STITCH JUNE 2012 by STITCH Magazine

STITCH JUNE 2012 NO 15

Contents 5.

LOOKS Dispatches from Paris, illustrated by Christine Ryan

PLEASURES A few of STITCH’s favorite and dream items

SPOTTED Northwestern street style, captured by our STREET TEAM

11.

FEATURE “Battle of the Bodies” by Arabella Watters

17. 23.

FEATURE “Where’d You Get That Style?” by Corinne White Photographed by Nick Arcos

29.

SHOOT “Love on Top” by Luke Vogelzang

35.

2DO Music Review by Matt Grosinger

37.

LAST WORD “The Leap to Legalized” by Kendra Vaculin

COVER SHOOT “Candyland” by Peter Yoo

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

Freezer sticks. At least, that’s what my Granny calls them. They’re more commonly known as Flavor Ice—you know, those skinny tubes of plastic popsicle that come in massive boxes of one or two hundred. With one lick of a freezer stick I am brought back to my grandparents’ Indiana backyard in July, biking with my little brothers on their gravel driveway, our faces red with sweat. Or, closer to twilight, catching fireflies as the sun set over the green hills, while the grown-ups drink beer in fold-out chairs, watching us grab at the bugs with our dirty hands, putting them into Granny’s old mason jars. Granny would scrub our hands once we went inside for dinner. She usually made me my favorite mac ‘n cheese, but nothing ever tasted sweeter than a cold freezer stick in the hot sun. Summer—“sweet, sweet Summertime,” as Kenny Chesney calls it—is a precious thing, and as we get older, the classic summer experience grows increasingly elusive. Responsibilities accumulate, internships are expected, siblings grow older and schedules change, summer classes need to be taken to fit in that double major. Bare feet are replaced by officeappropriate heels, while denim cut-offs shelved for conservative work dresses. Summer used to be defined by freedom. Now, as almost-adults, summer starts to mean anything but. STITCH is proud to present a June issue that feasts on the fun and freedom (and freezer sticks) inherent to a childhood summer. Our Candyland feature, shot in the lovely local Lawrence Deans candy shop, celebrates the playfulness of the pastel trend. You can’t help but smile when you look at these photographs. I worry that the constantly hard-working Northwestern student might lose that precious carefree-ness of summer. We always have a plan, always have a “next step” to get us closer to our ambitious goals, even during the summer season. This June, STITCH shows you just how fun summer can still be. Slice off the top of a freezer-stick and enjoy the issue! --Corinne

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STITCH EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Corinne White CREATIVE DIRECTOR Diane Tsai MANAGING EDITOR Alyssa Clough SENIOR EDITOR Jacqueline Andriakos PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR Nick Arcos DESIGN EDITOR Rosalind Mowitt EDITOR-AT-LARGE Nadina Gerlach CO-DIRECTORS OF PHOTO-SHOOTS Samantha Brody & Katie Cannady PHOTO-SHOOTS Carly Shapiro STAFF PHOTOGRAPHERS Luke Vogelzang, Hillary Thorton, Christina Jameson, Justin Schuman, Maggie Gorman, Christina Welch, Kate Villa, Tracy Lin, Ivonne Carla, Ben Breuner ONLINE DESIGN EDITOR Jessica Kane ASSISTANT EDITOR-PRINT Kendra Vaculin ASSISTANT EDITORS-ONLINE Sara Chernus & Brianna Keefe DESIGN AND MULTIMEDIA Alexandra Sifferlin, Rebecca Lai, Meg Baglien, Sophie Jenkins, Christine Ryan Michelle Chang, Peter Yoo, Eden Schoofs, Rachel Jones, Sungsub Billy Choo STAFF WRITERS Kendra Vaculin, Matt Grosinger, Alexa Wong, Alia Wilhem, Arabella Watters, Beth Glaser, Cathaleen Qiao Chen, Delia Privitera, Emerly Soong, Erin Ku, Hannah Howard, Kalindi Shah, Rachel Nussbaum, Sameeraa Pahwa, Victoria Castro, Xander Shepherd, Ian Hendrickson COPY EDITING Catherine Clark, Samantha Kaiser DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC RELATIONS Jazmyn Tuberville PUBLIC RELATIONS Danielle Pieere, Andy Garden, Tim Hughes, Rebecca Rodriquez TREASURER Imani Mixon DIRECTOR OF FUNDRAISING AND ADVERTISING Clarke Humphrey FUNDRAISING Neelima Agrawal, Diana Tseng, Amy Beadle ADVERTISING Lauren Schiappa, Rebecca Liron, Sonali Dasgupta, Clarke Humphrey

STITCH |4

LOOKS Kenzo’s Fall/Winter runway show featured deep hued jewel tones that revamped the classic pencil skirt and blouse ensemble. This polished look’s magenta and raspberry pinks mirror the overall movement away from summer’s pastels, but do so in a way that keeps the youthful sexiness that the label is known for. Slick hair and accessories let the matching lipstick and outfit catch all the attention.

Giambattista Valli presented a full runway of muted looks featuring neutrals highlighted with earthy reds and oranges. Layering of pattern and texture give this dress a visually complicated look that is unified by stripes and the full-length silhouette. Pared down hair, makeup and accessories let the complexities of the clothes stand out, allowing Valli’s simple genius to be realized.

Miucca Prada seems to have followed the motto “no restraint” this season at her more whimsical label, Miu Miu. Baroque-style prints in loud colors are layered over more of the same, creating a visually jarring look that is somehow beautifully cohesive. This already ridiculously outlandish outfit is complemented with overthe-top blue sequined makeup and animal print boots – a bold choice that’s not for anyone who even thinks about blending in.

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Kenso

Miu Miu

Giambattista Valli STITCH |6

PLEASURES

RUNWAY DREAMZ SHORTS, $150, RUNWAYDREAMZ.COM

GLAZED AND INFUSED BAKERY, WICKER PARK, CHICAGO

MY WEEK WITH MARILYN, $14.99 AMAZON.COM,

MEOW FOR MEASURING CUPS, $34.99, MODCLOTH.COM

TISSUE TASSEL GARLAND, $45 ETSY.COM

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STUDDED BRACELET SET, $18, FREEPEOPLE.COM

OUTSIDE LANDS MUSIC FESTIVAL, SAN FRANCISCO (AUG. 10-12), TICKETS ON SALE NOW

PARIS VERSUS NEW YORK, $12.93, AMAZON.COM

BEYONCE’S TUMBLR, IAM.BEYONCE.COM

STITCH |8

SPOTTED

CHECK OUT MORE STREET TEAM PHOTOS AT STITCHFASHION.COM

T E V U A H C E CAROLIN ISM

CAST JOURNAL

BROAD SOPHOMORE •

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“The task of art is to encapsulate what is continuously happening to us. Fashion is no exception.”

BRACLETS: silver: les artistes de la Grand Rue (Port-au-Prince), green bead: street vendor (Madrid), leather: caladonian market (London), turquoise: street vendor (Acapulco), rosary: Lucky Brand BANGLE: Les artistes de la Grand Rue (Port-au-Prince)

COAT: Barneys New York SWEATER: J-Crew PANTS: Zara SHOES: H by Hudson NECKLACES: short: Galerie Nader (Haiti), copper: Lucky Brand, SUNGLASSES: Marc Jacobs

...My roots lie in the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere: Haiti; but I’ve had the opportunity to be educated in the richest: the United States. So I don’t just study diversity, I embody it, in all its complexities; and my fashion style tends to be pretty indicative of that, so its really important to me. That’s probably why right now, even though Chitown has gotten me really into urban and grunge fashion, a lot my jewelry holds tribal influences from Haiti. Everyone chooses mediums through which they express themselves; I just think art speaks volumes and fashion is such a powerful means of self-expression. STITCH |10

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leopard can never change its spots: a

beautiful; it also seems that the so-called

world. The modeling industry in the past six years has seen a plethora of mixed messages concerning body image. The industry makes ostensibly encouraging moves: they might embrace

celebrities is precisely that: “so-called”. The most noteworthy example of this hypocrisy is the case of Crystal Renn. Renn, 25, has found her fame in chronicling the eating disorder that

They created a ban in 2006 that keeps models with a Body Mass Index (BMI) below 18 off the catwalk. The fashion world is mercurial concerning its stance on what’s attractive, beautiful—and has the ability to sell clothes, to boot. Unfortunately, for the models themselves as well as the female population of America, this culture of the battle of bodies has caused a backlash of changing body shapes, eating disorders, and unhealthy yo-yo weight drops and gains. The fashion world can’t seem to make up its mind in terms of what it deems

as a struggling model. Renn’s journey from 95-pound 16-year-old to one of the top-paid plus size models in the industry is practically legendary. However, what has also been legendary is Renn’s rapid decrease in weight this year towards what is referred to in the modeling wor ld as “straight size”. Her weight loss was noticeable when she modeled for the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue earlier this year, but was most clear when she stepped out at the 9th Annual Spring Dinner Dance New Year’s in April: A Fool’s Fete at the

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Supermodel Natalia Vodianova recently said, “It’s better to be skinny than to be fat. ” Mandarin Oriental H otel w ith newly died p latinum blonde h air and a newly thin f rame. Renn w as a lmost unrecognizable and yet, t here has been no outcry. N o controversy from t he f ashion world that t hey h ave just lost one of their most lucrative plus-size models. Ford M odels, t he agency who represents Renn r eleased a statement. Said Renn, “When t his whole weight-loss thing happened a l ot people wanted where there absolutely w as none.” 13| STITCH

Renn’s s hrinking f rame a nd her d enial that there is any pressure from the modeling industry for her to be thin is only one i nstance o f the amorphous norms that g overn the fashion world. Take the recent controversy over newly anointed m ega-star J ennifer Lawrence and her beach volleyball player physique. Lawrence, 2 2, created waves in 2011 when she made her red carpet debut at the Oscars in a red, curve-hugging Calvin Klein racer back sheath. Fast forward a year and Lawrence has been dressed by a myriad of top designers, the latest

including a long sleeved backless bodycon black sheath by Tom Ford. However, despite her monopoly over top designers, Lawrence still received slack this spring for being “too fat” to portray the iconic role of Katniss Everdeen in The Hunger Games adaption. Neither Liam Hemsworth nor Josh Hutcherson were critiqued for their well muscled frames While Lawrence has been embraced by the fashion world as refreshing to dress, she toes the line in Hollywood with her less than skeletal frame. Leading psychiatrist and member of Harvard Medical School John Sharp M.D. spoke about Lawrence’s presence in Hollywood:“The criticism is absurd. She makes a point of being healthy and not too thin, and calling her fat is a great disservice to the healthy body image that she represents. As a society we are moving away from this too thin ideal. I think that Hollywood is moving away, too, but it a long time and it takes a lot of work. It’s been too thin for too long. It takes a long time for people to accept it that Jennifer is not fat, for example, and that she looks healthy.” Hollywood and the modeling industry are at an interesting dichotomy. The images of health and body shape that are being presented as ideal are on opposite ends of the spectrum, leaving the American public at a loss for what to appreciate as beautiful. A loss that could be correlated with the record number of body image issues and eating disorders that plague the population— including not just anorexia, but obesity. The numbers are startling. The South Carolina Department of Mental Health released statistics on eating disorders, resulting in the consensus that and estimated 8 million Americans suffer from eating disorders and one in 200

American women suffer from anorexia. Alternatively, more than one third of American are obese (even though the fashion industry promotes too-thinness, this too-thinness may lead to unhealthy eating habits of any kind). Coupled with that statistic is a study done in 2011 and published in Psychology of Women Quarterly found that 93 percent of women engage in ‘fat talk’ in which they think and speak negative images about their bodies frequently. It is not as if these facts are ground breaking in terms of what they discovered, but is the continuity of negative discourse within the fashion industry and the realm of the celebrity that is detrimental. The image of what is supposed to be perfection is wavering and nebulous; that is what is most interesting about Renn’s sudden weight loss and the bashing of Lawrence. The fashion industry puts on an outside façade of embracing a healthy body shape, yet the discourse it provides is purely thin-based. Supermodel Natalia Vodianova recently said, “It’s better to be skinny than to be fat.” While the comment was taken out of context of a whole conversation regarding nutrition, exercise, and obesity, the world heard a model promoting her own model thin body shape. The most notable part about the discourse within the modeling industry of late is its staunch ambiguity regarding what is considered beautiful, and it will continue until a consensus can be made. In our baggage, it’s certainly frustrating to have a fashion industry that constantly sends strange and unhealthy messages to its fans. So we’re left to ask: will the industry’s Battle of the Bodies ever be over? STITCH |14

June

2012

“Where’d You Get That Style?” written by Corinne White photographed by Nick Arcos

“Candyland”

photographed by Peter Yoo

“Love on Top”

photographed by Luke Vogelzang

What’s the secret behind some of Chicago’s most fashionable? It just might something Tara Klecka picked out. STITCH gets an inside look at the life Chicago’s top personal stylist...

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“Where’d You Get That Style?” Written by Corinne White; photographed by Nick Arcos “By the time I was five my mother made me pick out my clothes the night before my day started. I always got in trouble since we were so late in the morning. I had to have the right outfits!” So says Tara Klecka, the personal stylist of the 900 North Michigan Nordstrom. At 5’10, with legs as long as the lines at Nordstrom’s semi-annual sale and an impressive vocabulary of all things fashion, you’d think Klecka would be intimidating. But after a minute of talking to her, she already feels like your best friend. Aside from her charisma, Klecka’s success as a stylist is ultimately a product of determination and intuitive sense of style. “I may be the only person who never changed her major during college,” Klecka said. “I went in a fashion major and came out a fashion major.” A Chicago native, after graduating from Illinois State University with a degree in fashion, Klecka

went on to own small boutiques in Wisconsin, Oklahoma, and Michigan. She says that her experiences owning boutiques was a lot like personal shopping, just with more business mixed in. “I still got to know families,” she said. “I moved to Chicago because, not only did I know I wanted to live there, but I wanted to focus on that personal aspect of fashion. I wanted to get to know a loyal client base while having the higher fashion environment of a major city.” And that she did. Klecka’s typical day consists of multiple visits to clients’ closets, where she puts together outfits, photographs them, and points out holes in their wardrobe. She spends the other time at Nordstrom, pulling clothes for clients and overseeing fittings. “Working at Nordstrom enables me to style entire families. It’s truly one-stop shopping. I don’t just style women’s clothing. I style their husbands, STITCH |18

top: Elizabeth and James jeans: Rich and Skinny

dress: Rachel Zoe shoes: Jimmy Choo

daughters, and sons. I usually oversee their makeup, shoes, workout clothes, and even jewelry. Nordstrom has all that. I can get clients in and out without them ever having to even go on the floor.” Klecka’s clients are instead whisked off to the personal styling salon, where clothes are pre-pulled for them in their correct sizes. “My job is really about reading people,” Klecka said. “I always joke that my job is really ‘retail-therapy.’ I have to know clients’ schedules and what’s going on in their lives. I have to know when they’re in the mood for something, or if they have an event or a trip they’re going to need clothes for.” A fashion lover since age 5, Klecka has access to Nordstrom’s wide range of clothing, accessories, and shoes for her clients’ closets. “I get such satisfaction from making people feel their best. Shopping can be an overwhelming experience. Personal styling takes the overwhelming part of out it. My clients are busy people, and what I do allows them to get in and out of the store as fast as possible.” So let’s get this straight: Klecka’s busy schedule is filled with getting to know clients’ styles and pulling clothes for them accordingly. That’s what 21| STITCH

she’s done best since she was little. Is there anything she doesn’t like about her job? “The hardest part of my job is fitting people with different sizes. It’s so hard with such varying body types. Recently I had a size 16 woman email me asking to outfit her for a warmweather work trip that left the next morning. We had her suitcase all packed with the clothes altered in an hour. But situations like that are not easy. I have such a varied client base in terms of age, look, and budget.” That kind of personal attention to each and every customer is what keeps Klecka’s client base so loyal. “Once you establish a relationship with somebody, they’ll call you if they need something. They’ll call for black tie events, vacations, bar and bat mitzvahs, weddings, luncheons. And then really, the foundation is making outfits for peoples’ daily lives.” When Klecka first got started in styling in the nineties, friends compared her to Rachel of Friends working at Ralph Lauren. But really, Klecka’s job doesn’t share many similarities with Rachel’s experience. “My job is like running a business within a business. I run by appointment-only. I had to work hard to get here.” Her impeccable sense of style helped too.

top: Free People shorts: Haute Hippie

models: JP McLeary and Christine Cho styling: Tara Klecka; shot at Nordstrom Chicago

TARA’S STYLE MUST-HAVES WILL ALWAYS LOVE: ANY KIND OF HEEL. ESPECIALLY HIGH ONES. DESIGNER OF CHOICE: DOLCE & GABBANA LUSTING OVER NOW: GOLD TONES ULTIMATE INSPIRATION: AWARDS SHOWS. THERE’S SUCH A WIDE VARIETY OF AGES AND STYLES. GO-TO OUTFIT: DONNA KARAN TUXEDO JACKET PAIRED WITH ANYTHING STITCH |22

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shirt: Sandro skirt: BCBG shoes: Christian Loboutin

dress: Alice + Olivia

shirt: Diane von Furstenberg

purple dress: Prada pink: Dolce & Gabanna

shirts (both): Alexander Wang denim (both): J Brand

models: Shannon Cunningham and Charlotte Rosenberg ; styling: Katie Cannady; makeup: Nadina Gerlach; photographed by: Peter Yoo

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models: Ally Wierema, Annie Chang, Nisha Nataraj, Brittany Blum styling: Samantha Brody photographed by: Luke Vogelzang

TO LISTEN

BEACH HOUSE BY: MATT GROSINGER

BLOOM Beach House, the Baltimore duo whose sound has been relegated by indie media to the subgenre “dreampop” for their entire existence, have nonetheless had their occasional dalliances with the mainstream. In 2009, Victoria Legrand contributed vocals to a track on the Twilight: New Moon soundtrack, and in 2010 the band released Teen Dream only to watch Katy Perry unceremoniously cop their album title seven months later. Call these top40 moments what you will –unfortunate, unimportant –but there is no mistaking the implications on the band’s sonic trajectory. As far as dream-pop is concerned, Beach House’s evolution from their eponymous debut to Bloom has been the transition from prefix to suffix. Beach House’s stylistic dispositions were once an impediment to their

8. Lauryn Hill “Nothing Even Matters” 9. Raphael Saadiq “Still Ray” 10. The Brothers Johnson “You Make Me Wanna Wiggle”

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4. Mark Morrison “Return of the Mack” 5. Al B. Sure! “Nite and Day” 6. Slum Village “Climax” 7. J. Dilla “So Far to Go”

TOP

1. Next “Too Close” 2. OutKast “West Savannah” 3. Al Green “Have You Been Making Out Ok?”

accessibility. With drum machines and gauzy reverb of Beach House and Devotion Beach House was essentially mood music for the hypnagogic. It was hard to imagine seeing the band playing a live venue, unless it was an unfinished basement and the audience had just popped a bunch of Lunesta. However, both a booming confidence in Legrand’s smoky vocals and buoyancy in Alex Scally’s guitar phrasing have propelled Bloom out of these formulaic limitations. Although one needs point to Teen Dream as the inception of this balance between hazy balladry and pop configurations, Bloom is by no means Teen Dream part 2. The diffidence Beach House exhibited on poppier songs on their previous album no longer exists. Instrumentation is key here. Though they still employ drum machines, the incorporation of studio drums is crucial to just how big the album sounds.

BLOOM Beach House, the Baltimore duo whose sound has been relegated by indie media to the subgenre “dreampop” for their entire existence, have nonetheless had their occasional dalliances with the mainstream. In 2009, Victoria Legrand contributed vocals to a track on the Twilight: New Moon soundtrack, and in 2010 the band released Teen Dream only to watch Katy Perry unceremoniously cop their album title seven months later. Call these top-40 moments what you will –unfortunate, unimportant –but there is no mistaking the implications on the band’s sonic trajectory. As far as dream-pop is concerned, Beach House’s evolution from their

eponymous debut to Bloom has been the transition from prefix to suffix. Beach House’s stylistic dispositions were once an impediment to their accessibility. With drum machines and gauzy reverb of Beach House and Devotion Beach House was essentially mood music for the hypnagogic. It was hard to imagine seeing the band playing a live venue, unless it was an unfinished basement and the audience had just popped a bunch of Lunesta. However, both a booming confidence in Legrand’s smoky vocals and buoyancy in Alex Scally’s guitar phrasing have propelled Bloom out of these formulaic limitations. Although one needs point to Teen Dream as the inception of this bal-

TOP 5 DILLO MOMENTS

5. NELLY was a good reminder that you should enjoy things while you still have them, like time, leisure, and relevance. 4. REGINA SPEKTOR was just as bubbly on stage as one would expect. That being said, it was really hard on the retina’s to keep focused on her SPF 100 pallor. 3. TALLY HALL – This five-piece pop outfit from the University of Michigan just goes to show that sometimes a capella isn’t just a thing you have to go see for your friends. Sometimes it can lead to a rewarding career wherein you perform for college students professionally. 2. THE DECEMBERISTS soundtracked one of my most excellent Dillo Day naps. I remember having a dream that the CA in Allison was trying to write me up for exceeding double occupancy (among other things). 1. N.E.R.D. was the headlining act of my freshman year and easily my favorite Dillo performance. Listening back to those first two N.E.R.D. records reminds me of all the nonsense I found myself doing that year, much of which I am hesitant to put in print. Suffice it to say that I have enjoyed my time at Northwestern and could not be more excited for my final Dillo Day

STITCH |36

LAST WORD

THE LEAP TO LEGALIZED

By: Kendra Vaculin

THIS PAST NOVEMBER, I STOOD IN THE FOYER OF CHICAGO’S BOTTOM LOUNGE AND ROLLED UP MY SLEEVES, PRESENTING THE BARE BACKS OF MY HANDS TO THE BIG MAN WITH THE SHARPIE IN THE DOORWAY. “I TURN 21 AT MIDNIGHT TONIGHT,” I TOLD HIM GLEEFULLY AS HE DREW A THICK BLACK X ON EACH HAND, THE UBIQUITOUS MARKINGS OF A MINOR. “THESE ARE MY LAST X’S EVER!” THE BOUNCER DID NOT SHARE MY EXCITEMENT. “ENJOY THE SHOW,” HE GRUMBLED, AND THE CROWD BEHIND US SHOVED US IMPATIENTLY INTO THE VENUE Most of my friends weren’t 21 yet when my legalizing birthday came around six months ago, so taking a celebratory number of shots at a bar with them and getting ceremoniously sloppy was not on the docket, and wouldn’t necessarily have been my jam anyway. Instead, I stood in a pit of hundreds of kids screaming along with my friends’ pop punk band when the clock struck midnight, which felt cool and hilarious and sort of religious and mostly a lot like seventh grade. I didn’t have a single drink. I was busy dancing like a crazy in my cutoffs. I completely forgot. I met alcohol a long time before the law would dictate (omg youth culture) but booze and I are different kinds of friends now that there is no stigma between us. We don’t have to hide in my apartment anymore! We can like, go out in public! My parents can know that we date sometimes! One giant leap for Kendrakind. But the nervousness associated with drinking, the tiny adrenaline rush of rule-breaking, has not completely left me. The novelty of 37| STITCH

being able to “go out for drinks” is still exciting and mildly thrilling. My thoughts inevitably shift from wahhh I hope I get in to this bar! to I should wear heels, right? to how can I look olderrrr—oh wait. My little plastic identification rectangle is now a valid ticket to the previously prohibited world of pubs and clubs and shi-shi speakeasies alike, places where I still feel like a total martian. I’m hoping I get smoother at ordering drinks from bartenders because it still feels like a big charade. I hope I start to feel less weird about being handed a whiskey sour by my mother before dinner (“I discovered a new recipe!”) when I’m home on break. But mostly I love that after hurdling this most recent age milestone, I can easily marry the two sides of going out that were previously separate from each other: I can strap on stilettos and pretend to be the swankiest version of myself, or dance like a seventh grader all I want and still order a beer. I don’t think I’ll mind legality at all.

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