning Pearl of the South, a depiction of the picturesque city which has survived for centuries. Cienfuegos is remarkably reminiscent of its heritage, boasting a strong cultural scene and a surprisingly developed art scene, Cuba’s revolution is vividly captured by the artists there. Cienfuegos is also known for its architecture, though a modern and urban city, it has retained its original grid pattern an illustration of the philosophical ideas of the Spanish Enlightenment on which it was based. Noticeable traits of French influence still linger in the architecture of Cienfuegos, arcs, stained-glass windows and bars prevail and it is common to find mansions and palaces. Visit “Art in your Hands”, an art studio that allows you watch artists not only paint, but carve and engrave wood and stone amongst other materials in their own unique style and expertise. You may also buy the work afterwards, but art in Cienfuegos can also be bought from the small galleries in the main square, Parque José Marti. As an artist, Cuba is a better place to live and work, as you are actually paid the same as everyone else. They flourish and are able to express themselves as creatively as they please as long as the Communist regime is not criticised.
In Havana at the Centro de Arte Contemporáneo Wilfredo Lam, an exhibition opens which widely explores architectures inspiration on contemporary Cuban art. Curated by Nelson Herrera Ysla with the assistance of Loliett Marreo, La madre de todas las artes, the exhibition seeks to demonstrate how artists are inspired by the smallest detail of a building such as a doorway or baseboard to an entire building such as a factory or school. The exhibition will also reflect on architecture’s place of reflection for artists, especially when they consider the socioeconomic shifts in the last decade.
WHAT TO WEAR
DAY
SALOMÉ CHARLY - ERCKANE NECKLACE BLACK SILVER £109.00 HOUSE OF CANON - SHIFT DRESS WITH SLEEVES £183.00
GET A ROOM
- AT THE SANTA ISABEL, HAVANA Every traveller has to rest their head once in a while and where else to do it than the Santa Isabel in Havana. This old grand hotel has been visited by Royalty, stars of the silver screen and even a former US president. Situated in the quieter region of Havana but is close to many great restaurants and sights such as the Castillo de la Real Fuerza and the Plaza de Armas.
FOOD AND DRINK
Good coffee and a mojito or Cuba Libre is any traveller priority when visiting Cuba. Best had at the El Palatino, the best and one of the oldest places in town. Or otherwise visit the Cabaret Costasur, known to make a racket all Saturday night long, and hosts open air discos with a local chill vibe. Head to Paladar Ache for food, known to be one of the only two surviving private restaurants from the austere 1990s. A vibrant place to eat, the décor at Paladar Ache includes caged birds and the seven dwarfs re-created as garden gnomes. The walls are covered in maps of Cienfuegos’s cultural icons.
MEI-LING DE BUITLÉAR - OVERSIZED PEARL BANGLE £165.00
MEI-LING DE BUITLÉAR - HIDDEN PEARL EARRINGS £135.00 TALA - 3WAY BELT BAG £150.00
NIGHT KONSTANTINA TZOVOLOU - PRINCIPESSA PYRAMID LEATHER AND PVC MULE £290.00
SOUSEE BELLA - FANTASY £153.00
HOUSE OF CANNON - CROP JACKET £200.00
MEI-LING DE BUITLÉAR - PEARL DROP EARRINGS £135.00
THE ONES TO KNOW Henerico Rossi
FASHION PHOTOGRAPHY – Spéos Photographic Institute, Paris, France Fashion photography is considered to be a form art. To be able to study the icons of photographic history at such a pivotal moment in a person’s education, makes for a talented individual to produce a beautiful piece of artwork. Many think a pricey camera and an artistic personality is all that is needed in becoming a photographer but what really makes a difference is having a good eye and the knowledge for what style really entails. Henerico Rossi is a recent graduate of the Spéos Photographic Institute, the best photography school in Paris and we caught up with him to find out what really makes all that effort, truly worthwhile. See more of Henerico’s work here: www.henericorossi.com What are your influences and inspirations that led you to fashion photography?
Where do you see yourself in 5 years’ time and hope for within your career?
What do you like and dislike about the industry you are in?
We always begin with big photographers and mine were Helmut Newton and David LaChapelle. I had the chance to meet David while I was still a student at Beaux-Arts in Paris and that encounter changed my life. I believe that being a great fashion photographer means you have to be crazy and provocative at the same time and that was the lesson I learnt from these two guys.
Hard to say as I lived in 5 different countries in the last 5 years. Photographing and building my network in the top 4 cities: London, Paris Milan and New York is the direction I want to go in. I am really considering moving to New York, I heard very positive reviews for starting a career in photography there. My biggest ambition is to shoot fashion campaigns so I am moving as much as I can towards that direction.
I love that it is highly competitive and that you have to invest yourself in it 100%. This pushes me to do my very best everyday, but of course it’s also the other side of the coin. Even if the fashion industry is so variable, fashion photography is all about being repetitive: you have to repeat and repeat and repeat yourself, till the point that people will start to recognize your style. I might sound absurd I know, but that’s the way it works.
See you next edition!