STITCH - May 2015

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MAY 2015 • STITCHFASHION.COM • 1

CONTENTS 3 • MASTHEAD

4 • CONTRIBUTORS 5 • LETTER FROM THE EDITORS 6 • PLEASURES

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MASTER CRAFTERS STITCH investigates a community of local niche designers.

7 • IT’S ALL IN THE BAG STITCH talked to three personalities to discover how their daily lives influence the objects they take with them.

14 • SHOOT: DRAW Graphic prints meet graphic design in our doodle-inspired shoot.

20 • RUNWAY MEETS RENOIR An art-and-fashion enthusiast finds stylistic links between the two.

22 • LET’S GET VISUAL Northwestern students channel their love of the art into campus organizations.

24 • SHOOT: ALL THAT GLITTERS STITCH experiments with the latest metallic trends, from gold brows to flash tattoos.

32 • STYLE GUIDE: SCENE ON CAMPUS STITCH tailored three looks to different scenes on campus.

44 • MAJOR AESTHETIC Northwestern’s Art Theory & Practice major walls an insular world of students and studios.

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60 • LAST WORD The digital age may have grown our appetite for visuals, but it has suppressed our hunger for great writing.

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MUSINGS Inspired by Pari Ehsan, who once realized that she could design outfits around her favorite artwork.

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EDITORS-IN-CHIEF Rachel Nussbaum and Cat Chen INCOMING EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Erica Witte

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MANAGING EDITOR Luke Zhang

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CREATIVE DIRECTOR Sarah Spellings SENIOR EDITOR Lizzey Johnson PRINT EDITOR Mackenzie Broderick ’s “Juliet”

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DESIGN EDITOR Florence Fu

DESIGN TEAM Jen White, Drew Dain, Marlene Lengthang, Susan Chen, Heiwon Shin, Manon Blackman, Jason Yuan ONLINE EDITOR Dylan Storey

Van Gogh’s “Starry Night”

ASSISTANT ONLINE EDITOR Rachel Lefferts

Magritte’s “The Lovers”

PRINT PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR Zack Laurence ONLINE PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR Alix Kramer DIRECTOR OF PHOTOSHOOTS Beatrice Hagney ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF PHOTOSHOOTS Jason Yuan PHOTOGRAPHY TEAM Michael Quevedo, Allie Hagen, Jacqueline Maloney, Mari Uchida, Melissa Cagan, Christine Chang

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MULTIMEDIA EDITOR Emily Kappes

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MULTIMEDIA TEAM Tara Sennott, Cecilia Marshall, Lily Allen, Sarah Burton, Zahra Haider, Arianna Brockington, Victoria Zapater, Allison Mark, Clare Fisher, Jenna Lee STYLING TEAM Lilly Scheerer, Isabel Seidel, Madeline Kaufman, Rocio Mendez-Rozo, Tori Latham, Caroline Bell, Evelyn Ma, Nehaarika Mulukutla STAFF WRITERS Therese Kaltenecker, Ellen Lawrence, Issi Carter, Kelsey Packer, Rose McBride, Helen Zook, Sue Liu, Isabel Seidel, Christian Welch, George Wen, Shira Zilberstein Willem de Kooning’s “Excavation”

DIRECTOR OF MARKETING & ADVERTISING Lauren Myers

Jeff Koons’ “Balloon Dog ”

MARKETING TEAM Ariel Matluck, Alexandra Mennell, Casey Doherty, Marco Rodriguez, Lauren Goldstein, Samantha Bell, Emily Chin, Jing Wang DIRECTOR OF SOCIAL MEDIA Carolina Diaz SOCIAL MEDIA TEAM Brooke Delaney, Jordan Susskind, Catherine Kang, Lindsey Spohler DIRECTOR OF EVENTS Amber Cline DIRECTOR OF SPECIAL PROJECTS Steffanee Wang

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CONTRIBUTORS: STAFF SPOTLIGHTS

SARAH SPELLINGS

FLORENCE FU

CREATIVE DIRECTOR

DESIGN EDITOR

Sophomore • Journalism & International Studies

Performance or Visual Art? Performance. I have a soft spot for Broadway.

Man buns or dad bods? What? Who likes dad bods? ME. What would you name the exhibit of your life? A study in messy refinement

Freshman • Journalism & Art History

Performance or Visual Art? Visual art -- it makes me think.

Man buns or dad bods?

Man buns!

What would you name the exhibit of your life? Fu For Thought

CAROLINA DIAZ DIRECTOR OF SOCIAL MEDIA

LIZZEY JOHNSON SENIOR EDITOR

Sophomore • Journalism & French

Performance or Visual Art? Performance Art Man buns or dad bods? Man buns!

Still tryng to find my man-bunned Prince Charming, ideally one with a boater’s license...

What would you name the exhibit of your life? Puns, Paris and Printed Pants: A Retrospective

CASEY DOHERTY

ZACK LAURENCE

Sophomore • Communication Studies & Art History

Sophomore • Communication Studies

MARKETING TEAM

PRINT PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR

Performance or Visual Art? Visual Art Man buns or dad bods?

Man buns What would you name the exhibit of your life? el Arte, el Baile, la Caro: My Spanglish ABCs.

Performance or Visual Art? Performance makes art come alive Man buns or dad bods? Nothing is sexier than a good man bun.

What would you name the exhibit of your life? Hello, world .

Performance or Visual Art? Performance art Man buns or dad bods? Dad bods What would you name the exhibit of your life? ADDicted to Art

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Sophomore • RTVF

LETTER FROM THE EDITORS

J

ohn Galliano said it best — “the joy of dressing is an art.” And as this is our last publication as your editors-in-chief, we couldn’t be more thrilled to present an issue dedicated to the visual aesthetic. The connection between fashion and art goes beyond superficial, although both depend on aesthetic. Like an emotive painting, a sartorial ensemble has the ability to evoke visceral reactions, make audacious statements, and turn a few heads — all at once.

Consider McQueen’s 1999 spring/summer show, in which model Shalom Harlow, a swanlike waif, dons a voluminous white dress while spinning on a turntable as two mechanical robots spray green and black paint on the fabric, making history in live fashion as well as performance art. Consider Louis Vuitton’s collaboration with Yayoi Kusama. Consider the Mondrian-inspired pieces by Yves Saint Laurent. Consider everything else – it goes beyond allusion. Fashion, in and of itself, embodies creative expression.

In collaboration with Northwestern Art Review, we hope to inspire you to take artistic leaps in both how you dress and how you view the world. On page 20, NAR staffer Mimi Khawsam-Ang points out the Renoir-esque undertones of next fall’s biggest trends as illustrated on the runway. Highlighting local artistry, we profiled Chicago’s own niche designers (“Master Crafters,” page 38). And not forgetting Northwestern’s own architectural charms, we propose tailored looks to a few familiar locales (“Scene on Campus,” page 32).

No, you don’t have to be a walking piece of art everyday. But with this issue, we challenge you to always emanate your most creative self. After all, what could be a better canvas than the body you live in?

Yours, Cat and Rachel

CATHALEEN CHEN

RACHEL NUSSBAUM

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PLEASURES: STITCH’S PICKS THE TWIN-POUCH, $138, MADEWELL.COM

LIPSTICK IN IMPASSIONED, $16 MACCOSMETICS.COM

FREEMAN FACIAL ANTI-STRESS MASK, $4.29, CVS.COM

NECKLACE, $12, 522ENVY.COM

NEWYLWED MID SANDALS, $70, TOPSHOP.COM

ZACH LAURENCE

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IT’S ALL IN THE

BAG

THENOUNPROJECT.COM

STITCH TALKED TO THREE PERSONALITIES ON CAMPUS TO DISCOVER HOW THEIR UNIQUE DAILY LIVES INFLUENCE THE OBJECTS THEY TAKE WITH THEM. WHAT’S IN YOUR WALLET? By Isabel Seidel

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“I like my style like I like my writing: sharp yet flowery.”

AILEEN MCGRAW

“T

here’s no such thing as too spicy.”

At least Aileen McGraw thinks so. The outgoing president of the Northwestern Art Review divides her time between writing for various publications—including the HuffPost blog, vegan Chickpea Magazine and NBN’s Opinion section—and being a counselor for Project Wildcat. Aileen’s must-have packalongs allude to the exciting life she leads.

Her menagerie of public transit cards from her recently visited cities is accompanied by an artsy journal filled with entries from her ingenious grade-school self.

“They’re either brilliant or embarrassing, or just ridiculous,” she said. She also carries with her a love for hiking and backpacking; she describes the floral carabineer she uses as herself in material form. “I like my style like I like my writing: sharp yet flowery,” she banters. Florals are a favorite of the Communication Studies and Creative Writing major, whether on her sweaters or her jewelry. As a self-proclaimed CVS bargain lipstick addict, her favorite shade to date is “Matte It Girl.” It’s clear that this “It Girl” sure knows how to make any tote satisfy her appetite for some spice.

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Clockwise: Blue Rain Scarf, Wet ‘n Wild Lipstick in “15 Minutes Aflame”, Francesca’s Blue Necklace, Forever 21 White Necklace, Urban Outfitters Carbineer, Francesca’s Earrings

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"I really enjoy pushing the style envelope a little bit among the middle-aged, midwestern engineers."

BEN GOODMAN

T

here’s a story behind why Ben Goodman got started later at Northwestern. After he spent five years dancing his way from major ballet to major ballet, he arrived at Northwestern with a new focus: sustainability. Consequently, he’s a little older, a little wiser, and a lot more stylish than your average professional ballet dancer-turned-chemical engineer. Now Engineers for a Sustainable World (ESW) Co-President, the 25-year-old junior enjoys “pushing the style envelope among the Midwestern engineers,” where he plays with a liberal color palate and the hem lengths of his pants. Ben’s printed messenger bag carries an eclectic mix of his favorite things: his gold pitch pipe, his yoga mat, and of course, his distressed ballet slippers. When it comes to function and fashion, Ben is an expert in raising the barre.

Clockwise: Target Yoga Mat, Texas Instruments Ti-83 Plus Calculator, One Million by Paco Rabanne Cologne, Sansha Ballet Shoes, Movado Watch, Lauren Musical Accessories Pitch Pipe, ESW Tote, Lancome Striped Pouch, Fossil Messenger Bag, Express Jacket.

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“I bought tons of artifacts to remember the trip, but the bag was so unique in its pattern and material that I had to have it.”

MATTHEW HARRIS

M

atthew Harris an aficionado of letting the good times roll, but never fumble—literally. The Northwestern sophomore is a cornerback for the Wildcats and a driving force in the Big Ten, but he packs a stylish punch when it comes to his personal style. Matt’s dedication to the sport and his studies in Learning and Organizational Change keep him on the go. Still, he never forgets to capture life’s great moments with his Canon, and stays hydrated with the “GGB” (Green Gatorade Bottle, as the athletes would say) always on hand.

And the bag is a testament to vwhis joie-de-vivre: it’s a memento from an incredible Spring Break 2015 in Cabo San Lucas.

According to Matt, “I bought tons of artifacts to remember the trip, but the bag was so unique in its pattern and material that I had to have it.”

Clockwise: Pinzon Beach Bag, ChromaCast Drumsticks, Salvatore Exte Loafers, Gatorade Water Bottle, U.S. Polo Association Watch, Canon Camera

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draw DIRECTORS: Sarah Spellings and Beatrice Hagney PHOTOGRAPHER: Alaura Hernandez MAKEUP: Jason Yuan and Sarah Spellings HAIR: Beatrice Hagney SET ASSISTANTS: Rocio Mendez-Rozo, Amber Cline, Jason Yuan and Isabel Seidel MODELS: Chamblee Smith and Fernanda Arreola ILLUSTRATIONS: Florence Fu

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Dress: Erin Fetherson

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RUNWAY MEETS RENOIR AN ART-AND-FASHION ENTHUSIAST EXPOSES A LINK BETWEEN PIERRE-AUGUSTE RENOIR’S ELEMENTS OF NATURE AND FALL/WINTER 2015-2016 READY-TO-WEAR

By Mimi Khawsam-ang, Guest Writer from Northwestern Art Review

R

Paul & Joe

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EARTH - LANDSCAPE ET BEAULIEU From heated and fervent seas we arrive on Riviera shores. In Landscape at Beaulieu (1899), the earth embraces us as we wander through leafy trails. Renoir greets us with familiar landscape scenes, from moist soil to rugged tree barks. Flowers blow through Paul & Joe and Antonio Marras’ sheer material and embroidery, which ranged from olive to mossy greens.

Simple browns contoured cheekbones at Altuzarra, echoing the richness of the earth. Chalayan and Rag & Bone then transported us north with patterns resembling jagged mountains, softened by maroon, fur-lined coats, painting the shifting yet grounding character of our earth.

FIRE - SUNSET AT SEA In Sunset at Sea (1879), the glare of the sun marked both day’s start and end. Streaks of amber set against the calming cobalt of the ocean and sky remind us of the fires that fuel human survival and spark our deepest desires. Christopher Raeburn and Balmain set ablaze the London and Paris shows with the same fiery hues, which were placed into graphic prints at Tsumori Chisato. Saint Laurent took a textural approach by coloring tulle and fur, while 3.1 Phillip Lim and Vivienne Westwood’s intensity ran in their makeup with deep reds and corals, concentrated on just the lips or cheeks – areas reserved for intimacy and affection.

Antonio Marras

Tsumori Chisato

Vivienne Westwood

enoir saw nature as a creator, proof of science’s wonders yet as a man’s bridge from reality to an ethereal world. While volatile, nature possessed an honesty that he fell in love with. By essence of the Impressionists, this French painter captured the changing lights of day in his landscape paintings, exposing nature’s four elements in both her calm and frightening moments. He breathed life into earth, fire, water and air, elements we all too often regard as insentient. Likewise, the four elements of nature are animated in the Fall/ Winter 2015-16 Ready-To-Wear collections showcased at the fashion weeks this past February and March.

Estaban Cortozar

Chloé

Elie Saab

Giorgio Armani CREATIVE COMMONS

WIND - VIEW OF VENICE, FOG Surfacing along the Grand Canal, we discern the silhouetted domes of St. Mark’s Basilica in View of Venice, Fog (1881). Hazy air sweeps us into a trance, leaving a feeling of complete liberty in a space that fails to separate sea from sky, reality from reverie. This light mistiness carries through Chloe’s crepe robes, Cucinelli’s wistful white skirts and Estaban Cortazar’s twirling dresses, as if a breeze had whispered through them gently.

Stronger winds howled through Balmain Homme, where militarist velvet coats and pants moved commandingly with each stride, forecasting the storm that would pass over Renoir’s Venice.

WATER - THE SKIFF A step onto The Skiff (1875) pushes us amidst tranquil waters. Ripples envelope Renoir’s ladies into a sanctuary, revealing water as an element of repose and balance. The cooling blues of Renoir’s lake swam through Giorgio Armani’s loose trousers and jackets, exerting effortless composure.

Similarly at Alexander Wang, dampened hair created a fresh, unruffled guise. Midnight navies and Prussian blues emerged in Elie Saab’s cascading gowns, as well as in Berluti and Duckie Brown’s draping shirts and outerwear, evoking an alluring enigma that lies beneath waves.

In the last few seasons, we saw designers emphasize strength. Designs were bold, futuristic, very geometric, and extremely sharp in their lines. Sleekness and clear cuts were synonymous with elegance and edginess. Now, we are witnessing a transition from ultra-clean lines towards something more complicated; in a way, the collections have become more human. Next fall’s outburst of texture and loosened structures connect us back to our roots, unveiling the emotionality that, while intangible, has remained a fundamental part of our natural world.

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LET`S GET VISUAL GRAPHIC DESIGN AT NORTHWESTERN TAKES SHAPE

(LITERALLY) AS STUDENTS CHANNEL THEIR LOVE OF THE ART INTO CAMPUS ORGANIZATIONS. By Sue Liu

A

22 •

STITCHFASHION.COM • MAY 2015

has “always been an art kid--that was [her] high school stereotype.”

After focusing on more tangible art and multimedia for most of her life, Kulkarni dove headfirst into digital design when the tech startup she interned at lost their graphic designer.

Her boss got her Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator, and she taught herself the rest. Although visualizing concepts while still learning posed a challenge, she enjoyed that she had the chance to grow while being creative and influential.

Similarly, Fisher, who has had a love for sneakers and started stenciling sweatshirts in 7th grade, taught himself to use Illustrator after receiving it for free with Design for America, a student group that focuses on human-centered solutions for social change.

Working for Northwestern organizations gives student designers a chance to both sharpen their skills and expand their portfolios. Howell, the current Co-Director of Marketing & Media for A&O Productions, also designs for Dance Marathon’s Marketing Committee and NU Fitness and Recreation, not to mention freelancing on the

ARISA TOYOSAKI

t STITCH, we commonly think of “design” as the creation of the style and shape of clothing and accessories. (Dare we say for obvious reasons.) However, the word takes on a much broader meaning in the art realm. At Northwestern specifically, design plays a huge role in everyday life, whether we realize it or not; just look at any of the sidewalks winding through campus to see a literal paper trail of attempts to catch pedestrians’ attention. We talked to some of the creative geniuses behind the most recognized graphics on campus to get a glimpse of what goes into their designs.

Our look into design and its role at NU includes perspectives from junior Arisa Toyosaki (DesignWorks), senior Emily Howell (A&O), and sophomores Nikita Kulkarni (Mayfest) and Avery Fisher (Creative Mess). Perhaps unsurprisingly, a common thread ties all of their backgrounds together--a love for art. Toyosaki, who hails from Japan, “grew up around so much manga and anime, which sparked [her] interest in art.” Kulkarni agrees: she

ARISA TOYOSAKI

side. Still, she thinks that her prolific design to-do list “is kind of cool because I’m able to do work that requires a lot of aesthetic flexibility.” In tandem, Kulkarni notes that the student groups “give you a lot more leeway to explore your own ideas.” She cites the creative license she receives while creating content for Tufaan and Mayfest, for which she serves on the Promotions committee. For Fisher, who primarily creates designs for Creative Mess, the apparel company that he started with friends, and Zeta Beta Tau fraternity, doing work for groups has also taught him to work within more specific constraints of sizing or branding.

In particular, Toyosaki’s experience at Northwestern has shaped the design community on campus. During her freshman year, she and DesignWorks co-founder Benedict Dungca made two important realizations. For one, graphic designers shared similar pains: “they were being overworked, they had to join too many clubs to expand their portfolio, and there wasn’t really a community of graphic designers to share their passions with.” And for student groups, a lot of smaller clubs often lacked the resources for professional grade promotional materials, such as flyers, logos, and websites. Toyosaki and Dungca thus created DesignWorks, now a Northwestern Student Holdings company, to fix these problems.

Says Toyosaki of their vision, “we aimed to be a simple, affordable service that would help Northwestern’s graphic designers to hone their skills and build their portfolio, as well as raise the general aesthetic awareness at Northwestern.”

They have what Toyosaki calls “outstanding” demand, but mostly from academic departments.

Because they charge for their

work (at a rate of “less than 1% of what actual graphic design firms would charge,” she notes) many student groups hesitate to enlist their services. However, Toyosaki insists that “graphic design is often something that is underrated, and the tremendous impact it could cause for an event is not realized.” The fact that praised and prolific designers like Howell and Fisher are also members of DesignWorks supports Toyosaki’s nuanced perspective. “There is so much effort put behind actually aligning each pixel and coding the back-end system,” she says. “There are those who think all of this could be done overnight. In real life, that’s not how things work. That’s why DesignWorks doesn’t design for free. We charge a small fee so that designers feel like they are being respected for their work, and clients appreciate [their] effort.”

All of these talented students believe that design impacts life in so many ways. Fisher draws inspiration from random people and experiences in his life, while Kulkarni notes that “everything has a design element to it.” In the same vein, Toyosaki hopes to teach the Northwestern community more about graphic design in meaningful ways--one of which is to expand the DesignWorks website to include video tutorials of its designers teaching different concepts. Howell agrees that “the interest is definitely there but there aren’t as many established or accessible learning resources.” “One good thing,” Toyosaki mentions, “is that the trend is heading toward minimalism, so it’s starting to get less and less complicated to make good design...by teaching the community, there will be more appreciation for graphic design and overall a prettier campus.” While our campus already has its own beauty, it would definitely be a welcome sight to see the flyers taped on the ground in a more aesthetically pleasing light.

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all that glitters DIRECTORS: Sarah Spellings and Beatrice Hagney PHOTOGRAPHER: Zack Laurence MAKEUP: Amber Cline HAIR: Beatrice Hagney SET ASSISTANTS: Amber Cline, Lilly Scheerer, Isabel Seidel MODELS: Jo Ann Efobi and Nirma Amarakoon

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S T Y L E

G U I D E :

S C E N E

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C A M P U S Written and Photographed by Sue Liu and Dylan Storey

Walking past campus buildings such as Fisk, Plex and University Library are enough to make even the most architecturally oblivious student cringe. That said, Northwestern touts its fair share of design delights. The new music building, the library’s garden and University Hall are just a few examples of what Northwestern can achieve with architecture. STITCH decided to pair our love for fashion with our appreciation for Northwestern’s best settings.

Here, Weinberg sophomore Mazeed Aro-Lambo models simple outfits inspired by some of our university’s finer areas.

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UN I V ERS I T Y

HA L L

Northwestern’s oldest original building, University Hall constitutes an example of beautiful Victorian Gothic architecture. Crafted from the same Joliet limestone as the Chicago Water Tower, this building provides visual relief to students passing by on South Campus. A beige sweater and dark pants are respectful nods to this classic beauty.

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M U S IC

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BUI L DI NG

The newest addition to our campus, this outpost of the Bienen School of Music brings a breath of fresh air to our celebrated lakefront. Aro-Lambo’s stylistic choices reflect the sleek and streamlined design of the building created by Goettsch Brothers, a Chicago-based architecture firm. His gray Supra high tops complement the modern architecture of the building; the patterned dark chambray shirt creates additional visual interest for the geometrically patterned glass in the building’s atrium. Just as certain clothing lines, such as H&M Conscious, have begun focusing heavily on eco-friendly materials, the design of the Music and Communication building emphasizes sustainability. The building is on track to receive Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification, drawing another parallel between the worlds of fashion and architecture.

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D EER I NG

L I B R ARY

G AR DEN

Ten out of ten Northwestern students will express disdain for University Library’s design while praising Deering’s architecture. Like a building straight of of Hogwarts, Deering show that historical and rustic does not have to be old and tired. A timelessly elegant mocha jacket paired with dark jeans and brown boots pays proper to homage to our finest library.

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CECI MARSHALL

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MASTER CRAFTERS

STRETCHING FROM NORTHWESTERN TO CHICAGO, A BLOSSOMING COMMUNITY OF NICHE DESIGNERS REMAINS A LOCAL BEST-KEPT SECRET. STITCH SPILLS THE BEADS. By Steffanee Wang

FANTACELAH.COM

‹ FANTA CELAH Fanta Celah designs jewelry for the cosmos.

When we meet in a little cafe in Chicago’s south loop, she sweeps in with an air of something celestial. She presents herself like a work of art: her hair is intricately styled with metallic accents, and she is adorned with the bracelets, rings, and necklaces she designs: precious stones and swirled metals. And what Celah tells me is true: “You are your best advertisement.”

Celah is an artist in the most comprehensive sense of the word: she is an artist, jazz vocalist, model and jewelry designer. And she describes her art as Afrocentric, cosmic and earthy.

Celah declares she was born an artist. She showed artistic talent at a very young age, and in fact, sold her first painting when she was 16. She moved to Chicago in 1999 and began designing jewelry two years later. Celah says her friends were the ones who motivated her into designing jewelry.

“They’re healers,” Celah explains. “It’s almost like a lifestyle. We’re not just designing jewelry, we’re also trying to heal in the process.”

The healing comes from the materials she employs to craft, what she calls, “wearable sculptures.” Her jewelry uses a lot of copper, silver, amethyst, opal and other precious stones

and crystals. Everything, from simple rings that take only a few minutes to cuffs that take several hours to create, is handmade.

The imaginative process for her jewelry design begins with the stone--the heart of any necklace, bracelet or ring. She’ll have an idea of how she wants the metals to showcase the stone, and it’s really a “straight epiphany in the moment.” She’ll then run with her creativity.

Celah runs a tight ship when it comes to her wearable sculptures of art. The process of bringing her artistic vision to life requires a high handcraftsmanship skill, perfectionism and attention to detail. This is rightfully so, because her jewelry serves more than to simply drape delicately on a wrist and neck.

Celah sees her jewelry as objects set to fill a “gap in the fashion industry.” She says, “everything now looks the same. My jewelry aims to regally adorn those people who are original, and unique. Those people need special designs to express their personality.”

That phrase, “regally adorn,” is a fixture of her vocabulary. She describes her jewelry as “goddess adornment,” reminiscent of ancient egypt goddesses. And in the end, Celah aims to remind women all over the world of their beauty and worth--through stones and cosmic beauty.

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THIERRY ROGER ›

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CECI MARSHALL

Thierry Roger proudly describes his design style as “Parisian chic: classic with a twist.” He strives to emulate 1950s “New Look” Dior while giving his designs an unexpected twist (whether it’s an uneven hemline on a dress, or a safety pin collar on a plain beige dress).

So his designs stay very French, specifically very Parisian, but modern with his own magic touch.

Roger is Chicago’s very own couturier.

And it’s probably safe to say that he’s the only couturier. But don’t misunderstand, he’s not making avant garde Alexander McQueenesque feathery creations (though Roger regards him to be a mastermind and artist). Instead, he specializes in everyday wear clothing, handmade and tailored for his clients. Almost like Prêt-à-Porter couture. His profession is one that existed for many, many years in France (and the United States), but with the coming of modern clothing production and now fast fashion, it is quickly disappearing.

Roger even hesitates calling himself a couturier. Because in America, the term “couture” brings to mind haute couture-the extravagant, luxurious and sometimes gaudy creations dripping with beads, sequins, and crystals. For his work, he prefers to be called a “tailor for women.” I think that’s an understatement.

Roger learned the art of couture from L’ecole des Beaux Arts de Tours, a school that also produced fashion greats like Hubert de Givenchy and Valentino. He was able to advance his skill in clothing making and became a junior designer for Guy Laroche.

He eventually left France to come to Chicago.

Roger is about as French as you can get in Chicago, and even has the connections to snag the same high quality fabric used by Valentino, Jean-Paul Gaultier, and Chanel. But don’t tell anyone--it’s a secret.

At 52 years old, Roger has done everything he can relating to fashion. He’s owned a boutique, designed his own collections and had his designs sold at Barney’s New York and Henri Bendel. Now, he’s content with working from his home, creating custom-made clothing for his clients. This is what he loves.

Roger’s design process is a collaborative exchange between him and his client. They begin with a sketch--depending on how his client envisions the article of clothing to drape on the body, they will choose a fabric, and he’ll work on it from there. The client will come in for fittings periodically, before being able to take the finished product home. It is a rewarding process for both Roger and his client. He’s able to do what he loves, and also provide women with a piece of clothing that will make them feel beautiful and unique.

“When it comes to fashion, my philosophy is this: you are unique. Whatever you wear should represent your uniqueness,” Roger said.

“I understand there are department stores, or you can wear GAP, but if you have a way to wear something that represents who you are as a human being, why not?”

CECI MARSHALL

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JOSHUA KIM › On Halloween 2014, Joshua Kim trekked up and down Sheridan Road wearing a Deadmau5 helmet blasting music. Amazingly enough, it wasn’t a costume he’d bought from a store a few days before, but rather it was a prop that he created from scratch--all the way down to the sound system that hid beneath the large ears.

Kim is a propmaker. It wasn’t a conscious decision on his part and he isn’t an engineering major, but he’s just one of those people who has a knack for bringing things to life. He remembers sketching a vague sci-fi looking helmet after a final one day in high school, and realizing it looked exactly like a Daft Punk helmet. Crazily enough, he decides he wants to create a replica of it--so he does. And now, when he watches a certain anime or superhero movie, and thinks “wow, it’d be cool to build that sword and be that person,” he does.

But prop making isn’t as easy as Kim has made it out to seem; his projects range from a few days to complete, to an indefinite period of time if he doesn’t have the resources.

“I spent a total of about 20 hours braiding my Indiana Jones whip,” Kim said. “And this was one of my easier projects since I could just braid it in my dorm. I didn’t need any other extra materials.”

In tandem, Kim is a biology major, which doesn’t leave him as much time to work on his projects as he’d like. So the Iron Man suit that

STEFFANEE WANG

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he’s been working on--well, that’s on hold for now.

Even still, Kim has an impressive list of props he’s finished, ranging from Kirito’s Elucidator Sword from “Sword Art Online” to No Face, the mysterious spirit from Hayao Miyazaki’s “Spirited Away.” These projects are big steps from what he was doing in high school, building rockets in his Rocketry Club.

“My only experience before prop building was from school projects and rocketry,” Kim said. “So most things I’ve had to learn through trial and error.” A consistent obstacle is balancing what material to use and what he wants the material to do. So while Kim really wants a cool, shiny and sharp looking sword, he doesn’t want to be lugging around a 20 pound metal prop at a crowded convention.

He’s learned that you don’t need to use metal to achieve a metal effect. Instead, Kim works with a lot of plastics and foam and a lot of metallic spray paint.

Now, Kim is hoping to expand his prop making skills, and has even set up a website: kimerprops.com. And although he doesn’t have enough time to work on commissioned projects, he hopes to still engage the community with his work by selling prints of his work, or copies of his Elucidator sword--a prop that is fairly easy to replicate.

In the meantime, he’s working on getting into medical school to become a pediatric surgeon, where he can hopefully bring his props and costumes to his patients and bring a little more joy into the world.

CECI MARSHALL

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MAJOR AESTHETIC NORTHWESTERN’S ART THEORY & PRACTICE MAJOR WALLS AN INSULAR WORLD OF STUDENTS & STUDIOS. STITCH BROKE IN. Written and Photographed by Therese Kaltenecker

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mong the dozens of Tudor-style homes that line Orrington and Sherman, the dilapidated, colonial Spanish architecture of 640 Lincoln St stands out. Still, it’s easy to miss – like the steam tunnels or the roof of Tech, 640 Lincoln St. has become one of the best kept secrets on campus. A cultivated juxtaposition of style and locale, it’s an appropriate home to the Art Theory and Practice (AT&P) Department.

It was here where I agreed to meet Senior Art major Ben Podell. (Note: When asking my friends if they knew any art majors, I discovered that, like the building they work and study in, these students remain campus wallflowers, even if their vibrant personalities and personal styles make them anything but.)

Heading up to an expansive room with multiple studios separated by makeshift walls, natural light flooded the room from large windows on the east, which streamed sunlight directly into Podell’s workspace.

All types of mixed media pieces live on the walls of his studio, bright colors appearing to explode within the frames, a stark contrast to his all-black signature ensemble — black hoodie and charcoal jeans.

We sat down in his studio so that I could ask him a few questions. Both Podell and his fellow interview subject, Dulcinee Deguere, are mindful and self-aware, with an eloquence that might stem from defending art at a school as pre-professional as Northwestern. Neither quite planned it like this: Podell made the switch to AT&P from the English department, whereas Deguere came to RTVF from Biology and Theatre, but the urge to create got to them eventually.

“I just felt that what I wanted to exercise in college was my creative ability. And I get a lot more pleasure and fulfillment out of that than I do writing about other peoples’ works,” says Podell.

Curious about the inner workings of artists on campus, we dove into Podell and Deguere’s styles, inspirations, processes and end games.

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STITCH: Describe your style.

Podell: Across all areas I’m attracted by extremes being juxtaposed together, because I feel like that’s reflected in a lot of the conditions of the world and that’s what makes the world beautiful to me. The idea of a utopia is scary, but I find it really powerful and moving that extremes can coexist together. Aesthetically, that comes out. In terms of content, too, I might try to juxtapose something comforting with something disturbing.

Deguere: My style is tending more and more towards the abstract as I continue to grow and learn as an artist. I’m becoming less interested in the end product of a piece of work and more interested in the process itself.

Currently I am on an existential journey of exploration into my own personal mark and gesture. I'm very interested in lines without meaning, without reference... lines that are just lines, and yet they seem to convey more than just their identity as lines.

STITCH: Where do you get inspiration from?

Podell: Human interaction is where a lot of my inspiration comes from. I think that we can be so awful to each other, yet be so uplifting. There’s an infinite well in the ways people interact.

Deguere: I draw inspiration from practically everything and anything.

Whether it be a magazine, a Facebook post, or something a classmate says in class, inspiration often comes to me in the most spontaneous moments.

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STITCH: What makes an artist an artist?

Podell: I think that it comes from a desire to communicate ideas and to give form to something that otherwise couldn’t take any other form. This is my personal view, but I think that art has to be about generating conversations and new ways of seeing. It can do that in purely visual ways. It doesn’t have to be like some esoteric conceptual piece, but I think that it has to come from some place of wanting to connect to other people. I think that if it’s just for you, then it’s a hobby. If it’s for the viewer and about making the viewer see the world in a different way, […] then I think its art.

STITCH: Is there any conversation you try to elicit with your work?

Podell: Because I’m really just at the beginning of this, it’s hard to say what I’m going to do from here on out. It generates a conversation about communication, and it tries to reach an understanding about understanding. I’m interested in in-between places. I’m interested in how people communicate. I have a lot of background in language, so I try to bring that to my work.

Not necessarily by writing stuff or using letters and text, but by exploring aspects of communication and miscommunication, which I think is a huge presence in this day and age.

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STITCH: Did you always know to some degree that you wanted to study art or make a career out of art?

Podell: Well, the thing about our society [is that] art’s kind of stigmatized for a lot of different reasons--one of those reasons obviously being financial, because you need money to pay for art supplies, and you are less likely to make money from a career in art, unless you get into that niche group of people who makes absurd amounts of money. I honestly think that a large reason why I didn’t come to this until now was--I was afraid that other people and my family would judge me for making irresponsible decisions.

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STITCH: What do you think is the value of studying and practicing art?

Deguere: The value of studying art is twofold: agency and failure. Art celebrates the individual mind. It emphasizes not the memorization of formulas, laws or facts, but rather the creation of new formulas and new ways of understanding. It requires the individual to fabricate his or her own point of view, and then challenges the individual to translate that point of view to others.

STITCH: The term “artist” conjures up many different preconceptions and images. Do you view yourself as an artist? In your opinion, what makes an artist an artist?

Deguere: If there’s anything that I’m certain of, it’s my identity as an artist. It’s something I knew way before I knew why, and growing up has been a great deal about figuring this out. First and foremost, the artist is a maker. Whether that be of objects or ideas, the artist feels compelled to create for the sake of creation.

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rt also celebrates failure, or at least the process of making art, and studying it. You cannot be an artist without learning to love failure, as it's only from failure that you can become a better artist. For example, you take a test in Chemistry and if you fail, well, you fail. You must go back and relearn the information, in attempts to regurgitate it exactly as it is in your head. But in art, if you fail, that's only another step towards creating a piece that is worthwhile, a piece that you are proud of and that others enjoy. You have the opportunity to take that failure and creatively turn it into a success (and you also have the agency to decide whether or not you think it's a failure, because art is all subjective, of course).

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MUSING N

PARI EHSAN ONCE REALIZED THAT SHE COULD DESIGN OUTFITS AROUND HER FAVORITE ARTWORK. THE REST IS ONE HAUTE HISTORY. By Lizzey Johnson

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PHOTOSHOOT DIRECTOR: Beatrice Hagney PHOTOGRAPHER: Alix Kramer MAKEUP: Sarah Spellings HAIR: Beatrice Hagney MODELS: Danielle Lay and Win Winter CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Sarah Spellings

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WHERE ART MEETS FASHION

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ari Ehsan knows a thing about aesthetic. As an interior designer-cum-Instagram influencer, Ehsan claims a unique understanding of the dispersing worlds of design, art, and fashion—and of how to bring them together. She is the brains and beauty behind Pari Dust, a blog and Instagram account that marries designer clothes and artistic installations. She combines the two by finding veiled similarities in their aesthetic—the gingham print of a Dolce & Gabbana heel and the orange picnic-y print of a scene in artist Alex Da Corte’s recent installation, Die Hexe, for example. Her vision is supplemented by her illustrious descriptions of her interpretation (“Da Corte satisfies the desire to be transported through a medley of experiences that are both familiar and completely foreign, grabbing on to something known and then turning it on its head and giving it a spin, a cause to reconsider,” she writes in a recent post.) Such depictions of her work may seem grandiose, but are appropriately so—her concept is as large as the life she leads.

Pari Dust served as the perfect inspiration for STITCH’s art-inspired issue, which sought to explore the intersections of art and fashion. During the development of this issue, we had the unique opportunity to speak with Ehsan, who detailed the process and progress of her work. You can read the entire interview at stitchfashion.com, but for now, enjoy our photographic ode to the one who captivated our imagination—and much of this issue.

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paris street, rainy day gustave caillebotte

Bowtie: I. Magnin & Co. Jacket: Alfani Shirt: Goodale Corduroys: Michael Kors Shoes: Original Shoes Makers Co.

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counter composition viii theo van doesburg Dress: Vintage

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grey diamond ilya bolotowsky

Sweater: Eddie Bauer Corduroys: Michael Kors MAY 2015 • STITCHFASHION.COM • 55

at the moulin rouge

toulouse-lautrec

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cow’s skull with calico roses georgia o’keefe Shirt: Vintage Skirt: Glamourous MAY 2015 • STITCHFASHION.COM • 57

sky above clouds iv georgia o’keeffe

Dress & Bow: American Apparel Sneakers: Converse All-Stars 58 • STITCHFASHION.COM • MAY 2015

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W O RD LA ST

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By Lizzey Johnson

emories of my preteen style are alarmingly vivid. Too cool for Limited Too yet too curvaceous for Crewcuts, my aesthetic consisted of Abercrombie clothes slips of fabric that my mom would reluctantly purchase after I threw a hissy fit in the dressing room. Looking back, I blame my dogmatic shopping habits on the increasing influence of the Internet. History has proven that middle schoolers covet what their friends are wearing to school, but this desire swelled when the clothes followed you home at the end of the day.

Concurrently, digital access evolved at an exponential rate. Facebook popularized when I was twelve; in the same year, The New York Times became available for iPhone, and The Daily Beast pioneered a novel, terse way to get the news. With this digital evolution came a new trend: the blog. At the time, I wasn’t too sure of a blog’s purpose, but I was certain of its requisite: you had to know how to write.

In seventh grade, my most stylish friend, Charlotte, introduced me to her favorite fashion bloggers—namely, Rumi Neely of FashionToast and Jane Aldridge of Sea of Shoes. The whole concept was novel and foreign, and we indulged them as though they were 7-11 Slurpies or Troy Bolton. I admired how Rumi and Jane had a discerned point-of-view and an infectious dedication to their craft. In tandem, the fashion journalism I read online were nuanced pieces about trends, designers or retail developments. The goal of bloggers and journalists alike was to produce quality content, not constant content.

However, the consequential evolution of social media altered the goal of online publishing. Writers were challenged to produce content as regularly as a millennial checks his or her iPhone. Inevitably, originality took a hit for omnipresence. Written talent became

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of secondary importance, thanks to summary sources like Twitter and TheSkimm. And the evolution of image-based sources like Instagram and Tumblr made people hungry for photos, not text. A picture literally became worth a thousand words—and dollars, when brands started paying fashion bloggers simply for posting an Instagram in their merchandise.

At age seven, I began regular email exchanges with my late grandfather, who told me I was “meant to write.” At 18, this passion led me to the Medill School of Journalism, a conglomerate of aspiring writers who knew they were entering a field with little job security—but who were too invested to care. My advisor Stephan Garnett, an old-school reporter, would repeatedly tell me, “If you’re a blogger, you aren’t a journalist; you’re just an asshole with a laptop.”

Don’t get me wrong: I love the Internet. I appreciate the immense possibility of online media. I enjoy digesting information through infographics. Hell, I am a token betch who posts Valencia-filtered Instagrams of her brunch with captions that make stomachs churn. But I also love to write, and I lament the loss of words. Everyone tells me that “being a great writer is important regardless of what career you pursue,” yet I can help doubt the validity of that statement in 2015.

I want (and as a Journalism and French major, certainly need) to believe it, but how is writing supposed to reclaim its influence in an age where 75 percent of readers don’t finish an article? How do we discover the next Tavi Gevinson when what it takes to become a superblogger is affluence and a photographer-boyfriend? I fear that social media and great writing are in direct opposition, and social media has a competitive advantage. After all, why read 140 words when you can get the same gist in 140 characters?

If you’ve made it this far, thank you.

JOHN ZACHARLE

special thanks to: the art institute of chicago

fashionbeautyentertainment WWW.STITCHFASHION.COM  UPDATED DAILY 62 • STITCHFASHION.COM • MAY 2015