conocu

After living here since August, I can definitely say that I’ve enjoyed all that New York has brought. The friendships, adventures, and changes it’s pushed me towards have been amazing and I know this was exactly what I needed for where I was in my life only a short time ago. However, I’m honestly really looking forward to going home, back to the Midwest. Coming to New York for me was largely to confirm that I didn’t want to end up here, or that my feelings about the Midwest and Columbus specifically being a better fit for me were correct. Sure, I’m going to miss a few things about New York, like being able to go out at 10 pm and find something to do, or going to art museums on weekends, or what I’ll miss most, the food, especially the endless supply of donuts and bubble tea. My personal favorites after this semester would have to be Donut Plant and PaTea. No matter the time or day, I’m always hungry for their sweet treats and I recommend visiting them yourself! It’s definitely a danger though, because the food is all so yummy that I push myself to try as much as possible, but that can all too quickly turn into eating out much more than someone should, so I’d definitely warn you about that!

However, I’m definitely not going to miss the smell, and I’m not really sure I need to elaborate any more on this other than the Midwest smells so much cleaner and better than the streets and subways and even people of New York. There’s something also to be said about the lack of wide open spaces, or space of any kind for that matter, like I’m used to. If we thought I got stir crazy in the suburbs and antsy for the flat plains of Ohio, you’d best believe New York has made 1 1/2 hour train and bus rides to find anything close to a farm worth it! 

This past week, we visited a place that, if I could be convinced to live in New York, would be a major convincer. With sustainability as their focus, they help existing brands to grow under their guidance and work to apply sustainability to their brand in a way that makes sense, because it can come in at any point in the garment production process. It was really neat to see all the different designers and how they’ve worked together in different ways to help advance one another’s work. We also got to speak with one of the designers and hear why it was such a great place to work and how it had helped her brand. Like I said, I feel that if I was open to moving to New York, this place would have been a pretty big selling point. I am also interested in sustainability, and though I would be looking at joining their guidance program after having my own brand for a bit and therefore a bit down the line, it would still be such a great opportunity. I think if I did somehow end up here, I would certainly be interested in pursuing a relationship with this organization, whether it be as a client of sorts or a contributor who helps advance the organization in some way.

As I’ve said time and time again, fashion has countless victims. The search for comfort, beauty, and everything else leaves so many in path of carnage most of us don’t see or think to investigate further. It follows the journey of Sara Ziff, founder of Model Alliance, as she entered and left the international modeling industry and her success and struggles alike. It honestly just confirmed what I thought were dangers in the modeling field. Of course, this isn’t the case for every single person with this career, but it’s more likely than other industries and models can get taken advantage of incredibly easy. Even though this followed what I expected, which showed a model career as successful but also challenging and sometimes dangerous or compromising, it still really hurt my heart to read. I strive in this life to protect the dignity of the human person, and the modeling industry often fails to do so in so many aspects. However, Sara is fighting for the same values I hope to with her organization Model Alliance (www.modelalliance.org) which works to protect models and ensure they don’t face the types of struggle the models in the film faced. I cannot stress enough how important this work is, because many models previously worked in very unsafe conditions so close to sex trafficking that it’s almost unthinkable. Imagine these faces you see everyday on billboards, magazines, and television ads, and then wondering how many of them have been coerced or forced into compromising situations that were veiled as “moving up” in the industry or just “doing your time” to make it big.

Now to set the record straight, I am all for being connected with the world and keeping updated with the latest headlines, because I think global awareness in all aspects is important and fashion is no exception. A great tool for doing this Texture, which creates a personalized library of popular magazines for you based on what you’ve chosen as your interests or favorites. I think the app overall is user-friendly and fairly easy-to-use, but the access it offers is overwhelming and the task of pushing myself to use it every day even more so. As an introvert, I like time to myself to recharge and just be in a little bubble of my own comfort, which lately involves a mug of cider snuggled up in a blanket as I rewatch The Office. When I need time to myself, which is quite often because that’s just who I am, I would rather use technology as little as possible. So, I think this app is great, but it’s just not for me. I update myself sporadically and through other sources, and this works for me. Pushing myself to be more in-touch and active just left me a little exhausted and less excited about magazines like Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, and W, to name a few of the 200+ magazines they offer to you as a part of their services. I certainly recommend giving the service a try especially with the 14-day free trial because even though it’s wasn’t my cup of tea, it just might be yours!

To add to the overwhelming amount of information, I’ll expand this by mentioning that holy cow, are there a lot of other fashion apps! How are we supposed to find one that fits both need and time, especially if you’re someone like me who has a shorter attention span or isn’t interested in just reading a magazine. I’ve picked my top three favorites for you, so you’re welcome because it’s going to be so much easier! I’ve narrowed it down to The Hunt, Covet Fashion, and StyleBook. I think these cover a wider range of interest and need, so I’m sure you’ll find one for you. Starting with The Hunt, this is perfect for when you get outfit envy and are too afraid to ask where that stranger got such a beautiful pair of kicks! All you have to do is take a picture and post it, and within a short time, you’ll have your answer! Of course, this is incredibly useful of those of us that may be too nervous to initiate what really would be an easy conversation, but hey, in New York where everyone is in a rush, they might not even have time to answer! Next would be the app I have the most experience with and that’s Covet Fashion, a fun fashion game that lets you build outfits with clothes you’ve “bought” that are actually digital versions of real designer garments and enter competitions to see how well you’ve styled the looks. It’s a fun way to enjoy the finer side of fashion without having to spend any real money, and put your styling skills to the test with friends. Lastly, and honestly one of the most genius, would be StyleBook, an app that serves as a digital wardrobe to catalog your closet via photos, save favorite outfits or inspiration photos, pack for vacation, and much more. I personally would use this app or would like to aim to, if I could ever get around to photographing my endless number of clothes! It helps you to get better use and rotation of your clothes, and make outfits you might not otherwise. Maybe it would even help eliminate things you don’t wear as much, but in that case maybe I’m not too sure I want to find out! Overall, these three are pretty easy and fun to use, and I would certainly recommend checking them out for yourself!

Tabitha St. Bernard Jacobs is a powerhouse. Activist, feminist, mother, businesswoman, entrepreneur, inspiring, and honestly just plain awesome, it seems that there are few things she is not. Getting to hear her story of helping to organize the Women’s March on the Washington, running her own sustainable fashion label, collaborating on another fashion line, then doing all three of these at the same time, just left me feeling in awe, but also extremely motivated. I find I don’t need to explain much of why she’s an inspiration, because these words kind of capture it all, don’t you think? It’s amazing that one woman who is also quite young can accomplish such great things and still be as kind and motivated as she is, and this pushes me to reach for the same. I feel a very similar mindset to Tabitha in that I want to pursue activism in my future, whether it be marches, petitions, conferences, or mission trips, I’m not sure exactly what it will look like (though I feel a strong push towards mission trips). But, I know that I want to be active and that’s a start. However, a start for me isn’t enough. I want to follow Tabitha’s example and follow through, then continue to follow through and maybe even search for new ventures. I hope to continue to remind myself of my place in this world and the responsibility I have to make a change because I know I can. Fashion will likely be a way in which I make an impact, but it certainly won’t be the only way and seeing Tabitha has taken on other endeavors assures me that this is possible, as I had hoped.

To be entirely honest, this question applies to almost anything in the fashion world and other interpretations will probably continue in later posts, but for now we’re going to focus on it’s application to magazines, specifically Vogue because I think it’s pretty common. If you flip through the probably un-purchasable luxuries and confusing fragrance ads, you’ll find this handy dandy page called a masthead, which lists all the lovely humans who put their hearts and souls make Vogue happen. Having spent the smallest, minute bit of holding the role of copy editor/research for our class magazine, I wanted to find out more about an actual copy editor and took a peek into what the work experience of Joyce Rubin, the copy editor for Vogue, looks like. Furthermore, I’ve realized I had several questions for her so I thought why not write her a letter? Of course, I wouldn’t hold out on all of you lovelies, so here it is.

Dear Joyce Rubin,

Hello and thank you in advance for your time. My name is Colleen Curtis and I am a junior Fashion Design student at Kent State currently studying at our New York City studio. For one of our courses, we are producing our own publication and I have served as the Copy Editor for our group and was hoping I could ask a little bit more about your career as one. After referencing your career history of serving as a Copy Editor for several magazines since about 1979 until now, I think my biggest question is what interested you in this in the first place? Additionally, what has kept you interested after holding this position with four different magazines, which would be Esquire, Playboy, New York Magazine, and now Vogue? I’ve also noticed that after you graduated with your We were told that serving as the Copy Editor entails a great deal of attention to detail, specifically the grammar and spelling throughout the issue, as well as other responsibilities related to this. What would you say makes up a typical day of work for you? Do your responsibilities change based on the week, or are they fairly consistent? We’ve only worked on the magazine for a short while, so I of course don’t know the full extent by any means of what this title entails, but I have found it takes a lot of patience and again, attention to detail, to make sure everything is correct and appropriately expressed. I really enjoy this position, as someone who considers grammar important and cringes whenever it may be misused. Is this something you find too, or does this almost feel like bringing work home for you? I’m sure I could ask so many questions of you, but I don’t want to take any more of your time. Thank again for your time and I look forward to your reply.

Sincerely,

Now that we’ve had enough time to attempt to digest as much of the Fashion Weeks worldwide as possible, let’s dish! There’s so much to mention, that I think I’ll make it a little easier on all of us and just give you the basics: one I’d love to try, one that’s just not for me, and my favorite show.

Time To Shine

(PC: http://wwd.com/fashion-news/fashion-features/gallery/the-5-biggest-spring-2018-fashion-trends-from-new-york-fashion-week-10989352/#!3/haute-denim-anoraks-four-split)

As a self-professed lover of denim, I am so glad to see that denim is not only seeing a lot of light for Spring 2018, but is a trend that’s also something we can dress up! I may or may not own at least 20 pairs of jeans currently (come through, Old Navy), so I’m really excited to start pairing my denim with dressier items I own like blouses or workwear. I’ve done this a few times in the past, but now that it’s hit runways, I’m just going to have to step up my game even more and you should too! This trend is one I think anyone can pull off because, who doesn’t own jeans? Ok, I guess some of us really own the athleisure trend and may live that activewear life with pride. But, if this isn’t you, then now you’ve got an easy way to make casual chic. 

Just Not Mine

(PC: http://wwd.com/fashion-news/fashion-features/gallery/the-5-biggest-spring-2018-fashion-trends-from-new-york-fashion-week-10989352/#!1/americana-four-split)

Americana, a trend that we see pop-up every so-often, has come back fro Spring 2018. Now, I’d like to start by saying it’s a pretty sweet trend and I really like the vibe the subtle nod to whatever the heck American politics are lately, which is why it slightly surprises me that this trend has resurfaced. However, I’m a girl who usually wears red, white, and blue when its 4th of July and I can sing a big old happy birthday our country. Something about the mix of colors just doesn’t really happen in my closet, largely because I don’t own much red to begin with. I think the mix of colors can be done well and for some of you, you might be totally here for this! But this girl doesn’t own nearly enough red to make this happen...

Breast In Show

(PC: https://www.vogue.com/fashion-shows/spring-2018-ready-to-wear/helmut-lang/slideshow/collection#5)

(PC: https://www.vogue.com/slideshow/annie-leibovitz-photographs-rooney-mara-vogue-october-issue-2017-slideshow#4)

(PC: http://www.vogue.co.uk/gallery/inside-october-vogue-zoe-kravitz-cover)

As one of the the top fashion magazines worldwide, Vogue dominates the industry in sharing its messages with people from all over. However, this isn’t necessarily done with just a single magazine, but magazines tailored to each country or region, hence how we come to Vogue and Vogue UK. Out of curiosity, I got my hands on a copy of each to compare and share with you what I’ve found!

Covergirl

No, we’re not talking about your favorite drugstore makeup brand, but the lovely ladies chosen to greet you at the newsstand. For October 2017, this is Zoe Kravitz for Vogue UK and Rooney Mara for Vogue. Take a look for yourself and then I’ll share my thoughts!

Vogue UK (http://www.vogue.co.uk/magazine/October-2017)

Vogue (https://www.vogue.com/article/rooney-mara-vogue-october-issue-2017-cover)

Alright now that we’re on the same page, let’s dig in. At first glance, there is an immediate difference in aesthetic. Vogue UK goes for an edgier feel with black and white as the main compliments to the red text and Kravitz’s complexion, enhanced by her laid-back pose, casual outfit, and very evident tattoos. The photo doesn’t look very staged in comparison to the dramatic flare we see in Vogue, with Rooney Mara dressed to the max with dark lips and styled hair, as well as a statement dress, and evident effort to create this mysterious scene of her on a lake, and on a boat no less. The two give off very different feelings this month, for Vogue UK of a more everyday girl and Vogue of the girl we wish we could be.

It’s What’s Inside That Counts

Content this month is pretty similar, and I think this is evident right from the cover. As with the typical set-up of Vogue, both have listed at least one trend for the season and a profile of the covergirl. The trends are pretty standard, must-have bags for Vogue UK and staple pieces for the season in Vogue. The profiles I think are handled pretty similarly, although I would say the type of profiles seem a bit different in terms of content. When looking at just the titles for those for Vogue UK. Other than this, the magazines’ contents are pretty similar.

Worth 1,000 Words

Of course, it wouldn’t be a magazine without incredible photos, and neither of these prints leaves us disappointed! Despite the differences in first-impressions of the aesthetic of each, a look inside reveals the imagery is quite similar. For the most part, compositions seem fairly simple overall and use one or two models with background that only enhances, rather than detracts, from attention to them. In some issues of Vogue, they go all out with the backgrounds and compositions and certainly this is present here, but it’s used much less in these two than in say a September issue. The imagery is eye-catching but not overdone.

So Extra

Obviously, our favorite part of magazines is the ads, right?? Ok, that was a total fib and I really hope you caught that, but they definitely reveal how the magazines perceive their audience and what they think will be provoking or interesting. The largest difference and what explains most of the differences is geography. For bigger fashion brands or companies with products featured, this doesn’t come into play because both countries have access to Versace or Chanel, for example. However, some brands don’t have stores in both the US and the UK so obviously these would be featured in the Vogue where they would be appropriate. As I said, other than this, the ads are pretty standard extra pages that sometimes catches your eye on the way between articles.

 Alright, I take all blame for that title being cheesy, but I bet it caught your eye! Good old alliteration... anyways onto what this is really about. The past 5 days have been jam-packed full of great stuff, and while this isn’t atypical for a week in the city, I thought I’d dish on some of the goodies! Even better, these goodies come in three flavors, so hopefully you find something you enjoy.

From Chipotle to Runway Bae

This beautiful girl is none other than Remington Williams, who was scouted for Marc Jacobs’ Spring 2018 show while working at Chipotle. As if Chipotle wasn’t already well-appreciated for it’s fine dining, apparently now its the gateway to a Chipotle addiction and a modeling career. This is something I would never think of, because I guess growing there were always those toddler model scouts at malls who would tell you your baby was beautiful to get you to buy $200 photoshoots. For most of us, that was probably the closest we came. Instead, this girl was working and probably wearing no makeup and had her hair in a baseball hat, potentially sweaty from the grills behind her and tired of informing every customer that yes, guac is extra, and it is in this state that she is picked to be a model? Guess there’s hope for us yet, even on the days we think are our worst.

( PC:https://www.popsugar.com/fashion/photo-gallery/44085171/image/44085173/Sies-Marjan )

Instagram Investigation: New Territories

Every week, I take it upon myself to head to a foodie’s dream that’s been hyped on Instagram, usually of the dessert assortment. Friday, I was lucky enough to indulge myself in a bubble waffle cone infused with rose petals and black tea from New Territories with honeycomb ice cream topped with rose petals and whipped cream with sprinkle sugar and a gingersnap. If your mouth isn’t absolutely watering now, I’m not really sure how to help you because this place was amazing! In addition to having several perfect opportunities for cute photos for all your social media, the staff were really friendly and the whole shop smelled like waffles. Yum! There were lots of options and you can customize everything from toppings to ice cream down to what’s in the actual waffle itself. I’d tell you more, but honestly I’d rather let you experience it like I did, with a picture that leaves you wanting to find out more for yourself! Of course, now you have my word that it is definitely worth the trip, which makes this picture much more compelling! Still unconvinced? Here’s the menu (http://www.newterritoriesnyc.com/). You’re welcome. 

The Lady in Red Isn’t Just A Song

The older music lover in my couldn’t resist a throwback to the Chris De Burgh classic hit when I read that red is the color this autumn, as confirmed by WhoWhatWear (http://www.whowhatwear.com/top-nyfw-instagram-posts). I have definitely been seeing a lot of red around town, and even found myself purchasing a few more pieces of it lately. Whether it’s pops here and there with a scarf or bright pair of shoes, or a statement jacket in the slowly chilling weather, this week was definitely evidence that the colder weather is bringing warmer reds with it and I couldn’t be more excited! As someone who wears more than my fair share of black and white, red is really one of the easiest colors besides blue to incorporate into any wardrobe. Worn best especially with black and white, it can also be paired with denim and really any color, depending on the ensemble and how adventurous you’re feeling, or even as a standalone dress like our cheeky song mention. Regardless of how you show it off, don’t leave us wondering who the lady (or gentleman) in red is because it should be you!

A Trip to Trattoria Dell-Arte

More like Trattoria Dell-HEART! (Again, I recognize the cheese, but you’re just going to have to put up with it, for me.) This week was truly full of spoils and Friday was just one of the nights that included the delicious side of these ventures. With some vouchers in hand, my adventure buddy and I headed out on the town and discovered this amazing restaurant and we both can’t wait to visit again. In addition to really interesting decor focused around different body parts including what the host called the “breast view in town” (I’m sure you can imagine what it may have been), the food was absolutely mouth-watering. This beauty below me, their Chicken Milanese, was larger than my face and as soon as it arrived, I couldn’t wait to dig in! The crispy crust on the chicken is just right and it’s been pounded out to a nice, thin texture that somehow makes chicken light yet filling? I’m not sure what kind of magic they use in that kitchen, but I’d be more than happy to be back under their spell. If you’re in the neighborhood, give them a visit!

Trend Report: Whatever You’re Wearing, It Goes with Sneakers

May I just say how relieved I am to have noticed this beauty coming to life? Sneakers are my live-in shoes, and with the incredible popularity of Adidas Superstars the past few years, it’s one of the more practical trends we’ve seen come through fashion lately. I’ve definitely seen it across any number of interpretations too, as shown in the variety of photos below. Whether its metallic dress shoes with a sneaker platform, athletic running shoes, or vans slip-ons, there’s something here for everyone. The past 5 days, and pretty much since I’ve been here, it’s been hard to miss this trend. Comfy, casual, and easy to dress, I really can’t seen many arguments against adopting it into your own wardrobe, especially because you probably already own this staple. This also supports the whole athleisure trend of the decade so it only makes sense, especially in town like NYC where everyone is on the go and walking is more popular than driving let alone owning a car.