Rag Report: Highlight the World With Vibrant Colors

Rag Report dives under the covers of fashion publications to rant or rave about all the glossy goodness.

The grey Syracuse days are complemented by dark jackets, winter accessories, and chunky snow boots. However, after flipping through the March issue of Elle, the editorial, shot by Terry Tsiolis and styled by Lester Garcia, was dedicated solely to bright colors. Not only did it brighten my day (both literally and metaphorically) but also gave me something to look forward to.

The photos portray a sense of edginess and rebellion. In this photo, the model not only wears a Versace silk jacket and skirt, but also a fierce expression. She bites her lip, and her eyebrows, full and bold, frame her intense gaze. Her short hair is freely styled and sends out a bold statement. Around her wrist she wears a chunky Mary Katrantzou crystal bracelet that reflects light and adds more color to her outfit.

This next photo has a more mellow tone to it. The model is in a peculiar pose that resembles something a child would do. Her gaze is subdued and her hair is spiked. The deep royal blue Prada stretch jacket and forest greed Prada cotton skirt provide a rich contrast that gives the outfit a sophisticated look. Her Prada wedged heels give the outfit a playful feel that mimics the pose.

In this photo, we see a combination of vibrant colors from head to toe. The model is wearing a magenta viscose-blend bodysuit by Max Mara with green Rochas silk shorts and highlighter yellow Christian Louboutin sandals. Her expression seems to dare readers to judge her. The color is then picked up by her contrasting yellow and magenta eye make-up.

After seeing this spread, I found the ability to keep trudging through the grey winter. This spring we can all look forward to vibrant pops of color.

-Brittany Fowler

The Craze: Wedge On Into Spring

The Craze is a trend report bringing you the latest (and, duh, the greatest) in beauty and style.

Who doesn’t love wedges? They are easier to walk in than heels, way more comfortable, and you still look great! You can dress them up or down and choose from a variety of materials including cork, leather, suede, or wood. Play with colors to accent outfits or slide on a pair of black wedges to complete any classic look. Wedges are a trend that can be worn now and continue into spring with the warm weather from closed-toe, opened-toe, or sandals. This trend can be seen on the runways of Chanel, Marc Jacobs, Prada and the like. Love your feet and dress them up with wedges while still maintaining comfort. Look great with the affordable finds below.

Cooperative from Urban Outfitters

Jeffrey Campbell
Steve Madden

-Kate Ahrendtsen

Designer Confidential: Wearable Art

Designer Confidential highlights the work of SU's greatest fashion asset: its student designers.

One of the greatest sources of inspiration for fashion designers is the past. Both Louis Vuitton and Prada’s fall 2010 collections heavily referenced the 1950s, while Marc Jacob’s Spring 2011 line paid homage to the ‘70s. However you won’t see anything this recent in Melissa Sack’s collections. “People are always doing the ‘60s or the ‘80s, and I say, ‘Yeah, but that’s come, gone, and come back again’” says the sophomore fashion design major. Instead, Sack draws her inspiration from ancient times: “I love to travel, and last December I went to Italy. I was really inspired by the Renaissance art period, and that’s reflecting in my work this year.”

Sack knows exactly where she wants her career to go: “A lot of people want to work for someone else and do wearable clothes, which is great, but if I could, I don’t want to be stuck working for someone for the rest of my life. I want to do my own thing and create my own designs. I have a lot of passion and I know exactly what I want. Everyone’s always like ‘How do you know what you want?’ and I say ‘I’ve known since high school. That’s not gonna change.”

But Sack has bigger dreams than just owning her own line: “I want to [make] wearable art, not pieces that you see and can be worn [in] everyday [life]. They would be very crazy couture, very Lady Gaga-esque. I would almost rather do gallery exhibits than runway shows.” Plus, she’s very hands-on with her designs: “I still want to be the one sewing. A lot of designers don’t even draw anymore.”

Dream Job: To own a fashion corporation, like Alexander McQueen or Marc Jacobs, working under the title of experimental artist rather than fashion designer.

Why you should look out for her: Her designs aren’t something you’ll see just anywhere. She describes them as “wearable art” and pictures herself designing duds for Lady Gaga or Rihanna.

Designer Confidential: When she's not at school, she spends her time working at her parent’s jewelry shop. Being around so much bijoux has both inspired her garment designs and given her an idea of how she'd like to style her model's jewelry for upcoming shows. Plus “it’s fun to play with the diamonds.”

- Julie Kosin

The Craze: Putting the pep back into patterns

The Craze is a trend report bringing you the latest (and, duh, the greatest) in beauty and style.

If weather trends hold, we are looking at two more months of winter. It will be a long time before we can shamelessly rock jersey sundresses and denim cutoffs bare-legged, but that doesn't mean we have to match the Syracuse skies with dull attire. 

One of the easiest ways to perk up your winter neutrals is to throw some prints into the mix. Plaid is a simple, reliable bet, like vanilla ice cream, but as the folks at Doo. Ri and Prada show us, the spectrum of winter print possibilities is endless.

 

Doo. Ri pre-fall 2010

Prada pre-fall 2010

Feeling extra daring? Or extra bored with your current wardrobe? Try layering patterns on patterns. Mixing patterns successfully can feel like an intuitive art, but there are a couple of hard and fast rules to make the process less daunting.

 

Proenza Schouler pre-fall 2010

 

Matthew Williamson pre-fall 2010

Mix prints of different scales to avoid overwhelming your figure: say a narrow pinstripe skirt with an oversized floral print blouse. Wearing different patterns in monochromatic or muted shades can also keep the look from entering Lady Gaga territory (unless that’s the direction you’re headed in).

- by Emily Montgomery

Rag Report: It's time for a winter vacay

Rag Report dives under the covers of fashion publications to rant or rave about all the glossy goodness. 

In the December/January 2010 issue of Teen Vogue, photographer Lachlan Bailey takes our minds off the upcoming winter with the tropical themed photo shoot, "Escape Artist."

The fashion spread mixed nautical style with loud floral prints. The outfits themselves are simple, but the accessories are what pull the looks together. Many of the accessories are repeated throughout the shoot to show their versatility, such as the metallic Marc Jacobs platforms, the purple M&S Schmalberg flower pin, and the printed Prada scarf. 

Dec/Jan 2010 Teen Vogue's take on vacation-wear.

Overall the outfits are stylish, but the piece that caught our attention was the floral pants by Necessary Objects. While it went along with the tropical theme, high-waisted, bright floral capris can really only be rocked by a model!

Dec/Jan 2010 Teen Vogue.

With respect to the modeling, the first thing that comes to mind is legs, legs, legs. Every photo places emphasis on her mile-long stems with the garments’ short hemlines and the inferior camera angle.

The model showed great range by consistently altering her poses and facial expressions, while still remaining true to the theme.

Dec/Jan 2010 Teen Vogue.

Vacation is all about relaxing while still looking good, and this model certainly shows it.

- by Lauren Dulay