CONTRAST VOL. 11 | ISSSUE 1
VASSAR COLLEGE FALL 2017 Volume 11 Issue 1
TENTH ANNIVERSARY EDITION
INTSTAGRAM: VASSARCONTRAST WWW.CONTRASTMAGAZINE.ORG
Photographer: Dana Chang Hair: Lorraine Jabouin 4
LETTER FROM THE EDITOR This has been an exceptional semester for Contrast. In addition to celebrating record-breaking attendance at the Fashion Show, creating more content than ever, restructuring our leadership, and launching a brand new blog, we’ve managed to produce this edition. It is a beautiful contribution to our archive, and to the spirit of publications at Vassar. For the first issue of our tenth anniversary volume, we’ve chosen to highlight what we seek to embody in our work: contrast. We take a trip back to remember what life was like ten years ago in 2007. We examine the vastly different places the same ambition took two childhood friends. We talk to a queen whose favorite accessory is comedy and learn about a local shop in the business of making the old new again. Our talented photographers fanned out across campus to find the perfect visual complements, turning their lenses on the familiar and presenting them in exciting new ways. In the next ten years, my hope for the magazine is that it continues to explore contrast, tension, and disunion in even bolder and braver ways. I hope we’ll continue to hone and uplift all types of talent on this campus and beyond. I hope we’ll push ourselves and our subjects to broaden definitions of art and capability. All things considered, it seems like Contrast will enjoy ten more exceptional years. Happy reading,
Ellie Winter 5
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Letter from the Editor Table of Contents The Queen of Green: Q&A with Hedda Lettuce Out of the Blue Reunion!: A Conversation with Ruthie Davis & Elizabeth Bradley Form & Figure Eclipse A Second Chance
2007/2017 Meet Contrast 7
THE QUEEN
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OF GREEN
Contrast’s Editorial Director, Sam Greenwald, sat down with Contrast alum Hedda Lettuce to talk queer history, silver screen icons, and how comedy pulls it all together.
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THE QUEEN OF GREEN: Q&A WITH HEDDA LETTUCE Sam Greenwald Sam Greenwald: I love that you’re a queen with a cause. What role has your interest in activism and the environment played in your life and your drag career? Hedda Lettuce: I try to incorporate comedy into the environmental stuff because I think there’s a lot of room for comedy when we’re talking about the environmental. I think a lot of people feel that when people are talking about global warming, it’s awfully preachy. So, if you can talk about it through comedy, it helps them not feel talked down to. If people feel like they’re having a finger pointed at them, or that they’ve done something wrong, it really gets in the way of focusing on a solution. SG: Your first time in drag was to raise money for Queer Nation, an organization that sought to increase queer visibility in the face of homophobia. What was is it like to perform in a world before RuPaul’s Drag Race? HL: Queer Nation was an offshoot of Act Up which dealt with other stuff besides HIV and AIDS. We went to the little park in Sheraton Square in New York City near the Stonewall Inn to perform. We would get a sheet to change behind and we would do lipsyncs with a boom box and raise money. Sometimes people would throw a couple of cigarette butts at us, but it was street theater. People were no longer being arrested for doing drag; that was the generation before us. The police shooed us off, but they didn’t put us in a paddy wagon and take us away. SG: You’re known for your gratuitously green looks. I’m curious about the creative process behind your drag aesthetic and the way it’s been informed by your degree from the Fashion Institute of Technology. 10
HL: I still draw a lot and I still paint. I go back and forth. I do a lot of stuff simultaneously. I continue to draw and all that. I think my education definitely informs things in terms of putting makeup on, and things like colors and sensibility. SG: How does a look like this come together? Do you sketch it, and then...? HL: No, no it’s a lot more organic than that. I have an idea of what I want something to look like. My whole life was never too thought out, things just happen. SG: As a campy queen, who are some the icons that inspire your persona? HL: A lot of the stuff is taken from old movie actors. I’ve curated a film festival in New York City for the last 16 years and so I watch all these movies with all these actresses. Some of the movies are serious—but they end up being campy. A lot of my mannerisms come from the stuff I’ve learned from the old ladies of Hollywood, like Carol Burnett. SG: What is like to share your drag with mainstream, straight audiences on the big screen in Too Wong Foo? What about during prime time shows like Sex and the City and Ugly Betty? HL: Easy! It wasn’t hard, but you have to put on a whole different mindset. It’s much more, not organized, but it’s an entirely different genre. Television is bump, bump, bump, bump, and you’re working with millions of dollars on these shoots. What I do onstage and what I do on TV is very different. My act is very much improvisational; I’m working off of the audience and feeding off of the energy of the room. I’m sort of like the Long Island Medium of drag.
SG: I saw you have a gig hosting screenings of gay classics at a cinema in the East Village, most recently Mommie Dearest, which I love! HL: Yeah, I do this thing called Mommie Dearest Interactive where I act out with the movie. I comment throughout it, I have a laser pointer and I’m pointing out discrepancies in the continuity, and I have a piano player underscoring the drama…For Mommie Dearest I do more of an authentic Joan Crawford look. SG: Can you speak to the importance of staying in touch with that older queer culture? HL: You have to know at least something about your history, but you don’t have to be a historian to appreciate things and have references. You know, no one’s going to give you a quiz on this, but at least you know in your head that if someone says something from a particular time period, you have a reference point for it. Not everything started when Instagram, YouTube, and Snapchat started. There was a world beforehand, and that world encompassed a lot of incredible actors and actresses. A lot of the older movies are time capsules of how we lived. So, watching them shows you how trippy this planet is and how time is so trippy and how certain things change and certain things stay the same. When you compare them to todays movies, you get to see how the actors worked the camera back then, how their mannerisms were different. It’s really great— that’s why I like the audiences that come to these showings. They’re 16 through 80, gay and straight. It’s always a nice mix of people there to learn not just about gay culture, but classic movie culture. SG: How about some rapid fire? HL: Let’s go!
SG: Favorite shade of green? HL: It’s like picking your favorite child! I’m sorry, every shade. SG: Favorite place to travel? HL: Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. SG: Favorite vegetable? HL: Broccoli. SG: Favorite queen from Drag Race? HL: Cynthia Lee Fontaine, she has such a nice energy! SG: Cher or Madonna? HL: Do I have to choose? I think I would take Cher for her politics. SG: Brooklyn or Manhattan? HL: Manhattan. SG: Facebook or Twitter? HL: Oh, both are gross. SG: Heels or flats? HL: In drag? Heels, always. SG: Tucked or untucked? HL: Depends on who I’m hanging out with. SW: Pet Peeve?
HL: Queens who kick off their shoes during the show.
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OUT OF THE BLUE
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Photographers: Jake Brody & Dana Chang Model: Emily Frank Creative Director: Hannah Nice Head Stylist: Dana Chang Hairstylist and Makeup Artist: Madison Clague Assistant Stylists: Emma Brodsky, Madison Clague, Yvonne Hunter, Laura McCormick
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EMBELLISHED CONTRAST’S SEVENTH ANNUAL FASHION SHOW
In fashion, accessories can often become afterthoughts, things used to enhance what is already there rather than serving as groundwork. Embellished was our way of exploring the extravagance that lies within the supplemental. It was a chance to stretch our conceptions of accessories and the forms & functions they inhabit.
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REUNION!: A CONVERSATION WITH ELIZABETH BRADLEY & RUTHIE DAVIS Our Editor-in-Chief, Ellie Winter, sat down with this year’s Fashion Show guests of honor—Vassar’s new President, Elizabeth Bradley, and bombshell shoe designer, Ruthie Davis. They spent an hour talking about social media, friendship, and all the unexpected ways people grow together while being apart. Ellie Winter: How does it feel to be back together after all this time? President Bradley: Fabulous, a little disorienting, but very fun. Ruthie Davis: Kinda crazy, very surreal. It’s weird when you know someone from when you were very young—like seventh grade—and then you connect again many years later. Our friendship ran deep as there were fewer distractions back then. We didn’t have cell phones or the internet and no cable television. So, we just spent a lot of time together talking, laughing and doing things outside.
RD: You were always a great leader. You were always the team captain. I used to love the saying “Leaders don’t choose their followers, followers choose their leaders,” and you’ve always embodied that. PB: Oh! I remember what I wanted to be—I remember Mr. Brown’s class where we had to write that English essay. I wanted to be a teacher. When I got older I wanted to run an art museum someday.
President Bradley: It’s true! We didn’t have all of that other stuff in the way. What’s the weirdest thing is how identical you are!
EW: Even though your jobs are different, they both require a ton of creativity. Where do you go for inspiration?
Ruthie Davis: Well, you have the exact same haircut. [Ruthie produced a picture of President Bradley from her purse, a school portrait from 9th grade.]
RD: For me, it sounds corny, but I just live. I’m a doer. Every time I can go see something new, do something new, I do, and it inspires me. I live in West Chelsea, the art gallery district in NYC because there is a lot going on. I look at the people, the fashion, the architecture. I’m a huge fan of modern architecture…I actually think of my shoe designs as architectural and the foundation of a woman’s body.
President Bradley: Yeah, thanks. It was longer then...but I definitely do have that same sweater. I’m not sure that’s a plus, but I’ll go with it. EW: So the two of you, despite having very similar upbringings, represent pretty different career paths. What made you want to do what you’re doing? How does it differ from what you wanted back then? RD: Back in seventh grade, I remember our English teacher, Mrs. Piggott, asked us what we wanted to be when we grew up. At that point I wanted to be a tennis pro. PB: That’s not what you wrote in the yearbook! RD: I loved sports, but I always loved fashion too. My sporting outfits were always very well thought out! I liked activity, I liked performing; I was in plays—you know, the dog and pony show. 22
PB: She could get the attention of anyone in our class. She was so cool. Not much has changed. What did I want to be, Ruthie?
PB: That’s what you wrote in your yearbook, that you wanted to be an architect! It’s in there—1977, girl! Well, your shoes are like little buildings. RD: Really? You know what’s so funny though, I’m actually thinking back and I think I just thought it was just really cool to say that you wanted to be an architect. And I was really into being cool, remember? PB: Definitely. And you were cool. RD: I love pop art and modern art...you’re probably more of the classics. [Laughs] PB: We’re quite the contrast. I get inspired by something close to home, too. I get re-
ally inspired by students. I know it sounds corny, but the idea that someone is going through so much change and learning new ideas—you get to experience that through them. You can form relationships with people based on that. A few times I’ve come out of this meeting where I’ve had to make a decision about something awful, and then I have a really good interaction with a student, and it’s like life is great again. RD: I agree with that 100%. Students inspire me as interns. I have had two incredible interns from Vassar. PB: Vassar students are like no other. They’ll tell you exactly what you think. They’ve had two protests since I’ve been here. No one has occupied the house yet. RD: I completely agree. Youth and young people and new ideas are just what keep me going. EW: You both have impressive social media presences. What are your thoughts on using them as ways to connect with your audience? PB: I really like Twitter because it doesn’t take very long. You don’t have to obsess over the details. It’s not an intellectual paper, it’s a feeling. I like following my friends this way because you wouldn’t know what they were doing otherwise. I’ll scroll and say: Hey, look at Lauren! She’s in the Bahamas! I don’t have Facebook— when it came out, my kids said absolutely not, so I skipped that one. Twitter is getting a bad rap now for a variety of reasons, but I love it when Vassar grads retweet or mention me. It’s such a nice feeling, I’m like “Oh, they’re with me today!”
Photographers: Jake Brody, Alaina Toatley Models: Alexandria Smalls, Sofia Benitez, Kirk Patrick Testa, Jonathan Rodriguez, Jess Mitchell, Kibi Williams-Brown, Aidan Heck, Ariana Bowe, Anthony Brown, Jess Moss, Emily Frank, Nicole Gonzales Head Stylist: Dana Chang Creative Director: Hannah Nice Hair & Makeup Artists: Madison Clague, Cheyenne Tobias, & The Great Studio
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RD: In my business, it’s everything. I run a smaller company, so I can’t afford to advertise in Vogue, for example. It allows me to speak directly to my consumer, which in the fashion business today is crucial. Each platform is slightly different—I do Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, Tumblr, Twitter, Snapchat, all of them. I put different images with different approaches on each one. RD: When I was Director of Reebok Classic, I was trying to make them more fashionable. Because these were shoes you didn’t run in, they were 90’s casual street fashion shoes. I needed consumer feedback, but this was pre-Instagram. So, I would take a bag of shoes to the streets in our key markets like NYC, Philly, DC, and Boston, and I’d put them out in the street and ask people what they thought. They would say things like “Oh, I’d like this if it were yellow so it would match my jacket,” and I’d take notes. Now, I can get that kind of feedback via social media. EW: In this political climate, women have to continually assert their worth and capability. What does it mean to you to be a woman at the top of your field? What are the challenges and joys that come with that? RD: I never thought there was a glass ceiling. I just pretended there was nothing there. I never really thought about it in my career, I just worked really hard. I knew I could do anything as well as anybody else. I think the shoe industry is a little different from most other areas of fashion; there are very few women designing luxury high fashion heels. It’s mostly European men like Giuseppe Zanotti, Manolo Blahnik, or Christian Louboutin. But I just do what I love and try to spread the message that I am a woman designing for women. Some women make it harder for women because they get too competitive with each other and that makes me sad. I wish women were better at propping each other up and celebrating when someone succeeds. Be happy when she’s beautiful, be happy when she’s powerful, be happy when she’s successful! PB: I have a similar response. I had parents that told me I could do anything and I just thought, “Oh, I can do this!” But then I kept having experiences where
I was the only woman in the room. I was the first and only woman when I taught Grand Strategy at Yale, and that’s hard. But, if you learn how to use what you have, you just say “that’s one more thing I have to deal with.” One of the things about Vassar that I love is that it’s very pro-woman. Half and half on the faculty, and the students. I feel like I came home. RD: I feel like we were brought up really well. We were raised the same as the boys. They really just didn’t treat us any differently. PB: On the other side, what gets really hard is claiming my womanhood. We got really good at playing the boys game, living in the man’s world and doing what we needed to do. But claiming your womanhood in those rooms is tough. EW: Okay! Time for some rapid fire. President Bradley, If you were a designer, what would you make, and what would the line be called? PB: Comfortable stockings. RD: And the name? Don’t say comfortable stockings. PB: “Wear ‘Em All Day!” RD: Keep your day job, girlfriend. RD: Is that enough? This is like a comedy routine, you should be filming us. PB: I’m glad we’re not. RD: We would be in the way back of your parents’ station wagon and we would really laugh all the way up to Vermont. We would have to stop for dinner and we couldn’t stop. I don’t think I’ve ever laughed so much with a person. PB: Wait, I got it! The Laughing Stockings. RD: You’re kidding...it’s pretty funny. Ok, I love it. EW: Ruthie, who is your fashion icon? RD: It is very fluid. Whoever is inspiring me at the moment. I’m a huge Kate Moss
fan. I’m really liking Kaia Gerber, she’s 18, but she has great style. It’s an ever changing thing. I like people who mix it up— high fashion with street wear. EW: This one’s for both of you: what’s your favorite piece of clothing? RD: I have so many favorites. I’m sad, it feels like picking kids. My Vetements X Champion black cropped hoodie. It’s so shrunken; it’s so cool. If there was a fire, I’d grab that. It was way too expensive... PB: I’d grab my computer…but my favorite piece is probably my purple suit. When I got the job, they said “Okay, we’re going to have a dinner and we’re going to announce you and it’s gonna be great.” And then they said—”You really need new clothes.” And I was freaking out—I don’t have nice clothes! I didn’t want to be remade into something I wasn’t. About three days later, I looked in my closet and I had this beautiful purple Tahari suit, perfectly tailored, hanging in the closet. My husband had bought it as a surprise for me! It’s something I would never have bought, but I felt great in it. EW: What is the hardest part of your job? PB: Politics. You’re trying to represent this huge diversity of students accurately without being used to make whatever political point the outside world wants you to make. You have to balance expectations and obligations between the internal and external. Navigating all that is very hard, and no matter what, you have to own it. RD: I don’t envy you. The hardest part of my job is sales. I’m a doer, I run marathons, I get goals and I work hard to achieve them. But, the one thing I can’t control no matter how hard I work is sales. When you’re selling fashion, you can’t force someone to like it. It might not even have anything to do with the product--it’s so subjective. It’s like dating; if you try hard to sell them on yourself, they run the other way. You can have great ideas, great products, and sometimes it doesn’t matter. But thankfully today, fashion has shifted and we can go directly to the consumer, so if I have a great shoe —I can sell it to my girls on RuthieDavis.com! 25
FORM & FIGURE 26
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Photographers: Jake Brody, Dana Chang, Emma Brodsky Models: SofĂa Benitez & Mercedes Hackworth Head Stylist: Dana Chang Makeup Artist: Madison Clague Assistant Stylists: Emma Brodsky, Madison Clague 28
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ECLIPSE Poem by Violet Cole & Collages by Madison Clague
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Photographers: Jake Brody, Dana Chang, Mitch Davis Models: Julianna Bencze, Kate Spence, Dardan Ukaj Stylists: Emma Brodsky, Dana Chang, Hannah Nice 31
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A SECOND CHANCE One warm evening this past September, I decided to visit the consignment shop on the corner of Raymond Avenue. As I laced up my sneakers and slipped on my headphones, I could have never predicted that twenty minutes later I’d have a job at that very shop. When Donna Santini, the energetic woman behind the business, offered me a position, I couldn’t turn it down. The sparkling gowns, vintage jackets, and designer handbags were enough to convince me from the moment I walked in. Donna’s business got its start five years ago in a small space on Main Street in downtown Poughkeepsie. Feeling discouraged after a battle with breast cancer, her family searched for ways to help her regain some sense of normalcy. Opening a consignment shop, they decided, was the perfect solution. After much thought and planning, Donna chose the name 2nd Chance Consignment Boutique to celebrate her own second chance at life. As word spread around town, more and more customers and consigners began to flood the shop. 2nd Chance eventually grew so popular that Donna moved the entire business to its current, much larger space on Raymond Avenue. Today, students, longtime residents, and tourists alike frequent the boutique, each seeking the thrill that comes along with finding a second-hand treasure. When I asked Donna what she liked most about being the owner of a shop like this, she didn’t hesitate: “The customers. I’m a people person, and I love clothes. I just love the industry—dressing things, putting the windows together, I love it.” I didn’t doubt her. While working at the shop, I saw the creativity that went into curating the window displays and the way customers smiled when they were read their final totals.
By Aidan Zola
Now that I’m spending more time on the other end of second-hand shopping, I’m realizing how great it is all over again--from the thrill of discovery, to the environmental benefits, to the more affordable and accessible prices. The popularity of second-hand shops has skyrocketed in the last decade, and it’s no wonder--consignment and thrift stores offer endless unique wardrobe possibilities. Each time I organize the racks at 2nd Chance, I manage to find a sweater or a belt that I’d somehow never seen before. It’s moments like these that bring customers back over and over again. For me, a piece has that much more meaning when I’ve taken the time to search through racks and racks of clothing, rather than scrolling through a website. It’s no secret that the rise of fast-fashion has contributed enormously to pollution and social inequality; second-hand shopping provides a way for shoppers to cut down on their environmental impacts. Despite large brands like H&M attempting to “close the loop” on fashion waste, fast fashion still presents an enormous social and environmental cost. But. perhaps most importantly, second-hand shopping tends to be highly cost-effective; consignment shops like 2nd Chance are leveling the playing field of fashion. Though it takes more effort, Donna explained to me that at second-hand shops, “you can buy that outfit and be just like everybody else that goes out and spends thousands of dollars, but you’re only spending a couple of dollars.” Whether your goal is to be entirely unique or stay on trend, second-hand shopping can help you realize it.
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2007/2017
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Model: Samantha Left Creative Director: Hannah Nice Photographer: Dana Chang
TEN YEARS AGO, WE HAD GOSSIP GIRL By Charlie Hobbs “Hey Upper East-siders, Gossip Girl here.” It was a greeting intended exclusively for the elite attendees of Constance Billard School for Girls but heard ‘round the world. When Kristen Bell first uttered those six sweet words ten years ago, it’s doubtful that she or anyone else expected them to define a generation. Long before Blake Lively was pretending to be Gwyneth Paltrow pretending to be Martha Stewart, Gossip Girl sent her first text blast alerting us all of Serena van der Woodsen’s return to the Upper East Side. Entry to the high society world of trust funds was suddenly as effortless as flipping to the CW.
jeans under a skirt—multiple times. Donning Eleanor Waldorf originals and Brooks Brothers classics respectively, the ladies and gentlemen of this teen classic filled the void that had been left three years earlier by the departure of the legendary Miss Carrie Bradshaw. They single handedly saved style.
The New York Times first noticed it. In a July 2008 article, Ruth la Ferla interviewed several people in the fashion industry, all of whom were reeling from the impact of Gossip Girl’s premiere ten months prior. Designers now eye-rollingly synonymous with snooty teen attire (see Tory Burch) skyrocketed in popularity as fans of the show bought the pieces featured in each episode en masse. Three archetypes of style were represented in the show; polished and preppyTimes were irrefutably simpler adjacent, carefree Californian, and for television in 2007. Production budgets were lower, plotlines were Fiffteen-year old Archie Andrews upscale Avril Lavigne edginess. relatively straightforward, and Liz has been sleeping with his teacher Lemon was in her prime. Audiences for episodes without anyone so much Most notable are Serena and Blair, a sort of Rachel and Monica for were hardly accustomed to the as batting an eye. the new generation. Everyone risqué, especially not on a network knows a Serena—a girl who show marketed to teenagers airing in primetime. Today, the antics of Dan Humphrey means well, but is so consumed by her own beauty seem as wholesome as an episode of The Wonder Years and the special treatment she receives as a result that when compared to Riverdale’s macabre weekly murder- she winds up being a bit of a steamroller. Today, she fest, but Gossip Girl was the first to really push the would likely be a brand ambassador for Anthropologie, envelope. Ads depicting a post-coital Nate Archibald but back in the day her windswept blonde mane and and Blair Waldorf was captioned, ”Every parent’s worst relaxed, effortless style defined the “cool girl.” Blair nightmare” drew the wrath of One Million Moms in Waldorf, a name that could inspire fear in even the 2007. Nevertheless, look at us now; fifteen-year old Kathryn Merteuils of the world, stands on the other Archie Andrews has been sleeping with his teacher for end of the extreme. She took the Constance uniforms, episodes without anyone so much as batting an eye. in all of their plaid glory, and embellished them with her headbands, broaches, and colorful tights. Even the marketing team embodied the “rebellious teen” trope; it was shocking and successful in a landscape Teenage style was in desperate need of a polish, and dominated by the far more virtuous likes of One Tree Gossip Girl did what no other show in 2007 dared Hill. In that space, Gossip Girl was irresistible. Even the to do--put teenagers on the air with nary a popped least Evangelical of parents feared that Jenny Humphrey collar or whale-tail in sight. That was groundbreaking would indoctrinate their children. But, Jenny and her stuff. Now, with more and more teenage stars coming not-so-classy classmates were actually doing more than from works like Stranger Things and It, the pressure is just furthering the divide between blondes and brunettes. on to skip the awkward phase. Their carefully curated They were doing what not even Eleanor Waldorf could do. wardrobes on and off screen serve as beacons for today’s middle- and high schoolers, saving them the 2007 was to fashion what the Dark Ages were to pain of chunky highlights and belts over everything. happiness and healthcare. In 2007, it was acceptable for Ashley Tisdale to step onto a red carpet wearing
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YOUR FAVORITE GRADE SCHOOL TUNES By Mercedes Hackworth The music of 2007 somehow feels like it was produced both yesterday and a lifetime ago. Somewhere in between the Jonas Brothers’ and Metro Station’s debut albums, we were all coveting a side fringe inspired by Camp Rock-era Demi Lovato. Or, if the year was particularly rough for your poor adolescent soul, sporting a post-breakdown Britney Spears vibe. Hopefully the former.
But, her staying power doesn’t seem to lie in her almost superhuman capabilities, it’s that she somehow makes all of that relatable. Rolling Stone writes of her words in Lemonade, “she’s the kind of artist whose voice people hear their own stories in, whatever our stories may be.”
Along with Beyonce, Rihanna has practically revolutionized the entire planet since 2007. Since her early hits “Umbrella” In any case, the top artists of 2007 have disintegrated, pros- and “Disturbia,” she’s evolved from a tropical musical sweetpered, and broken new frontiers in the lands of sound and ce- heart to an entrepreneurial powerhouse. Listen to Rihanna’s lebrity. Consider Nickelback—few take the time to reminisce hits “Shut Up and Drive” and “Work” back to back and you’ll on the impact of “Rockstar” in starry-eyed reverie. (If you’re hear her malleability loud and clear. Her music matched her still rocking those edgy Affliction tees, personal transformations while reyou might be the exception.) But, dismaining perfectly on trend--”Work” integration does not always mean a was her 14th Billboard No. 1 hit. MoreArtists from 2007 continually forgotten legacy. In stark contrast to over, critics had a lot more agreeable pave new paths, playing the meme-ified Chad Kroeger stands things to say about Rihanna’s last alsignificant roles in a tune like Amy Winehouse’s “Rebum Anti, whereas on her first album, popular culture trends hab,” which has been all but burned Good Girl Gone Bad, many were left disinto cultural memory. While the cirpleased. “She...comes off sounding like and transformations cumstances surrounding the decline of a robot programed to imitate Alanis over the past decade. Winehouse’s career were unexpected Morissette,” said Pitchfork album reand certainly untimely, her artistry, viewer Tom Breiham, later noting that even ten years later, serves as a cornerstone of the success of she makes an “unlikely popstar.” Reviews of Anti, however, pop/R&B crossover music today, from Khalid to Ed Sheeran. garnered much praise, being celebrated for its authenticity and its introspectiveness. Her success became less about the Beyond them stands a small army of chart toppers who have excellence of the musical production itself, and more about prospered over time. Think forever-relevant favorites like Bon her work becoming a more true reflection of herself. It seems Iver, Radiohead, Rihanna, Beyoncé, Katy Perry, Gwen Ste- that we got to witness her personal evolution through the rafani, Fall Out Boy, Kanye West, Usher, Arctic Monkeys, P!nk, dio, a very public and very intimate way of communicating Taylor Swift. You still can’t listen to the radio without hearing with fans. Ms. Swift on three different stations, but the bitter-yet-fragile female within me isn’t always complaining. Time has, espe- It seems that the music produced in 2007 isn’t radically difcially for these artists and many others, advanced careers. In ferent from what we’re listening to now. Sure, it has grown addition to proving their staying power, these and more art- and matured--Taylor Swift definitely isn’t crafting banjo ists from 2007 continually pave new paths, playing significant tunes anymore, Demi Lovato isn’t trapped at summer camp, roles in popular culture trends and transformations over the and Kanye West is doing, well, whatever he’s doing now--but past decade. the vestiges are there for those who remember. With all of this change, there’s a lot to look forward to. Platforms like Beyonce, positively one of those influencers, has become a YouTube, Spotify and NPR’s Tiny Desk Concerts give rise to world-renowned performer and businesswoman of the high- indie musicians with breakneck speed, putting star-making est echelon with fans who worship her as a god-like figure. power in the hands of stream counts and viral views, rather (See: The Church of Beysus Christ on Twitter). It’s funny to than label executives. Now, put the needle back on your Parthink that in the pre-Lemonade days of 2007, she was still try- amore record and be happy that shutter shades aren’t a legitiing to shake Destiny’s Child associations just two years after mate part of your wardrobe anymore. the group’s split. The female phenom rode the waves of the ever-changing musical landscape expertly and made them work in her favor. Visual albums becoming the new trendy piece for artists? Release an hour long musical journey on HBO. Want to convince them you can make a crossover hit in your sleep? Get invited to the CMA’s to perform “Daddy Lessons.”
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WHAT WE WORE By Elizabeth Johnson Sometimes I think back to the painful days of never knowing which Louis Vuitton luggage was yours on the baggage carousel at the airport, or whether your allowance would be enough to fund your Juicy Couture tracksuit collection. If only I could just find the right words to Sharpie onto my fresh pair of Converse. 2007 was a heavily branded year filled to the brim with iconic mental breakdowns and reality TV revolutions. But, the ironic tragedy of the time was the unforgettable character of fashion. Call it the dark days of style or golden era of no rules—either way, thankfully, times have changed. A decade has washed ensembles of walking billboard tees and ultra low rise denim, the uggs with shorts look, and micro-miniskirts with boleros from our rotations. While fashion has shifted from that world of questionable taste, the icons who popularized our favorite late 2000’s looks remain. Fashion is and has always been celebrity driven. In 2007, the Kardashian sisters made their debut blowing up tabloids. Regardless of their debated contributions to society, popular style benefitted from their existence. On New Years 2007, Vogue UK’s Style File of Kim Kardashian-West highlights her party outfit. She stands next to Paris Hilton, both of them in metallic party dresses, Paris in silver and Kim in a pewter body-con number cinched around the waist. Their strappy heels, chunky chandelier-esque jewelry, and matching statement purses seem to reflect the pinnacle of the impending year’s style. In 2007, I was eight years old and understandably not much into the muted, earthy meets metallic looks labels like Collette Dinnigan, Miu Miu, and Valentino were showing on the runways of fashion week. My icons donned tube tops, oversized sunglasses, dresses over jeans, thin scarves, and vests. I’d fry my hair every morning with a flat iron before posters of Ashley Tisdale and Selena Gomez, paying special attention to my freshly cut side bangs. My neighbors skateboarded the streets of our subdivision in Von Dutch hats and Ed Hardy t-shirts. I try to think now—if I’d been older in that time, would I have been immune to the influence? How did we survive the label driven style world we lived in? It must have been the premier of Gossip Girl and its army of enviable outfits that finally drew us from the dark. Ten years later, gone but not forgotten are the embroidered fabrics, Coach bags, and Baby Phat tees. Even though hints of 2007 persist--think lacy camisole tops--I still wonder if in another ten or twenty years I’ll hear kids exclaiming “I was born in the wrong generation!” while staring at the same photographs in magazines like J-14 and Limited Too catalogues. One can only wonder what will be quintessentially 2017 in 2027.
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MEET Editor-in-Chief Media Director
Ellie Winter Creative Director
Hannah Cho Blog Director
Hannah Nice Alaina Toatley
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CONTRAST Head Photographer Layout Editor
Jake Brody Head Stylist
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Dana Chang Sam Greenwald Assistant Writer - Aidan Zola Assistant Writer - Katie Spear Blog Assistant - Charlie Hobbs Assistant Photographer - Mitch Davis
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