neW SChooL neW CooL
the future & beyond
with rei kawakubo
elton John Drew barrymore rick rubin fiona apple anD more!
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the youth quake iSSue
musicians of the moment Grimes, sky ferreira, anD charli XcX in Givenchy by riccarDo tisci photoGrapheD by
sebastian faena styleD by carine roitfelD
neW SChooL neW CooL
the youth quake iSSue
the future & beyond
with rei kawakubo
elton John Drew barrymore rick rubin fiona apple anD more!
78
fall preview 2012 US $6.50 CAN $7.50 DISPLAY UNTIL AUgUST 30, 2012
US $6.50 CAN $7.50 DISPLAY UNTIL AUgUST 30, 2012
moDels on the rise ava, thairine, anD kati in balenciaga by nicolas ghesquière photographeD by sebastian faena styleD by carine roitfelD
the future & beyond
with rei kawakubo elton John Drew barrymore rick rubin fiona apple anD more!
78
fall preview 2012 US $6.50 CAN $7.50 DISPLAY UNTIL AUgUST 30, 2012
neW SChooL neW CooL
the youth quake iSSue
Stef, Daniela, anD kati in the new Silhouette by comme DeS GarÇonS photoGrapheD by SebaStian faena StyleD by carine roitfelD
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contents
From the PrinciPal’s oFFice 28 party
Shoe Jil Sander
46 generatiOn neXt
70 KaZaKy HOrrOr piCture SHOW by ineZ & VinOOdH
48 FiOna apple: idling nO MOre
80 dreW’S angelS by dreW barryMOre
34 SOul Man
52 My FirSt tiMe
88 eVery rOSe HaS itS tHOrn by KariM Sadli
35 earning tHeir StripeS
56 pOWerHOuSe
96 #inStaglaM by KaCper KaSprZyK
36 WOrK in prOgreSS
62 neW SOundS by SebaStian Faena
40 blurring tHe bOundarieS
66 neW FaCeS by SebaStian Faena
Visionaire visits Moscow; New York lights up for Bill Cunningham, Balmain’s Olivier Rousteing, the New Museum, and Nicholas Kirkwood; Copenhagen goes green
30 HerOeS: Star-MaKerS
Discovering new talent is an art unto itself—just ask Rick Rubin, Rodney Bingenheimer, and Clive Davis With a host of artful collaborations, music producer and singer Thomas Bartlett is singlehandedly bringing downtown back to life
For the first-ever Frieze Art Fair in New York, Uri Aran examines examination rooms and Virginia Overton holds mirrors up to the trees Elad Lassry explains the method to his artistic madness, plus get to know six other important artists of the moment
42 V neWS
When planning your end-of-summer adventures, keep these critical reads, crucial carry-ons, and cool collaborations in mind
24
The poster girl for overtly honest, intelligent angst returns with a record at just the right time. Here, she reunites with director Mark Romanek exclusively for V Everybody started somewhere. Take a look at the early work of a few of our most cherished collaborators. My, how they’ve grown! Five of the world’s most prestigious fashion schools— Central Saint Martins, Parsons, FIT, RISD, and the Royal Academy—introduce us to the class of 2012 Three of pop music’s emerging icons are interviewed by their musical heroes: Sky Ferreira by Elton John, Grimes by Genesis Breyer P-Orridge, and Charli XCX by Geri Halliwell Ava Smith, Thairine Garcia, Kati Nescher, Daniela Brava, and Stef van der Laan are the It girls of the moment. Get to know these model beauties
68 neW SHapeS
No seasonal collection made a bigger impression than the avant-garde silhouettes of Comme des Garçons. Rei Kawakubo talks about the craft behind the contours
Ukrainian troupe Kazaky are not your average boy band. Walk a mile in their six-inch stilettos and find out why Actress/director/photographer Drew Barrymore knows a thing or two about young Hollywood. Here, she captures seven starlets on the rise The raw essence of rock and roll is reclaimed by a bold new recruit. Liza Thorn, singer and songwriter of L.A. band Starred, is ready to reign Fall’s favorites are on view in bold, saturated hues— through any filter you choose
106 SCHOOl daZe by JaMie HaWKeSWOrtH
The students of Washington, D.C.’s Woodrow Wilson High School are walking the halls in the oversize shapes of the Fall season. Back-to-school never looked so cool
113 Cr FaSHiOn bOOK preVieW (iSSue 0)
September marks the launch of Carine Roitfeld’s most irreverent project yet: her very own fashion publication that’s anything but by-the-book
Photography Carl Kleiner Fashion Christopher Barnard
A pair of Brooklyn rappers—Zebra Katz and Njena Reddd Foxxx—teamed up to create the season’s catchiest hook
London-based stylist Anna Trevelyan files a status update on the cool collections to know about now
Š 2012
Model wears Express Jeans, racerback tank & fringe necklace express.com
foreword
The spread from V3 featuring Guido Palau’s interview with Vidal Sassoon, Raf Simons’s Spring/Summer 2000 collection photographed by David Sims, and Sassoon’s archival images
Absolute beginners Is there anything more rewarding than discovering new talent?
At V we are constantly on the lookout for those ingenious gems
on the verge. (Let’s not forget Lady Gaga made her magazine debut in these pages circa 2009.) Fortunately for us editors, inspiration is everywhere these days. Not since the ’60s and the days of Diana Vreeland have we seen a generation manifest such exciting ideas, artwork, music, and mayhem. In 1967, when teenagers ruled the fashion and music scenes, Twiggy was considered a style revolutionary and Mary Quant shook up the fashion world. Today another youthquake is underway, and we’re here to make sure it shakes you to your core. But where would the new school of creative darlings be without the icons who helped to chart their course? This past spring when the legendary Vidal Sassoon passed away, we scoured the archives for an interview with the über-hairstylist conducted by his former pupil Guido Palau for V3. Published in the summer of 2000, the piece described how Gabbas— Northern European industrial metalheads—had adopted an aggressive ’60s-inspired Sassoon bowl cut as their signature look. It was a moment to reflect on how creativity takes shape in different ways across different cultures, but always with an appreciation for the past. With that in mind, we kick off the issue by paying homage to a trio of musical star–makers: Rick Rubin, who fine-tuned the sounds of the Beastie Boys, Slayer, and Adele, among many others; Clive Davis, the creative partner of Aretha Franklin, Alicia Keys, and most famously Whitney Houston; and rock-and-roll radio legend Rodney Bingenheimer, whose L.A. show introduced the world to David Bowie, X, and the Ramones. 26
Our celebration of both icons and ingénues continues with a three-part cover story snapped by young photographer-onthe-rise Sebastian Faena and styled by international icon Carine Roitfeld. Together they present the stand-out models from the Fall 2012 season, a trio of extremely talented female musicians, all under the age of 24—interviewed by Elton John, Geri Halliwell, and Genesis Breyer P-Orridge, respectively—and the defiant new shapes for Comme des Garçons by legendary designer Rei Kawakubo. The Japanese designer is certainly an inspiration to the graduating classes of the world’s best fashion schools, who also populate these pages. Elsewhere, we are thrilled to feature Fiona Apple, who reunited with her “Criminal” video director, Mark Romanek, as well as the work of budding photographers, including actress-producer and all-around creative magpie Drew Barrymore, who shot upand-coming Hollywood starlets; young British import Jamie Hawkesworth, who snapped a handful of style-conscious students in Washington, D.C.; and in-demand Swedish lensman Kacper Kasprzyk, who captured another contingent of new models in Fall’s best designer looks with an Instagram-inspired technique. We close out this issue with a preview of what’s to come. Roitfeld, a frequent contributor to V, is embarking on a creative journey all her own with the advent of CR Fashion Book. Take a gander here before it hits shelves in September. V always promotes a swirling nexus of new talent, but we also realize that as eager as we are to help these young artists, we also selfishly thrive on their creative energy. We need them as much as they need us—and you do too. Consider this your crib sheet to the new school of talent. Ms. V
V like TO PARTY
party
LARGER THAN LIFE IN MOSCOW
Casa BaCardi larger than life party hosted By CeCilia dean and Visionaire in russia with (from left) miChael semiZ, george mironoV, elena staroVoitoVa, maria laVroVa, timofey KolesniKoV, Konstantin gayday, ilona stolie, artem KoroleV, neon hitCh, eVa, andrey BarteneV, dean, anastasia romanCoVa, artem KriVda, olga BoBroVa, gosha ruBChinsKiy, dmitry loginoV, anna BeresneVa, masha JeleZnyaKoVa, anastasia KorChagina, alya KorneeVa, dJ Jesse marCo, and the largest disCo Ball in the world!
MAN OF THE TIMES
the new yorK times’s Bill Cunningham is honored at a Carnegie hall gala with (from left) gayle King, annette de la renta, andres and lauren santo domingo, Cunningham, merCedes Bass, sarah JessiCa parKer, osCar de la renta, and Vittorio grigolo
BALMAIN’S BABES
Balmain’s oliVier rousteing is fÊted at the hotel ameriCano in new yorK By friends (from left) ariZona muse, anya ZiouroVa, Kasia struss, rousteing, Karlie Kloss, and ConstanCe JaBlonsKi
GOOD OLD-FASHIONED FUN AT THE NEW MUSEUM
new yorK’s new museum CeleBrates its 35th anniVersary with a spring gala attended By (from left) ahn duong, leelee soBiesKi, dr. samantha Boardman, paul mcCarthy, franCisCo Costa, laurie heriard duBreuiel, aaron young, Chloë seVigny, gaVin Brown, hope atherton, aBy rosen, yVonne forCe Villareal, ChuCK Close, Jeff Koons, and Justine Koons
28
TEAM GREEN
the third annual Copenhagen fashion summit, whiCh promotes sustainaBle fashion around the world, was held with (from left) Connie nielsen, galahad ClarK, niKolaJ hÜBBe, Bruno pieters, Crown prinCess mary of denmarK, Jan olesen, erin o’Connor, and eVa Krause
Photography courtesy Visionaire, Carnegie Hall, Balmain, The New Museum, Nicholas Kirkwood, and the Copenhagen Fashion Summit
IT'S A SHOE IN
niCholas KirKwood CeleBrates his first new yorK store with (from left) nora Zehtner, hannah Bronfman, praBal gurung, Bee shaffer, KirKwood, rafael de Cardenas, Jen Brill, and erdem moralioglu
rick rubin
the legendary music producer who founded def jam out of a dorm room talks to author tourÉ about his creative process, his dear friend mca, and the album that got away Rick Rubin is a man who’s shaped the sound of America. Over 30 years he’s placed a unique imprint on important artists like the Beastie Boys, Jay-Z, Johnny Cash, AC/DC, Tom Petty, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and many others. He has a keen ear and a way with people, which is why many call him a guru. He comes across as very calm and Zen and thoughtful, all of which you can tell is helpful in getting recording artists to be more instinctive and reveal their essence. That, as much as his sonic taste, is behind his massive success. Touré
30
Rick Rubin in Malibu, May 2011
phoTography mark romanek
Special thanks View Imaging
star-makers special
If I was a new artist, what would it take to get a Rick Rubin production on my album? What’s gonna make you say yes to me when you say no to another hundred who ask? RICK RUBIN Just a feeling. A feeling of connection. If I have a personal connection with it or if I see something in it, or see an angle into it that I think I can help make it better than it is. A lot of times it comes down to the people. I just meet the artist and like the artist. It’s about that connection more than anything. One of the things that you’ve been great at doing is bringing something new out of people. How do you accomplish that? RR I try to help an artist get closer to who they are. So we take away all of the thoughts of what the radio sounds like or what they think they’re supposed to do or what their label thinks they’re supposed to do or what anybody thinks they’re supposed to do and get into the roots of who they are and create a safe environment for them to be themselves and let their guard down and just expose who they are. Help them find what that magic thing is about them, why they do what they do in the first place. I’ve heard that you get people to move quickly. And that’s part of trying to get to that instinctive stuff, right? RR That’s true, but we spend a great deal of time preparing. Like it may be two years of work just working on songs before we go into the studio, and then we go in and it happens very quickly. Have the problems of the record business changed anything for you professionally? RR Not really. We do it to where we love it. We can never predict or guess what anyone else is going to like. The industry’s gone through a lot of changes but from the making music standpoint it’s pretty similar. We care about it as much as we always did and want it to be as good as it can possibly be and are willing to do whatever it takes for it to be as good as it can possibly be. We don’t let the industry issues affect the creative process. Let’s go back to the beginning of your career and working on Licensed To Ill and what you were trying to do sonically. How much fun did you have doing that record? RR Yeah, it was very new territory then. There weren’t even samplers yet, so we had tape loops going around the room, around mic stands, and programming was in the early days of 808s and drum machines. A lot of the programming was done
on the fly, played by hand, or it’d be something where we’d play beat A and then stop it and play beat B and then stop it and then play beat A and then play a fill. It was more live. The way things are done today where tracks are created by taking a piece of music and repeating it over and over in ProTools, nothing could’ve been done like that. It had to be just based on the technology we had at that time. And because of that it sounds different than the way things sound now. Yeah, it had a live sound and energy and an electricity that’s hard to capture when you have a different way of making it. RR Yeah, it was more of a performance, capturing a moment. That’s how it was done even down to the mixing. We’d all stand over the console and each person would either man eight faders or mute buttons and we’d all learn as the song would go. It was almost like playing piano on the console. We’d rehearse the first verse and then the next piece of the song and then we’d try to get the whole thing as a song and break it up in pieces and try to get to the point of doing it all as one performance. There would be three or four of us at the console to be able to get through the song. Can you talk about MCA, your friend Adam Yauch, who recently passed away? RR Adam Yauch was...it’s hard for me to talk about him because it’s so emotional with him not being here. He’s the first person from our immediate group to pass away and it’s a bizarre feeling. He had the coolest voice and wrote the coolest rhymes and was probably the strongest torchbearer for the band throughout the creative process. After we didn’t work together anymore he really carried the flag for the band and was the driving force for them. Questlove says he doesn’t love or hate music anymore. He just listens to what the person is doing, but he can’t get superhigh or superlow about anything anymore. Do you still have that emotional attachment you had 20 years ago? RR It’s both things. I can still get emotionally attached and swept away, but there’s another part of me with the producer hat on who’s listening to how it’s done and thinking what I’d do different or what I wish I would’ve thought of. You can listen with two different ears—the professional ears and the fan ears. And it happens very naturally, just going back and forth. But it’s a really nice feeling to just get taken away as a fan. And just hear something that’s like, Wow, how cool is that? Can you tell me something you heard that you were like, Wow, I wish I’d thought of that? RR D’Angelo’s Voodoo album. I don’t think a better album’s been made since then. That’s as good as it gets. Can you say how you’ve grown as a producer from those early NYU dorm days to now, as a legendary figure? RR I would say it’s different. It’s still me inside, so the sensibility is similar. It’s gone from a naïve, not really knowing what I’m doing energy to a still not knowing what I’m doing energy, but with a tremendous amount of experience. And with that experience comes wisdom, because each project I do I learn new stuff, every single time. But all that new stuff I’ve learned from doing a lot of albums, you learn a lot of ways. There’s been a lot of examples in my life of when I hear a musical problem, or an issue with a song and I have a big Rolodex of options of things to try, whereas before it might’ve been more frustrating and hunting. Now I kinda have a better idea of how to fix the problem. I’ve also learned what’s important and what’s not… I know what things I fix will make a difference and what things are just my taste and no one else is gonna care.
© Michael Ochs Archives/Corbis
hero
From left: Johnny, Joey, Marky, and Dee Dee Ramone go cruising with Rodney Bingenheimer in Los Angeles, 1979
rodney bingenheimer The L.A.-bAsed rAdio dj who goT bowie A record deAL And inTroduced The rAmones To The worLd TALks AbouT his rock-And-roLL LegAcy
It goes without saying that the music world is filled with eccentrics. From producers to groupies to the artists themselves, the
hysterical, bawdy, and over-the-top industry of popular song is a wellspring of the world’s greatest characters. At the top of that totem pole is Rodney Bingenheimer, one of the most stylish, influential, and consequential personas ever to exist in the music biz, and one of the most charming as well. But he’d never say so. “My life has been very quiet since the club,” he says bashfully, his soft tone evoking a bygone, albeit cool, era. He’s talking about Rodney Bingenheimer’s English Disco—the popular Hollywood club he started in the early ’70s, at 7561 Sunset Boulevard— which landed him a gig as a radio DJ on KROQ, a position that he’s held on to ever since. Over the past three decades, Rodney on the ROQ has been synonymous with American rock music: he’s cited as the first American DJ to play the Ramones, the Sex Pistols, Blondie, the Clash, the Talking Heads, the Runaways, “the list goes on and on,” he says. The late Hollywood legend Sal Mineo famously dubbed Rodney the “Mayor of the Sunset Strip,” a nickname that became the title of a popular 2003 documentary about him. He started out as a live-in publicist for Sonny Bono and Cher. “I was up on the Sunset Strip and I had hair like Sonny,” he recalls. “So Cher said, ‘You should come hang out with us,’ and I did. They looked after me, like a little kid they took under their wings.” Among his accomplishments, the most significant perhaps is having gotten David Bowie his American record deal.
“He sort of gave me the idea for the club. It was basically a
David Bowie cathedral,” Rodney says with a laugh. “It was all
about London and had posters and flyers and memorabilia of Davie Bowie and stuff. Then I was helping him shop a record deal, and we first went to Liberty/UA Records, actually. And when that didn’t work out I knew the people at RCA, so I kind of put a word in for him, along with my partner at the club, Tom Ayres.” Despite witnessing the meteoric rise of the countless bands he helped over the years, the Mayor of the Sunset Strip still finds himself in awe. “It was really nice to see Blondie get the award for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and who do they thank but me—the first name they say onstage! I love Debbie, and that was very nice.” About being awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, in 2007, Bingenheimer says, “That was quite earthshaking and who should be there but Brian Wilson, Henry Rollins, the Bangles, the Donnas, some of the Go-Go’s, a lot of cool people, and a lot of listeners.” Rodney on the ROQ is still on the air, Sunday nights from midnight to 3 a.m.—a set the veteran DJ always plays live. He maintains an active MySpace profile for the show, which lists his age as 26. “Ageless,” he explains. Ever on the lookout to break new bands, Rodney was instrumental in the success of groups like No Doubt, Blur, and Nirvana in the ’90s (Courtney Love famously claims to have stalked him in order to become a star) and today believes we are reaching a new, exciting era in rock. “It’s a lot better now than it’s been in a while,” he says. “There was kind of a slump, but it’s picking up again.” His current favorites are U.K. bands Spector and Arctic Monkeys as well as Welsh singer/songwriter Marina & the Diamonds. He also likes the new Beach Boys single. “I played it before it came out, ‘That’s Why God Made the Radio,’ it’s all about radio!” Is there anybody he’d still like to meet? “I haven’t met Lindsay Lohan,” he says earnestly. At the suggestion that he write his own history of rock and roll, Bingenheimer replies, “I am doing a book right now! It’s called Rodney Bingenheimer’s English Disco: A Glitter Revolution.” While the book will trace only the history of the club until its closing, the soon-to-be author is open to doing another one, or a film, that will take into account his larger-than-life career. One thing he isn’t open to, however, is retiring anytime soon. “As long as there’s good music, I’ll be there to play it.” Patrik Sandberg
All images courtesy Clive Davis
Alicia Keys, Luther Vandross, Davis, Usher, and Snoop Dogg
Bonnie Raitt, Davis, Annie Lennox, Carly Simon, and Sheryl Crow
Dionne Warwick, Davis, Donna Summer, and Whitney Houston
With Patti Smith
clive davis
a legend among legends of the music industry, clive davis possesses power and reach that borders on the infinite. the keys to his success? his love of song, discovery, and keeping his ear “from going over the hill” Everyone who loves pop music should be sending Clive Davis a handwritten thank-you note. During his 35-year tenure in the music industry—first as general counsel and president of Columbia Records, then as a cofounder of both Arista Records and Bad Boy, a founder of J Records, and now as the CCO of Sony—he has produced some of the most iconic musical acts of all time. He got his start by signing Janis Joplin and the Big Holding
Paul Simon, Davis, and Miles Davis
Company in 1967—he had a feeling self-expression was about to be in vogue—and his success has continued to the present day: his current projects include Melanie Amaro from The X Factor, Jennifer Hudson, Leona Lewis, and in a reprise of a past triumph, Aretha Franklin. Of course his portfolio has included countless other stars from across the genres of rock, pop, hip-hop, and country. But through all the meetings, demos, and concerts, Davis’s fervor for his work has never faded. “What I do is keep as best informed on the creative side as I can,” he says. “Every week I still take home every record that makes the chart in every format, to make sure that my ears don’t go over the hill and I keep my ears current. I’ve seen colleagues, other producers get mired down either with a particular sound or in a particular decade.” He further credits his street smarts to his Brooklyn upbringing: “Growing up in the New York public school system, you learn to work hard, not take anything for granted, and not rest on your laurels. But you’ve got to keep proving yourself. So if you’re going to do it, you might as well do it by the same criteria.” Davis’s voice is usually a Brooklyn-accented baritone, but it softens when he speaks about the late Whitney Houston, one of his most prized songstresses. “Because I found the material and became a creative partner of Whitney’s, there was always the observation that she might have been groomed,” he says. “But she came a) as a model, b) with a very strong sense of fashion, and c) with a very strong sense of her own hairstyle. [Laughs]
With Bruce Springsteen
You go back to “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” or “How Will I Know,” I never suggested an outfit to her, I never suggested a hairstyle to her.” Months after her death, Davis is still moved as he recalls the work they did together as creative partners. “In praising, sadly, her wonderful legacy, Whitney’s catalog of hits...it wasn’t just the first week or the second week after her passing that her album sold,” he says. “It’s the second-best-selling album of the year, because people got reacquainted. For me to hear all of the multitude of copyrights that became the soundtrack of people’s lives, of course I feel nostalgic. And of course I feel that emotion.” Earlier this year, Davis turned 80 (“we had a very nice party,” he says), but to the artists he has come to know, he is ageless. “They recognize that you have something. Not only personally but professionally. Every artist, when they come to crucial decisions, crossroads, they come to bat around ideas with someone they feel is knowledgeable, then it counts.” Some of those artists have made his job fairly easy. “If Patti Smith was unorthodox or awkward at the beginning that was part of her charm of being raw and bristling with edge and passion. You just know that they get experience…but if you listen to the material…you listen to the line ‘Jesus died for somebody’s sins but not mine,’ I mean, you know that you’re dealing with somebody, a special talent.” The same can be said of you, Mr. Davis. That thank-you note is in the mail. Sarah CriStobal 33
Photo assistant Doug Gonzalez Piano provided by Schoenhut® Piano Company Location Fast Ashleys Brooklyn
music
SOUL MAN
a college dropout with musical ambitions, performer and producer thomas bartlett has become a trusted collaborator of both rock stars and rising talents The first time I met Thomas Bartlett, we shared a bottle of Yoko Ono’s champagne in a hotel room in Oslo, Norway. As first-meeting scenarios go, it’s a pretty good one—and actually quite fitting, considering his line of work. Among New York City’s most soughtafter musicians, Bartlett often finds himself in pricey hotel rooms in foreign countries at the behest of whichever musical icon he happens to be working with. Back in 2006, he was playing in Ono’s band at the Oya Festival and I was still a newbie music journalist. Some six years later, he remains a respected accompanist for a large coterie of musicians, but these days that is but one of his many fashionable hats. Also sought-after as a producer, a recording artist (he releases his own music under the moniker of Doveman), and a curator of New York’s still-vibrant downtown scene, he clearly has a knack for bringing people together. 34
In many ways Bartlett’s is a very classic New York story.
Bartlett’s loyal friends to play shows that are largely fly-by-the-
Having moved to the city from Vermont for college, he soon
seat-of-your-pants affairs. The Sessions are both a beautiful
found himself living in the moment, much to the detriment of his studies. “I did a year of high school and then dropped out to make music, then I did a year of college and did it again,” he recalls. “It became clear pretty quickly that the one important constant in my life was making music.” After asking, in 2001, to become a member of the collective of downtown musicians called Chocolate Genius—“I just told them I wanted to play for them, and for some reason they let me”—Bartlett soon found himself making a living playing backup for the likes of David Byrne and Rufus Wainwright. Eventually he spent months at a time on the road, with acts including Antony and the Johnsons and the National (both of which now credit him as a producer on their most recent albums). It was friendships with these types of up-and-coming artists that would make for some of his most dynamic and long-lasting partnerships. “I met Thomas during the twelve seconds when he attended Columbia,” says one such comrade, classical composer Nico Muhly. “He was the only student I knew with a house, and, like, a living room and a piano. I realized quickly that he was—despite the private nature of his own music—an inherently social musician. Thomas and I swiftly developed a good way of working not only with each other but as a team available to work with others.” Bartlett’s affinity for his fellow musicians—a quality that has continued to lead him to produce albums by talented friends, including Trixie Whitley, Hannah Cohen, and Julia Stone—seems to have reached a logical apex with the creation of the Burgundy Stain Sessions, a series of salon-like classical performances at NYC’s Le Poisson Rouge. The recurring event routinely draws
sampling of wondrous performers and evidence of Bartlett’s keen ear and powerful sway. According to Whitley, whose debut album will be released this fall, the success of the Burgundy Sessions is a byproduct of their creator’s nature and talents alike. “Thomas has an easygoing character, but he also has very precise instincts—musically, socially, and artistically,” she says. “The Burgundy Stain Sessions represent the state of culture today. At a time when individualism is being consistently fed with an overload of options and information, creative people can only witness the fruits of collectivism when actually coming together and embracing it.” Despite his success, Bartlett remains humble about his experience, attributing it to being immersed in the always dynamic and constantly evolving musical culture in the city. “For me, making music together is a vital part of almost all of my close friendships,” he says. “Putting on these shows is kind of like recreating this utopian version of NYC that I imagine in my mind. People love to romanticize the past, but I’m happy to be doing what I’m doing right now. This is such an exciting and truly beautiful time.” t. Cole raChel
Trixie whiTley and Thomas barTleTT in new york ciTy, may 2012
PhotograPhy matthu PlaCek Fashion emily barnes makeuP James kaliardos hair martin-ChristoPher harPer using oribe (kate ryan inC.) whiTley wears dress Veda shoes gianVito rossi TighTs WolFord barTleTT wears JackeT and panTs CalVin klein T-shirT his own
To see more phoTos and video of This shooT go To vmagazine.com
Makeup and grooming Pep Gay using Chanel (Streeters) Hair Rita Marmor (Streeters) Manicure Rica Romain using Chanel (See Management) Photo assistants Henry Lopez and Hector De Jesus Retouching Norkin Digital Art Production REPltd Location Splashlight Soho
Earning ThEir STripES
After “imA reAd” served As the soundtrAck for rick owens’s fAll runwAy show, ZebrA kAtZ And njenA reddd foxxx Are now touring to “teAch” the mAsses
Whether hammered into your head via Rick Owens’s runway show or RuPaul’s Twitter feed, the cold
throb of hip-hop’s leanest and meanest banger, Zebra Katz and Njena Reddd Foxxx’s “Ima Read,”
is unavoidable. Hurling lyrical knives in rapid succession, the two Brooklyn rappers reclaimed the snarky style of Paris Is Burning with a refrain that promises to “read” the world asunder. The duo (aka Ojay Morgan and Njena Jarvis) squeezed in this interview before embarking on a European tour. But who/what/why is Zebra Katz? It’s a question that the man has heard before. “People are spelling it with a C or putting an apostrophe on it, the whole thing is just a play on words,” says Katz about his stage name and lyrics. “Pop music today is all lingo-driven, you need to keep up or get lost in the puns. People are asking me on Facebook, what really is ‘Ima Read?’ It’s all there in the history and subtext, it just depends how deep you want to go with it.”
To lay at least one misconception to rest, Zebra Katz is not a plural entity. The duo met through mutual friends in Brooklyn, and Reddd Foxxx came onto the “Ima Read” track as a collaborator. She has since found herself on her own trip to stardom. She’ll be releasing her first single, “Silly Bitch,” this summer on Mad Decent, the label which also signed Katz’s “Ima Read” and “Hey Ladies” tracks. “I wouldn’t say it’s an accident, but it’s serendipitous. What’s an accident anyway?” she says. “I’ll say this wasn’t planned for, but it’s feeling like it’s meant to be.” The talented twosome’s meteoric rise took place the new old-fashioned way—not with a recording contract but with the “Ima Read” video lighting up YouTube for over half a million views and counting. Fittingly a string of dates opening for the poster child of the Internet-sensation-tosigned-artist movement, Lana Del Rey, followed. “This is a story, and it’s building,” says Zebra. “Down the line I think it’s going to be a blanket story, the same copy, and that’s why I want to keep doing new things.” What’s next is a lot of touring and then making time for a lot of recording. “RuPaul and I are doing a show together, Reading University,” Zebra jokes. “Not really—but I’m putting that out into the universe. There are a lot of surprises coming that you can’t really talk about because it takes the fun out of the reveal.” kevin mcgarry
PhotograPhy amy trooSt FaShion alaStair mckimm
From LeFt: njena reddd Foxxx and ZeBra KatZ in new YorK, aPriL 2012 Foxxx wears jacKet stYList’s own jeweLrY her own on LiPs, Chanel rouge aLLure VeLVet in L’exquise on naiLs, Chanel Le Vernis in graPhite KatZ wears jacKet BurBerry ProrSum tanK Ck JeanS hat and sungLasses his own
WORK IN PRO GRESS PhotogrAPhy JAson schmidt
GENERal hOSPItal
for new york’s first frieze art fair, uri aran places a stethoscope on the routine act of a physical examination Medical services and structures are integral to the history of
Randall’s Island, but my project for the Frieze Art Fair doesn’t necessarily speak to these ideas directly. Those facts were
really just a starting point from which to explore aspects of public and private experience and to manipulate certain tropes that interest me. I was immediately attracted to the island’s old ticket shack—it looks like a little theater and almost invites some kind of spectacle. The building feels childish—it’s not infantile, but it does have something to do with a kind of conditioning, education, language, and even a kind of moral authority. I am always working with these concepts, and they are connected with the idea of a hospital, which made me think about the role of a doctor. I turned the derelict structure into a fictional examination room in which actors and friends played the roles of doctors and patients, accompanied by music composed and performed by Dan Aran, Nick Hempton, and Itai Kriss. Uri ArAn Untitled (Ticket Shack), 2012 From left: Andrew Falberg, Natacha Oliveira, Raymond Mosser, Sara Eklund, Dan Aran, Uri Aran, Michael Guardiola, Anton Obeid 36
work in progress
Tree Hugger
in the sculpture garden at frieze, virginia overton’s reflective installation proves that the mirror has more than two faces I visited Randall’s Island numerous times prior to deciding what kind of sculpture I would make for the project, spending time walking around the park and looking at every nook and cranny. The Ys in the trees seemed like a perfect natural element to incorporate into the sculptures. The pieces that I installed (eight in all) are made of 4-by-8-foot sheets of flexible acrylic mirror wedged into the crooks of the trees along the paths and fields at the river’s edge. While reflecting and distorting what is around them, the pieces simultaneously advance and recede, transforming their natural surroundings into new patterns and shapes. Virginia OVertOn Untitled (Mirrors for Randall’s Island), 2012 39
art now
blurring the boundaries
from challenging the notion of a photograph to reclaiming the body as a heavenly instrument, the current crop of in-demand artists is rising up to question social norms. get in on their game TexT Kevin McGarry
elad lassry WoMan (Coral), 2011
40
mediums that are mostly associated with experimental aes-
and the fabled Peter), it is unclear whether the background or
thetics,” he says. The effect is incongruous but fruitful: images
the performer is moving, because the camera is following one of them and moving with the frame—and both are art-directed to the extent that they appear as transposable forms rather than what they actually are. As Lassry explains, “the camera picks up more on what is at stake instead of what is potentially happening,” lulling a viewer into a state of optical tabula rasa where there is the possibility to experience as a surprise something as cinematically fundamental as motion. This spring Lassry debuted a live performance in Los Angeles as a precursor to his exhibition at David Kordansky Gallery. The monochrome-clad ballet dancers he enlisted for the evening enacted a progression of tableaux in tandem with the changing scrims and backdrops of constrastingly punchy hues. In September the artist will mount a series of similar events in New York at The Kitchen as a component of his exhibition there. “The performance will exist as work that is elusive: it’s there when it is and it’s not when it’s not. That’s kind of the core of my interest in questioning the presence of the picture. In a way a performance is a film that hasn’t been filmed.”
feel so pretty and obtainable that “the work looks on the verge of being commercial.” And in a sense it is, but only insofar as each image advertises an available capacity for meaning and interpretation. How a viewer makes connections among them is everything. Lassry’s critical project is to call attention to the degrees of thought and creativity the procedure of looking innately entails. His signature painted frames—which are often matched to the vivid backgrounds of his photographs—intend to strike a viewer as perhaps a bit too merchandized for contemporary art. “Many times I try to make things appear more accessible, more appealing, inviting, or familiar—and that’s actually a challenge,” he says. “It’s part of this question of how can I make something not look like art and sneak up on you, as opposed to having you feel very comfortable because you know it’s an artwork.” Lassry uses film as a way to further dissect the dimensions of looking. He directs strangely simple, deceptively casual choreographies and records them on 16mm film. “My main intention when I began making films was to create a space that has dialogue between pictures that are still and pictures that are moving.” Often, as in Pan (which refers to both the camera movement
ELAD LASSRY in LoS AngELES, MAY 2012
PhoToGraPhy Todd Cole
Photo assistant Alex Arestei Elad Lassry artwork courtesy Luhring Augustine Gallery, New York
“What is the presence of the photograph?” This is the lofty riddle Elad Lassry poses throughout his varied body of work. “And in order to ask that, I shift between subjects. But there is first this question of what is a subject? Does a subject move? Is a subject always human? Can a subject be an animal? Well, what kind of animal? Are all animals subjects, or just the smart ones? Does the subject always see?” Our conversation about his photography, film, and burgeoning practices, like performance, unfolds over the course of about three philosophically rigorous hours in his West Hollywood studio—a house with a yard on an almost suburban-feeling side street. The artist’s boisterous black standard poodles, Jessica and Carter, occasionally barge in, and for most of the afternoon he absentmindedly fondles the ears of Tuna, the Chihuahua napping on his lap. Lassry’s personal zoo is nothing compared to the menagerie of images he has produced over the past five years. He pictures things that are interchangeably humanoid, bestial, or inanimate, ranging from men and women and cats and dogs to squirrels, giraffes, cabbages, papayas, lipsticks, and all manner of darling curios. As a collection they are fancifully heterogeneous, but individually they are rendered through an uncommonly uniform lens. “I use very careful lighting in
DARREN BADER
Darren BaDer: Images at moma Ps1, 2012 Darren Bader’s creative output is offered up as a circle of life that confoundingly, if not
earnestly, interweaves historical notions of what and how things are posited as immortal art objects while emphasizing the vulnerability of all things, animal, vegetable, and mineral, to death and decay. His recent solo show at MoMA PS1 hinged on a room filled with a rotating cast of cats and sculptures available for adoption, while elsewhere an iguana baked under a heat lamp, salad ingredients were displayed on a grid of plinths, and a pizza in a dishwasher served as an absurd memento mori.
loRiS gRÉAuD
fIlm stIll from one thousanD Ways to enter, 2011 Big in his native France, where an unprecedented Louvre/Pompidou collaborative exhibition is in the works, Loris Gréaud’s most significant show in New York, at The Pace Gallery, just opened in conjunction with the inaugural Frieze Art Fair on Randall’s Island. The young artist has been working on a prodigious scale for years, riffing on the poetics of heady philosophical concepts, outer space and aliens, natural phenomena, and other monumental topics, often with the cooperation of scientists, engineers, historians, and the like. Also upcoming is the global tour of a film project starring David Lynch and Charlotte Rampling.
This page, clockwise from top left: © Loris Gréaud courtesy Greaudstudio, Pace Gallery, and Yvon Lambert; Darren Bader photo by Matthew Septimus © MoMA PS1, 2012; Sascha Braunig courtesy the artist and Foxy Production, New York; Wu Tsang courtesy the artist and Clifton Benevento; Sarah Michelson photo © Paula Court; Julia Dault photo by Benoit Pailley
JuliA DAulT
untItleD 20 (1:00 Pm–5:30 Pm, feBruary 5, 2012)
The materials Julia Dault quite literally wrestles with in order to make her curvaceous, bound sculptures are Plexiglas, Formica, and other industrial synthetics with a flat, futuristic gleam. She titles these works according to when and for how long she pulled and tied them into their tense, museum-ready forms. As a hometown standout from the recent New Museum Triennial, Dault will soon be a fixture on the gallery circuit, one can expect.
SASchA BRAuNig recorD hIgh, 2012
Sascha Braunig’s trippy paintings collapse a range of rituals and traditions onto each canvas.
She lights and photographs altered mannequin heads to conjure images of figures lost in a sea of pattern and detail. These photographs are in turn the subjects of her paintings, which blur the
boundaries of portraiture and abstraction, photo-realism and surrealism, comedy and drama.
Wu TSANg
the fIst Is stIll uP, 2010
This spring the stars aligned for
SARAh MichElSoN
DevotIon stuDy #1—the amerIcan Dancer British-born choreographer Sarah Michelson has been repeatedly redefining New York’s dance scene for decades, and now she has arrived in force as an art-world figure. She is the first performing artist to receive the $100,000 Bucksbaum Award, given every two years to an artist showing in the Whitney Biennial; the winning piece was her Devotion Study #1–The American Dancer, which transformed the fourth floor of the museum into a monochromatic white room occupied by five dancers pacing backwards in circles for 90 minutes. Her minimalist, self-reflexive, withholdingly beautiful performances should find resonance in the company of visual artists, who also seek to reveal the heart of their mediums by confusing expectations for them.
Wu Tsang, the only artist to be included in both the Whitney Biennial and the New Museum Triennial, the latter of which coincided with the MoMA and South by Southwest premieres of his feature documentary Wildness, which explores the Silver Platter, a historic Latin/LBGT bar near downtown L.A. Transgendered himself, Tsang produces work that revives body politics from the inside out and the outside in, through intimate performances shot on 16mm film. His aim is to reclaim bodies as instruments for reciting histories of otherness.
V NEWS
kusamarama at louis vuitton
Since taking the helm at Louis Vuitton in 1997, the enigmatic and masterful Marc Jacobs has revitalized the revered label
with artistic collaborations featuring the likes of Richard Prince, Takashi Murakami, and Stephen Sprouse. Each has been a stunning success, spawning reissues (due to overwhelming demand) as well as a sea of counterfeits. If history is prone to repeat itself, LV’s latest foray will prove so timely and mindblowing that even the most discerning of fashion-minded art lovers will be left seeing spots. “I am a big fan of Yayoi Kusama’s work,” Jacobs says of the Japanese artist, whose first retrospective travels from the Tate Modern in London to the Whitney Museum in New York this month. “She took great pleasure in showing me a Louis Vuitton Speedy bag that she had hand-painted herself,” he says, recalling their first meeting at her studio in Tokyo circa 2006. Kusama often customizes her personal wardrobe to blend with her large-scale colorful paintings, and it is likely that fateful Speedy was no exception. The spirit behind her signature dress code is now being refracted through the LV lens—the manifestation of which hits stores this month and includes teeny polka-dot bikinis, cotton and clear plastic trench coats, bags shaped like her pumpkin sculptures, charms, and minaudières that reflect the signature design aesthetic of the entire Kusama oeuvre. An artist who considers herself a “dot lost among other
Above: Yayoi Kusama, photographed by Antoine Jarrier at her studio in Tokyo, February 2010; left: Yayoi Kusama Charm Pendant
dots,” Kusama says “emotion created by this collaboration
and finds its psychedelic way into the heart of even the most
will expand my polka dots everywhere.” Meaning? “Love forever.” The inescapable theme of infinity floods her work
jaded of mainstream critics. Infinite and indispensible. Wear without end. patrik sandBerg
Franco Files
Vanessa Seward, who left luxury label Azzaro in 2011 to venture out on her own, is now lending her discerning eye to Parisian contemporary brand A.P.C. with a Fall capsule collection to capture the joie de vivre of everyday dressing. The lineup is built on Seward’s own style equation: casual A.P.C. pieces plus glamorous vintage couture, such as Yves Saint Laurent blouses. “This is why I chose these couture fabrics,” Seward says, pointing out the rich brocades and lightweight Lurex-and-silk mousselines sourced from various couturiers’ archives. (Luckily for shoppers, the pieces will be tagged at manageable A.P.C. price points.) “I kept the shapes simple and well-cut, in the A.P.C. philosophy, but slightly feminized them with smaller shoulders, and the waist is always marked.” The slightly retro offerings are already being slated for a part deux in Summer 2013. Bee-shyuan Chang
Even after seven decades in business, Salvatore Ferragamo continues to chart new territory. For Fall the iconic brand is hitting the road with a new line of luggage, aptly named Ferragamo Travel. The multifaceted collection was created with a modern, tech-savvy customer in mind—four-wheeled trolleys are made of light-as-air polycarbon material and come with sleek accessories aplenty. Customize your gear in an array of colors and leather treatments, whether you tend to pack like a siren of the silver screen or hardly at all. The durable Italian finish is intended to keep carousel nicks to a minimum, but do be sure to take advantage of the all-important monogrammed luggage tag—essential should your precious cargo ever go missing. Christopher Barnard
42
Courtesy Louis Vuitton; courtesy A.P.C.; courtesy Salvatore Ferragamo
Got baGGaGe?
Poised For What’s Next
With a long-running streak of strong collections, Christopher De Vos and Peter Pilotto—the duo behind Peter Pilotto—are on a roll. The pair has become the must-see show of London Fashion Week, and just last month they were featured as the guest designers for the important womenswear trade show Pitti Immagine W, in Florence, Italy. “The pressure is definitely on,” says Pilotto of the mounting interest in his brand, “although it is important to take things with a grain of salt.” The two cite product designer Martino Gamper, with whom they collaborated on an installation at Dover Street Market, as an inspiration. “Product design is fascinating, the mix of aesthetics and functionality, and it’s something we constantly aim for in our work,” says Pilotto. Form and function run through their Fall 2012 collection, in which futuristic prints are rendered as wearable shapes—a cropped parka, for example, and a simple, to-the-knee column dress. “There is a big gap between the fashion industry and fashion in reality,” Pilotto adds. “It’s a struggle to find the balance between them. The megabrands have created an institution of showing, which creates a dissonance with the customer.” For the young, growing brand, the sky is the limit. Peter Pilotto plans to expand its range of offerings for Spring 2013, but without forsaking its trademark prints. “Prints are, for us, the best way to express a certain desire for color and color combinations,” says De Vos. Fashion editors have come to expect this sense of color and pattern from the designers, who met while attending the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp. “It’s hard to say why London has become known for this, but the mills and printers from Como have been super supportive from the start,” De Vos observes. “It’s actually a very European story, as well as an international one—as London itself is eclectic and multicultural.” Bc
PhotograPhy Benjamin Lennox Fashion tom Van DorPe
All clothing Peter PiLotto MAkeup RoMy SoleiMAni FoR chAnel beAutÉ (MAnAgeMent ARtiStS) hAiR Diego DA SilvA (tiM howARD MAnAgeMent) MoDelS victoRiA tuAz (tRuMp), AnnAMeRA poSt (DnA), eMMA AhlunD (FoRD ny)
Pilotto: Manicure Gina Edwards for Chanel (Kate Ryan Inc) Photo assistants Gary Golembiewski and Yuki Tani Digital technician Joy Jacobs Stylist assistant Erin Sullivan Producer Francesco Savi Production coordinator Daniel Weiner Catering Green Catering, New York Retouching Upper Studio Special thanks Fast Ashleys Brooklyn; Lacoste: Courtesy LACOSTE/Thierry Arensma; Weiwei: Courtesy Never Sorry LLC
PriNted matter craFt Work
Since 2009, Fendi has been pulling back the curtain with a series of live-action performances at Milan’s Salone de Mobile and Miami-based fairs to reveal the complex art of furniture creation. This avant-garde approach to sustainable design continued last month with a showing by Netherlandsbased Italian design duo Formafantasma at Design Miami/Basel. The bird’s-eye view revealed partners Andrea Trimarchi and Simone Farresin’s process as they took unusable or discarded materials from Fendi’s luxury showroom and reappropriated them to create museum-worthy pieces for serious aesthetes. The designers describe the project as an “investigation of leather and the complex relationship between humans and nature.” Meanwhile Silvia Venturini Fendi, the brand’s materfamilias, sees the endeavor as an exercise in high-end recycling. “For me, Formafantasma’s work with leather discarded from the fashion industry to create new design objects for a domestic context stands for experimentation at its best,” she says. If you couldn’t make it to the fair for a firsthand viewing, don’t fret. The one-of-a-kind line of objets d’art is currently on display at the Fendi Foundation collection in Rome and also on the brand’s website. Those who are feeling particularly inspired should plan a trip to Miami Art Basel this December for a repeat performance with an as-yet-to-be-named artist. cB
PhotograPhy anD renDerings anDrea trimarchi anD simone Farresin
Illustrator Micah Lidberg has collaborated with Lacoste to create a line of quirky comic-strip designs for the brand’s classic polos, tees, and shirt dresses (available now at lacoste.com). “I’ve used a lot of bright color and motion, and it’s filled with absurd creatures and stories,” he says. “It’s a little bit of my favorite things from when I was a kid and a lot of the color and energy I love today.” cB
No aPologies
Long before he was detained by the Chinese government, renowned contemporary artist Ai WeiWei was the subject of a documentary by first-time director Alison Klayman. An outspoken critic of his country’s communist practices, Ai has publicly challenged the government through monumental works and his blog and Twitter posts (though he never used a computer before 2005). In April 2011, these acts of disobediance landed the artist in police custody, despite the lack of formal charges, where he remained conspiciously absent from public life before emerging three months later, emotionally battered but not broken. Klayman, who first met Ai in 2008 while working as a journalist in Beijing, chronicles the seismic shift his influence has wrought in Ai WeiWei: Never Sorry, being released nationally in August. sc
summer’s must-reads
news
text elisa lipsky-karasz
all We kNOW by lisa COHeN An artful tapestry weaving together the lives of three captivating, willful
women, this biographical triptych chronicles the lives of poet and playwright Mercedes de Acosta, British Vogue editor Madge Garland, and dilettante writer Esther Murphy as they careen from Paris to Hollywood and back, seducing everyone from F. Scott Fitzgerald to Marlene Dietrich.
trUe belieVers by kUrt aNDersON The polymathic Anderson (NPR host, writer, and editor) brings all his analytic talents to this drama of American politics. Spanning decades, the saga of Karen Hollander—who turns down a Supreme Court appointment for mysterious reasons—is a page-turning thriller that questions the legacy of the ’60s.
tHe barteNDers tale by iVaN DOiG A guy named Rusty, a woman named
Proxy, and a bar named the Medicine
Lodge populate the latest tale from American novelist Ivan Doig. It takes place in small-town Montana, the rugged territory he knows best: as a boy Doig tagged along with his rancher father to the saloons where he hired his men.
klONOpiN lUNCH by JessiCa DOrfmaN JONes In the fine tradition of Elizabeth Wurtzel, Jones’s no-holds-barred memoir of her wild slide from West Village Stepford wife to pill-popping rock girl is a sign of our high times. A publicist-turned-lawyer-turnededitor-turned-writer, Jones looks back at her younger self, jokes at the ready.
AdornAble
liONel asbO by martiN amis
The fantastical jewelry produced by a few key partnerships for Fall is really something to behold. Dana Lorenz of FENTON fame added to Prabal Gurung’s moody heaven-and-hell-inspired collection with rings and bracelets festooned in double cow skulls. Suno’s Max Osterweis and Erin Beatty, meanwhile, teamed with Pamela Love to create bold, whimsical earrings and necklaces in the shape of children’s storybook–inspired animal cutouts. And in Paris, Kenzo’s Carol Lim and Humberto Leon tapped Delfina Delettrez for surrealist baubles such as walnut shells dried and dipped in gold. Ever the creative thinker, Delettrez said these pieces reminded her of—what else?—brains. Cb
pHOtOGrapHy DaNiel liNDH
clockwise From top leFt: feNtON fOr prabal GUrUNG cuFF and ring ($995 and $490, available at paire.com) pamela lOVe x sUNO breastplate and earrings ($688 and $350, 212.564.8260) keNzO biJOUx by DelfiNa Delettrez earrings (price upon request, available at kenzo.com)
V78 FALL PREVIEW 2012
A.P.C. apc.com Acne acnestudios.com Alexis Bittar alexisbittar.com American Apparel americanapparel.net Ann Demeulemeester anndemeulemeester.be Arielle de Pinto arielledepinto.com Balenciaga by Nicolas Ghesquière balenciaga.com Ben-Amun ben-amun.com Body Editions bodyeditions.com Boss hugoboss.com Boy.Band Of Outsiders bandofoutsiders. com Brian Atwood brianatwood.com Burberry Prorsum burberry.com Cacharel cacharel.com Calvin Klein calvinklein.com Calvin Klein Collection calvinklein.com Calvin Klein Jeans calvinkleinjeans.com
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Gianvito Rossi gianvitorossi.com Gigi Burris gigiburris.com Giorgio Armani armani.com Giuseppe Zanotti giuseppezanottidesign.com Givenchy by Riccardo Tisci givenchy.com Gucci gucci.com Hermès hermes.com Hudson hudsonjeans.com Hue hue.com Isabel Marant isabelmarant.tm.fr J Brand jbrandjeans.com J. Mendel jmendel.com J.W. Anderson j-w-anderson.co.uk Jennifer Behr jenniferbehr.com Jil Sander jilsander.com Jimmy Choo jimmychoo.com John Galliano johngalliano.com Julianna Rae juliannarae.com Kenneth Jay Lane kennethjaylane.net Kenzo kenzo.com Lacoste lacoste.com Lanvin lanvin.com Lara Jensen larajensen.co.uk Laurence Dacade laurence-decade.com Leg Avenue legavenue.com Levante levante.com.au
Linda Farrow Vintage lindafarrow.co.uk Louis Vuitton louisvuitton.com Lynn Ban lynnban.com Maison Martin Margiela maisonmartinmargiela.com Maison Michel michel-paris.com Maniamania themaniamania.com Manuel Albarran manuelalbarran.com Marc by Marc Jacobs marcjacobs.com Marc Jacobs marcjacobs.com Marchesa marchesa.com Marques Almeida marquesalmeida.com Michael Kors michaelkors.com Mikimoto mikimotoamerica.com Miriam Salat miriamsalat.com Missoni missoni.com Miu Miu miumiu.com Mugler mugler.com Nasir Mazhar nasirmazhar.com Nike nike.com Nina Ricci ninaricci.com No. 21 numeroventuno.com Noon by Noor noonbynoor.com Norma Kamali normakamali.com Obesity and Speed obesityandspeed.com Peter Som petersom.com Phillipe Matignon phillipematignon.us
novel, and it seems that distance from his homeland has only strengthened his gimlet eye. After scoffing that “what goes on in Great Britain doesn’t matter,” he delivers another blow to reality TV–obsessed English society in this satire, which follows a criminal who wins the lottery and his bookish nephew.
Prada prada.com Proenza Schouler proenzashouler.com Ralph Lauren Collection ralphlauren.com Reed Krakoff reedkrakoff.com Rufskin rufskin.com Salvatore Ferragamo ferragamo.com Saskia Diez saskia-diez.com Sermoneta Gloves sermonetagloves.com Simone Rocha simonerocha.com Solange Azagury-Partridge solange.co.uk Stefanel stefanel.com Stella McCartney stellamccartney.com Tabitha Simmons tabithasimmons.com TEM temjewelry.com Theyskens’ Theory theory.com Thom Browne thombrowne.com Tomihiro Kono tomihirokono.com Topshop topshop.com Torrubia & Torrubia torrubia-torrubia.com Veda thisisveda.com Versace versace.com Walter Steiger waltersteiger.com Walter Van Beirendonck waltervanbeirendonck.com Wolford wolford.com
Photo assistant Ward Price Production Francesco Savi Production Coordinator Daniel Weiner Location Splashlight Soho
v-buy
Carolina Amato carolinaamato.com Cartier cartier.com Cedric Charlier cedriccharlier.com Celeste Stein celestestein.com Céline celine.com Chanel chanel.com Charlotte Olympia charlotteolympia.com Chloé chloe.com Comme des Garçons comme-des-garcons.com Dean Quinn deanquinn.com Delfina Delettrez delfinadelettrez.com Derek Lam dereklam.com Dior dior.com Dolce & Gabbana dolcegabbana.com Donzella 20th Century donzella.com Edun edun.com Emilio Cavallini emiliocavallini.com Emporio Armani armani.com Eres eresparis.com Etro etro.com Eugenia Kim eugeniakim.com Express express.com Falke falke.com Fendi fendi.com Gabriele Colangelo gabrielecolangelo.com Gaspar Gloves gaspargloves.com
Newly transplanted to New York, Martin Amis is out with his latest
fashion
generation next
STYLIST ANNA TReveLYAN, ONe OF NICOLA FORMICHeTTI’S FASHIONAbLe DISCIpLeS, HIgHLIgHTS FALL’S MOST bUZZwORTHY COLLeCTIONS TexT AnnA TrevelyAn
KTZ
This longtime London streetwear brand really pushed the envelope with an amazingly cohesive group of super-strong looks.
THOMAS TAIT
More accomplished every season, Thomas Tait is the underdog of London’s fashion scene. He’s rapidly gaining well-deserved attention—from press and fans alike—for his beautifully cut womenswear.
NASIR MAZHAR
A NEWGEN winner several times over, Nasir is a true visionary who never compromises on his ideas or aesthetic. From a solid yet inspired foundation, his work is always expanding into new realms.
SIMONe ROCHA An important name to watch, Simone Rocha has accomplished within three seasons of graduating from Central Saint Martins what some designers hope to do in a lifetime. Her line has already been picked up by some of the world’s most prestigious stores.
Holly is well-established among the emerging British talent. I love the energy and colors that she presented this season.
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Colangelo’s shapes and aesthetic get stronger every season in such a beautiful way. I am certain we will soon be seeing “Colangelettes” storming the streets as well as the runways.
MARQUeS ALMeIDA
A Spanish duo based in London and sponsored by Fashion East, Marques Almeida works primarily in shredded denim, effecting a more street/urbanminded Yohji Yamamoto.
ALeX MATTSON
What I love most about Alex’s most recent collection is the small details—the woven elastic belts, the neon binding—all in the guise of a postapocalyptic space rider.
All images courtesy the designers; Mazhar photo David Sessions
HOLLY FULTON
gAbRIeLe COLANgeLO
Photographs by Laurent Elie Badessi • Hair by David Cotteblanche for Makeup by Renee Garnes • Styling by Kithe Brewster • Erica Rosen at Dominqiue Models
photo + video production • studio services • digital services • ideas, realized new york + miami • 212.268.7247 • splashlight.com • facebook.com/splashlight
Dress anD sweater BurBerry Prorsum On eyes, BurBerry eye shaping pencil in MiDnight Black On skin, BurBerry luMinOus FluiD FOunDatiOn in trench
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icon
fiona apple: idling no more
with feelings of despair behind her and indifferent about being judged, pop’s mercurial chanteuse returns from a seven-year hiatus with her most diy album yet. here, she reunites with “criminal� director mark romanek exclusively for v
Top Edun Dress Calvin KlEin CollECtion
At long last, she is back. And of the many reasons to celebrate Fiona Apple’s return to the national stage this year, maybe the most remarkable is that—so far at least—it’s been drama-free. Her March mini-tour, which began at South by Southwest and featured previews of three songs from her fourth album, released in June, was unmarred by sound issues, received almost unanimously positive press, and offered no visible signs of frustration, let alone any onstage meltdowns like the one that infamously occurred in New York in 2000. The only hitch? A nagging cold that Apple couldn’t shake for part of the run and still was battling when I met up with her in a secluded corner of New York’s Soho Grand Hotel. “I think I did a really smart thing a few months ago,” she says, explaining the tour’s success. “I’m one of those people, one of the many, that has a drink before every show. I just don’t know any different. And I really needed to learn how to not do that.” So for a series of performances last year at the L.A. club Largo—where her frequent collaborator Jon Brion has a longstanding residency—playing in a comfort zone, with plenty of friends, Apple went off the preshow bottle, and discovered something in the process. “I thought that having a drink was what took the edge off or made me feel more confident, less self-conscious or whatever. But it turns out to be the other way around. And now I don’t immediately react to myself or judge things that are going on. It doesn’t even occur to me anymore. I think I’ve grown up in that way. I became less inhibited. I don’t care as much about being judged.” Not caring about being judged is something that Apple has long preached and also practiced, but with only mixed results. For the legions of fans who from 1996 on have connected with
her unsettling, confessional lyrics, her quirky onstage style, and her unwillingness to edit herself—famously proclaiming from the podium at the 1997 MTV Video Music Awards that “this world is bullshit”—she did have detractors, who saw her as a churlish, temperamental brat. There was a time when Apple would actively avoid reading any press, but that too has changed—which is notable, considering that in the seven years since her last release, Extraordinary Machine, the opinion megaphones have exploded and the devouring of celebrities has only increased. “For a long time, I was just too afraid to read stuff,” she admits. “Like, I would turn on my computer and I would see my face some place, and it was very uncomfortable, and it would make me go, ‘Oh my God, I have to get rid of my laptop.’ And I started to make this whole plan in my head! But then I thought, that’s just really no way to live. I don’t want to be doing this because I’m afraid. Like what can they really say about me that they haven’t said before?” What they’ve been saying of late has been nearly all good, including an especially warm embrace from the indie-rock community, a world far more pervasive and influential than when Apple was last on the scene. An especially eloquent appreciation of the singer, published in the spring on Pitchfork.com, even had Apple contemplating a thank-you note. Still, leave it to Fiona to cite a snarky reaction to her new album’s title, The Idler Wheel Is Wiser Than the Driver of the Screw and Whipping Cords Will Serve You More Than Ropes Will Ever Do, which of course brings to mind the 84-word poem that titles her second release, 1999’s When the Pawn…“I read something calling it ‘ridiculous,’” she recalls. “‘Ridiculous’ was the word! And I went, ‘Oh great, welcome back, yeah.’”
Let’s coin a new term: “reverse sabbatical.” It’s when someone hibernates for seven years and then finally reemerges to release a new album and go on tour. Fiona is learning to master it. The last time I interviewed her, in 2005, six years had just passed between her second and third releases, a break made longer by her decision to rerecord Extraordinary Machine and a subsequent standoff with Epic Records over its release. This time it was a seven-year wait, extended by a year beyond her prior hiatus because although Apple had finished The Idler Wheel… in 2010, she waited on a change in regime at the label to insure there would be a “team in place” that supported the album. Six or seven years is an inconceivable gap for any 21st-century artist interested in sustaining what might be considered a viable and visible “career.” And there’s the rub. “I don’t think I have a goal,” she asserts. “I don’t think that I’ve ever had much career ambition. I just want to be happy with my life. I just wanna be proud of the way that I live my life, and I don’t want to make myself sick, you know?” And did the suits at Epic ever hound her for new product during those seven years? “No, they don’t care,” she says, frank as ever, “because they don’t look at me as someone who’s gonna make a lot of money. So they just forget about me.” She says she’s loved those occasions on which she’s had “assignments,” which tend to expedite her creative process, but adds that “with no one to push me along, nature just takes its course. And the garden gets overgrown, and then I deal with it.” So the long inactive stretch may have been necessary to simply live life and create new music, or to “fill up the tank again,” as Apple puts it. One listen to the songs on The Idler Wheel… will tell you it wasn’t always a walk in the park. Fiona
Makeup Wendy Rowe (Tim Howard Management) Hair David Von Cannon (Streeters) Photo assistants Alex Muccilli and Ithai Schori Stylist assistant Sara Tavas Production assistant Lorena Campillo Location van Superior Location Vans Equipment rental ROOT [EQ, Capture+Studios] Retouching View Imaging Special thanks Tyler Ford, Maria Rojas, Yara Nomia, Anthony Asaro (11th St. Workshop)
Dress anD T-shirT theyskens’ theory
“I became less InhIbIted. I don’t care as much about beIng judged.” –fIona apple has created her most moving album to date by cutting closer to the emotional bone than ever—and for this artist, that’s saying something. Tales of anguished breakups buttress others about unrequited, obsessive love. “You let me down,” she sings on the bluesy “Periphery,” “I got bored trying to figure you out.” Her spitfire vocal over tom-toms on “Left Alone” declares “I don’t cry when I’m sad anymore”; on the numbed, heartbreaking “Valentine” she’s a resigned “tulip in a cup”; and in the record’s most primal moment, on “Regret,” Apple fairly screams, “I ran out of white doves’ feathers/To soak up the hot piss that comes from your mouth/Every time you address me.” Tough stuff, and she says that it all comes from very specific relationships. “These are songs that I needed to write, they are my diary, disguised in, for lack of a better word, poetry,” she explains, though she is loathe to name names. “Mainly I wouldn’t want to reveal that kind of stuff because I want people to be able to apply their own lives to the songs.” But things aren’t as bad with her exes as the record might suggest. “I talk about this with my shrink a lot,” Apple confesses. “I have this weird thing where I’m friends with my ex-boyfriends, and I really care about them. I care about their lives with their girlfriends. I feel like maybe an annoying mother or something.” Among these exes are illusionist David Blaine, in whose office/ apartment Apple crashes when in New York, filmmaker Paul Thomas Anderson, who started to make a video for Apple’s new song “Hot Knife” before having to work on a movie, and most notably writer Jonathan Ames, the subject of one of the album’s sweeter tracks, “Jonathan.” Drawn to Ames’s transgressive, überpersonal work, Fiona actually sought him out to date in the mid-aughts, an especially tough period for the singer. “I
was really going through a terrible, terrible time around the time that I met him,” she admits. “It was like the first time in my life that I felt actually maybe suicidal. Not that I was gonna kill myself, I never felt like that. But that I could let myself die, you know, that slow suicide. I don’t know how, but just give up.” Although they’ve been apart for “a while” now, she says, “I thought, That guy does deserve a song, ’cause he did kind of save my life. Just by being so kind. He was just simply so kind to me.” Forever marching to her own drummer, Fiona is one now as well. Part of what makes The Idler Wheel… so stunning is the utter simplicity of its arrangements: most tracks feature little more than that powerful, smoky voice, piano, and a collection of found sounds as percussion, all devised and played by Apple and her coproducer, drummer Charley Drayton. “I knew that I wanted to make a record that didn’t have anything unnecessary in it and that used things around me that were available,” she recalls. “I just really wanted to make exactly what I wanted to make, to have it be really stark, just basically piano and percussion.” In addition to actual drums and timpani, the album features banging on cups and pans, footsteps in sand, the squishing of a popcorn bag, and stomping on the hood of Apple’s brother’s truck. “The credits are gonna be very interesting,” she says, “Charley’s written them down. He kept all of the notes, and he would write down, like, ‘truck stomper’ or ‘dance partner.’ I have a credit that’s gonna be ‘thigh slapper!’ I can’t even remember which song it’s on, but I’m like doing something on my thighs.” In the lead single from the record, “Every Single Night,” Fiona engages in a daily “battle with my brain,” and indeed
she can be a lovely mass of contradictions. The woman who bares her soul in song has no interest, for instance, in sharing the minutiae of her life on Twitter, although she likes “seeing what someone else had for breakfast.” While on some fronts she still seems beset by insecurities, she confidently says, “I can write a hit. I know how that shit works.” But maybe the most telling lyric is in the hook of the album’s brightest track. “We can do anything we want,” Apple sings. And she is proof of it. Her fourth album in sixteen years, The Idler Wheel… is the most DIY work of her career, released on her own timetable and packed with pain, loss, desperation, a tinge of hope, and the unmitigated authenticity that so many love about her. “My manager, Andy [Slater], tells me that too,” she says. “He says, ‘People like you because you’re real.’ But—and I’m not trying to be modest or anything—am I really that much more authentic? Is it really that bad out there?” On a mainstream pop level, I assure her, it is. Which brings us back to that ’97 VMA speech. The part of her remarks not as often remembered are the words “Go with yourself.” Fiona Apple goes with herself. And as for her 2012 comeback—which continues this summer with an extended tour—so far, so good. “It’s great when I notice, Hey! That didn’t bother me so much! I’m doing better now,” she says. “Because I feel like I can handle things. Now I know it’s gonna be okay.” John norris
fiona apple in new York, april 2012
photography mark romanek fashion zara zachrisson
The Idler Wheel... is out now from Epic Records
flashback
my first time
The creaTive icons of Today all sTarTed somewhere. here, They share The images and sTories of Their eager beginnings. life is whaT you make of iT…
carlyne cerf de dudzeele, fashion ediTor elle, 1984
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Courtesy Elle
“We were not questioning ourselves, we were not brainstorming for hours about what was going to be on the cover. It was just me, François [Nars], and Oribe playing together, this was about teamwork! We totally trusted each other, we were just going for it...with total fun and enthusiasm! This is what Elle was about. I was at the center of all of this, going with my instincts, just creating great images à la Cerf style with fun! And when the girl [Ashley Richardson] arrived on set, Bill [King] was in heaven! He always had the best time with us, always!” –Carlyne Cerf de Dudzeele
mert alas and marcus piggott, photographers Visionaire 26 FantasY, 1998 “We did these two pictures and then they [Visionaire] wanted to do more. So we ended up with six pictures to our name that were properly finished, not just contact sheets. We made a series of images with McQueen’s collection for the FANTASY issue. Before it even came out, these two different agents called us: ‘Can we see your book?’” –Mert Alas As told to Industrie.
cecilia dean, model photographed bY mario testino lei, 1986 “This was my first cover. Actually it was one of my very first jobs. I might have still been in high school or fresh out. It was the first time I met Mario Testino. We went on to do many more shoots together! I did a lot of other jobs where they asked me to redo that crazy smile of unbridled enthusiasm.” –Cecilia Dean
nicola formichetti, stylist V 6, 2000 “This commission was so important to me. It was my first big editorial shoot! I wanted to show how exciting European designers were at that time. NOKI, Vava Dudu, Ann-Sofie Back... Gosh, my style hasn’t changed! Fun, sexy styling!” –Nicola Formichetti
Willy Vanderperre, photographer oliVier rizzo, stylist peter philips, makeup artist V 0, 1999 “Olivier, Peter, Robbie [Snelders], and myself on a Sunday afternoon in Antwerp, January 1999. An image that means a lot to me and I think to all of us who worked on it.” –Willy Vanderperre “This image means so much to everyone involved. It all happened very spontaneously but went on to become so iconic, and it still is one of my favorites we ever did.” –Olivier Rizzo “It was one of those great weekend shoots where the team was totally in sync. The light, styling, model, photography...perfect synergy. The liberty we gave ourselves to play around was priceless.” –Peter Philips
riccardo tisci, designer photographed by inez & vinoodh v 37, 2005 “This picture was taken 10 days after I signed with Givenchy. It was the first important portrait of me ever taken. I was so scared. Inez and Vinoodh were such big names...This was a necklace I had worn since I was a child...I was trembling...” –Riccardo Tisci “Meeting Riccardo on the day of his portrait in 2005 was like meeting our biggest fan. He loved and knew more about our work than we did. In front of the lens, he was timid and determined. The necklace carried both symbolic and emotional value, so it had to be eaten. We have shot many more beautiful and original pictures after that first day together.” –Inez and Vinoodh
Melanie Ward, stylist the Face, circa 1990 “I think that this was the first story that I published in The Face, around 1990. It was a suburban space story, with aliens and a spaceman (played by my brother on a bike in a local shopping center). The antennae were made from a TV aerial covered in silver foil. I worked with Nigel at the same time as I worked with David Sims and Corinne Day on fashion and a lot of personal projects.” –Melanie Ward
photography Chad piCkard and paul Mclean
Location: London Name of Program: MA Fashion Course Year program founded: 1978 Class size: 36, spread across womenswear, menswear, knitwear, textiles for fashion, and fashion journalism Who are some of your notable alumni? Alexander McQueen, Kim Jones, Christopher Kane, Jonathan Saunders, Mary Katrantzou, Michael van der Ham, Peter Jensen, Roksanda Ilincic Describe your coolest resource/facility for students: The students themselves What is your philosophy or motto when it comes to fashion education? “Same shit, different year.” What advice would you give to aspiring fashion designers? Have a skill and use it. Who are some notable faculty members, department directors, and/or recent lecturers? It is not relevant whether they are notable, it is only relevant whether they are good educators—they are.
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Hair stylist Akiko Kawasaki using L’Oréal Professionnel Makeup Daisy Whitney, Alice Oliver, and Emma Broom, all using Shu Uemura Models Emilia Nawarecka, Flaviana Matata, Rasa Zukauskaite, Yulia Terentieva, Sarah van Niekerk, Lorena O, Lauren Bigelow, Clarice, Suki, James Lipsius (Next London) Retouching Art Media Partners
Central Saint MartinS College of artS and deSign
POWERHOUSE looking for the next big names in fashion? the Class of 2012 are hiding in plain sight. five of the world’s most esteemed fashion institutions introduCe us to this year’s graduates—finished with their finals and ready to work
PARSONS the New SchOOl fOR deSigN
photography abbey Drucker
Location: New York City Name of Program: BFA Fashion Design
Year program founded: 1906 Class size: 186 Who are some of your notable alumni? Donna Karan, Tom Ford, Marc Jacobs, Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez of Proenza Schouler, Stephen Gan, Steven Meisel, Alexander Wang, and many others What does your program offer that nobody else can? An experience that is at the very heart of the fashion business in one of the world’s leading fashion cities. Describe your coolest
resource/facility for students: Our alumni, who are deeply committed to the school and our students; they help at every level. What is one thing you would like to change about your school? The ability to offer a free education to more students. What is your philosophy or motto when it comes to fashion education? You. Never. Leave. Parsons. What advice would you give to aspiring fashion designers? Ask smart questions. Learn to learn. Be Nice. Master the basics. Who are some notable faculty members, and/or recent lecturers? We have an incredibly strong faculty, many of whom become lifelong mentors to our alumni. Recent lecturers have included Andrew Rosen, Common, Alexander Wang, and Richard Chai, among others.
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ROyAl AcAdemy Of fiNe ARtS
photography Zeb Daemen
Location: Antwerp Name of Program: Fashion Program Year program founded: 1963 Class size: MA, 11; BA, 130 Who are
some of your notable alumni? The Antwerp Six: Dries Van Noten, Dirk Van Saene, Walter Van Beirendonck, Ann Demeulemeester, Marine Yee, Dirk Bikkembergs; Peter Philips, Olivier Rizzo, Kris Van Assche, Bernhard Willhelm, Tim Coppens What does your
program offer that nobody else can? Intensive personal guidance with an accent on creativity and individuality. Describe your coolest resource for students: The Modenatie building, which houses MoMu (Antwerp Fashion Museum) and MoMu Library. What is your philosophy or motto when it comes to fashion education? We tell stories and communicate through fashion. What advice would you give to aspiring fashion designers? To believe in the power of creativity, to be patient and stay humble.
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Parsons: Models Leyla Erdem (Elite), Brenda Kranz (Ford NY), Ella Verberne, Isabella Melo, Sissi Hou (IMG), Grace Bol (Muse), Charlie Paille (Next), Sedene Blake (NY Models), Aine O’Gorman (One), Renee van Seggern, Sam Ypma (Trump), Soojoo Park (Wilhelmina) Casting Edward Kim (The Edit Desk) Set design Manuel Norena Studio Set and production assistant Jackie Norena Photo assistants Michael Nika and Matthew Shier Digital tech Danaiel Levin Antiques Paula Rubenstein Backdrops Broderson Backdrops Equipment rental ROOT [Produce] Location Pier 60, New York
powerhouse
Fashion Institue of Technology: Models Christine Staub, Clair Westenberg, Sissi Hou, Camila Costa, Bridget Malcolm, Kelsey Close, Dani Seitz, Lucie Von Alten, Kyra Green (IMG NY) Makeup Gordon Espinet for M.A.C Cosmetics Hair Luke Baker (Jed Root) Photo assistants PJ Spaniol and Miles Engel Makeup assistants Nick Scalzo,Jessica Oritz, Cassandra Caroll, Erik Marionette Hair assistant Eric Jamieson; Rhode Island School of Design: Photo assistant Bailey Roberts Equipment rental ROOT [Produce]
Fashion institute oF technology photography Bruno StauB
Location: New York City Name of Program: Fashion Design Year program founded: 1944 Class size: Approximately 400 Who are some of your notable alumni? Calvin Klein, Francisco Costa, Amsale Aberra, Reem Acra, Norma Kamali What does your program offer that nobody else can? The program employs only highly experienced industry professionals to teach courses comprising curricula that are relevant and focused on industry standards. Describe your coolest resource/facility for
students: The Museum at FIT is wonderful for our students. Selected students have the opportunity to display their garments at the museum during the end-of-year student exhibition. What is your philosophy or motto when it comes to fashion education? “Where creativity gets down to business.” What advice would you give to aspiring fashion designers? Work hard to clearly define your brand and use the resources that FIT offers. Connect and network with visiting industry professionals. Experiment, keep an open mind, and learn to accept criticism. Designing and constructing a garment may not always be a perfect experience the first time, but don’t give up. And take advantage of contests.
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1. Shannon Green 2. Lorna Laurentino 3. MaLLory WiLLiaMS 4. tara ricci 5. anya ShakhMeySter 6. JoShua Myrie 7. MiMi Prober 8. yenhua Wendy chen 9. andrea LuccheSe 10. roSa nG
RhoDe islanD school oF Design
photography alex John Beck
Location: Providence Name of Program: Apparel Design Year program founded: 1901 Class size: 24 Who are some of your notable alumni? Nicole Miller, Marcia Patmos, Robert Geller, Sally LaPointe, Tess Giberson What does your program offer that nobody else can? Our students can take liberal arts classes at Brown University if they choose. And Brown students can take apparel classes at RISD, subject to space availability. Describe your coolest resource/facility for students: The Edna Lawrence Nature Lab, which is filled with minerals, skeletons, animal pelts, taxidermy, thousands of plants, shells, and fossils, may be our most fascinating resource. What advice would you give to aspiring fashion designers? Study the history of costume design, style, and fashion. Learn how to sew and experiment with different types of fabric.
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V fashion faLL preView 2012
new sChooL new CooL, The YoUThQUaKe issUe
Photo assistant Ward Price Production Francesco Savi Production Coordinator Daniel Weiner Location Splashlight Studios
Folio covers and woven pencil Hermès pen Cartier iphone case CHanel
PHotograPHy Daniel linDH fasHion CHristoPHer BarnarD ProP stylist maja Cule 61
neW SoundS Three female musicians on The verge—sky ferreira, grimes, and charli xcx—geT Top-shelf advice on navigaTing Their nascenT careers from indusTry icons elTon john, genesis breyer p-orridge, and geri halliwell. read on for Their views on sex, drugs, and pop sTardom phoTography sebasTian faena fashion carine roiTfeld
Sky Ferreira by elton john How do you feel to be on the cover of V?
Sky Ferreira It’s really cool. They were one of the first fashion magazines to get behind me. I’ve shot with so many different
photographers now, so they’ve really helped me. I’m wearing
Givenchy [on the cover]. I sang at the Givenchy after-party so I think that is the reason why Carine [Roitfeld] was like, you have to wear Riccardo. Riccardo Tisci is probably the favorite of all the current designers. Then you have Hedi Slimane coming back for YSL which is so exciting and Sarah Burton for McQueen. Women’s fashion is very exciting at the moment. How do you find mixing fashion [with music]? You’re not really known as a model, but… SF Yeah it’s quite strange how that all happened. At first I was kind of upset. I thought people wouldn’t appreciate my music because they’d think of me as a model or an It girl who’s trying to sing. I think you can be both. SF That’s the funny part about it. Everybody asks, “Where’s the music, where’s the music?” I have the music—I’m just properly doing the music. Because of the Internet, people think you have to rush. But the most modern thing to do is to not use the Internet at this point. I see all these singers trying to get into fashion, and I’m told I shouldn’t, but I totally appreciate fashion and I love taking photos. Music and fashion have always gone hand in hand. You remind me of Sue Lyon in Lolita. You have that very sexual feel about you, which appeals to men, but at the [Elton John AIDS Foundation] Enduring Vision event in New York so many people were saying, “Who the hell is that?” They hadn’t seen you before, and you look special. Do you like that feeling? SF Yeah, I mean it’s 2012, so I should be able to be whoever I want. The thing is, you’re supposed to look sexy so other people can benefit from it, but you’re not supposed to be sexual so that you can benefit from it. 62
That’s crazy. SF In some ways I’m kind of taking that over, I’m not ashamed of it. Not that I’m doing porn or anything. I find the most sexually attractive people to be the ones walking down the street where you go, “Oh my god, they look fantastic.” SF I work a lot with Terry Richardson and his portrayal of sexuality is very raw, which I really like because it’s not all retouched and I don’t think it should be. We just shot a music video where I’m in my bra and underwear but there’s red paint all over me. It’s not the most flattering, but that’s what I like about it. I hate stylists. Not personally, but I’ve never had one in my life. I just think shopping for clothes is so much fun—there’s nothing like it. SF You can tell when someone is pulling it off and when it’s just too overdone. I think we need to take a few steps back from that. I totally agree. Do you go and shop yourself? SF Yes, I’ve always been a big shopper. My collection of clothes is ridiculous. I used to just wear vintage clothes all the time. I still do, but now that I can afford more clothes or get free clothes from so many different designers I definitely wear them. My favorites are Miu Miu and Givenchy. I love Christopher Kane too. I see you as an actress as well. SF I used to act but I stopped to focus on music when I was 16. I did one independent film [Putty Hill] that came out two years later, but it did really well. I definitely want to act; I just need to choose the right thing. You obviously have this desire to create. Does that start with the music? SF Yes. I was never a great natural musician, but I always wrote songs. My mom was just talking the other day about how I had a little tape recorder and I would just sing into it all day and I would bring it to school and just sing into it in the bathroom. I was painfully shy when I was younger. Who was your inspiration when you were growing up? SF Fiona Apple. I love Fiona Apple. SF The thing I love about her so much is that even though she’s so mysterious and beautiful, she’s not trying to be. She’s still herself after all these years instead of trying to be on red carpets or whatever. She just doesn’t care. That’s great to be influenced by someone who’s an intelligent writer and a performer who marches to her own beat because
there are so many now. I feel their careers are only going to last as long as the next good song they get. SF And on top of it all they also sound the same. I think the thing that bothers me the most is that no one actually sings anymore. Fair enough if you have a track you’re singing over with stuff underneath it because you don’t have enough money for a background singer. But when you do that, at least sing on pitch—it’s your job. You didn’t even write this song. You’ve come to the right person to talk to about that. SF I was the only white girl in the gospel choir when I was six, so I would get yelled at if I didn’t sing on pitch. And then I learned how to sing opera when I was 13. I’d rather be really boring and sit there and sing perfectly. I don’t really think it’s boring because I really feel the song when I sing it. I’m not a dancer and I mean every word I’m singing. Tell me about the track which I love, one of the few I’ve heard, it’s the one with Shirley Manson that you wrote. SF I was in a really bad situation with my record label before, with a bunch of people who didn’t understand me, and it turned out Shirley and I had both worked with Greg Kurstin, and she knew me from my MySpace demos. We connected over e-mail and she said, “I think I have the perfect song for you.” She sent it and I was like, Oh my god, it’s amazing, we have to do it. I changed some of the lyrics. It turned out great. It’s called “Red Lips” and it’s definitely going be the first single. Then it’s going to be “You’re Not the One” or “24 Hours.” But you’ve met Shirley, right? She’s one of my favorite girls too. SF Yes. She liked the fact that I was being told how annoying I was because I had something to say. She was like, “Finally! A girl who has something to say who’s not scared to be a bitch.” I’m not a bitch, but that was just the way it was. Most people who don’t have anything to say and then become successful become so horrible. They’re not used to it. SF I’ve been told I was the next big thing about 10 times over the years and it kind of put me in a weird position…I want to be more than just hype. I think a lot of people forget that hype dies down and people will ditch you when there’s someone new. I always believe in kismet, and the fact that you haven’t made your record yet and you are making it on your own terms is such a good way to go. SF I used to be so upset about it, but now I’m like, finally…this is what I wanted to do to begin with.
from left: Grimes, sky, and Charli wear ClothinG and aCCessories
Givenchy by RiccaRdo Tisci
on hair, bumble and bumble spray de mode
from left: Grimes, sky, and Charli wear ClothinG and aCCessories
Givenchy by RiccaRdo Tisci
on skin, dioR diorskin nude fluid foundation on eyes, dioR Power mono eyeshadow in Brown fever
grimes by geNesis breyer P-OrriDge
You’ll have to forgive me if we ask questions you’ve heard 100,000
times. Believe me, after doing interviews since ’65, we know it happens. Have you been trained vocally? GRIMES I have not. I actually have a lot of trouble singing live because apparently I sing from my throat and not from my stomach. I used to try warming up, but I gave that up a couple months ago. When we first listened to the music, the core sequences or rhythms sounded incredibly like Throbbing Gristle around D.O.A. There was a track, “AB/7A,” that has a really similar sound to it. What kind of equipment are you using? G I use a Roland Juno G. I think I like crunchy sounds. I like as much bass as possible in the drums and multiple kicks. I definitely listen to a lot of industrial music, more modern like Nine Inch Nails–style industrial. Can you actually get really raw emotion out of a digital machine? G I think it’s about the actual sonic experience. When you have that loop going and going on the computer and you’re letting it do it for hours, you’re so into it. For me that’s a really emotional experience, just getting so bound up in the loop that’s happening. It’s like the computer is just my means of interacting with the sound. It’s your doorway to that space. G Well, I was raised with a computer. It’s been a pretty big part
Charli XCX by geri halliwell
Let’s do this interview. This is so flattering. Charli XCX I’m super excited. When did you first start singing? When you were five? XCX Yeah, actually. That’s true. I’ve always been a bit of a showoff. So when I was four I went on this family cruise-ship holiday and I sang “Barbie Girl” onstage without a backing track. I just went up and did it on my own. My parents thought I was going to have a breakdown and cry, but I just did it and was like, “YEAH!” Who were you listening to? XCX When I was younger I was listening to the Spice Girls, Aqua... When I turned 14, I started listening to Kate Nash, Lily Allen, The Klaxons…I didn’t really know what I wanted to do. I just wanted to replicate all these different sounds that I was hearing and I liked. Then I was making these demos, putting them on MySpace, and they got picked up by one of the guys who was running a lot of the illegal underground raves in Hackney. Oh my god! That must have freaked your mother out? XCX Well, my thing was like, Great! I’m going to go and play! Did she know you were doing this? XCX They came! The rebellion phase turned into a family thing! So you had nothing to rebel against? XCX My parents love to dress up as well. They’re like super fans of vintage—’40s and ’50s. They’d go to these raves dressed up
of how I have always interacted with the world. Can you see yourself bringing in other instruments like guitars or violins or orchestras or live percussion? G If I had more time, that is something I’d really want to do, but right now everything is really immediate. When I’m inspired, if I need to make something, I need to make it right now. It’s so modern! The contemporary young person who wants instant gratification! We grew up when there weren’t even calculators. When we were 16, there were no calculators. G Did you use an abacus? No, silly! You used your head and a piece of paper and a pencil. In a way it isn’t so different. Whatever was available, whether it was a drum or an old tape recorder or putting the microphone into the wrong socket, whatever was there we would use it to make sounds and noises. G In some ways I’m the opposite of you. I’ve always had such a technical issue with being able to play instruments. I took violin lessons when I was about seven and the woman I took lessons from actually told my mom that I was shockingly bad and that I should just not play. [Laughs] What’s your approach to lyrics? G I have a weird relationship with lyrics because my music is pretty personal, so I kind of smudge things lyrically. For me, meaning in music is more of a sonic and nonlinguistic thing. My ongoing band Psychic TV uses video-created light shows and we notice you have a high visual aspect to your live performances. Do you think of the visuals and sound as one thing? G I try to think of it as one thing. A big thing about pop music is it’s a really visual type of music. It’s very much the face and the voice—they’re as much a part of it as the music is. For me, the live show has been a really hard thing. But it’s something that is
really cool to force myself to do, and it’s really good for the audience when they are interacting and part of it. Young people are using Facebook and Twitter, and although they say they’re having more contact, in a way they are becoming more and more isolated. G It’s a huge curse on my generation. I feel like people don’t know how to talk to people. I don’t have a cell phone because my world is so digital that I need to have it not be digital 100 percent of the time. I just think it’s important to use the Internet wisely and know when to stop. Do you have any questions you want to ask me? G Oh God, yes! What do you think will happen to you when you die? When we met Lady Jaye in 1993, we started to experiment more and more with what we call Pandrogeny. At one point we spent a whole year using ketamine every half hour, every day. We had a lot of out-of-body experiences, and it took us a long time to retrieve what we were learning and seeing in these other realms. Jaye had this way of expressing it, which was Existentialism is door #1, door #2 is organized religion, door #3 is what else is there? What can we individually discover about perception and possibility? Then Jaye, as you know, dropped her body in 2007. When one dies, what are we going to do to communicate if it’s possible? Through working with Tibetans, we realized that they do seem to reincarnate. So my answer to your question is, we believe we live in loops. Perhaps the whole point of life is to break those loops: habits, addictions, issues, and at some point it will be possible to leave the physical world and maintain a sense of self. Our ambition has always been to find each other in whatever realm, embrace and become one being, made of the two of us. That’s our goal and that’s the nearest picture we have so far of what might be.
and I’d be in this kind of stuff [gestures to her outfit] and we’d
fashion is really important to what I do as Charli XCX. And what does the “XIX” stand for? XCX XCX. X Charli X. Oh! It’s a ‘C’! It must mean something subconsciously. XCX Kiss Charli Kiss. I thought it looked cool when I was younger. Have you been on tour? XCX My first tour was in March. We went on tour with this band called Sleigh Bells, who are this awesome indie band, and I also did some of my own shows in New York. Now I’m going away again to do this tour with Santigold and Coldplay. Who organized your tour? XCX My manager, and with Coldplay…well, I never know if this stuff’s rumors to make you feel better... [Puts on posh accent] SHE’S GOING ON TOUR WITH COLDPLAY! XCX ...but they said, “Chris Martin really likes your stuff,” and... CHRIS MARTIN REALLY LIKES HER STUFF! XCX Well, if it’s true, I feel great about it. Have you got a boyfriend? XCX Yes, he’s really nice. He directed my “Nuclear Seasons” video, which freaked me out in the beginning, but it was really good. He would tell me if I looked liked shit, like, “Charli, you might want to change what you’re doing, it looks bad.” What ambitions do you have? XCX I want to make sure my record is amazing. It’s nearly done now. I wrote a song that I’ve decided has to go on it. I want to make sure—without sounding wanky—it kind of helps change the current state of pop music. How do you want it to change? XCX Some people are embarrassed to say that they like pop music, but I feel like times are changing. There are some really amazing pop artists, including myself, that are pretty young and aren’t just thinking about lyrics like “I’m in a club with a boy! Yeah!”
be there until like six in the morning. Did that freak you out, your parents being there? XCX Um…I guess I liked it, because they were supportive. So what was it? You and a backing track? XCX At this stage I had an iPod, and I’d press play. My songs were like raps, like “T-Rex! Dinosaur sex! Watch them roar! Watch them roar! Watch me be like a dinosaur!” I made the track myself. It was really unformed and childish, but it was fun. Management heard about me through MySpace and then they were coming down to these raves, then labels were coming down too. Did you always think you were good? XCX Yeah. I always knew I was good, but I also had this idea that this is so cool, this scene is so cool! You know that East London thing? Like, This is it! But now I have a broader vision, and I know it’s very incestuous. It’s nothing, really. It spawns great people, but it’s also a joke of itself sometimes. I’ve got a really big question for you. Do you wanna make loads of money or do you wanna be cool? XCX Before it was just about being cool. I didn’t want to make any money. I just wanted to be in the fashion scene, in the indietrendy world. But I don’t think that’s all that important now. I’d rather be commercially successful, but on my terms, and make good pop music. Not like selling out to make rubbish. I remember when I was doing lots of promos I’d meet these cool bands that were poor. I thought, That’s great, but some things are of different importance to different people. I like both. XCX Also I think if you do get commercial success you can always go back and do those things, you know, when you have the money to do your own hip-hop opera record or whatever. You’re very photogenic. I looked at your pictures today. XCX Oh, thank you! I do like having my photo taken, and I think
neW fAces
FROM A PAIR OF bRAzIlIAn stunneRs tO A RunwAy thOROughbRed, these ARe the FAshIOn IndustRy’s cuRRent cROP OF In-deMAnd MOdels. get betteR AcquAInted wIth AvA, thAIRIne, kAtI, steF, And dAnIelA. yOu’ll be seeIng A lOt MORe OF theM PhOtOgRAPhy sebAstIAn FAenA FAshIOn cARIne ROItFeld text deRek blAsbeRg
AvA smith
ORIGIN Born and raised on the South Side of Chicago CHILDHOOD HOBBIES I’m the second oldest of four girls. We were a crew growing up. I come from a very artistic background, and my mom always encouraged us to draw, paint, or sculpt. I distinctly remember her taking all of her old lipsticks and using them on a canvas. DISCOVERY My family has a summer house on a lake in Michigan and I was an impatient teenager who really wanted to have my own money, so I got a summer job up there cleaning the cottages at a resort. It was hard work, but I liked the freedom that came with having money. One day on the beach a lady came up to me and offered to help me meet with an agent she knew at Elite in Chicago. It sounded legitimate and I went for it. HOME AWAY FROM HOME I haven’t noticed a crazy amount of differences between New York and Chicago. New York is certainly more expensive, dirtier, bigger, just a larger city. I think people get into each other’s business here a lot more. Midwesterners are more concerned with being friendly and polite. New Yorkers don’t have time for that, which sometimes I find refreshing. SPEAK EASY I get impatient with small talk, so if I have the opportunity to engage someone in a conversation I’m happy. I think a lot of times we’re all in such a rush to get out details we want people to know about us we miss the chance to actually learn something. You can make someone else’s bad day so much better by just making an effort to empathize. KEEPING YOUR BALANCE I think you become better in all areas of your life if you try to keep yourself well rounded. Your career will only benefit from keeping your mind sharp and your body healthy, because in the end you’re happier and feel better about the person you are. THE BIG CHILL When I’m not working, I turn my phone off, have a glass of wine, and take a bath. THE BUSINESS OF FASHION I’ve always taken this job seriously. I see how much passion the people who are really good at what they do have, and I respect that. The good photographers, stylists, art directors, and editors didn’t get to where they got by fooling around. Models shouldn’t be any different. It’s not just about luck and being beautiful.
thAirine GArciA
ORIGIN Born in Taquarituba and raised in Barão de Antonina, a small city outside São Paulo HOOP DREAMS I always loved
playing basketball, and since we lived in a small town I can
remember playing in the streets with all my brothers and cousins. DISCOVERY My family brought me to a model casting in a smaller city near ours, and then a convention in São Paolo where I met all these agencies. WHY ARE THERE SO MANY BODIES FROM BRAZIL? Brazilian girls are happy, loving, and very beautiful. It’s as simple as this! SUPERMODEL SUPERHERO I look up to Caroline Trentini. I just love her story and all she has done in her career. FAVORITE FEATURES I love my hands, and I’m always looking at how they look in pictures. But I also like that I am a happy person, and I’m always smiling. PROJECT RUNWAY I haven´t done many shows yet. But I just love to be in front of a camera!
KAti nescher
ORIGIN I was born in Kostroma, Russia, on the Volga River, and lived there until my 18th birthday, when I moved alone to Germany to start a new life. EARLY ARTISTIC PURSUITS My mother never let me get bored! As a kid I took ballet, music, and art classes. In high school I was in the amateur dramatic society, which was so much fun. I laugh just thinking about it. DISCOVERY I was reading a magazine and I saw a piece about an agency, so I picked up the phone and called. OF A CERTAIN AGE When I was 14 I didn’t have a sense of my own identity, so it was better for me to start when I started. Being older and having life experience gives me perspective. I think people in the business appreciate that. HOT MOMMA I have a son, Theo, who is two-and-a-half. SHARP TONGUE I speak Russian, German, English, and un poco de español. I studied to be a translator, as I am fascinated by communication. But now I have found my dream job, so let’s just see what the future holds. RUNWAY READY I opened Chanel and closed Marc Jacobs during the Fall/Winter 2012 shows. FINAL TALLY I walked in 63 shows during the season. SURREALISM Sometimes I still ask myself, ‘Did that really happen to me?’
stef vAn der lAAn
ORIGIN A small town in the east of Holland called Wageningen SHORT ATTENTION SPAN I’ve never been a big sports fan, but I tried a couple when I was younger. My mother would buy all the uniforms and equipment, then I’d be bored with it and quit. Eventually I wasn’t allowed to try anything new anymore!
DISCOVERY I was 13 when a scout from Amsterdam approached me at a music festival. I’ve always been really tall and my sister who is four years older than me had mentioned modeling before, but I was more interested in music and clothing. HAIR STORY I once had blue hair. My mom was not so pleased with that! I also had green, red, and purple hair. I was very into punk music, and before that I was a skater girl. (I didn’t know how to skate at all, I just pretended.) After that I had to calm down a bit because I started modeling more. IN THE GENES My grandmother used to have her own clothing store where she sold her own designs and made a lot of things herself, so I think I got my affection for personal style from her. ROLE MODELS I have to admit I’m a big fan of the top models from the ’80s and ’90s. It was much more glam and rock ’n’ roll. I love Stephanie Seymour in the Guns N’ Roses videos and George Michael’s video for “Freedom.” SELF STYLED I like to wear things that are a bit different, but for work I’m trying to tone it down. I wear a lot of black now. But at home I go all out! I have like three closets full of clothing: give me any theme and I can come up with an outfit! HANDIWORK I like to knit and crochet things.
dAnielA brAGA
ORIGIN Cotia, a countryside town outside São Paulo, Brazil
DISCOVERY I used to work as a cashier in a pharmacy. A few people had given me cards and told me to call some agencies, but I didn’t. One day a scout came in and made me go to an agency in São Paulo. So I did, and everything started. I left my job at the pharmacy that week, started working in Brazil, and a few months later I was in New York for Fashion Week. FASHIONABLE FEELING I never thought about being a model, but I always felt a connection with fashion. I can’t explain why, but the fact is that I always knew something really great was going to happen to me. I’ve been traveling for three months straight, and all I can say is, I’m so happy. FREQUENT FLYER The first time I was on a plane was to come to New York for shows. Then I was in London, Milan, and Paris. And then back and forth. It’s crazy! NOW AND THEN My life has changed drastically for the better. A year ago, I was a pretty normal girl, I was single, very skinny, and lots of people would make fun of me. Then everything happened. Now it feels feel like a dream. I loved working with Riccardo Tisci from Givenchy and Carine Roitfeld. DREAM JOB I have shot with amazing people so far, but I must confess that I would love to walk for Victoria’s Secret! LASTING POWER Since I’ve started modeling I don’t see myself doing anything else. I am so blessed to be doing what I am doing now.
clockwise from top left: AvA, thAirine, And kAti weAr clothing Balenciaga By nicolas ghesquière on skin, Dior diorskin nude fluid foundAtion in cAmeo on lips, Dior Addict lipstick in Beige on eyes, Dior styleliner in BlAck
NEW shapEs for the past several seasons, designers have been intent on pumping up the volume. now fashion’s queen of reductionsim, rei kawakubo, has proclaimed the world is flat. here, she explains the concept behind the most talked about silhouette of fall photography sebastian faena fashion carine roitfeld
“ThErE is No difficulT TEchNiquE To makE ThE cloThEs of This collEcTioN. To makE cloThEs WiThouT TEchNiquEs is ThE mosT difficulT ThiNg. ThE BEsT dEsigN is WiThouT dEsigN. ThE simplEsT idEa aNd No dEsigN rEsulTs iN ThE sTroNgEsT ExprEssioN.” –rEi kaWakuBo, may 8, 2012, Tokyo
Makeup YadiM for dior beautY (tiM Howard ManageMent) Hair JiMMY paul for buMble and buMble Models kati nescHer (dna), ava sMitH (wilHelMina), stef van der laan (iMg), tHairine garcia (ford nY), daniela braga (neXt) Manicure Honey (exposure, ny) set design stefan BeckMan (exposure, ny) tailor alBerta roc ligHt design cHris Bisagni digital tecHnician andrew kenney pHoto assistants cHris grunder and JoHn ciaMillo stylist assistants MicHaela dosaMantes, Vincent ciarlariello, Brielle BauMBacH, eMilia BoerJesson Makeup assistants kanako takase, raul otero, toMoMi kawagucHi Hair assistants roz Murray and edward laMpley colorist Mai for BuMBle and BuMBle set design assistants colin roddick, will pierce, taHa clayton, JosH tonsfeldt, nick kozMin production Helena Martel production assistants spencer Morgan taylor, Bianca aMBrosio, sHaina traVis, alBerto Maria coloMBo Video alexa karolinski location industria superstudio retoucHing pictureHouse special tHanks daVid Hazan
clockwise froM top left: stef, daniela, and kati wear clotHing Comme des Garรงons on eYebrows, dior sourcils poudre in sand on eYes, dior diorliner in brown on lips, dior addict lipstick in blusH to see a video of tHis sHoot go to vMagazine.coM
kyryll Coat and pants Jil Sander shoes and jewelry his own 70
KAZAKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW
THE EUROPEAN POP GROUP KAZAKY IS NOT YOUR AVERAGE BOY BAND. wITH THEIR DANCE-READY BEATS AND FASHION FEATS IN RAZOR-SHARP STIlETTOS, THE FEARlESS FOURSOmE IS CARVING OUT A NICHE All THEIR OwN PHOTOGRAPHY INEZ & VINOODH FASHION NICOlA FORmICHETTI TExT PATRIK SANDBERG
To say that Kazaky
is not your average boy band would be a tremendous understatement. Well over the prime TigerBeat age of fifteen, the four members of the Ukrainian dance-pop entity are quickly gaining momentum on a global scale thanks to their sleek, fashion-forward videos, pulsating dance-pop bangers, and over-the-top styling choices—most famous among them a proclivity for six-inch stilettos. “It started as a joke,” Kazaky founder and apparent spokesman Oleg Zhezhel says of the heels, via translator (the boys do speak English, albeit very, very little). “We just wanted to try the shoes on and see how we danced in them, and then it became our thing—we liked it. We don’t become feminine when we put them on, we feel that we put them on and become more of a man. We can still be masculine.” Paired with their preferred uniforms of fringe, pointy shoulders, spiked studs, oversized sunglasses, patent leather harnesses, and gratuitously exposed flesh, the footwear is but a drop in an ocean of sartorial excess. When viewed in full scale, the compounded absurdity reaches Zoolander proportions—the boys become chiseled, pouty-mouthed club performers on a rampage. Naturally these antics have caught the eye not only of the fashion world—Kazaky has already walked the DSquared runway—but also of pop’s long-reigning queen of reinvention, Madonna. (Recall those glittery, swirling specimens in her recent “Girl Gone Wild” video?) It’s not surprising that Kazaky’s collective star is on the rise, given the too-fabulous-to-stand-it attitude in the fashion community and the boys’ attractive fierceness. To wit: their website describes them as “an amazingly alluring cult of dance, music, body, sexuality, fashion, and provocation.” Yet the foursome remain unassuming about their style. “It’s not something we set out to represent or be involved in,” Oleg says. “But we have become known very much for it and we love it. We love talented people and working with talented people, and there are a lot of them in fashion.” Citing themselves as dancers first and foremost, the group comprises Oleg, the musclebound, determined, and vocal nucleus; Artur Gaspar, his strong but silent, trusted best friend; Kyryll Fedorenko, who bears a street-tough style but boasts the pale, dark-rimmed eyes of a Siberian Huskie; and Francesco Borgato, the new kid on the block (no pun intended). Upon the success of Kazaky’s first few singles and videos, released in 2010 and 2011—like the throbbing club anthem “In the Middle” and the ridiculously direct “Love” (You want me/You need me/You hate me/I don’t care) —one of the founding members, Stas Pavlov, flew the coop to pursue solo aspirations. “It was his own decision to leave, and we’re very happy to have met Francesco,” says Oleg. The newest member was discovered after he posted a fan video of himself dancing to Kazaky’s choreography on YouTube. It went viral, and the group came knocking. “Even though there is a language barrier, he fit right in and we love working with him,” continues Oleg. “He is as strong a member of Kazaky as any of us.” “I have to say it’s different,” says the Italian-born Francesco of his new Ukrainian stomping grounds. “It’s another culture and another way of seeing life. Coming from Italy it’s certainly not easy, but I haven’t had trouble because I have a great group to spend my time with.” “The best part of being Kazaky is that it doesn’t stop after the work day,” Artur explains. “We’re all friends. We hang out together, we spend our evenings and days and vacations together. So we are friends first, and then there is the band.” With Francesco fully integrated, Kazaky 2.0 is ready to tear it up in the States, heels and all. When asked how they feel about being in New York, they begin to excitedly talk over one another in a crazy clamor of Russian exclamations. “We love America!” Francesco translates. Their dream collaboration? Beyoncé, naturally. Her choreography is unparalleled in recent years. And with fashion shows, major photo shoots, and a number with her Madgesty under their chicly studded belts, why shouldn’t the boys be courted by Queen Bey? Picture it: like “Single Ladies,” with all the same clothes, but no ladies. Whatever does happen next, one thing is for sure: they’ll be in it together. “We feel we have a special place in the pop world right now, and we are learning every day to change as we grow. We are looking forward to the future. We want to be together for it and walk the path to the end.” Kazaky or bust.
oleg top Jil sander swimsuit american apparel Corset (in hand) stylist's own hat manuel albarran shoes his own
artur Leotard Norma Kamali Jacket (around waist) Jil SaNder tights levaNte shoes and JeweLry his own
francesco Jacket and shirt Jil Sander corset rufSkin swimsuit american apparel tights levante shoes and earrings his own
from left: kyryll wears Dress Marchesa tights Levante Necklace Lara Jensen shoes aND bracelet his owN oleg wears Dress Marchesa earriNg Kenneth Jay Lane shoes his owN artur wears Dress Marchesa tights Levante Necklaces stylist’s owN shoes his owN fraNcesco wears Dress J. MendeL tights Levante Jewelry Kenneth Jay Lane shoes his owN all veils stylist’s owN
makeup aaroN De mey (art partNer) hair DiDier malige for frÉDÉric fekkai (art partNer) Manicure Deborah LippMann (The MagneT agency) LighTing Technician JoDokus Driessen DigiTaL capTure brian anDerson phoTo assisTanT Joe huMe sTyLisT assisTanTs branDon MaxweLL, JuLien aLLeyne, hayLey pisaTuro sTuDio Manager Marc kroop Makeup assisTanTs Frank boyD anD TayLor TreaDweLL hair assisTanT Takashi yusa reTouching sTeLLa DigiTaL LocaTion pier 59 DigiTaL sTuDios speciaL Thanks Tony Jay, aLexey MironiTchev, naDia sTognevich
to see a viDeo of this shoot go to vmagaziNe.com
DREW’S ANGELS
with a prop studio as her backdrop, the perpetually sunny drew barrymore shoots hollywood’s shining new faces, who learned to light up the screen by following her lead photography drew barrymore fashion maryam malakpour text derek blasberg
TAISSA FARMIGA “I was both born and raised in New Jersey. I’ve spent my whole seventeen years in the same house, on the same dead-end street,” Taissa Farmiga deadpans, though it seems her street was the only thing in her life that didn’t lead somewhere. With a little help from older sister Vera who cast her in her directorial debut Higher Ground, Taissa has embarked on a promising career. “Vera as my director wasn’t all that much different from her being my older sister. She was still bossy, ordered me around, would randomly put me in a headlock,” she laughs. “I don’t think I could have asked for a better first experience.” Turns out that Taissa hadn’t yet even contemplated an acting career, and she agreed to work with her big sis for the simple reason that she was 15 and into the idea of spending a month and a half away from her parents. “And at the end I would get my sister’s old pickup truck in exchange for any babysitting. How could I say no?” Her performance was heralded by critics, and a part in American Horror Story soon followed. Next up? Sofia Coppola’s much-anticipated film, The Bling Ring, the story of a bunch of young L.A. kids robbing celebrity houses.
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HALEY BENNETT Music was always a major influence for the singer and actress Haley Bennett, who was born in a small Florida town before her family moved to Ohio. “From a very young age, I remember we would all bond over food, song, and sometimes dance, but I was always shy and quiet,” she remembers. “My turning point was when my grandfather was very ill and asked me to sing to him. I chose ‘Somewhere Over the Rainbow.’ Afterwards he wept and told me that no matter what I did in life, I had to let my voice be heard. It was one of the last things he ever said to me.” Barrymore helped Bennett to keep her word, when she costarred with the actress and Hugh Grant in 2007’s Music and Lyrics, playing a precocious teenybopper. “In many ways I feel like she is the reason I am where I am,” Bennett says. And like her famous mentor, this vivacious blonde is going places. Next she’ll appear in Terrence Malick’s new film, Lawless, as part of a star-studded cast including Christian Bale, Natalie Portman, and Ryan Gosling.
Shirt Reed KRaKoff JeanS Hudson necklace Pamela love ShoeS TabiTHa simmons belt StyliSt'S own ring bennett’S own
VICTORIA JUSTICE Growing up in Hollywood, Florida, “beautiful, sunny, and very moist,” as she describes it, Victoria Justice got in front of the cameras at an early age, starting with commercials and modeling gigs in nearby South Beach. The family moved to the less humid Hollywood—the one in California—when she was 11. “I wanted to give the acting thing a try, and they really wanted to give me the opportunity,” she explains. “Things ended up going really well. I feel very lucky.” And lucky she was, joining the junior leagues as part of Nickelodeon’s Zoey 101, which led to her own spin-off, Victorious, and recording her own albums. “My mom always taught me that acting is not only a job but a craft that needs to be constantly honed,” she says. “I’m going to be an eternal student.” She continues her education with her first world tour in August, and later this year appears as the lead in Fun Size, the directorial debut of Josh Schwartz.
Shirt giorgio armani coat mulberry Skirt topshop SunglaSSeS mercura
“ThEsE fINE fILLIEs ARE NOT gOINg ThE wAy Of vERuCA sALT. ThEy ARE BEINg BRAvE ANd vuLNERABLE, TOugh ANd pRETTy, TO REvEAL ThE gIRL wIThIN. ThEy ARE mAkINg IT hAppEN.” –dREw BARRymORE
NICOLE LALIBERTE The exact moment that made Nicole LaLiberte want to become a performer is emblazoned in her memory: at the age of four she attended an American Ballet Theatre production of The Nutcracker, starring Gelsey Kirkland and Mikhail Baryshnikov. “I was hypnotized,” she says. “[Kirkland] remains for me one of the most enigmatic ballerinas of all time. Exquisite, unmistakable quality of movement. I thought to myself, I wanna do that.” Mom enrolled her in dance classes in her native Albany, and she was hooked. “Dance for me was so much about flying, the changing temperatures of space, feeling myself exist in space. It was my first love.” Having worked in New York as a professional ballerina, now she has moved to L.A. and started acting. Her performance in Girls Against Boys premiered at South by Southwest earlier this year, and she’s already wrapped up a thriller called Schism and a comedy called Wifed Out.
dress fendi necklace and bracelet pamela love cuff and rings gaia repossi ears maison michel
ISABELLE FUHRMAN To moviegoers around the world, the character Clove in The Hunger Games is a vengeful teenage assassin. But to Isabelle Fuhrman, the actress who played her, the character is more nuanced. “In my mind, Clove was never an assassin,” she says. “I imagined her as having a very tragic life with specific moments that drove her to become, for lack of a better word, crazy.” Born in Washington, D.C., and raised in Atlanta, Georgia, Fuhrman’s work ethic has taken her from local shows—“My first gig was singing at a retirement home with my sister”—to Jay Leno comedy sketches, the horror film Orphan, and ultimately her role as Clove. “Getting that part was hard because I wanted to tell all my friends and couldn’t for three weeks,” she says. “I started working out on my own to get ready. I went from regular P.E. to the weight trainer, to running a mile with a 50-pound weight vest, plus ab workouts, push-ups, and regular conditioning. I told all my friends that I just wanted to get fit, but I don’t think they bought it.” She is currently filming M. Night Shyamalan’s After Earth, opposite Will Smith, and will appear in the remake of Suspiria, with David Gordon Green, next year. “I really want to be the kind of actress that can play in every genre of film,” she says. “Sort of like Meryl Streep.”
Dress anD jacket balenciaga by nicolas ghesquiÈre earrings alexis bittar bracelets cartier shoes laurence dacade
MAIKA MONROE Southern California native Maika Monroe endured a gory introduction to the entertainment industry. “My first experience on a movie set was when I was 12. It was a horror film: fake blood, fog machines, cut-off heads…I couldn’t get enough.” Being unafraid of extremes is a good thing in Hollywood, and as if to prove her credentials, Maika is also a competitive kite boarder—though that hobby has been put on the back burner since her career took off. “I was on the beach one day with my kiting coach and my mom walked down with a funny look on her face. She told me a director wanted to meet me. I was on a plane the next day.” The film in question, At Any Price, costarring Zac Efron and Dennis Quaid, comes out later this summer. Her other recent projects are Jason Reitman’s next vehicle, Labor Day, alongside Kate Winslet and Josh Brolin, and Sofia Coppola’s The Bling Ring, with Kirsten Dunst, Emma Watson, and (the aforementioned) Taissa Farmiga. While the film focuses on lawless girls who pilfer from celebrity homes, Maika is not prone to such reckless behavior. “I like to think I have one foot in Hollywood and one foot in the sand,” she says.
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Makeup Debra Ferullo (TraceyMaTTingly.coM) Hair rob TalTy using Joico (THe MagneT agency) Manicure Jenna Hip for nailing Hollywood (TraceyMaTTingly.coM) digiTal TecHnician ryan lopez pHoTo assisTanTs Trever gens and sHaune Mcdowell sTylisT assisTanTs olivia KozlowsKi, caTlin Meyer, Manuel parra MaKeup assisTanT Karina Moore Hair assisTanT casH lawless (THe MagneT agency) producTion assisTanTs BarTon BronsTein and sean sTewarT reToucHing BrenT Kyle locaTion nicK MeTropolis collecTiBle furniTure special THanKs Kelly sMiTH and nicK MeTropolis
AMANDLA STENBERG Kids nowadays are natural multitaskers. Just look at 14-year-old Los Angeles native Amandla Stenberg, another breakout star of this year’s The Hunger Games. When not going to castings or auditions, she knits, snaps photos with a Nikon D80, and plays violin concertos, not to mention the guitar and the drums. Her first big break in film was playing a tough tween assassin in Colombiana, alongside Zoe Saldana. But The Hunger Games is what really put her on the map, which she could have predicted. “When my agent called to tell me I was going to play Rue, I literally started running around the room and hyperventilating. I kept shouting, ‘I’m Rue, I’m Rue!’” she remembers. “My mother had to get me a glass of water and tell me to take deep breaths. We have it all on tape. It’s funny to watch.” While on set with Barrymore, Amandla shared her enthusiasm for photography by asking the budding lenswoman for advice. “[Drew] told me she liked to shoot happy accidents, and that when a photograph comes out naturally you’ll love it.”
Dress Isabel Marant Fur Peter soM Necklaces solange azagury-PartrIdge HeaDbaND eugenIa KIM
Coat Emporio ArmAni ShoRtS oBESiTY AnD SpEED ShoeS GiuSEppE ZAnoTTi BRaCeletS TorruBiA & TorruBiA GloveS GASpAr GlovES tiGhtS FAlkE BRa thoRn’S own
88
COAT Michael Kors
every rose has its thorn WITH BLEACH-BLONDE AMBITION AND A PERSONALITY TO MATCH, LIZA THORN OF L.A. BAND STARRED IS READY TO REWRITE THE HISTORY OF ROCK-AND-ROLL INFAMY IN LOUCHE LOOKS AND FALL’S SUMPTUOUS FURS PHOTOgRAPHY KARIM SADLI FASHION BEAT BOLLIgER TExT T. COLE RACHEL
Sweater Stefanel Coat MiSSoni SHortS oBeSitY anD SPeeD
Sweater Stefanel Coat MiSSoni
SHortS oBeSitY anD SPeeD GloveS Carolina aMato SunGlaSSeS aCne SHoeS Walter Steiger tiGHtS eMilio Cavallini
Dress, pants, BOOts Ann Demeulemeester COat rAlph lAuren ColleCtion Cuff vintage
Shirt AND COAt Gucci JACket NooN By Noor riNg (her right) AND brACelet MaNiaMaNia riNg (her leFt) SaSkia Diez tightS WolforD
Coat Marc Jacobs MaSK LEaH c. coUTUrE MILLINErY
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eeting Liza Thorn in person for the first time instantly reaffirms the notion that some people are simply meant to be rock stars. Showing up for our midafternoon coffee date in giant sunglasses, a tattered sequined top, torn fishnets, and scuffed heels, Thorn is a blurry, bleach-blonde mess—what would happen if Courtney Love and Sandra Bernhard spawned a San Francisco love child (with the former’s growl and the latter’s rapier wit). Having made a name for herself with her previous band, Bridez, and collaborated with the likes of Girls’s Christopher Owens and Cass McCombs, Thorn is poised to make a splash with her new band, Starred, when they release their official debut EP, Prison To Prison, later this fall. Though she has been touted as a fashion figure, Thorn is mostly concerned with talking about rock music and the importance of making it. But before we can chat, she has an urgent request: “Can you get me some aspirin and a water? I feel like I’m dying.”
T. coLE racHEL How did you end up in L.A.? LIZA THORN I grew up in San Francisco and I love California
so I decided to move to L.A. a couple of years ago, kind of as a way to finally move away from home, but also because I was going to maybe make a record with Cass McCombs. I moved
into this weird basement place that I found on the Internet. Our project kind of fell apart after I got to L.A., but then I ended up playing with other people. I’ve played guitar since I was 14, but I always played in bands and I never took it quite as far or as seriously when it came to just writing and recording on my own. Then I met Matthew Koshak, this amazing producer and engineer, and he started working on this record with me and we basically became Starred. Pendu Sound—this label based in New York—is putting out our six-song 12" EP this fall. We’ll put out a 7" record this summer. Did you always know you would make music? LT Yeah. It’s kind of like a curse, actually. I mean, I wish I wanted to do something else. I wish I wanted to be a dentist or something. Even when I was a kid, I always wanted to be in a band. I remember reading Please Kill Me when I was 15 and just fantasizing about being in a rock band. Then I had a succession of very self-destructive punk-rock bands. Our sets usually ended with me throwing myself onto the drums... that sort of thing. How is Starred different from your previous band? LT I don’t know…it’s more melodic, a little more subdued. You know, I’ve done the whole crazy screaming thing. This music is powerful in a different way. And it’s not just the Liza Thorn show. Starred is very much my and Matt Koshak’s band.
Fashion photographers seem to love you. Why is that? LT I don’t know. I get approached to do fashion things a lot, but unless it’s with a friend or something related to the band, I don’t usually do it. You know, I don’t really get it. I shop at Goodwill. I don’t have money to buy lots of expensive shit…but expensive shit isn’t necessarily what fashion is all about, that much I know. But generally I don’t pursue that stuff at all. Jennifer Herrema from Royal Trux is a good friend—she was my teenage idol, actually—and I did some stuff with her denim line. It’s fun doing fashion stuff with friends, particularly women like Jennifer, but I have no interest in being a model. Let the 14-year-old Russian girls do that job, not me. So what’s the ideal career then? LT Just to play music. I just love to write songs and play music. This is what I’m supposed to be doing. This is what I’ll be doing whether or not anyone else cares, whether I’m broke or making money. Whatever. So when you were a teenage girl just starting to make music, who inspired you? LT Well, bands like Royal Trux. Just a totally legit, no bullshit rock band with a fucking badass woman in the front, you know?
Starred’s Prison To Prison EP is available in August from Pendu Sound Recordings
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Coat Fendi Ring delFina delettrez on eyes, estée lauder PuRe ColoR eyeshadow in glaCial Blue on haiR, bumble and bumble thiCkening haiRsPRay
# i n s t a g l a m
soak up the saturated style of the season with fashion’s new faces and fall’s fresh finds. it’s all the news you can use—through any filter you choose photography kacper kasprZyk fashion Jay Massacret 96
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Jacket, shirt, pants, shoes Miu Miu socks Celeste stein
laura in Chanel
Coat and pants Chanel diCkey ameriCan apparel earrings alexis Bittar gloves sermoneta Gloves ring Delfina Delettrez shoes Calvin Klein ColleCtion on lips, estĂŠe lauDer pure Color lipstiCk in red tango on eyes, estĂŠe lauDer double Wear Zero eyeliner in blaCk
irina in louis vuitton SUNGlaSSeS, jacket, dreSS Louis Vuitton earriNGS MiriaM saLat GloveS CaroLina aMato
marte mei in dior
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IRINA IN pRoeNzA schouleR
Dress Proenza Schouler Gloves cacharel Hat GiGi BurriS tiGHts hue
elza in calvin klein collection
Dress anD pants Calvin Klein ColleCtion Dickey Miu Miu sunglasses aCne earrings Delfina Delettrez gloves CaCharel
marte mei in prada
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Coat NiNa Ricci earrings caRTiER gloves WalTER VaN BEiRENdoNck tights FalkE boots PRoENZa ScHoUlER Chair doNZElla 20TH cENTURy
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school daze the fashionable teens of woodrow wilson high school in washington, d.c., wear fall’s exaggerated shapes. from homeroom to the playing field, they are roaming the halls in high style. class is in session
photography Jamie hawKesworth fashion michael philouze
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above left: amir wears top Acne t-shirt and tank ArmAni exchAnge shorts, pants, accessories his own above right: sean wears uniform his own right: mouse wears cape Ports 1961 jacket nike shoes, socks, hat his own
talent amir Blissett, mouse Butler, matthew Golden, Victor Gonzales, tori hailes, tristan huBer, sean Kelly, raKail lepore, Benjamin leVin, jordan lindsay, deVin riVera ozuna castinG pierGiorGio del moro (streeters) stylist assistant ahnna lee production assistant christophe le Gorju location woodrow wilson hiGh school, washinGton, d.c. equipment rental root [produce] special thanKs sheilla hara, principal pete cahall, rapid eye processinG
tori wears vest and skirt J.W. Anderson shirt Gucci earrings, bracelets, headband her own
visionAire 62
rio Few countries ofer the color and cultural splendor of Brazil. So when it
came time to create an issue that would project sumptuous 3D images, the country’s thriving city of Rio de Janeiro was an obvious first choice of
subject. Incorporating the use of a customized stereoscope—a tool that
was the principal means of viewing travel images in the 19 th century— Visionaire 62 RIO comprises 18 slides from a selection of the world’s top artists
and photographers. Gisele Bündchen makes a cameo as a sexy—and naked!— gunslinger, shot by Mert & Marcus, while transgendered provocateur Lea T
channels a modern-day Rapunzel with her long, flowing locks in a captivating work by Maurizio Cattelan and Pierpaolo Ferrari. As for culture, Karl Lagerfeld captures a surreal replica of Christ the Redeemer among
the clouds and Marco Brambilla’s multilayered image depicts the ultimate Sambadrome: the main thoroughfare during Carnival.
lector and donated the entire library to the Instituto Tomie Ohtake back in
2010—was the catalyst for finally bringing a format to life that had long been in the mind of the Visionaire team. The slides and stereoscope are housed in
two lenticular 3D cases created by beloved darlings of Brazil, painter Beatriz
Milhazes and industrial design duo Fernando & Humberto Campana.
AvAilAble now At visionAireworld.com
PHOTOGRAPHy JunICHI ITO
Teaming up with Brazilian luxury retail giant Iguatemi—President and
CEO Carlos Jereissati, an adamant supporter of the arts, is a Visionaire col-
Fas h io n Bo o k PREViE W issUE 0 oBsEssion
CR
FAS H I O N B e YON D c L OT H e S
We all love fashion. Fashion is what drives us. But lately it seems more and more difficult to express creativity in fashion—things are
controlled, calculated, rarely spontaneous. Yet creativity is the root of fashion. Without
it, fashion ceases to exist. What fashion needs is a new place for creative visions to unfold. Fashion beyond clothes. Fashion as a way of life. Never too serious, never dark or negative. Always full of humor, fantasy, joy, and beauty.
Imagine a publication that pushes fashion forward, that celebrates the greatest creators in image-making while supporting a new guard of brilliant talent — as well as providing valuable insight into the world of fashion and beyond. This is my vision for CR, a new magazine about fashion and creativity.
Opposite page: PAT T I SM I T H Photographed by B ruc e We B e r
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coM i ng Se p t e M be r 2 012
CR Fashion Book is a new biannual publication from Carine Roitfeld. Irreverent in spirit and
timeless in style, CR is a place to discover intriguing stories and indelible imagery by celebrated creators and rising talents alike. Designed to be cherished and continually referenced, CR combines
the collectible aspect of a carefully curated book with the feverish energy of a fashion magazine. Subversive, creative, smart, and chic, this is CR. Subscribe now at crfashionbook.com
Opposite page: Photograph by Michael avedon
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maga zine still li fe ph otography daniel lindh
fas h io n Bo o k front and Back covers:
k ati w e ars given chy By ri ccard o ti sci photographed By seBastian fa en a
2002, c-print, 126 x 184 cm, Courtesy the artist and Lehmann Maupin Gallery, New York
Erwin Wurm, Instructions On How To Be Politically Incorrect: Inspection
V78 fall preview 2012 vMaGaZiNe.COM
Sold exclusively in Louis Vuitton s tores and on louisvuitton.com 866 .VUITTON