Fashion walks a fine line between consumable goods and art. Creative directors want to make what is authentic to their vision while the business side wants to push promotable, easily sellable items. Neither end of the spectrum is wrong. Without money, there would be no platform for art, but without the artistic vision, there would be no worthwhile product.
Read MoreWith the emergence of aesthetic over the ear headphone cases, the rising popularity of tying ribbons around headphones, and the wide range of headphones available, it is clear that these durable headphones have adapted in tandem with a trend cycle that often encourages unsustainable turnover and rapid change. One can only hope that over-the-ear headphones, in all of their beautiful, bulky glory, are here to stay.
Read MoreAt 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 MoreFashion can be a statement, an expression or simply something so you don’t leave your home naked. We took to Instagram polls to collect your style opinions. This is what you told us!
Read MoreThe weight, inexact and indispensable, haunts me after the holidays. I search for new diets and exercises—new ways to make water taste like Coke and to chisel my abs. Like the 17% of Americans vowing to lose weight in 2023, I’m always hungriest to achieve my idealized body this time of year, prioritizing it over traveling, learning something new or seeing friends and family more. The weight is a pitiful reminder that I haven’t met my resolution since I was 13.
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 MoreIn honor of Valentine’s Day — and my newfound appreciation for perfume — I wanted to delve into the history of perfume and the science behind the well-known aphrodisiac
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 MoreWhat can Frida Kahlo’s illustrious career contribute to conversations about modern vanity? For one, she often toyed with her identity throughout her life. Her self-portraits were a way to confess, connect and create. These three qualities are the same hallmarks of social media. Its initial draw was the ability for fellowship, networking and keeping up with friends. Now, it has all but become an industrial complex, pervading every corner of our lives and rewarding us for engagement.
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.
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