The Classic Ten: Sneakers (#10)

"There is a spiritual virtue and value that are implied by shoes like that. You can't slink like you can in a stiletto, so it represents a new form of femininity. It implies a new kind of strength."

-Anne Hollander

"Cock your hat-- angles are attitude." -Frank Sinatra

When did hats become so out of every day style? Hats have been ever-present in fashion for decades, but I'm sad to say they really aren't around anymore. Not unless you're a hipster/cowboy/celebrity or a quirky character. The only people I see with hats on are young starlets with their fedoras and beach hair, hip musicians with their knit caps, and those country Stetsons and baseball hats. 

But what ever happened to the romanticism and beauty a hat can evoke? They just remind me of a simpler time when men would dress in tailored clothes, looking dashing and masculine everyday, and when women would wear dresses and curl their hair. (Maybe I've watched Pride & Prejudice too many times... top hats & bonnets swirling around in my head...) 

Portraits.

After looking through some of my "inspiration" photos that I store on my computer, I noticed that I had a bunch of "portrait shots" of celebrities/music artists whom I love or whose style I really admire. Only after clicking through them in a group did I notice they were also all British. Go figure! Most of them are black and white, but a few aren't-- but I didn't want to limit them in any way. I just think these shots are so beautiful and dynamic. They are cropped close to the face so the only subject in the photo is the person themselves. I admire the natural beauty of these UK stars, and hopefully you will too!

Andrew Garfield... amazing hair.

The Classic Ten: Trench Coat (#9)

"Put on a trench, you're suddenly Audrey Hepburn walking along the Seine-- even if 

you've got red hair and you're five one."

-- Michael Kors

There is nothing more British than the trench coat, especially a Burberry trench coat. There is something so romantic about this special jacket, isn't there? I happily own two trenches, one an actual light beige waterproof coat, and the other I found in a thrift store with this beautiful light blue lining and is a deep caramel color. I never feel very comfortable wearing them in my small college town because it seems so sophisticated, so big city and timeless.  However, students in leggings and hoodies overrun my town, so it's nice to be different. Wearing one just further plunges me into my own dream world. 

The luxury brand Burberry is credited to inventing the trench coat, thanks to Thomas Burberry. In 1880 he actually developed this lightweight waterproof material called gabardine, and made his first trench coat with it in the 1890s. He received great success with his wonderfully handy coat that not only outfitted the British army in 1914, but normal civilians as well. (To fight that London weather, naturally.)

US versus UK: Magazine Covers, May 2011

What a beautiful day it is here on my college campus! Which means it's a perfect time for me to sit in an empty residential hall lobby next to an open window with the sun shining down on me, listen to French music artist Carla Bruni ("Le plus beau du  quartier" in case your wondering which song..), and start on this month's magazine cover show down! 


I also may be in a good mood because...
1) It finally feels like spring! 
2) I am finished with my finals! (for this week... so still not done unfortunately)
3) I extremely recently applied, interviewed, and received a design internship at Columbia Home Magazine for the summer! So I'll be living on my own this summer, subleasing a place. I feel so grown up! (And now I don't have to go back to my old hometown and work at JCPenney. Praise the Lord.)
4) I THINK I found the place I'm going to live this summer, just at this moment! (and rent is under $300! For I am a poor college student with an unpaid internship...)


So I'm so happy and grateful for these amazing things that are very rapidly happening to me. I'm just trying to deal with the stress well and get through finals, then on to an equally busy summer interning at a very lovely magazine!


Now, on to these wonderful magazines of May...

1. VOGUE

Vogue US: Lovely cover. Reese looks stunning and her eyes are so piercing. I mean it's very good, but it's also a little safe. Whenever I can't think of much to say it usually means it's not horrible, but it's not fantastic or especially impressive. It's just good.


Vogue UK: Now, this is a really beautiful cover. The ambiance, softness and mood just fit together to make this amazing photograph. I love how it's isn't a celebrity, but a model, on the cover. The center focus for the magazine isn't the promotion of a movie or product, but the celebration of bridal fashion to honor the Royal Wedding. A wonderful change of pace. And if you haven't seen the editorial of Mario Testino's "Wedding Belles" please check it out. It's the best editorial editorial I've seen in a very long time!


WINNER: Vogue UK. Though both covers are very successful, Vogue UK just took it to a whole new level when you look at them side-by-side. Even the serif font and the use of italicize helps the romantic feel, while Vogue US sticks to its consistent sans serif font.

Newspaper Designs on a Historic Day.

It's amazing how you can just be going about your day, worrying about your Textile and Apparel Exam the next morning, dealing with some sort of drama in the back of your mind, and suddenly... something happens to make you stop everything... and all of the trivial crap of your everyday life doesn't matter for a second. Or even a few hours after that.

Sometimes it's hard for me to be a proud American and love the country I'm living in, not for any political reason, but literally because I love Europe, and especially Britain, so much and I know I'll end up living there someday. However, last night I was a proud patriot. I was proud that I was born and am living in the USA. Anyway, I'll tell you about the enormous celebration that happened on my college campus at the end of this post, but before that, here are Newseum's Top 10 Front Pages for today. I'm usually not too big on newspaper design (compared to magazine design), but when historic events happen, nothing is more chilling, powerful, or has a greater impact than a bold headline. This is what Sharon Shahid of Newseum had to say of todays front pages, and I completely agree:

"On a scale of one to 100, the death of the world's most elusive and wanted terrorist warrants the biggest font size a front page can muster. The headlines in today's Top Ten cut right to the chase, using the entire cover and a single word to tell the stunning story. Two exceptions: The Daily News in New York and Philadelphia. What's left to say?

Here is how I personally rank Newseum's Top 10... I'm not going to lie though. I mostly based this top ten on the size and use of the biggest, most powerful headline and how they designed around it. Because in these situations I think it is the most important thing.

#1

The orange font has a lot of impact for me. Against Osama Bin Laden's face, the color is alerting and eye-catching. Then the reverse colors of white on black exudes urgency, then the font and boldness lightens up as the eye moves downward. Very clever.