Book Review - Natural Fashion

Natural Fashion: Tribal Decoration from Africa by Hans Silvester is going to be the fashion photography book of 2010. His photos are of the Surma and Mursi tribes in East Africa. These nomadic tribes travel vast distances and bring minimal materials with them on their journeys. For this reason, most of their fashions are taken on the go, directly from nature. Primarily, Silvester's photography book begins with a short description of the tribes. This introduction describes this nomadic nature among other reasons for their natural dress and how it is developed. Silvester demonstrates their face and body painting techniques and states that, without mirrors, their painting takes on natural lines and purposefully lacks precision. No two lines are the same and none of the faces painted are created to be alike. 

What makes this book worthwhile is that it demonstrates great individuality and inspiration. As stated earlier, none of the faces look a like. Materials and body paints are completely different though they are all taken from the same natural forest. The way these people adorn their bodies demonstrates a vast imagination and the materials are used to both imitate and stray from the natural world. This books presents this region of Africa as the complete opposite of the heart of darkness. The uniqueness and originality of these portrayals make the Surma and Mursi tribes one of the most interesting photography subjects of this coming year. A fantastic book, you can see more of Silvester's work by clicking here. 

*****Five Stars

All-American Beauty: Karlie Kloss

Booked as a Calvin Klein exclusive at the age of 15 was a pretty big start for the now 17 year old American born model Karlie Kloss. She was scouted by Jeff and Mary Clarke at Mother Management at a charity fashion show in her hometown of Saint Loius Missouri, the home of fellow model Katie Fogarty at Next. Her first real break was when she was featured in the August 2008 issue of Teen Vogue photographed by Arthur Elgort. I don't think that any one, including herself would have imagined where her career is now.

She was just awarded the title of, as I like to call it; "The Vogue Girl." Being featured in the most international Vogue spreads for 2009. She beat out other top models such as Lara Stone and Raquel Zimmermann. Shooting with some of the most coveted fashion photographers like David Sims and Raymond Meier. Not to mention being featured on the cover of Vogue Italia for the October 2009 issue. Karlie has plenty of campaigns up her belt as well. From Chloe to Pringle of Scotland, to Marc Jacobs Lola Perfume, she has done it all. Not to mention being called a "fresh face" by Vogue Magazine in September of 2009 with quotes from Steven Meisel and Arthur Elgort. With too many editorials to type or count, this American stunner is one face that wont be fading for quite some time.

Photo Credit-Modelinia and New York Magazine

The Comback Kid: Iris Strubegger

Iris Strubegger is no newcomer to the modeling world. After signing with Elite in 2002, she walked the spring Calvin Klein collection. She then became the face of Armani Collezioni and shot editorials for ID and The Face. In 2003, she suddenly quit to pursue schooling. Though she didn't return to the spot light until 2007, it seems to be a pretty good decision considering she is one of the most talked about models today.

She is now signed with Supreme Management in New York and Women Models in Paris. Her comeback began in 2007 when she was featured in an editorial in Pop Magazine. Her return to the runway wasn't bad either, opening the Dries Van Noten show in Paris and the pre-fall Valentio Show in New York. Not bad huh? With all of the buzz Steven Meisel hopped on the Iris train and requested her for the cover of Italian Vogue with Linda Evangelista and Karen Elson. Coming back five years later wasn't that bad of a decision after all....

Photo Credit- New York Magazine

Music Spotlight: The xx

photo credit-Owen Richards

The xx's creative use of synths and drum machines create a sound unlike any other. Listeners are even given a tale of the ups and downs in a relationship as they hear Oliver Sim (singer/bassist) and Romy Madley Croft (guitarist/singer) trade off lyrics. Even covers of Aaliyah's "Hot Like Fire" and Womack's "Teardrops," are said to be "amazing." However, with the band's smooth and sultry sound, it is not a suprise that it has been gaining so many fans.

The xx consists of three 20-year-olds (Jamie Smith, Romy Madley Croft, and Oliver Sim) from West London. The band began with the friendship of Croft and Sim. By the age of 16, the two started a band with two other students (Jaime Smith and Baria Qureshi) at Elliot School, which is known of producing bands, such as Hot Chip and Burial. Due to the exhaustion of one of it's members, the band currently only consists of three members.

The new three-piece band has been making headway in the U.K. The band is even placed at number 6 in the 2009 NME "The Future 50" list. However, they recently have been gaining a new audience in the United States. Their music has been featured on several popular U.S. television shows, such as Lie to Me, Mercy, and 90210.

Earlier this year, the band released it's debut album XX, which can be bought here. If you would like to see tour dates of The Xx, then visit either their myspace or official website. Last, here is a video of their single "Basic Space.

Blogger Spotlight: SaraInks

A 17 –year-old fashion blogger may be a dime-a-dozen in this day and age, but Sara from sarainks brings something a little extra to the popular cyber world of fashion bogging. Her blog features her own creations: ink drawings, fashion illustrations, and crafty DIYs. Her fresh sense of humor, and mind-blowing artistic talent are enough to have any blog junkie drooling. With a Seventeen Magazine internship already under her belt, this girl definitely has a bright future ahead of her. The Fashion Press had the chance to talk to Sara about her experiences, her talent, and what she eventually hopes to do.

TFP: When and why did you start your blog?

S: Freshman year, my former best friend told me she made a fashion blog so I wasn't allowed to make a blog. I really didn't even know what a blog was but once I figured out a free way to post my artwork and spread the inspiration, I decided to hell with it, I'm making a blog.

TFP: Have you had any formal drawing/art training?

S: I've taken all the fashion and art classes my school has to offer, but none for fashion illustration. I'm not really allowed to turn in stuff I would post on my blog for graded assignments so I just practice my stylized illustration at home.

TFP: What inspires you?

S: People- in magazines, in books, in movies, people that I meet. That and all the time I spend sitting in front of the computer looking at fashion blogs and Style.com. I got an eye-twitch once from using doing that for so long. How embarrassing...

TFP: What template do you do your artwork on?

S: I either sketch with an ink pen, fill it in with watercolor and scan it, or draw on Adobe Illustrator. I would like a tablet for Hanukkah. Actually, the whole Adobe Creative Suite would be nice; I use my schools program every day for 50 minutes because that’s how long the class period is.

TFP: What opportunities have you had within the industry?

S: To make a long story short, I got myself an internship with Seventeen Magazine this past summer (proof you can do anything you want if your ambitious enough!) and lived in NYC. It was truly one of the most valuable experiences I have ever had. I learned at ton working in the office, on photo shoots, marketing appointments, assisting stylists and befriending different editors. Doing the internship really sold the idea of working in the industry for me. As long as I'm working in fashion and doing something creative, I'll be happy. Doing illustration would just be my top choice. Right now I'm working on some custom-made stationary for the fashion assistant at Seventeen, Jasmine. Hopefully that will help kick start some more jobs.

Photo Credit: sarainks

diy- the triangle stamp shirt

step 1: get a white plain t-shirt and put hard plastic or cardboard up the middle ( so it won't leak to the other side)

step 2: get a sponge and cut it into a triangle shape

step 3: get black fabric or permanent paint dip the sponge in it and place on shirt.

step 4: repeat pattern till done, wait a day till it's dry, then wash!

Worn Journal

When Serah-Marie McMahon began her studies at Concordia University she also began Worn Journal, a fashion journal which focuses on a love for fashion rather than for the trends and the runways. This month she sent us a copy which we most gladly accepted. Worn Journal has been running the Canadian indie fashion market for quite some time and has even spread world wide. Now in it's 9th issue, Worn has created a stable base of followers and continues to present fashion as an art form which everyone can enjoy. Known for it's similarity to the now-gone yet infamous magazine Sassy, Worn includes fashion book reviews, designer interviews, and fashion inspiration. A cool and Canadian magazine, click here to find out more. 

The It Girl: Constance Jablonski

Constance Jablonski began modeling in 2006 when she entered the French Model Elite Look contest where she signed with Elite Models. Her modeling career did not begin until September of 2008 when she walked for BCBG, Dries Van Noten, Louis Vuitton, Lanvin, Nina Ricci, and many others. After a successful first season on the catwalk she booked the cover for Italian Amica and a spread in Vogue Italia shot by Steven Meisel. She also was featured in the campaigns of Donna Karan and D&G.

Though it may seem like 2008 was a great year for Constance, 2009 was her year. It began with booking editorials in W, Russian Vogue, Paris Vogue, V Magazine, and a cover of the May issue of RUSSH Magazine. What made her stand out from the rest of the newcomers was her record number of shows for this season, 72! She even beat out models like Eniko Mihalik and Karlie Kloss for the top spot. She is currently signed with the Marilyn Agency in New York alongside fresh face Lindsey Wixson. With this stellar start and an upcoming editorial in Japanese Vogue, this newcomer is far from new.

photo credits- Jak and Jil and New York Magazine

Diego Dolcini

Diego Dolcini, a shoe designer born in Naples, creates masterpieces. After first studying architecture at the Milan Polytechnic and Fine Arts in Bologna, he was awarded a scholarship to study fashion design at the Domus Academy in Milan. Since then he has designed accessories for the runway shows of Emilio Pucci and Bulfari, collaborated with Tom Ford as the Creative Director of Men's and Women's shoes, and since 2004 has been working with Dolce&Gabbana furthering the progress of their line. 

When asked about the inspiration for his creations he states " theatre, cinema, and the shapes and lines of architecture and design." His shoes certainly are greatly influenced from his education in both architecture and fine arts. They are beautiful and with unusual shapes they are unique from anything seen before. To see more of this artists work simply click here. 

photo credit - Diego Dolcini

Fresh Face: Lindsey Wixson

Getting a Prada exclusive and opening the show at 15 isn't a big deal right? Just kidding. For Lindsey Wixson, this was her big break. Born in Wichita, Kansas this teenager is far from normal. After signing with Vision Models LA in 2009 she headed to New York where she was rejected by IMG, but Marilyn Agency swooped her up and her career shot off. She apparently has an upcoming shoot with the God of fashion photographers, Steven Meisel for Italian Vogue and has already been featured in Teen Vogue, Lula, Dazed and Confused Japan, Blend, and ID Magazine. On top of that, she now is in a campaign for Genetic Denim.

This newcomer has a big career ahead of her. In New York, she walked for the likes of Brian Reyes, Peter Som, and Philosophy di Alberta Feretti, which she opened; just to name a few. In Paris, she closed Miu Miu. I can't wait to see where she goes in the future. With her big doey eyes and signature pout, Lindsey won't be out of site anytime soon.

Photo Credits- New York Magazine, the Marilyn Agency, and The Fashion Spot

Interns Canada

Want to be a fashion intern? Well, if you live in Canada the chances seem pretty small unless you are willing to travel out of the country. Small chances that is, until Melissa Ariganello from Montreal decided to change all that. She created the website Interns Canada in order to gather all the internship opportunities in Canada onto one succinct webpage. When asked about why she started the page she states "I was always hoping to find Internship opportunities for myself in Canada but I only stumbled upon American websites and ended up disappointed. Since I know a good deal about web design, I had the idea of making the ideal website myself, instead of wishing there was one." InternsCan.com is dedicated to helping Canadian Students land internships and includes a variety of areas such as fashion, pr, web, marketing, and editorial. To visit the Interns Canada webpage simply click here.

photo credit  - teenvogue.com

Fashion Confidential Magazine

Fashion Confidential, a website which has been growing steadily over the past three years, has brought the idea of an online fashion magazine and taken it to the next level, truly engaging with all that the internet has to offer. Unlike most magazines, where the end product is two dimensional, Fashion Confidential adds a third dimension, allowing you to go strait from the magazine to organizing the fashion look for yourself. With a click of a button one can go from seeing their look on the magazine spread to wearing the pieces of designer clothing soon after.

 The magazine presents the designers in all aspects of life including inspiration, celebrity influences, and then the final end products of the runway. With interviews and spread boards, Fashion Confidential really attempts to demonstrate all aspects of the fashion world. With this magazine one gets to go backstage and fully experience the designers perspective and viewpoint. One is able to grasp the creator's vision upon which they can make informed decisions about what they want to wear.

Yet the fun continues. This website is more than just a magazine and offers many other services. With designer and boutique directories, style reports, and designer Q &A, this website incorporates every possible facet of the fashion industry. The most interesting section being the "fashion insider" in which insiders get questioned on all the ins and outs of the industry. Overall Fashion Confidential is clear and informative while providing ease to your fashion ventures. To see more of the site, click here.

Gabor Szilasi - The Eloquence of the Everyday

Gabor Szilasi, who immigrated from Budapest, Hungary to Canada in 1957, has a distinct photography style. During medical school he photographed the Hungarian Revolution and had to flee Hungary after being blacklisted under the communist regime of the time. Upon his arrival in Canada he worked under the Office du film du Quebec and received national acclaim in 1970. His black and white photos are beautiful for their realization in the wonder of the everyday. Szilasi has the ability to make common life beautiful and it is for this reason that his photographs are famous throughout the country and world wide. His exhibit "The Eloquence of the Everyday" is at the National Gallery of Canada Until January 17th. To Find out more about this exhibit and this amazing photographer please click here.

Charmaine Oliva

Charmaine was born and raised in Encinitas, California and currently resides in San Francisco. Unbelievably she first started drawing with soy sauce on napkins!

Charmaine creates things from business cards, to graphic t-shirts and anything in between. Her artwork is quite unknown to people living outside of the area of San Francisco. She creates modern pieces of art with a inhuman twist. She is an amazing photographer also, with her crisp clean pictures that capture the beauty of the California area. Charmaine has a crazy, wild humor to her and can be known as a hippie child, who parties and paints. You can view her artwork here.

charmaineolivia.com

written by Rania

3.1 Philip Lim

Philip Lim, who in 2007 was granted The Council of Fashion Designers of America award for Emerging Talent in Womenswear, has made a very geometric shift this season. He has reinvented the idea of spring and has separated from the beige and flowery drab of most of this season's collections.  Instead of going garden for the springtime he has used shiny fabric and space age shapes to present the return of light and warmth. 

The feminine high waist has remained but now has an edgier feel with layers of sharp edges and line. Tailored tops are put with swinging metallic skirts and oversized jackets can now be put to use as dresses. There is a slight retro sixties feel to the collection but Lim did not make the mistake of going overboard. He puts with these pieces metallic jewlery and necklines which remind one of the Louis Vuitton necklaces from Fall 2009. Yet Lim is incredibly original and this collection has come at a perfect time where the tinsel looking outfits can be used for inspiration during the Holiday season. 

photo credit : style.com

Daul Kim

Daul Kim was found dead in her Paris apartment yesterday.

She was unlike any other model around. She had the ethereal beauty and careless style it takes to be a success in the fashion blog scene, but she was much more than just that. Daul was smart, but not in the "I know everyone" sense. She was unique and original, writing about her feelings on her blog - such a faux-pas. My fascination with her personality began only recently so when I heard about this, i was shocked in a really unusual way. I felt like I had known her forever. RIP, miss you.

Model Spotlight - Dree Hemingway

Dree, the great-granddaughter of Ernest Hemingway, has taken the fashion world by storm in the past year. The 22-year-old, formally a ballet dancer before turning to modeling and acting, has been featured in campaigns for Calvin Klein, DKNY,  and has recently appeared in V magazine. Born and raised in California, she is now signed with Elite Model Management in New York, Independent Models, and Ford Models Europe in Paris.

The infamous Tommy Ton has raved about this new starlet which he calls the Next Big Thing. With blonde hair, fine ballerina features, and a family legend, she has become the new American star. Hopefully we shall be seeing more of Dree in the future.

photo credit: Jak and Jil

Chantal of Cocorosa

Chantal, a Finnish trend caster living in NYC, has loads of style. Previously a designer she states that "the job as a Trend Forecaster kind of just happened. I still love to design and I think I will always keep designing but I'm not sure if it will be a full time job anytime soon." Yet a do-it-yourself she posted of embellished tights made its way to VOGUE. When asked about her response to this form of media attention she states "I come from a very small town in the Netherlands so all these wild designer dreams I had while being in art school studying Fashion rose up again and to dream like that is great, it really is." From the designs we have seen so far, hopefully her dreams come true.

But back to business. When asked to explain the role of her vocation in the fashion industry she replied that "trend forecasters analyze and report on upcoming trends seasons ahead, sometimes up to 18 month ahead of time, most of the reports are done by analyzing and reporting on the runway shows but some, like me give a 18 months ahead forecasting by analyzing tendencies toward art, photography, lifestyle and by intuition, giving direction in global trends, colors and fabric."  Her career certainly influences her up-to-date style choices and she predicts that in the future we will see more "fantasy/ dreamy, decadency, dark/underworld inspired trends".

Yet she is still ambivalent about fashion. "Honestly, to me fashion is not that important (when we talk about clothing), actually fashion to me is not all about clothing, Fashion to me is the tendency people have towards certain styles in clothing, photography, art, lifestyle, behavior, beauty ideals, maybe towards certain trends? and why? Fashion reflects society and in that way Fashion is important to me." Ultimately fashion is important for the ways in which it influences, and is influenced by, life. A fresh face on the fashion scene, click here to view more.

Shi of Buffalo Parade

Shi, a first year design student from down under, makes fanciful art and does so with some funky style. When asked to describe the character of her works overall she states "Honestly, I'm quite oblivious to my work having a 'style' because I view it everyday. But from what I've heard, it reminds people of childhood, inside jokes, mockery, drug induced experiences and the wild." Shi uses a variety of mediums for her creations " from conventional to unconventional" including pencils, inks, crayons, digital, foods, coffee, crushed petals, and dirt. She's certainly resourceful.

When asked about her favourite paintings she picked the two above. The first one (left) "reflects the harshness of modern living and how it is capable of draining your soul energy." This painting has an edgier tone compared to her second favourite (right) which is inspired by the famous Wizard of Oz . This one was her favourite because of the use of expression, which is something she creates throughout her life. Her website is not only known for her art but also for her sense of style. Though she claims to have a "Does she have a home?" look, Shi is creative and fearless in her fashion sense. Her website shows pictures of her in almost anything from tie dye pantyhose to glitter galore. In her future she sees herself as a grand illustrator with "a beautiful garden, a pet pig and love." Overall her website is full of inspiring photos and art pieces. To find out more simply click here.

Aurel Schmidt

"In a direct manner a piece of art cannot save a life, or change a political policy; but through it's subtleties it does have the power to effect individuals. It has the ability to inspire thought, and therefore has the potential to promote awareness and ultimately influence change."
check out more by clicking here.