Vogue April 2012

Row 1: Brazil, Germany, Mexico, Spain; Row 2: Australia, India, Korea, Paris; Row 3: Russia, Hellas (Greece), Portugal, US

Vogue April 2012 Covers! How amazing are these? I know I am missing a few but I thought that these 12 were the more visually enticing and just absolutely breath-taking. You can also see hints of the Spring/Summer trends from the tangerine dress in India’s cover and symmetrical pattern in Brazil’s.

I am personally in love with Germany, Australia, and Korea’s covers. There is something so serene, strong and modern about Germany’s cover whereas Australia is fun, and as its heading says, free-spirited! I find Korea’s cover interesting not only because the model is Daphne Groeneveld but also because it has that dark, edgy, doll-look that is a bit freaky but editorial…in a sense.

Any thoughts?

- Jennifer Mok

The Other Side …

The Other Side of Fashion

You know Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, W, Elle, Marie Claire, and so much more. However, there are some other young magazines that are worth the same amount of attention and admiration. Here is a quick introduction to some “indie” and “avant-garde” magazines that provide different views on fashion.

1. i-D

This magazine is quite the provocative source of fashion culture. “It began as a fanzine dedicated to the street style of punk-era London in 1980, and quickly earned its position at the vanguard of fashion and style, abiding by the premise of originate – don’t imitate”(i-D Magazine). Every cover has the featured model winking – the official representation of the magazine’s logo.

 

I like how i-D features people in every creative field that incorporates fashion. It’s not just about the clothes, models, and designers. The defining music, art and film are all featured

2. Dazed & Confused

This is a baby, almost younger than you! Jefferson Hack and Rankin created this magazine in 1991. These Brits focus on the “independent British fashion, culture and arts” and “has a strong global reputation for its groundbreaking and trendsetting editorial and its support of new generations of fashion, art, literature, photography and music talent” (DazedDigital).

 

Why I love it: the covers tend to perfectly embody the edition’s generation. Each cover reflects the sentiments, fashion, and culture of the current generation to a certain degree. The playlists its online magazine provides every month has also introduced me to some great bands and artists.

3. Numéro

This is another baby (this one’s even younger than me)! It was launched in 1999 and has only been increasing its influence ever since. With its distinct, edgy, editorials and “avant-garde view of the worlds of fashion, art and luxury” Numéro is definitely an iconic magazine in the making.

 

4. V

Another 1999’er. This visually compelling and younger version of the quarterly Visionaire is making quite a name for itself. I would consider this more “mainstream” friendly just because of its tendency to feature the trendy celebrities on its covers. The contents are also more ready-to-wear rather than avant-garde or couture. It is “chic, wacky, fun, fabulous…in a letter: V” (V Magazine).

 

5. Interview

This American publication is as famous and iconic as its creator. Who was the founder of Interview? The one and only…Andy Warhol. And as the title insinuates, the magazine shares a variety of interviews with its readers. This alternative magazine features creative individuals who don’t cease to impress and awe us all. This precious magazine is often referred to “The Crystal Ball of Pop” – and fittingly so.

 

Jennifer Mok

House Party Attire

Hello there spring. Hello there House Party Weekend. It is here. Literally. If you were one of those who didn’t think to plan out your outfits for this weekend during spring break or decided that you no longer like what you had planned out … fear no more! I bet the majority of girls are scrambling to decide what to wear this weekend, and to help out, I decided to address some rules and give tips on what’s acceptable and what’s cute. So sit down, relax, drink a chai or whatever and let’s do this.

Rule #1

Check the weather – We all know how the weather is around here, anything is possible so… CHECK THE WEATHER.

Rule #2

Know the difference between daytime party clothing and nighttime party clothing – please. We all know you want to look cute and possibly impress a certain someone, but that doesn’t mean looking like Julia Roberts in the beginning of Pretty Woman. Be classy ladies.

Tips & Suggestions (for the daytime…)

1. Add a little bit of funk to a basic outfit! How?

Take the white shirt and the jean capris (or shorts) and don’t just throw on a pair of flip-flops, although that is also a very cute outfit…

Dress up your feet! Wear any pair of bright shoes you have! If you’ve got some wedges you want to show off, this is the outfit to wear them with!

OR

Another way to spice up this minimalistic look, is having an “arm party” as the ManRepeller says. Wear a chunky bracelet or a few colored bracelets to make your outfit more fun!

2. Dresses that wouldn’t make your mother shriek

Pretty Woman was a good movie. The outfits were…questionable. And so is the dress on the left. That is NOT what you should be wearing during the day.

The orange mini on the right, however, is perfect. Not too short and a great color! Tangerine was one of the biggest trends during fashion week!

3. Bustier Tops, the right way

These are all great examples of how to wear a bustier top! The key is…not showing off your midriff! Have fun with your mid-length skirts, maybe even a maxi, or just high-waisted shorts!

4. Like they do it at Coachella

A knit top with a jean vest, a pair of printed or colored shorts with a wide-brimmed hat? Yes. Oh yes. Of course, you have to wear ankle boots with this one hot outfit. If you’re feelin’ Coachella at the moment, go for it. Or, you can do the super comfortable loose tank and shorts look! Top that one with booties!

So there you have it. You still have some time so let this be your guide or at least an inspiration to dig through your closets to find something adorable! Have fun!

-J. Mok

Winter Issue Release Party

Join the BE Fashion Team on Monday December 5th from 7-9 pm in the Samek Art Gallery!

This is when the ISSUE will be pre-released to the public!

Light refreshments and DJ will be present!

Hope to see you there (dressed to impress),

Luciana

The New Way of Fashion

As the world shifts to larger populations of young people, the market for clothing shifts as well. These days, several online-based clothing companies are making their money from college students. Those that find themselves expanding, are typically based online.

On any campus, online shopping outlets have become a necessity to traveling students and a few companies have recognized this.

Two of my personal favorite are Karma Loop and Lulu’s.

As the hipster vibe returns to the world, so do their staple articles of clothing. Karma Loop tends to both the needs of hipster men and women, while Lulu’s does only to women. Both are the way of the future for fashion.

Check out there pages and see what the future has in store for you!

May your shopping be sweet,

Lucy

Spring Trend Alert

As the weather finally starts to get warmer (amid the daily showers that seem to be plaguing Lewisburg), we’re all eagerly breaking out our shorts, sandals, and long-awaited sundresses. In addition to these staple pieces, there is one controversial trend that’s sticking around this spring: the romper. These one-piece statements worked their way into the fashion world a few years back, featured on the runway by designers such as Marc Jacobs and Max Azria. Rompers intially got a few questioning looks and didn’t fully catch on, but have persevered and are showing up everywhere this season.

Here are some of my favorites:

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What are your thoughts? Love or hate this trend?

Keep it classy,

Erin

If I Could Turn Back Time…

Over the past few years, there has been a shift in popularity from Britney and Christina (our favorite infamous music face-off) to the wilder image of current rock bands like The White Stripes and Radiohead. When did it become cool to be indie and alternative? The answer may be in the heightened popularity of the “hipster.”

Our generation has taken the image from such bands and mainstreamed it to the general public through our fashion choices (think rock t-shirts paired with skinny jeans instead of the platform shoe and bell-bottomed low risers). This shift has come to the dismay of the original listeners who appreciated the heavy sound of Jack White long before our local sorority girls were rocking out to it on the elliptical at the gym. The question is: do these people really enjoy the energized sound of bands like Arcade Fire, or is it the idea of living on the fringe of society and wearing the clothes that the celebrities are currently styling?

This alternative rock sound originated out of an effort to be different from mainstream pop culture, but now that your average guy and gal are listening to these hits, it may be losing many of its original listeners. Will a new level of extreme music be created in the coming years to out-beat the increasingly popular sound of alternative rock? I hope so.

We are now praying for music to turn from alternative pop back to alternative rock, to help us find the bands that we haven’t heard yet, and to shake it up a bit. Perhaps the damage has been done in this new age of music, but I know that many music lovers out there are hoping to again find the classic alternative rock we grew up with.

- Michelle