Magazine Madness: Flat is InStyle, Flat is not Frail-UK February 2013

InStyle UK February 2013

Buying several pairs of fabulous priced of shoes is almost undoubtedly, a universally girly dream. The question is, how many pairs of them are suitable, comfortable as well as loveable enough to power up our walking steps in daily life?? InStyle UK columnist Victoria Moss at February 2013 issue looks back her shoe stack and eyes up the brogues and flats.

Without S/S 2013 designers’ choices, I doubt if Moss would finally realise that the power of flats does not only ‘fashion up any ensemble’, or just make her ‘bus commute a while lot sexier’ (Moss, 2013, p.41). Among approximately 1110-word article, there is ZERO adjective putting ‘healthy’ or ‘comfort’ as target discussion toward her ballerina flats. Between the lines, of course, Moss mentions that flats so freeing, still, she appreciates those heels for ‘standing up to tall boys, stomping through a sample sale queue, strutting into the Dean Street Townhouse’ (p. 41); perhaps more an inferiority complex of not being alluring symbol of chastity and male ownership, therefore, her ‘liberation propaganda’ is just yet another flashy fashion fat lie.

On visual instinct, bloody high heels indeed lengthen the percent of legs, perhaps lighten up the evening gowns for hours, but for our confidences, which cannot be given by any others, I truly wonder if a wobbling shambles with squeezing bleeding toes would perform any gracefully confident attitude.

I once tried on the 2 inches stiletto sandals to go on a hot pot party with my colleagues, and it turned out that within 4 hours, my both insteps were in peeling and soles in unknown pains. Thereafter, flip flops, loafers, Oxfords and Dr. Martens are my regulars, and I always would like to collect a pair of black Repetto. For friends’ weddings or official ceremonies, there are always pleasing wedge soles to choose from, and a pair of foldable flat is carried in my bag. Going shopping or strolling around is a not a self-torture; wearing high-heel pumps to be smug or slim, is not a feminine power, quite on the contrary, an alternative way of foot binding; which is, a post-modern forced violence in order to gain gazers’ attentions. Paying a great fortune to limit the mobility and to summon skin infections, Hallux Valgus or hip joints problems is surely a foolish suicide.

Embracing the low-key flats or low-heel mules/boots/trainers (less than 2.5 inches/6.4 cm)daily, not due to the trend of Hollywood celebrities or fashion magazines, but for our feet and mind freedom, because flat is not frail.

Works Cited:

Moss, Victoria. “The Power Flat”. InStyle UK, Vol.144, February 2013. London: IPC Media, 2013.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foot_binding

Photography: InStyle UK

Magazine Madness: Company February 2013--VIP RIP???

Company February 2013

I found Company Magazine at Istanbul Ataturk Airport while transited to Helsinki; this 23×16.5(cm) size is portable for in-flight read, the texture of paper leads its very independent publisher-like style, blogging themes throughout, and exciting imagery at every page turn.

On February 2013 issue, monthly columnist Kerry Potter brings up the topic about fashion show becoming more a convenient democracy rather than insiders’ privileges. By clicking a mini mouse, users, citizens, bloggers or geeks can view immediate footages and videos of top designers’ intellectual property within three hours of the fashion show taking place, so she wonders if ‘fashion week has lost a little of its stardust’(Potter, 2013, p.55).

Furthermore, Miss Potter questions if those new collections spread out too soon on social networks/websites, the hot anticipation of purchase might turn to the lukewarm consideration, but on the opposite, designers like their artworks to get well-known, because the more the clothes exposed, the more they sell.

Perhaps fashion industry insiders still want to keep their circle closed, since they have sensed there are more talents out there, without laboring internship or institute degree, have been contributing highly creative photography, writing, mix-and-match styling day by day. The upper fashion house is facing a certain lower- house challenge, that deep down they know, wearing the luxurious new trend doesn’t mean they still hold the power of art/fashion knowledge, this fear of losing  may turn into yet another mental stage of jealousy, that some of ‘smart alec’ would prefer competing with their peer from the same circle than to citizens, yes, like you and me and anyone we know. If printer Johannes Gutenberg evoked the collapse of High Church hierarchy in the 15^th century, then the computer geeks and fashion bloggers have already raised the revolution of the fashion industry, in a very rock ‘n’ roll way.

Nevertheless, such as Tom Ford and Diane von Furstenberg swim against the current of overly-public, while Potter also quotes blogger Wilkins, “seeing it (the catwalk show) first hand from the front row” will “never be quite the same” (55) as watching screens only. VIP is still alive, but VIP is not alone. Since those catwalk designs are uploaded online for our visual pleasures, it’s not just truly welcomed, and it speaks louder than any other fashion insiders’ reluctance of sharing.

Hey, readers, what do you think of fashion week catwalk being immediately public on social networks???

Photography: Company Magazine

www.company.co.uk

Works Cited:

Potter, Kerry. “VIP RIP?” Company, February 2013. London: Hearst UK, 2013. p.54-55. 

Magazine Madness: Emma Stone Takes Off at W Magazine February 2013!!

W February 2013, The Movie Issue

First time at Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin, second chance for Juergen Teller, for Emma Stone, it is as easy as getting straight As at high school.  

Shot at a cheapo motel room rather than in world-rank Kunsthistorisches Museum, Teller, who works February issue with W’s Editor at Large (is there Editor at Little? I would like to volunteer) Lynn Hirschberg, transforms the golden girl into blurred and blue expressions---quite opposite than her comic and cute images on scene, while Emma confesses to interviewer Hirschberg, that in real life, that “sometimes it’s uncomfortable for me not to go for the joke. I’ve been looking at that in myself lately……Often, joking for me is a way of diffusing the awkwardness of a situation, so it’s kind of exhilarating to be a part of projects where there’s nothing funny or lighthearted” (Hirschberg 2013, 150).

Emma wears black strapless black bra, both shoulders nude, again, eye-popping golden hair falls softly from draping MJ black Jacket, interestingly, it is bold and bare Marc Jacob campaign shooting that makes Teller famous, and this time, this ‘Miss Little Sunshine’ looks bashful and playful on February cover, intriguingly, interestingly and intensively opens up her brighter Stone Age in magazine-sphere.

But guess who makes the Stone cry?? Surprise, surprise, Mr. Charlie Chaplin. Eyesore commercial campaign (like Teller for Vivienne Westwood, Feb 15) is definitely not my taste, but W wisely presents the eye candy in chilly February.  

Quite opposite to the human beings, I ALWAYS judge a magazine by its stunning cover.

P.S Easy A has the wittiest screenplay and the most adorable Emma in my opinion for the whole time!! 

Photography: Juergen Teller 

http://www.wmagazine.com

Works Cited: 

Hirschberg, Lynn. ‘Little Miss Sunshine’, W, February 2013. 148-51. 

Art Attack: Threesome Taps the Trend:Vivienne Westwood, Kate Moss & Juergen Teller

Vivienne Westwood, Kate Moss and Juergen Teller

What will happen if a rebelled Madame, a supermodel and a German photographer team up at the museum??? The threesome reaches to the very both orgasmic and orient territory, thanks to Wien.

In order to celebrate the first Vivienne Westwood boutique open in Austria, selected pieces from the Gold Label SS13 and AW12/13 collections were featured on the catwalk alongside pieces from a Capsule Collection of evening dresses, showcased as Kate Moss photographed by Teller, who famously ‘employs a raw, overexposed style and he uses a Contax G2 camera with an onboard flash’ (Horyn, 2008).

Vivienne Westwood’s garments are as beautifully striking as elegantly meticulous, usually draped in fabric, abstract on human bodies but breath within together, perhaps it’s derived from her literature degree training; Kate is as lustful and cool as ever, her bony silhouette depicts the flowery collections in a luxurious way, even though she is already a Missus. Among the campaign photos, the most intriguing one is Kate spreading up her legs as wide as her shoulders, the pole accidently symbolizing as an erecting penis, plus with a ‘SEX’ text, just in front of the painting of Caravaggio (David showing Goliath’s Head, 1605). While Teller’s ‘manipulatively’ crude shots at Kunsthistorisches Museum, which makes quite many of museum lovers wonder: It is not allowed to shoot with flash at a shooting ‘gallery’, everybody is inclusive, is it?;  the resolutions are too eyesore flashy,still, I truly wish the trio-collaboration could be issued as a collector’s campaign album.

Photography: Vivienne Westwood, Juergen Teller

www.viviennewestwood.co.uk

Works Cited:

Horyn, Cathy, “When is a Fashion ad not a Fashion ad,” The New York Times, April 10, 2008.

Magazine Madness: Lula Issue 15, is the Girl of My Dream

Lula Issue 15, 2012

Lula, a London based biannual magazine is a bit boyish British, yet frankly feminine French. Following the previous tradition, along with ‘Girl of My Dream’ highlight, Autumn Issue 2012 treats worldwide readers 3 diverse dreamy cover fronts. 

Totally 240 pages, adopting glazed printing papers and grasping 30 various themes, Lula Issue 15 portraits the atmosphere of romantic nostalgia. On The Never-ending Story, French actress Clémence Poésy (Harry Potter, 127 Hours) talks to Sylvia Whitman about her father’s literary-legend bookstore in Paris, Shakespeare and Company; in Asleep & Dreaming, Lula team interviews 4 precious employees of Ritz Paris; in addition, for my favourite Parisian designers, Vanessa Bruno and A.P.C’s Jean Touitou and Vanessa Seward, Lula also nail them perfectly.

Out of great surprise, one of my admirable journalists, April Long, Senior Beauty Editor of ELLE USA (once music writer for NME and NYLON USA), features the chats with actress Kara Hayward of Wes Anderson’s Moonrise Kingdom. Long’s interviewing questions are comparatively short, such as ‘What are your favourite films?’ or ‘Do you have more movies lined-up?’, but can always evoke Hayward’s more words. The only defect of Lula, is that making Chinese model Wang Xiao (王瀟) into Le Petit Prince. For Wang’s mushroom haircut, flat cheekbones, unmatched bright purple eye shadow onto expressionless eyes and nearly upside-down echelon face silhouette teeter A/W 12 Emporio Armani Collection, especially on page 207, her dull and uncertain presence almost ruins the whole aesthetic campaign of Lula magazine. 

Editor-in-Chief of Quotation, Toru Hachiga, in his From Magazine, interviews Leith Clarke and Becky Smith, 2 girly founders of Lula. They agree that contemporary fashion magazines are too relevant, but still hold strong beliefs that photography and beautiful magazines will continuously exist. Yes, completed with profile report of British supermodel Twiggy, Lula absolutely is we girls’ big dream. 

Lula￡7,99 € 17,90 FIN. 570 TWD.Price could be various elsewhere. 

http://www.lulamag.com

For more on April Long:

http://navigator.cision.com/news/news.aspx?nid=70