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.

Book Review - The TeenVOGUE Handbook : An Insider's Guide to Careers in Fashion

Since I was 13 I have wanted to work for teenVOGUE. After the first issue with Ashanti on the cover I've been drawn in, and they haven't let me down since. This books is one of the most informative books I've found on the market about the fashion industry and gives tips which are unexpected yet useful. For a sneak peak I've collected some of the best quotes:

"Start a scrapbook. Collect anything that interests your eye, like images from magazines, color swatches, and even fonts. You can refer to it like you would an encyclopedia and bring it to interviews" - Aoife Wasser

"Sometimes in your career, you just have to jump it. You'll learn to swim!" - Natalie Massenet

"Make a magazine with your friends. And learn both sides of the business - financial and creative. The create side was easy for me, the business side was trial and error." - Claudia Wu

"Be as free as possible, experiment as much as you can, and surprise yourself. Don't conform. You need to have integrity to be yourself" - Frederike Helwig

Full of interviews, tips, and inspiration, this book is one guide I felt had both style and substance. It steered clear of the usual trap of vagueness  and showed people in all areas, from the interns at the bottom to the editors, designers, and photographers at the top. Not only was the book amazing but it also included a year subscription to teenVOGUE. One of the best fashion books of this year so far, you can purchase it by clicking here.

***** five stars

†

crosses are all over the place these days: around mk's fingers, on shirts, tattoo'd on people's bodies. while i think the cross is a really beautiful symbol and i dont believe everything in fashion should have a purpose nor does it have to be "original" (for instance people who have never even listened to metal fashioning iron maiden t-shirts- i have absolutely no problem with that), i do know that many of the times it is used in fashion and art, it means nothing. i am not religious but i am not sure whether this is right for such a heavy symbol, used by humanity forever. what do you think?

The Beauty of Film

About a year ago I found an old film camera in a hidden corner of my room. The camera was a present from an aunt on my ninth Christmas. Also at this time, being a poor student just about to return to residence, I was without a digital camera and in need of some device to record the memories of university.

My mom at the time had fully switched over to digital, as everyone else in the entire world had, and had a desk drawer full of film. I snatched it, with permission, and ran off to school again with my new device at hand. 

I took so many photos of everyone and everything I encountered and when the first batch got developed I was so pleasantly surprised. Film photos look so genuine in comparison to the million of facebook digitalized photos I've seen. Not to bang technology, it's great, but film photos are just so intriguing. 

Slowly I became the photographer among my friends and started snapping shots whenever I could. No one could see the shots before they came out and there was no way of deleting the ones that did not portray people's face the exact way they wanted them. flaws show.

... and i love it. By not being able to see the result people were presented as they truly were at the time. You've got to accept the whole of people and events. No photoshop, no fake perfection. Not to sound overly dramatic but film photos helped me to grow up. 

Parties and everything could be just perfect as they are. Life was perfect in all its imperfection. Conclusion, film rules and i'll never stop with it...

never.

do it yourself - the graffiti top

step 1: get a white shirt

step 2: tape a design on the shirt

step 3: spray paint the shirt

step 4: take the tape of the shirt and voila!