At STITCH, we want to celebrate this Black History Month by highlighting some of the Black creatives and fashion lovers near campus. Between plant shops, bookstores, vintage resale boutiques and more, Chicago’s Black-owned businesses have artistic, unique finds for your closet and home. Use our list for your next shopping trip to support Black-owned stores this month and year-round.
Read MoreThe metaverse and events like Metaverse Fashion Week provide access to stylish spaces many people can’t otherwise experience. It does not mean, however, that the labels assigned to these spaces aren’t misleading, promising fashion and all it has the power to do in a way that fundamentally contradicts itself. Eventually, the real world is what we return to, and all those tools for creativity and self-expression that were promised may or may not follow us into it.
Read MoreAre they so complacent with their place at the top of the business that they believe creativity is no longer needed to keep consumers interested? Has the brand become so consumed by commercialism that they forget what fashion means and represents? Either way, the boredom currently infecting the fashion industry has invaded modeling, turning the field from fashion’s stage to fashion’s mannequin.
Read MoreAs the trend cycle speeds up, it feels like we’re on an endless chase, running after a level of stylishness that we can never quite catch. The shirt I bought last week already feels a little tired, let alone the one I bought last year. Sometimes it feels like the clothes I bought six months ago have been “out” long enough to be coming back into style soon.
Read MoreThe competition is most famous for the creative, wonderful, and oftentimes ridiculous outfits that the competitors wear. However, more important than the clothes is the question of what place Miss Universe has in the modern era.
Read MoreDennis Keith Rodman, housing insecure airport janitor turned Hall of Fame NBA defender turned ubiquitous Hollywood delinquent, was also an iconoclast of lingering ‘90s conventionality. Through his frequent “antics” on and off the court, he transpired a persona of unabashed self-expression that transcended rigid interpretations of black masculinity.
Read MoreI also faced a frightening sense of newness. Who am I, when I no longer possess the material items that constitute my identity? Is it possible to have a sense of style and a sense of self without my belongings? This caused me to consider the socioeconomic implications of fashion, as well as the freedom of expression that privilege and wealth provide.
Read MoreToday, the daring fashion of F1 has all but disappeared. Outfits on race weekends are boring team shirts plastered with sponsors, and the only accessories are a nice watch and a team hat also plastered with sponsors.
What happened? The intense scrutiny brought by social media forces drivers to take themselves more seriously because their fans take them seriously. It is easier than ever to get to know the drivers as people.
Turning flowers into fashion takes a heightened level of consideration. Flowers can only spend so long out of water and botanics move differently on the runway. Crum has learned to play with new techniques that she wouldn’t typically incorporate into her studio work, like dye products and deer netting—a plastic chicken wire. The good thing about working on a design day-of, she says, is learning from the other designers in the room.
Read MoreSweater weather has officially hit Northwestern! With the days darkening and the temperatures dropping, there’s no late-fall wardrobe essential that can compare to the humble, beloved sweater. Like reliable beater shoes in summer, sweaters are the staple you can always depend on to get you through the chilly morning walks to campus or the midnight crawls home from Mudd during midterms. They’re a cozy compliment to any fall outfit, and fun prints and patterns can make any gray day exceptionally bright.
Read MoreWith the rise of these aesthetics, I asked myself the question: can a woman dressing feminine be empowering? I think it can. In a society that constantly puts down femininity, I think it is powerful to embrace it as a woman. Femininity doesn’t necessarily have to have a negative connotation. We are expected to behave like men because they are the standard for most things in society. Masculine traits, like being assertive and being driven, are, by logic, praised. Through dressing in a feminine way, women that are part of these aesthetics reclaim their femininity, and they are proud of it. Women do not have to hide their femininity and can embrace all sides of their identities.
Read MoreI hopped on the “Project Runway” bandwagon in 2012. As a second grader with a new paper doll fashion design set from F.A.O Schwarz, I had turned to “Project Runway” for the ingenuity and fervor I hoped to harness on my construction paper and glitter: elegant drapery, intricate bodices, exquisite tailoring … all brilliantly executed before the lights dim for the start of the runway show. When Tim Gunn announces the formidable “Your time starts now!” in his iconic, velvety bravado, the contestants appear to defy the first law of thermodynamics and make something out of nothing.
Read MoreFrom colorful fuzzy socks, to that necklace you never take off, to earrings inherited from family, to a thrifted jacket you got for only $8: we all have pieces we could never part with because they carry with them a story. My gray cashmere zip-up hoodie with holes scattered along the seams looks like nothing special, but it has been my mom’s favorite hoodie since she was in college, and I feel close to her when I wear it on campus. Before our mass consumer spending over the holidays, it is important to take these moments to appreciate the stories behind the pieces we already have, that are priceless to us because of their story.
Read MoreAlthough the reasons for Telfar’s hype may be a mystery, numbers don’t lie. Some are buying to support a more inclusive fashion industry, while others might just want to dress like their favorite celebrities. Nevertheless, Telfar has already rewritten, and continues to rewrite, the status quo around luxury goods.The question now is whether or not Clemens can maintain this growth or if Telfar will be immortalized as a fad of the 2020’s.
Read MoreAre you a Bella bot or a Matilda minion? This is the not so age-old question that has been dominating my For You Page recently. It refers to a TikTok trend wherein users classify themselves as Bella Bots (as in the model Bella Hadid) or Matilda minions (in reference to the Swedish influencer Matilda Djerf). These videos typically consist of creators showing off their outfits next to captions like “deciding if I wanna be a Bella bot or Matilda minion for the day,” “serving Matilda minion today,” or “one bestie is a Bella bot & the other is a Matilda minion. … I don’t make the rules.”
Read MoreCoastal grandmother is an aesthetic that, like many, gained notoriety and fame on Tik Tok. The term was coined by TikTok user @lexnicoleta, who says that if you enjoy “Nancy Meyers movies, coastal vibes, recipes and cooking, Ina Garten, cozy interiors, and more” this aesthetic is the one you’ve been looking for. Most Tik Tok aesthetics have a short life cycle, taking the internet by storm for months only to end up in thrift and resale stores immediately after. Coastal grandmother, however, has a different trajectory, thanks to its roots and connection to upper class life.
Read MoreUnderlying these so-called revolutionary looks is a larger conversation about appropriating queer culture. Actor Billy Porter criticized Styles’ cover photo saying that it only captured mainstream attention because he is “white and straight,” since Porter himself is known to wear lavish, untraditional looks on the red carpet. As gender-fluid dressing becomes more mainstream, it’s important to remember its roots and history as a larger socio-political movement.
Read MoreThis is just it—the alien aesthetic creates a “new world” which allows us to play with, or even completely forget, gendered beauty norms. If gendered beauty norms expect women to have perfect, arched brows, then let’s shave them completely. If there is an obsession with women’s feet, then let’s turn our feet into reptile feet. Let’s show that you can still be gorgeous when you break these norms.
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