29 March 2012

MARCH 2012 VOGUE MAGAZINE ARTICLES: RISING STARS, COMPANIES, & TELEVISION

VOGUE MAGAZINE - MARCH 2012





ARTICLES:

"ONE AND ONLY"



IT'S ALMOST IRONIC, ALMOST, THAT VOGUE GOES FROM HAVING TAYLOR SWIFT ON THE COVER TO ADELE. Both are young ladies who've had ridiculously successful music careers that are largely based on love and the broken heart. Which I guess is probably not saying much, since BEING IN LOVE is probably one of the most complex and sought after conditions by human beings, and the most written by musicians.



BUT WHAT WILDLY DIFFERENT ARTICLES, interviews, even. This one focuses mostly on Adele's vocal surgery, and then presses on to her personal life and album. I recently had an argument with a coworker about Adele's new voice. I told this person, after they proclaimed that her voice was "great, exactly the same!" that I thought she lost her talent, the real uniqueness in her voice. You know, that 60's rasp. I was met with "Did you see the grammy's?" Come on, of course I did, or how could I have formed a decent opinion?

Well turns out, Adele thinks so too. Okay, well no, but she recognizes that her voice has definitely changed. 

"IT'S NOT AS HUSKY AS IT USED TO BE, BUT THAT'S BECAUSE I WAS SINGING WITH A POLYP.  AND IT'S HIGHER THAN IT USED TO BE. WHICH IS A BIT WEIRD. I REALLY THOUGHT IF MY VOICE CHANGED AN OCTAVE IT WOULD GO LOWER."



GEE ADELLY DEAR, that's exactly what I thought when I heard you. That poor '20 million dollar' polyp. But when it comes down to it, this girl has the one and only voice, and even if it changes, I know she'll still be able to use it to her advantage.


"FAST COMPANY"



IF YOU'RE INTERESTED IN LEARNING A THING OR TWO ABOUT TWITTER, then reading this four page piece on the social media website will be a less than eye opening experience. What is there really to know about TWITTER? You can share your life in real time, without all the mess of comments, new album uploads, and game updates. TWITTER really is nothing like FACEBOOK, especially since they boast that their mission is to create a community around the world, a connection between each of it's users that are experiencing the same thing at the same time and commenting on it through #hashtags.

The most interesting thing that I've learned about TWITTER, and just by being a user, is that it can upstage your favorite news site as the best way to receive news. What better way to get all of your favorite websites TWEETING about interesting articles or breaking news? It's a personalized news ticker.

TWITTER AND FACEBOOK HAVE VERY SIMILAR MODIUS OPERANDI. Transparency is key, truthfulness is number one, and for TWITTER in particular, CENSORSHIP IS NEVER A PRACTICE.



"WE WANT TO BUILD OUR BUSINESS IN A WAY THAT MAKES US PROUD. IF THAT MEANS THAT WE HAVE TO START CENSORING PEOPLE'S TWEETS, THAT VIOLATES A CORE ETHOS OF OUR COMPANY. WHILE IT MIGHT HELP US GET MORE USERS IN CHINA, IT WOULD RUIN WHAT WE'RE ABOUT."


I ADMIRE TWITTER'S COMMITMENT TO FIGHTING CENSORSHIP, IF IT WERE REALLY TRUE. The fact is that business always wins over moral code. Looks like censorship does get them more users in China, and their willing to go against their CORE ETHOS. Whatever that means.


"TRUE COLORS"



NICKI MINAJ'S BREAK OUT HIT "YOUR LOVE" HAD ME AT "SHAWTY". I feel even more deeply in love with her, when yes, I actually watch the documentary "My Time Now" on MTV, and she revealed herself to be a some what femmy when she said:


"WHEN I AM ASSERTIVE, I'M A BITCH. WHEN A MAN IS ASSERTIVE, HE'S A BOSS. HE BOSSED UP. NO NEGATIVE CONNOTATION BEHIND 'BOSSED UP'. BUT LOTS OF NEGATIVE CONNOTATION BEHIND BEING A BITCH."


This article doesn't reveal too much about the star except that she struggles with the same feelings that most independent women fight with. To want it all, and provide for a husband and family: ". . . SHE CONFESSES THAT SHE SOMETIMES IMAGINES HERSELF CLAD IN A BIKINI AND HIGH HEELS, COOKING DINNER FOR A BREADWINNING HUSBAND."

I really love and respect MINAJ so much more because of her willingness to accept any fashion, not just brands, and really express that her outfits are ". . . COSTUMES, NOT OUTFITS." Her fun COSTUMES are a world away from her message, but they perfectly fit the idea that you can be a BOSS, a BITCH, and STILL BE FUN.


"THE NEW GIRL"



I'M NOT TALKING ABOUT ZOOEY DESCHANEL, SO IF YOU WERE HOPING FOR THAT, MOVE ON. I'm talking about the gorgeous, talented, and finally getting recognition FELICITY JONES.

I have nothing more to say than I'm a Janite (a Jane Austen mega fan), and this girl is the star of my favorite movie based on novel NORTHANGER ABBEY. She plays the character of Catherine Moorland beautifully, and I've been waiting for her to break out. I did she the heartbreaking film LIKE CRAZY, and although I didn't think it was the greatest film, (I'm still trying to figure out whether or not I liked it, it's like an endless Daisy game), again, she gave a great performance.

AND SO I CONCLUDE WITH THIS, I WISH SHE WAS THE STAR OF THE SHOW 'NEW GIRL'. IT WOULD PROBABLY BE AN INFINITELY BETTER SHOW. Less adorkable, more relatable. And I'd actually watch it.


"GREAT EXPECTATIONS"



EVERYONE IS TALKING ABOUT HBO'S NEW SHOW GIRLS. It's slated to be the next "SEX AND THE CITY" but far less fantastical and for a younger, wittier generation. It follows four 20 something girls starting their lives in the city. And while its star LENA DUNHAM is coming off the success of her film TINY FURNITURE, I'm a still a bit skeptical.

DID YOU SEE TINY FURNITURE? In a doofus move, I waited till the last minute to see it in theatres after I had desperately wanted to but was afraid of going to the theatre alone. Truth be told, I don't like theatres and I'm not much of a movie person either. So when at a all girls tea party, some of the guests and I discussed the movie, I had to see it. And lo and behold, after two weeks of screening at some "indie" theatres in MI, it was gone. So I searched and searched for pirated versions online, but I came up with nothing.

So finally, this winter, after the novelty had worn off into an aloof desire, I watched it with my boyfriend. BEWARE, it's really not a movie to watch with boyfriends, I decided. And I decided that altogether I didn't enjoy it, and I certainly didn't really identify with it.

DUNHAM EXPRESSES THIS ABOUT THE SHOW AND ITS
'GREAT EXPECTATIONS':

"HYPE IS ALWAYS A TERRIBLE WORD UNLESS IT'S USED IN A RAP SONG, BUT I THINK THAT WHEN YOU'RE REALLY EXCITED ABOUT WHAT YOU'VE MADE, IT HELPS THE SITUATION."


For DUNHAM and HBO's sake, let's just hope this show lives up to it's hype.


X AND O,


RACHEL B.

27 March 2012

MARCH 2012 VOGUE EDITORIALS: PASTELS, PRINTS, & POSITIVITY

VOGUE MAGAZINE - MARCH 2012 



EDITORIALS



"ETERNAL OPTIMISM"


IT'S AMAZING how an editorial can create an atmosphere about clothing that is retro and powerful, even when the clothes aren't necessarily screaming "BOSSY". The cutouts, necklines, and exposed shoulders and bare midriffs are all sex, the pastels are all infantile spring, but the painted skyscraper backgrounds and beehive hairstyles only point to strong, career climbing women.





All the scenes also seem to suggest that these women are gossips. Kinda points to a "HOW TO SUCCEED IT BUSINESS WITHOUT REALLY TRYING" theme. At least, that's how I want to see it. I would hate to assume that Vogue magazine would do anything but promote good, healthy, images of women.




"VISION QUEST"



I love how this article showcases the prints, rather than the overall styling of it all. Although the "urban, graffiti" theme seems a bit trite. BOLD, OUTRAGEOUS, FUN prints, kinda deserve something a little more interesting, don't you think?






"TESTINO ROYALE"



THIS "ARTICLE" is really more of an EDITORIAL to showcase MARIO TESTINO, the photographer's stunning style. There's so much to look at in these pictures, I just admire the way the model becomes a piece of art within every scene. She never absorbs all of the attention. She's always the second focal point.








"MOD ERN ARTS"



ANOTHER PERFECTLY COMPLIMENTARY BACKGROUND TO FOREGROUND EDITORIAL. I think I'm biased when I say that this is my favorite of the magazine. It's the most "fun", "interesting" and the sinking cars are practically a nod to the MOTOR CITY and it's FAMOUS HEIDELBERG PROJECT.



BUT REGARDLESS OF THAT, I love that this is the antithesis to the "ETERNAL OPTIMISM" editorial. An alternative for us ladies who really aren't interested in looking doll-like, decked out in pastels and lace.





X AND O,

RB.

25 March 2012

AN UPDATE FOR ALL YOU LONELY READERS OF VARNISHED JEANS

HELLO THERE IRRITATED VARNISHED JEANS READERS! (I hope you're not too irritated.)
 WONDERING WHAT HAPPENED TO THE WEEK OF VOGUES?

Well first of all, the MARCH issue of VOGUE has "606 PAGES OF SPRING LOOKS". Yes, thats verbatim, from the cover, how big this issue is! I mean, it rivals there 758 PAGE SEPTEMBER ISSUE. So as you can imagine it has a lot more than three main articles that are interesting, and one editorial that's inspiring.

I've been working on getting through it all and forming some opinions to share with you, and let you decide whether or not it would be a good to rent it from your local lib. SINCE this is such a large issue, expect separate posts on both the ARTICLES and the EDITORIALS. I don't want you to miss out on my enthralling summaries and commentary because it was "TOO LONG, DIDN'T READ".


HERE'S THE REAL JUICY UPDATE THOUGH. MAJOR changes are happening to me in my life right now, that will impact this blog!! I'm so nervous/excited/scared and have been working so much to work this out and it's almost time for me to really let everyone know what has been going on. YOU KNOW, the same thing I've been teasing to you guys for MONTHS!

SO STAY WITH ME! IT WILL BE WORTH IT, I PROMISE.


X AND O,

RACHEL B.

21 March 2012

FEBRUARY VOGUE 2012: SWIFT AND THE BARE MINIMUM

VOGUE MAGAZINE - FEBRUARY 2012




ARTICLES


"THE SINGLE LIFE"


I'M GOING TO MAKE THIS ONE QUICK, AND HOPEFULLY PAINLESS (UNLIKE THE ARTICLE ITSELF). I was really really hoping that the cover article about TAYLOR SWIFT was going to delve into something about SWIFT that she hasn't reveled in interviews yet. Like why she's so obsessed with love, or something about her family life, or her struggle for success. I'm bringing up all these particular topics because they were covered in the article. And much like a SWIFT SONG, they were vaguely answered.



THAT SEEMS LIKE AN ERRONEOUS STATEMENT, N'EST PAS? Sure is. As a former TAYLOR SWIFT FAN MYSELF. . . yes I was once swept away by her wavy long hair and in infectiously popular crossover country songs that were about puppy love at best . . . I understand where the error might lie in a statement like "TAYLOR SWIFT'S SONGS DON'T REVEAL MUCH ABOUT THE SINGER." Here's what I'm trying to say: you may think you really know about what happened between TAYLOR SQUARED by listening to "BACK TO DECEMBER" but really you don't. You just know that she "messed up" or something and "wants to go back to December". OH, and that E! News told you it was about TAYLOR LAUTNER. 

SO WHAT IT REALLY COMES DOWN TO IS THE "HOLY SH!T" MOMENT. And that this article never delivered that. Yeah yeah yeah, we all know that TAYLOR SWIFT is adorable, sweet, charming, cute, the nicest person ever, she was the outcast in school (which I find HARD to believe). No, "HOLY SH!T TAYLOR SWIFT IS JUST LIKE ME BECAUSE SHE IS X, OR DOES X". I didn't learn anything new about her.  Except, I supposed, that she likes fashion.


"REALITY STAR"



THIS ISN'T EXACTLY AN ARTICLE. WELL, SCRATCH THAT, IT IS. BUT NOT THE LENGTH OF A TYPICAL ARTICLE. Now that that's settled. This petit article about ALEXA CHUNG is just long enough to swallow and stomach before you get those horrible cramps from the pretentiousness you just consumed. I just want to say that the whole 200 words were worth it to hear her take on styling Jason Wu's collection for Target:


"IT'S MODERN DAY POWER DRESSING. SEXY, BUT IN A LESS OBVIOUS WAY"


HERE COMES A BIG, HYPOCRITICAL, SELF REFLECTIVE REALIZATION. Alexa Chung, I think we're not much different after all. I think I like you.



"PARIS AFTER DARK"



IF YOU'RE AN AVID READER OF VOGUE MAGAZINE, you've probably noticed all the "themed" articles sprinkled throughout the massive amounts of advertising at the beginning of the magazine. BUT THEN AGAIN, maybe you haven't. DON'T FRET. I find some of this articles hard to connect with and most of the time I just skip right on through to the main stuff anyways.

THE NOSTALGIA PIECE "PARIS AFTER DARK" CAUGHT MY EYE THOUGH. A mini memoir of a former VOGUE EDITOR who happened to rub elbows with Gertrude Stein in 1940's France? Sounds like an article that would deeply interest me, since my favorite era of writing Stein was involved in. And I'm basically Owen Wilson in Midnight in Paris.

This article definitely satiated my nostalgic appetite on so many levels. It centered around a woman I don't know much about, and her highly famous modernist art collection. What was really cute about this article is that the writing was dictated to Leslie Camhi, and so the writing was most declarative. Little literary nods like that (Ernest Hemingway, one of the writers Gertrude edited, wrote in declarative sentences) always tickle me.


"BIG-BANG THEORY"



ANOTHER ISSUE WHERE THE INTERVIEW/ARTICLE ABOUT THE DESIGNER OVERSHADOWS THE COVER ARTICLE. I understand the need to make money, but I think just as many people would be buying magazines to read about MARC JACOBS and THE MULLEAVY SISTERS of RODARTE, as they would about MERYL STREEP and TAYLOR SWIFT.

AS A RELATIVELY YOUNG FASHION HOUSE, there isn't much to learn about the Mulleavy sisters. But what they're better at doing than MARC JACOBS, is really honing in on their inspiration and describing how that very literally translated to their SPRING 2012 collection. It isn't all about VAN GOGH, though it's easy to pin point that as they're only inspiration. It's about the cosmos, the stars, and the sunflowers that sprinkle California.


BUT IT IS COMFORTING TO KNOW, if you get an English Literature degree, you can become just as successful at whatever you want to do, like fashion. Thanks LAURA MULLEAVY.


EDITORIAL(S)




"BARE MINIMUM"



IRONICALLY ENOUGH, "BARE MINIMUM" IS THE ONLY EDITORIAL IN THIS ISSUE I ACTUALLY LIKED. And there were only two.  It was a thin issue, as was the last. There are so many reasons/levels of my admiration for this editorial. It's supposed to be showcasing these classic, minimal bags. Sounds like it would be right up my style alley? Duh. And in a fun, poppy type of way. "Let's dress up the model in classic silhouettes and have her ripping things, tearing things, over embellishing things into confusion." A perfect way to showcase the simple elegant shapes and styles of the bags.







RB

20 March 2012

JANUARY 2012 VOGUE

SEEMS LIKE I'VE HAD QUITE THE HIATUS? Sorry about the minor blog post vaca. Sometimes life gets in the way and the blog suffers. But I'm back with a writing vengeance! 

THIS WEEK, will be an all VOGUE MAGAZINE REVIEW week! I pay attention to you guys, and what you seem to respond to the most. A lot of you seem to "enjoy" when I post reviews of the magazines. I've been planning on posting about the magazines but favored more outfit posts recently. So it's an all VOGUE week! I'll be reviewing the first four months of magazines so far, with hopes of staying current in the future.


VOGUE MAGAZINE - JANUARY 2012



ARTICLES:



"A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS"



Holy crap. An article about MARC JACOBS. First of all, if you just glance at the cover of this magazine, you might miss the fact that they have an article about MARC JACOBS even in the magazine since it seems it's less than the focus. With all due respect to MERYL STREEP, and ANNA WINTOUR, maybe  VOGUE should start having "COVER MEN". I think this issue would have been a good start, having MARC JACOBS on the cover. I know a lot of women who would like to read about how MARC JACOBS got his start in fashion and changed the way people view fashion.



"FASHION ISN'T NECESSITY. IT PULLS AT YOUR HEART. IT'S A WHIM. YOU DON'T NEED IT. YOU WANT IT."

It was honestly impossible not to be fascinated with an article about a man who has three separate fashion houses and lines that he creates four times a year. To read about how he single handedly created a name for himself by re-imagining a brand, LOUIS VUITTON, and creating a need for women to sport the now famous print on everything. How could that not be inspiring? To hear of his struggle with addiction and with his personal life. It's nice to get to know the person you idolize, realizing that they're really just as human as you are.


BUT as much as I love the romance in the quote I highlighted from the article, I really want to challenge it. Fashion IS necessity, on so many levels. Fashion is how you present yourself to the world. It says things about you that you may or may not want it to. But when you manipulate it, when you pay attention to it, you control what people may think about you. We have always lived in a world where our peers makes snap judgements about us, just by looking at our appearance. It's an unfortunate practice, but it reigns, and so long as it does, fashion will always be necessary.

You can go ahead and challenge that. Challenge the idea that the person who wears sweatpants and sneakers is different than the person that wears suits. The person who wears sweatpants "doesn't care" about fashion, and therefore they are saying about themselves that comfort is the most important priority. The bottom line is that is says something, whether we like it or not.


"FORCE OF NATURE"



I WANTED TO WRITE THAT HIS WAS AN "ENLIGHTENMENT ISSUE". I was enlightened by MARC JACOBS and more importantly about MERYL STREEP. I have always loved and respected MISS STREEP. She is in one of my all-time favorite movies, and she is such a babe:



BUT NOW I HAVE REASON TO RESPECT & LOVE HER EVEN MORE. If you read my blog here you know I'm a self proclaimed femmy. Turns out that MERYL is working hard to educate all women about the women's history we were never taught. She's fronted the money to purchase land to create the National Women's History Museum in Washington. 



DISCUSSING MERYL'S commitment to fight for the recognition of women in history seems perfect for an article focused on her role as Margaret Thatcher in The Iron Lady. Despite Thatcher's beliefs on what women should do and be, like Queen Victoria, these women still became the most powerful women in the world and should be recognized for that achievement alone.


EDITORIALS:

"ALWAYS A WOMAN"


THIS EDITORIAL DOES A GREAT JOB of showing all of the "notable" spring collections, and how they are all highly feminine silhouettes and colors.






"DARE TO FLARE"


YOU'VE PROBABLY ALREADY BEEN INFILTRATED BY PEPLUM ENOUGH ALREADY, since most fashion bloggers thought Spring started a month ago. I love this editorial because it takes an overtly feminine silhouette, (come on, the peplum is all about accentuating those hips) and juxtaposes it with an androgynously styled model. I guess that means that wearing peplum skirts and jackets are just for the girly-girl.




"FACE VALUE"



OKAY, so this isn't really an editorial but more so a highly provocative picture to describe what VOGUE writer CATHERINE PIERCY believes to be the beauty trends for this season. I mean this photo is just down right gorgeous but also a bit unsettling. Just glad I gave up make up so I'm not conforming to some "china doll" look.




*        *         *        *        *


Happy Spring!


RB