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THE MEGA BABE

by Chloe Xiang

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One Size Doesn’t Fit All

Twice a year, the four seasons of fashion are presented in four of the world’s fashion capitals. Fashion week’s intricate and eye-catching street style, in addition to the venues packed with celebrities and professionals donning these styles, results in the deluge of photographers and an electric excitement among not only the attendees, but also among home viewers. The two fashion months act as the largest concentration of the fashion niche. While this is key for professionals, such as buyers, merchandisers, and editors to locate trends to feature, products to buy, and create content for media, fashion week season is also very much part of a universal pop culture. More than just interest in the runway fashion, people seek to be apart of the fashion scene for its glamour. Being constantly exposed to the shows on all sorts of platforms, such as Instagram and Snapchat, young viewers have a greater tendency to be swept into the thrill of fashion week. There is no doubt that fashion week is entertaining, even to those unacquainted with specific designers and lingo, causing its impact to be especially broad. Because fashion reaches such a range of followers, shouldn’t it be essential for the fashion shows to promote accepting and open values? Yet, for the majority of history, the glamour associated with fashion and its shows was largely rigid with one size, one color only.

With each controversy, such as one fashion model after another being regarded as “too fat”, the need for a more inclusive fashion scene grew. Despite this necessity for change in the mindset of fashion executives, who were perpetrating such guidelines of perfection, it seemed difficult for them to redefine the fashion industry. The industry had been successful in defining their “look” through their models, who were figures of fashion, more than they were normal people. However, this not only created a gap between fans and fashion, but more gravely created drastic effects in the minds of many young females. Although fashion is just one factor of statistics, such as 80% of U.S. women are unsatisfied with their body image, the issue with unrealistic and undiverse fashion models was greatly protested, making way for positive change.

More representation in the fashion industry has grown immensely, and with the protests of many, including those within the industry, we have seen a remarkable turnaround within the past year. February’s fashion season began with a milestone: for the first time, all of the major shows during New York Fashion Week featured at least one model of color. By the time the shows in the four cities were finished, the rate of models with color had increased a few more percentage points. These changes; however, were only the beginning of a fashion revolution. Leading up to the fall season, print ads were beginning to feature plus-sized, non-white, transgender and over-50 models. At the actual fall fashion shows, this diversity was emboldened and progressed. The September numbers doubled since February’s shows, featuring almost 40% non-white models, and transgender and nonbinary models were at an all-time high. Body diversity was also set to a higher priority, with much less unanimity in appearance. Although many fashion brands and shows have yet to represent complete diversity and exert an appreciation for the female individuality, these statistics are nevertheless a strong upward trend. While before there was a great push for girls in STEM, it is as crucial to promote within the bounds of a feminine industry the sense of belonging and equality amongst girls themselves.

The Streetwear Craze

With time, everything undergoes change— whether that means the rise of autonomous cars or digitized payment. For fashion, it means new trends, but more specifically the revolution of streetwear. Throughout history, fashion has been dominated and powered by established luxury brands, such as Chanel, Dior, and Louis Vuitton. Despite their new collections each season, these traditional brands maintained their consistency in their general aesthetic and mood that could be traced back to the brand’s history. These brands continuously practice exclusivity and seem more extravagant than practical. However, in the past few decades, the fashion world has become much more accessible and sought after due to a new window of clothing: Streetwear.

Streetwear sent an earthquake to the once strict boundaries of fashion. What can be defined as an urban casual look, featuring sweatshirts, t-shirts, sweatpants, etc., mainly decorated with logos or a brand’s trademark patterns, began to take over the industry. Not only were these clothes sought after, but their high prices and runway show display gave streetwear a more dignified presence than any other casual wear brand. Being more relatable than haute couture and pricey ready-to-wear garments that fashion was previously known for, brands such as Supreme, Off-White, Vetements, Bape, and Stussy have simply slapped their logo on a plain t-shirt, causing millions of fans dying to get their hands on one. This streetwear trend introduced a new wave of logomania, reminiscent of the 90s. Yet, this craze is ever so mystifying to onlookers and hypnotic for the consumers, who are willing to purchase even bricks and paperweights showcasing a brand’s logo. More than style, people seek the brand name, the emblem that automatically transforms their status. To give you an example of what I truly mean by craze, Supreme has lines and lines of people waiting outside their store for days before a collection drops and hundreds of thousands of people waiting in front of their computers to purchase something before it sells out within minutes on their website.

So why is a sweatshirt worth thousands of dollars and lines of customers? One of the biggest attraction factors is streetwear’s cultural relatability. Streetwear is greatly associated with hip hop, with artists rapping about these brands in their songs and sporting their looks on Instagram. Suddenly, what seemed like a closed off world of fashion becomes more of a pop culture reference. When someone wears an Off-White shirt, perhaps they see themselves more connected to their favorite influencers and musicians. Although the same logic could be applied to those older luxury brands that are still sported by many celebrities, there is nothing more relatable than comfort wear, such as a t-shirt and sweats. With streetwear, people don’t need to think about outfit pairings and styles, they can put on a logo t-shirt and feel equally confident and fashionable as someone who spent hours putting together an outfit. Over time, these streetwear brands have collected a strong following of loyal customers, willing to cash out what it takes to become a part of the community.

This fervor regarding streetwear clothes has become a large part of youth culture. Whereas fashion was once widespread in different trends among teens, streetwear has brought on a large niche of fans. With these streetwear crazed boys often being labeled as hypebeasts, comes along media websites and clothing resale networks, targeted at them. But that’s not to say that even many girls, older adults, and young children have been pulled into the trend, with the magnetic force of the bandwagon. Among these people, clothes are not simply pieces of fabric anymore, they are not even simply fashionable. To them, these logo dawning pieces are symbolic of a group of people, of a culture, and of a status, they hope to belong to.

Yin Yang

Walking through the streets of Shanghai, I am engulfed by the immense heat and crowds of people. Standing in the largest city of China, but having grown up near the Big Apple, I can’t help but feel that this is like an eastern New York. Like the Hudson waterfront, the Bund displays the Shanghai skyline, featuring the landmark Oriental Pearl Tower. This oriental city has all the indispensable features of a global capital– pollution, traffic, skyscrapers but also international cuisines and personalized touristic attractions. In the older parts of Shanghai, there are still remnants of Chinese architecture, meaning upturned roofs, red beams, and golden embroidery. With my outfit I represent the colors of a concept which originated from China– yin yang. Although a majority of my outfits feature a black and white palette, this one in particular contrasts against the colorful, predominately red backgrounds. Observing the Shanghai street style, I realize the distinct identity of their fashion, especially in contrast to the Western styles of Europe and America. Their style features more light and loose elements, from blouses to wide pants. The Shanghai look is very soft and comfortable, generally lacking any structured or tight pieces, a bit different from my featured look. The outfit I am wearing is more clearcut and sophisticated, drained of the different colors and patterns I notice on the streets of Shanghai. With temperatures in the high 90s to even above 100 degrees, it’s no wonder why the street style is so breezy and elegant.

Style for Less: How to Shop for Clothes on a Budget

Many times we are caught in a fashion dilemma: we want to shop for nice clothes and styles, but we don’t want to spend the hundreds of dollars that they are priced at. When we aren’t willing to spend a lot on clothes, we think that this automatically means we have to settle for less stylish or trendy clothes. Luckily, this is not the case.

There are many stores that offer discounted prices for quality brands. For example, Nordstrom Rack, Saks Off Fifth, and Marshalls are all stores that offer a variety of styles for a discounted price. What makes these stores more preferable than stores such as Forever 21 to some is that they carry very high end brands for much lower prices. Perhaps you might think that these stores carry outdated styles, but the best advice I can give you when shopping for clothes is to never be afraid to look. This means thoroughly examining each rack, because you never know what you may stumble upon. I have shopped in thrift stores, not knowing if I will find anything, but end up leaving with amazing and unique pieces that I would have never found anywhere else.

If you’re more interested in trendy items, stores such as Forever 21, Zara, and H&M are the places to look. These stores are usually the first to hop on a trend or create a cheaper version of a popular luxury item. However, these chain stores can be quite unethical with their fast fashion production, as their factories are in decrepit condition and the production can be quite polluting for the environment. Although I am not discouraging you from shopping at these stores (I admit that I occasionally do shop at these stores), I suggest that you look into local boutiques. Local boutiques carry inexpensive and trendy clothes that are often more unique than chain stores, because so many people shop at chain stores. Some of my tri-state favorites include Dor L’ Dor, Vanilla Sky, and Mystique Boutique.

Patience is virtue. This applies when shopping as well, because on many occasions we may have bought a shirt for full price, only to be filled with regret when we see the item go on sale a week later. If you’re shopping for summer clothes at the peak of summer or right when all the stores are marketing for the summer season, it is most likely that all the clothes will be listed at full price. Generally towards the end of each season, stores will have a big sale in order to get rid of their inventory for the next season, so it is important to wait for sale shopping periods. A lot of stores also offer coupons through their emails and many times if you search for deals on Google or Groupon, you will find some sort of discount.

So how do you know when to splurge versus save when shopping? My theory is that if an item is especially unique to a particular brand and something that I’ve been wanting for a long time, I feel that the purchase is justified and I will likely not regret the purchase in the future. I also take into consideration the shelf life of that item, meaning if I will still enjoy the product in the future. For example, different graphic tees are constantly going in and out of style, so it would be better not to spend all my money on something I will only wear for a short amount of time. It is difficult to draw the line between wants and needs, but if I am hesitant about a purchasing an item, I know it is better to leave it. I actually prefer finding good deals for my everyday wardrobe, not only because my tastes are always changing, but also because this allows me to purchase a lot more clothes for the same amount of money of only a few pieces, if I had not shopped with a budget in mind. Shopping under a budget is quite rewarding, as you will find yourself finding many amazing fashion steals and save a lot of money.

Here’s an outfit that I wore to the Panorama Music Festival. It was complimented by many and even photographed by the brand American Eagle. But the best part is that the top and the bottom are $30 dollars in total!!

Rei Kawakubo: The Art of the In-Between

Rei Kawakubo, renowned Japanese fashion designer, has revolutionized fashion and art with her extravagant creations. Kawakubo began the brand Comme des Garçon, which translated means “like some boys”, as a women’s fashion brand. Back then and even now, Kawakubo stunned the world with her avant-garde designs. Clothes that seemed unfit for the human form and clothes that had a personality of their own. Kawakubo has been known to push beyond all limitations, not only in the fashion world, but even beyond into the extraterrestrial terrain. Viewing her designs, beauty is definitely not the first thing that comes to mind. With strange cuts, fabrics, and shapes all jumbled together, it’s extraordinary to ponder on how Kawakubo was able to put together aspects that are seemingly random, into a true masterpiece. Her pieces embody the part of the mind past the average imagination, as she describes “I like to work with space and emptiness.” Ironically, her pieces are immersed with richness and abstractness. Kawakubo confounds the world with each piece, as those viewing her work are compelled to an amazement that cannot be experienced anywhere else.

Kawakubo’s rebellious and artistic creations has allowed her to become the second living artist honored with a solo exhibition at the Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. This exhibit running from May 4th to September 4th is entitled “Rei Kawakubo / Comme Des Garçons / Art of the In-Between.” Kawakubo’s work dating from the 1980s to present day is displayed in this exhibit. The pieces are organized by nine categories of aesthetic expressions: Absence/Presence, Design/Not Design, Fashion/Anti-Fashion, Model/Multiple, Then/Now, High/Low, Self/Other, Object/Subject, and Clothes/Not Clothes. By using fabrics and the conventional concept of clothes to symbolize such intangible concepts, Kawakubo continuously proves herself to be a mastermind. The transformation that occurs to the visitor once stepping into the exhibit is drastic. With the curved white architecture contrasted against the odd wigs and colored and patterned drapes of fabrics, it seems that visitors have entered the in-between of a dystopian and utopian universe. Kawakubo has once compared her work to the concept of Zen Koans, which are riddles to baffle, bemuse, and bewilder. As described by Andrew Bolton, the curator of this exhibit, the koan mu and ma jointly embody her work. Koan mu represents emptiness and ma represents space, together creating a vagueness with room left only for interpretation.  

Through the nine dichotomies of Kawakubo’s exhibition, she explores the mind of each viewer, sparking experimental thinking and transferring her innovation, beginning from the eyes, into each the mind of each witness of her work. Kawakubo is more than just a fashion designer. She’s a philosopher and an artist who transcends conventional standards of society in order to form her own. Not obliged to follow trends and serve the consumer, Kawakubo has built herself a legacy unprecedented by anyone.

Down by the Shore

The Look– Top: VS Pink, Jacket and Skirt: H & M, Earrings: Amazon, Shoes: Macy’s

Happy Memorial Day! There’s nothing like a memorial day weekend spending time with family and friends, going to the beach, having barbecues, and more importantly paying tribute to those who have served our country. The pre-summer beach is a magical place, because instead of tanning or swimming, I am able to bask in the pastel landscape. At sundown it is especially breathing taking, with the ocean’s tranquility and the sky’s artistry— painted with clouds and glistening sun rays scattering through. Being in this scene, I feel like a figure in an oil painting, feet sinking with each step of sand and every fresh breath taken trying to capture everything around me. This atypical beach scene lacks the glaring sun, crowds, surfers, and popsicles, but instead reveals a blue, purple dark yet light sanctuary. My outfit is adorned with the cherry earrings and although otherwise completely black and white, my outfit against the background seems to be colorful, not in the sense of having multicolors, but rather with its own unique textures and youthful fashion. This outfit is the perfect alternative to a sundress for those days when it’s not over 80 degrees, but you’d still love to be at the beach, because contrary to popular belief- everyday is a good day for the beach, stormy or sunny.