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Beginning
Contents<br />
Nowhere ............................................................................................................................................<br />
Xander Ferreira ................................................................................................................................<br />
Most Days, I Don’t Feel Like A Cannibal .....................................................................................<br />
Joe & Juice .........................................................................................................................................<br />
The Aldrian Collection ....................................................................................................................<br />
Antheia, Goddess of Garden, Nature, Greenery ..........................................................................<br />
Coachella ...........................................................................................................................................<br />
Cotton Candy Carnival ...................................................................................................................<br />
Divinely Pink ....................................................................................................................................<br />
Earthly Gods .....................................................................................................................................<br />
The New Cool ...................................................................................................................................<br />
SAKU .................................................................................................................................................<br />
Indigo Ambrosia ..............................................................................................................................<br />
Walk This Way ..................................................................................................................................<br />
Nemesus ............................................................................................................................................<br />
Tension ..............................................................................................................................................<br />
Untamed ............................................................................................................................................<br />
Media Manipulation ........................................................................................................................<br />
Fragmented Beauty ..........................................................................................................................<br />
Minika Ko .........................................................................................................................................<br />
Elle Sanchez Poetry ..........................................................................................................................<br />
All I Got Was Some Disco Tech .....................................................................................................<br />
Shackled ............................................................................................................................................<br />
Tah Bags ............................................................................................................................................<br />
Retro Grade ......................................................................................................................................<br />
Frost ...................................................................................................................................................<br />
Downtown Doll House ...................................................................................................................<br />
The Dolls ...........................................................................................................................................<br />
Taken .................................................................................................................................................<br />
My Italian Summer ..........................................................................................................................<br />
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Page 143
<strong>Magazine</strong> Team<br />
Svetlana Blasucci -Founder/Editor in Chief<br />
Jeremiah J Auguste - Art Director/Graphic Designer<br />
Yuwei Luo -New Busness Development<br />
<strong>Soleil</strong> is an American cognitive (psychological) magazine focused on millennial<br />
culture and fashion based in New York. <strong>Soleil</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> is directed primarily towards<br />
the millennial lifestyle and those looking to apply the different doors of the<br />
perception of the world. The magazine was founded in 2017.<br />
A few years back I spent some time in a psych ward as an observer. It was in the<br />
South of France called Saint-Paul Asylum, Saint-Rémy. There I met the most<br />
interesting women who were being rehabilitated. Their issues were unknown.<br />
Listening to the psychologist explain the place where Van Gogh spent his last few<br />
years was enthralling. Before attending art school I studied psychology and after<br />
being in France shooting these women I wanted to find a way to incorporate<br />
photography and therapy. This magazine in a way is therapy. The theme of this<br />
magazine is to have a complex and psychological twist in ways to interpret art. We<br />
want our contributors to think outside the box. I find art a way to conquer fears and<br />
allow people to find themselves.<br />
To create a more focused outlet for young creative minds. A collaboration of visual<br />
and literary ideas whose creators are connected by a similar vision. Something you<br />
can feel the workflow through you when it’s held. People should pick us up because in<br />
a sense it can be therapeutic. It helps you proceed things differently, changing the way<br />
people think and see the world around them. Not talking but engaging forecasting,<br />
trending, up to date in the now! We are redefining millennial through technology, art,<br />
and fashion! Our generation our time! This magazine will be seasonal and the next<br />
issue is Fall. The theme entails Wes Anderson palette and Greek Mythology.<br />
(e.g; Persephone & Hades as previously mentioned)
Letter from the Editor<br />
Twenty-six years of life is how far it took you to take the plunge. To take a risk that could fail. Life<br />
was always about jumping off the cliff. Pulling the trigger. Jumping always felt better than thinking<br />
beforehand. Man were we so wrong about that, my friend. I’m writing this letter to you because you<br />
need to know you feel confused and lost.<br />
Lost because this journey we call life is a really like a rollercoaster. Call it a cliche, but most can<br />
agree that every turn on a New York City block is a different chapter. A new experience. It’s never<br />
the same, and that’s alright. Experiences are what makes us human, we love, we lose, we learn.<br />
<strong>Soleil</strong> is a lesson. We use art to escape from the horrors of the world, but we also use it to speak<br />
out. Art is more powerful than we think. Don’t stop making art when we feel like talking ourselves<br />
out of an idea. I’m here to be your psychologist and tell you it’s going to be better everyday. Maybe<br />
making art is about running but we always go back to the beginning.<br />
Let your imagination roam free without judgement. If only the world was more like Planet Fitness,<br />
a judgement free zone. Take my hand because I’m here to go on a new journey with you.
“The killer-looking, blue snake-patterned heels are losing<br />
their grip on me like I’m Cinderella desperately asking for<br />
a prince to find me”<br />
I somehow always knew deep inside<br />
that I was supposed to be a model,<br />
the yearning part of me as a teenager<br />
that would make me spend hours of<br />
posing in front of the mirror after<br />
having watched America’s Next Top<br />
model indicated so. But then again,<br />
doesn’t every other fourteen year old<br />
spend their teens the same way? How<br />
was I different than everyone else? Either<br />
way, knowing my destiny or not,<br />
I almost couldn’t believe my own life<br />
when I found myself on the stage of<br />
Project Runway last summer, walking<br />
the podium in a dress made of green<br />
party plates. Even harder was it to<br />
believe that this dream of mine had<br />
quickly turned into something looking<br />
a lot like my biggest nightmare.<br />
Let’s not get into details about how<br />
there wasn’t a shoe in the entire PR<br />
closet that fit me, or that my awkward<br />
walk down the runway ended with a<br />
pity talk in the bathroom line from<br />
Tim Gunn himself. I have done a lot<br />
of reflection and self-healing since<br />
then, and now I look back at the time<br />
and think of myself as a true badass<br />
despite it all. I was in freaking Project<br />
Runway, dammit. I mean, who can<br />
say that?<br />
Page #4<br />
So what happened between the years of<br />
posing in my girl room and that Project<br />
Runway stage at age 25? To make a long<br />
story short I denied my dream for many<br />
years, following the more “normal” path<br />
any girl with good grades would take,<br />
and continued showing off with exceptional<br />
work in school. I attended all the<br />
parties, studied hard for tests, did all the<br />
“right” things, until one day when I realized<br />
something was missing. No matter<br />
the grades or the school I went to I didn’t<br />
feel fulfilled, and there was a part inside<br />
me - a voice - that wanted to get out!<br />
One summer, two years ago to be exact,<br />
I sat myself down and did a lot of thinking.<br />
There was a big part of me that was<br />
really upset about the direction of the<br />
society as a whole and how we can’t see<br />
many of the things that are happening<br />
right before our eyes. How can we not<br />
see that we’re killing our planet? How<br />
can we not see we’re in fact killing ourselves?<br />
Why do we continue living life<br />
filled with “lies” of how we’re supposed<br />
to be, not realizing all it does is making<br />
us less happy? Taking us further away<br />
from ourselves?<br />
N O W H E R E<br />
I wanted to speak my passion and have<br />
an ability to inspire others to think<br />
the same way, and so I set myself out<br />
on a mission to become an influencer.<br />
But I realized that in order to have<br />
anything to say or for anyone to ever<br />
want to listen, I needed more than 150<br />
followers on Instagram to start with,<br />
and I needed to be someone people<br />
knew about and wanted to follow. So I<br />
thought to myself - how can I be cool?<br />
How can I gain that voce? And then<br />
I knew it, I knew the time had come,<br />
and I set myself off on a mission to<br />
finally become a model.<br />
So at the age of 24 I moved to New<br />
York and started reaching out to a<br />
bunch of photographers. I was basically<br />
met with the same reaction<br />
everywhere I went - “You’re pretty and<br />
all but truth be told you’re pretty old.<br />
If you really want to do this you kinda<br />
have to fake it till you make.”
So there I had it, fake it till you make<br />
it or call it a day. Let’s just say I’m not<br />
a quitter, so faking it it was. I practiced<br />
posing and kept shooting, and with a<br />
decent portfolio in hand I went to open<br />
calls all over the city. Sometimes I had<br />
to lie about my age only, sometimes<br />
they didn’t care, but I kept being turned<br />
down over and over again. “Thank you,<br />
but you’re not what we’re looking for”. I<br />
wanted to give up many times but there<br />
was still that voice inside me that said<br />
“Don’t quit, you can do this!”, so when<br />
I one day got signed with an agency in<br />
New York, and agency that only a few<br />
months later got me into Project<br />
Runway, I think it’s easy to say iI almost<br />
couldn’t believe it myself.<br />
Another year has passed and the<br />
journey(s) that followed have been even<br />
more insane. There have been days when<br />
I’ve walked all over the city because I<br />
couldn’t afford a subway card, or when<br />
I spent my last dollars on some carrots<br />
and two cans of beans. There have been<br />
times when I’ve cried on the bathroom<br />
floor, feeling stupid for not having followed<br />
the path of all my fellow students<br />
in Sweden who now have jobs and<br />
buying their own apartments, when I’m<br />
in NYC jumping from couch to couch,<br />
desperately finding a place to stay.<br />
But then, through all of this, the voice<br />
inside me was always there, and the<br />
knowing I was on the right way.<br />
To date I’m not only a model, but I’m<br />
also the Co-Founder of Role Models<br />
Management - an ethical talent agency<br />
on a mission to disrupt the industry<br />
and change the way we think about<br />
fashion, beauty and society as a whole.<br />
The growth since our registration in<br />
March this year is insane, and we’re now<br />
closing up on no less than 60 models. Is<br />
it fair to say that I’ve not only become an<br />
influencer myself, but that I’m creating<br />
an army of inspiring influencers as we<br />
speak? I’ll take the opportunity here to<br />
answer this myself - yes I am!!!<br />
A couple of months ago I had the<br />
honor of being on a bus down to DC<br />
with Cameron Russell and her “Model<br />
Mafia” - a group of empowered models<br />
in New York City working for positive<br />
change. Together we marched for climate<br />
change and spoke up for our future, and<br />
when I was in the middle of this mock of<br />
signs and chants and occasional “we hate<br />
Trump”s, I honestly felt goose bumps.<br />
My belief of models speaking up<br />
for change was real, and I had now<br />
found myself in a group of beautiful<br />
individuals doing just that. I pinched<br />
myself and realized once and for all<br />
that it was real - that it can all be real -<br />
and that the struggle that comes with<br />
finding that purpose is what makes it<br />
more real than ever.<br />
It’s easy to fall into patterns and walk<br />
the path that’s been engraved for us<br />
for years. Even though it might not<br />
feel right, it’s easy, because society<br />
has made “difference” and trusting an<br />
inner guidance backed with no rational<br />
thought or proof to seem insane. But<br />
one of my favorite quotes, spoken by<br />
the great Albert Einstein, says:<br />
“The intuitive mind is a sacred gift and<br />
the rational mind is a faithful servant.<br />
We have created a society that honors<br />
the servant but has forgotten the gift.”<br />
So what if we don’t have everything<br />
figured out yet? Isn’t that what life<br />
in your twenties is supposed to be<br />
like anyways? What if I want to be a<br />
model at the age of 24 even though<br />
I’ve already graduated school, who<br />
says I can’t be? And why do we care so<br />
much about what other people think,<br />
anyways, when our lives are lived by us<br />
and no-one else?<br />
Page #5
What I can say with all this - the lessoned<br />
learned from all this craziness - is that without<br />
being bold and stupid and sometimes even a little<br />
provocative and strange, there’s no way I’d ever<br />
change the world. So if me looking a bit stupid on<br />
television walking the stage of Project Runway in<br />
way too big heels, is what it’s gonna take for me<br />
to speak my truth and be happy, then so be it. If I<br />
have to put everything on risk a time or two and<br />
having to deal with convincing loved ones at home<br />
that I have it all under control, then what is there<br />
but growth?<br />
Life can be incredibly amazing and rewarding<br />
once you start trusting yourself and when you<br />
start loving the journey, when you stay hungry<br />
and always strive to grow and learn more. Last<br />
year I was a “dreamer” who quit grad school, a<br />
young woman on a mission to finally follow the<br />
path she felt to be right. Here I am, a year<br />
later, proudly titling myself a model activist, the<br />
co-founder of Role Models Management, and also<br />
the host of Podcast Hey Change. I got my voice,<br />
I found my network, I followed my path. Who<br />
knows what I’ll call myself the summer of 2018.<br />
Page #6
Trust your journey girl, that’s<br />
all I have to say!<br />
XX<br />
Anne Therese<br />
If you think you have what it takes and want to be a Role Model, please head over to<br />
www.rolemodelsmgmt.com and check our submissions page. If you want to connect with me or listen<br />
to all the inspiring conversations I have with the people on my show, search for Hey Change in your<br />
podcast app or go to www.heychange.net to learn more<br />
Mathilda Zerty : https://www.instagram.com/mathilda_zerty/<br />
Maggie Soler : https://www.instagram.com/maggie.soler/<br />
Marie Hacker : https://www.instagram.com/_itsmariele/<br />
Make up Artist Ayumi Jade<br />
https://ayumicreation.book.fr<br />
Stylist Friperie Cam<br />
https://www.friperiecam.com<br />
Photographer Knas :<br />
https://www.knas.photography<br />
https://www.instagram.com/knas_vang/<br />
https://www.flickr.com/photos/knasphotographer/<br />
Page #7
Page #8
South African visual artist and musician,<br />
Xander Ferreira, formerly known as Gazelle,<br />
became one of the country’s most recognized<br />
musicians, known especially for his popular<br />
fusion of contemporary electronic sounds and<br />
traditional African music. Celebrated for<br />
his amboyant stage persona and enigmatic<br />
performances, he took to the stage in 17<br />
countries around the globe. His musical<br />
journey has seen him collaborate with artists<br />
like Peaches, St. Lucia, Findlay Brown and<br />
The Bloody Beetroots.<br />
After Gazelle’s success, Xander<br />
moved to New York where he embarked<br />
on a journey to create, what he calls,<br />
“A reverse version of Paul Simon’s<br />
Graceland”, in turn fusing African<br />
sounds with a variety of American<br />
musical styles.<br />
Following his relocation to<br />
New York, Xander teamed up with<br />
Steve Williams on Drums (De La<br />
Soul, Sade, Digable Planets), Paul<br />
Frazier on Bass (David Byrne,<br />
Chic, Chaka Kahn, Arrested<br />
Development, Digable Planets)<br />
and David Bailis on Guitar<br />
(John Forte, Pimps of<br />
Joytime) to form a new<br />
group for a solo project.<br />
Xander’s signature new sound is a<br />
fusion of in uences ranging from South African<br />
traditional music, Afrofunk, 60’s Pop, Soul and<br />
Psychedelic Rock accompanied by an undertone<br />
of Electronic sound.<br />
With regular shows at Mercury Lounge,<br />
Baby’s All Right, Nublu and Le Poisson<br />
Rouge, Xander has established himself<br />
solidly in the live music scene of New<br />
York. This May, Xander is releasing his<br />
debut EP with three new recordings.<br />
The songs speak of the painful<br />
introspection that is sometimes<br />
necessary in the struggle to find a<br />
sense of place. Being an immigrant<br />
in the United States as a 10th<br />
generation Arican born Caucasian<br />
of mixed hertage, Xander’s dream<br />
is to build cultural bridges<br />
through his music amidst a<br />
divided United States and<br />
taking this spirit back to<br />
South Africa and into the<br />
rest of world. The first<br />
single ‘ Silence Seen’ will<br />
be released on May 18th<br />
through his media<br />
channels.<br />
www.xanderferreira.com<br />
xanderferreira.bandcamp.com<br />
FACEBOOK . https://www.facebook.com/xander.ferreira/<br />
INSTAGRAM . @xander_ferreira<br />
CONTACT . contact@xanderferreira.com<br />
TWITTER . @xanderferreira<br />
LIVE AT RUBBERTRACKS<br />
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AhWqWfFFEDg<br />
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7z6QGoqx85U<br />
Page #9
I live in a city that outpaces others.<br />
The heartbeat of New York City<br />
is a constant thrum. Locals walk<br />
at a brisk pace on their days off.<br />
The same speed carries over to<br />
their work-life balance. This is a<br />
city where people hustle 9-5 then<br />
work two other jobs-sometimes<br />
for money and sometimes for love<br />
of the craft. It’s rare to see a New<br />
Yorker taking a minute to breathe<br />
and process their day.<br />
I took a minute to breathe and<br />
noticed something had shifted<br />
within me: my feelings about food.<br />
Do you ever examine why you eat<br />
the foods you eat? Does it feel good<br />
going down? How do you feel ten<br />
minutes later?<br />
Page #10<br />
Most Days, I Don’t Feel Like A Cannibal<br />
By: Rebecca Mendzela<br />
I stumbled blindly down that path.<br />
Listening to my inner voice is what<br />
brought me to the decision to eat<br />
vegan. No one in my family is vegan<br />
or vegetarian. A few of my friends<br />
were vegetarian at the time, but I<br />
don’t recall it having a big influence<br />
on my decision to cut dairy, meat,<br />
and seafood out of my diet.<br />
It started when I admitted to myself<br />
that I strongly dislike handling raw<br />
meat. For years I told myself to<br />
ignore that feeling when cooking<br />
at home. Then, I thought maybe I<br />
didn’t want to eat meat anymore.<br />
Raw chicken reminds me of human<br />
flesh. Not that it’s any of your<br />
business, but most days I don’t feel<br />
like a cannibal.<br />
What would I eat if I didn’t eat<br />
meat? I needed to do some research.<br />
I could have stopped there and<br />
become a vegetarian, but after<br />
learning what I learned about<br />
dairy, you might think twice about<br />
quitting it too (hard to digest,<br />
causes acne, not the only source of<br />
calcium available, and intended<br />
use is to help a baby calf double<br />
in weight in the first three weeks<br />
of life). What about seafood?<br />
The ocean is overfished so it felt<br />
irresponsible to become a pescatarian.<br />
I did a lot of research about the<br />
health risks of eating a vegan diet<br />
and I sought out popular vegan<br />
recipe blogs. I went vegan and it<br />
lasted for three months.
The problem wasn’t the food. I<br />
can spout off recipes for twenty<br />
different vegan meals that are<br />
delicious, cost-effective, and easy to<br />
make with the use of basic kitchen<br />
skills. Here is my personal list of<br />
excuses. Most restaurants do not<br />
cater to vegans (yet). My belief<br />
system is built around the core idea<br />
of balance in everything. I still<br />
want to eat meat/seafood/dairy<br />
occasionally. I did not want to turn<br />
social dining situations with<br />
family and friends into emotional,<br />
logistical, messes. I wanted to share<br />
my love of eating plant based with<br />
the masses and I wanted them to<br />
see that despite what they may have<br />
heard, eating plants is not a lifestyle<br />
that requires “all or nothing.”<br />
Plant based eating desperately<br />
needs rebranding. Many meat<br />
and potato eaters believe that<br />
vegans/vegetarians are crazy and<br />
their inner circle is exclusive (vs.<br />
inclusive). It’s as if the clubhouse<br />
has a big sign on the door that reads<br />
“animal killers not welcome”. What<br />
is wrong with that? Everything.<br />
Shame on the people who came<br />
before us for lacking the vision<br />
to think about the bigger picture.<br />
Were they only thinking about<br />
the wellbeing of animals? Call me<br />
selfish, but I don’t do it for animals.<br />
Eating vegan for 80% of my meals<br />
has brought immeasurable joy into<br />
my life. Why should I keep that to<br />
myself when the health of my fellow<br />
humans, the planet, and lives of<br />
animals would benefit? Maybe I see<br />
value in doing it for the animals,<br />
but it’s the last reason on my list.<br />
My mission is to spread health,<br />
happiness, and hope. That is why<br />
I created Plant Based For Me. It’s<br />
for you. Eating more plants will<br />
help you live a better life. Once you<br />
have more energy you will be able<br />
to pause, take a deep breath, and<br />
evaluate your life. Are you where<br />
you want to be?<br />
I don’t think that you need me to<br />
convince you that if you eat crap<br />
your life might look like crap.<br />
It is a cycle funded by billions<br />
of advertising dollars. Many<br />
companies want you feel like junk<br />
most of the time and good for<br />
a short period of time (i.e. the<br />
moment you take your first sip/<br />
bite of whatever). Eat this fast food<br />
then drink this coffee. Okay, now<br />
consume alcohol often to “soothe”<br />
yourself. Later we will “help” you<br />
with prescription drugs because you<br />
have been shoving junk into your<br />
body for years and one day it will<br />
say “fuck you” and give up. Tired,<br />
sick people are easier to manipulate.<br />
If you think I sound like someone<br />
who wears a tin foil hat and<br />
stockpiles beans in a bunker, then<br />
maybe you aren’t ready to take<br />
care of yourself. Stay on the carnival<br />
ride of high-highs and lowlows<br />
a little longer. I am not offe<br />
nded. I am here for you when you<br />
are ready. Plus, I love hats.<br />
If you are ready to take care of<br />
yourself then let’s do this. I am here<br />
to support you.<br />
Step One: Think about why you are<br />
ready to modify your eating habits.<br />
I strongly recommend that you<br />
do not become a plant based<br />
eater for the sole purpose of losing<br />
weight. Here are some reasons that<br />
might align with your values: your<br />
energy levels are all over the place,<br />
you have restless sleep, you have<br />
stomach issues when you eat dairy,<br />
you have trouble with elimination,<br />
there is a history of high blood<br />
pressure or high cholesterol in your<br />
family, you’re not interested in<br />
getting cancer, you care about the<br />
environment, or you love animals.<br />
Isn’t it odd that people who obsess<br />
over their cats and dogs have<br />
convinced themselves that it is<br />
normal to treat some animals like<br />
family and others like food? Life is<br />
strange.<br />
Step Two: Evaluate where you<br />
currently stand on your journey<br />
with food. It will only take two<br />
minutes, but you must be honest<br />
with yourself. How often do you<br />
eat processed foods? Dairy? Meat/<br />
seafood? Veggies? Fruits? Beans?<br />
Whole grains? It’s natural to<br />
convince yourself that you currently<br />
eat more of the good stuff and less<br />
of the bad stuff. Food journal for<br />
a week if you need help getting to<br />
the facts, but never lose your flair<br />
for creative storytelling. That’s a<br />
marketable skill.<br />
Step Three: Where do you want to<br />
be? Do you want to eat plant based<br />
meals once a day? Twice a day? Or<br />
all the time? I have to be honest.<br />
Eating only one plant based meal<br />
(this includes fruits/veggies/whole<br />
grains/beans/nuts) a day is akin to<br />
riding a bike with training wheels.<br />
I don’t think it is consistent enough<br />
to see a noticeable improvement in<br />
health. It is perfectly fine to hang<br />
out there until you are ready to dive<br />
deeper. Everyone deserves the right<br />
to set their own pace when it<br />
comes to making lifestyle changes.<br />
However, I challenge you to eat two<br />
plant based meals a day. Start with<br />
two tomorrow, or work you way up<br />
to two a day by starting with one<br />
plant based meal a day. You are the<br />
decision maker. You are the one<br />
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who will benefit from making<br />
positive, healthy decisions. The<br />
people around you will indirectly<br />
benefit from you being happier<br />
and healthier, but screw them. You<br />
do the work and you get the most<br />
benefits. This is America!<br />
Step Four: Learn how to nourish<br />
your body. You deserve to live<br />
a happy, healthy life. Focus on<br />
nutrients not calories. If you are<br />
self-directed in your learning style<br />
you can check out my free guide to<br />
adding more plants to your plate.<br />
It is available on my website: www.<br />
plantbasedfor.me. If you would like<br />
more support you can reach out via<br />
the contact form and I can help you<br />
with meal planning, introduction<br />
to new foods, cooking skills, and<br />
more.<br />
Do I sound like a walking,<br />
talking infomercial for a diet pill<br />
or an aerobics DVD? I wasn’t<br />
always a cheerleader for health and<br />
happiness. For most of my life I<br />
identified with the skeptical,<br />
sarcastic joker in the back of the<br />
room. For years my response to<br />
almost anything was “I’m all set<br />
thanks.” So fashion. I wasn’t all set. I<br />
was defensive and I knew how to<br />
dig my heels in. I had inconsistent<br />
energy levels, my digestive system<br />
was out of whack (Is it normal to<br />
poop twice a week? NO!), my skin<br />
was far from glowing, and I wasn’t<br />
eating to nourish my body. I am<br />
happy I did the work and learned<br />
how to cook vegetables without<br />
adding cheese. Do I still eat dairy<br />
and meat/seafood? Yes. How often?<br />
About twice a week. Do I feel like<br />
I am missing something by eating<br />
vegan 80% of the time? Never. Have<br />
I gained anything? More than I can<br />
comprehend. It has changed my<br />
life and I hope it will change yours.<br />
Sending you all the plant based love<br />
you can handle from NYC.<br />
Rebecca Mendzela is the founder of Plant Based For Me. Her<br />
mission is to help people add more plants to their plate through<br />
education, support, and general silliness. You can find her at<br />
www.plantbasedfor.me.<br />
*General Disclaimer: This article is the personal experience of one<br />
individual. It is not written by a licensed health professional.<br />
Page #12
Kaspar Basse is the CEO & Founder of JOE & THE JUICE. In 2002, after working 6 years in the<br />
world of advertising, Kaspar started JOE & THE JUICE. As an elite-athlete (Denmark’s youngest<br />
black-belt), Kaspar was inspired to create an environment offering a modern urban ambiance<br />
appealing to millennial customers looking for convenience as they live fast-paced, yet healthy<br />
lifestyles.<br />
Using high-quality, natural, and organic ingredients, JOE & THE JUICE offers freshly prepared<br />
juices, shakes, coffee, and sandwiches. JOE & THE JUICE’s emphasis on customer engagement<br />
has created a unique atmosphere within its stores where customers can work or socialize while<br />
enjoying exceptional juice and coffee products. The company has a strong global presence with<br />
more than 200 stores in 15 countries. The company has a growing presence in Asia and the US<br />
market.<br />
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JOE & THE JUICE<br />
Østergade 26A, 3. sal<br />
DK - 1100 Copenhagen<br />
Denmark<br />
M: (+ 45) 50534190<br />
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Agnosia<br />
The Aldrian Collection<br />
Photographer: Svetlana Blasucci<br />
Designer: Aldrian Diaz<br />
Hair/Makeup: Dunia Ghabour<br />
Model: Darin (EMG)<br />
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ABOUT THE COLLECTION:<br />
Agnosia is the inability to process sensory information. The collection pulls from the idea of one who is<br />
unable to recognize objects, persons, sounds, shapes, smells, etc. and the frustration that must follow. The<br />
straitjacket-inspired sleeves are repeated throughout to embody the feeling of ‘restriction’. Various letters<br />
and phrases are expressed in sign-language embroidery, representing an attempt at communication. The<br />
looks are cohesively unsettling in concept, with punches of vibrant color to resemble the ounce of optimism<br />
they are forced to have when all odds are up against them.
Antheia<br />
Goddess<br />
of<br />
Garden<br />
.<br />
Nature<br />
.<br />
Greenery<br />
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Stylist: Yenifer Ubiera<br />
Hair: Helena Marie<br />
Makeup: Mika Omura<br />
Model: Brit O’ Malley<br />
Photographer: Svetlana Blasucci
Coachella<br />
Whether or not you love music,<br />
it is oft the backdrop of our lives,<br />
tethering us to some of our most<br />
formidable memories. Though in<br />
relation to memories music may<br />
play a role behind the scenes it<br />
should be the main event at a music<br />
festival, but at Coachella, the music<br />
seems to be riding shotgun rather<br />
than driving the party.<br />
As one of the world’s most<br />
well-known music festivals,<br />
there are few things that elicit<br />
the polarizing responses that<br />
Coachella garners every year.<br />
Selling out within mere hours every<br />
year, the festival eponymously<br />
named after its host city is a household<br />
name and holds more pop<br />
culture clout than any other<br />
festival of its kind. With a loyal<br />
flock of music lovers, festival fans,<br />
pseudo-celebs, real celebrities and a<br />
healthy helping of internet-famous<br />
“influencers,” Coachella is the party<br />
that everyone wants to get into, and<br />
with enough money and free time<br />
(or Instagram followers), you too<br />
can don a floral headband come<br />
next spring.<br />
Though many have tried, Coachella<br />
is still the cultural gold standard<br />
of music festivals. Other festivals<br />
have come and gone, many have<br />
tried to emulate Coachella’s success,<br />
but after the very public failure of<br />
the elitist FYRE festival, SXSW is<br />
still clearly Coachella’s only peer on<br />
the festival circuit. Originally billed<br />
as the anti-Woodstock of the West,<br />
Coachella’s founding principle was<br />
based on artistry and not popularity,<br />
but somewhere in its 30-year<br />
journey, Coachella has seemingly<br />
moved from being about the<br />
musicto being about the culture<br />
of Coachella itself. So this year<br />
while I stayed in my Brooklyn<br />
apartment, my roommate made<br />
his way west, and had a once of a<br />
lifetime experience.<br />
Before celebrities like Paris Hilton<br />
and Kim Kardashian were flocking<br />
to Burning Man for extreme<br />
glamping, you could be sure to<br />
catch them in faux-ho chic garb<br />
at Coachella. With headbands<br />
aplenty, Coachella has become<br />
the go to photo-op for millennials<br />
and socialites the world over, so<br />
much so that it inspired the fourth<br />
most-popular Snapchat filter, the<br />
flower crown, which Instagram just<br />
copied a few weeks late for the first<br />
festival of the Summer.<br />
On the surface, the price of<br />
admission for a Coachella weekend<br />
isn’t all that different from its EDM<br />
counterparts like Electric Daisy,<br />
but the cost of going to Coachella<br />
is a very different monster, which<br />
pushes the festival towards a<br />
clientele in a tax-bracket all their<br />
own. Unless you happen to live in<br />
the desert town’s namesake, your<br />
cost starts at a minimum of $399,<br />
plus airfare or gas, lodging, and<br />
food. If you can drive, the only way<br />
for you to park is to have a VIP<br />
pass, which will cost you another<br />
$500 dollars on top of your general<br />
admission cost, if you don’t drive,<br />
you’re more than likely going to<br />
need to buy shuttle passes. Now<br />
you might feel like you’re capped<br />
for your Coachella experience, but<br />
for a large majority of festival-goers<br />
psychedelics are a must.<br />
Now, if you’re wondering if the<br />
festival is worth it, most people<br />
would give a resounding “yes” if<br />
only because it’s something that<br />
everyone should do once for<br />
the atmosphere. The hefty price<br />
tag doesn’t just bring in swaths<br />
frat-bros and basic bitches, it brings<br />
world class talent, musical staples,<br />
and emerging acts to one place<br />
with a production value that is<br />
unrivaled. Regardless of if you came<br />
with crowd of your own or if you<br />
came alone, Coachella’s vibe is one<br />
of inclusivity and being free, which<br />
is only heightened by the effects of<br />
mainstay festival drugs like MDMA,<br />
Ecstasy and Acid which extend the<br />
euphoria far beyond the confines of<br />
a participant’s experience.<br />
Aside from the music and art<br />
installations, Coachella is known<br />
for its easy-breezy fashions. Unlike<br />
the opulence that would that would<br />
generally flood your Instagram<br />
feed if someone was spending a<br />
grand over the span of a weekend,<br />
Coachella is about seeing your<br />
perfect line up and dancing it out<br />
with your crew, which means<br />
loose fabrics and a kaleidoscope of<br />
color. Coachella’s rise to mainstream<br />
patronage gave way to the entire<br />
renaissance of the Bohemian-<br />
Aestetic.<br />
So while Coachella may have<br />
become a pop-culture phenomenon,<br />
it is the Woodstock of our time and<br />
a right-of-passage that I one day<br />
hope to immerse myself in, even if<br />
it costs me more than my rent.<br />
-Sean Davis<br />
Page #27
OTTON<br />
ANDY<br />
ARNIVAL<br />
CPhotography: Demetri Parides<br />
Model: Kornelia Ski<br />
Makeup Artist: Glamour Addict Salon<br />
Hair Stylist: Carollee Labrise for Glamour Addict Salon<br />
Wardrobe: New York Couture<br />
Styling: Cassie Brock<br />
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Is there female divinity in the Bible?<br />
Although Christianity is inarguably<br />
a patriarchal religion with a belief<br />
system surrounding a holy “Father”<br />
and “Son,” many have argued that<br />
the Holy Spirit, Jesus, and even<br />
God can be seen as feminine or<br />
androgynous by looking at images<br />
and language in the Bible that<br />
describe these divinities in<br />
feminine terms. Although God<br />
is more commonly known as the<br />
“Father,” God is also written as a<br />
bear robbed of her cubs, a nursing<br />
mother, and a woman looking for<br />
a lost coin. In the same way, the<br />
Holy Spirit has been identified with<br />
the masculine “he” in Corinthians<br />
12:11, yet has also been called<br />
“compassionate mother,” and<br />
“hidden Mother.” Although, as<br />
seen above, there are passages<br />
written as God the Midwife, God<br />
the Mother, and God the Woman<br />
among other metaphors. Although<br />
the Bible inarguably uses more<br />
masculine than feminine images to<br />
describe God, it is still important to<br />
note that these feminine metaphors<br />
exist and suggest a feminine<br />
dimension within Yahweh.<br />
Beginning with God the Midwife, it<br />
is important to note that midwives<br />
can be of any gender; however, in<br />
biblical times, being a midwife was<br />
typically a woman’s job. Knowing<br />
this context, Rev. Susan A. Blain<br />
cites this example of God the<br />
Midwife as a mark of femininity,<br />
where God is described as “she who<br />
took me from the womb; you made<br />
me trust you at my mother’s breasts.<br />
come forth, and who has given<br />
birth to the frost of heaven?”<br />
clearly implying herself as the<br />
birthing mother. Christian author<br />
and Professor Virginia Ramey<br />
Mollenkott cite more womb<br />
imagery surrounding God,<br />
highlighting Acts 17:28 where Paul<br />
says “In him we live and move<br />
and have our being. For we are<br />
indeed his offspring.” Referring to<br />
this quote, Mollenkott defines the<br />
passage as womb imagery by stating<br />
that at “no other time in human<br />
experience do we exist within<br />
another person” then when we do<br />
in our mother’s wombs, and that<br />
essentially Paul says that everyone<br />
is “...living, moving, and existing<br />
within the cosmic womb of the One<br />
God.” As well, God also depicts<br />
Herself as in labor, where She says<br />
Divinely Pink:<br />
The Femininity/Androgyny of God and God’s Agencies<br />
that highlight both feminine and<br />
masculine traits within all of these<br />
divinities, almost all have been<br />
stringently gendered as male by<br />
mainstream Christianity.<br />
Arguably the most controversial<br />
gender within the Trinity is God’s.<br />
Although all can agree that God<br />
is limitless and transcendent of all<br />
human concepts, including gender,<br />
many Christians find themselves<br />
shocked, and many more angry, at<br />
the concept of God the Mother or<br />
using the pronoun “She” to refer to<br />
God in everyday worship. However,<br />
the idea of God as feminine is valid,<br />
drawing evidence from Biblical<br />
passages and various interpretations<br />
throughout history. Citing from the<br />
Bible alone, God the Father is also<br />
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On you was I cast from my birth,<br />
and from my mother’s womb you<br />
have been my God.” Here we see<br />
God facilitating birth, taking the<br />
follower from the womb and giving<br />
the mother her child, all activities<br />
midwives do. In this way, God<br />
relates to the midwife, whose job<br />
was typically done by women.<br />
As well as helping women give<br />
birth, God is also written as one<br />
who gives birth and one who has<br />
a womb. Where God created the<br />
world, Job 38:8 describes the sea<br />
that “burst out from the womb”<br />
during creation, implying,<br />
albeit metaphorically, that God has<br />
a womb. God again is described<br />
using birthing metaphors, asking<br />
Job, “From whose womb did the ice<br />
“For a long time I have held<br />
my peace; I have kept still and<br />
restrained myself; now I will cry out<br />
like a woman in labor; I will gasp<br />
and pant.” Romans 8:22 also refers<br />
to God giving birth, saying that “the<br />
whole creation has been groaning<br />
together in the pains of childbirth<br />
until now.” Clearly since women are<br />
the primary human beings that can<br />
give birth and have wombs, these<br />
metaphors of childbirth and wombs<br />
display a feminine image of God.<br />
Possibly the most powerful image<br />
of God as feminine is God the<br />
Mother. Again, it is important to<br />
note that although both parents<br />
should care for their children<br />
equally, it was typical for women to<br />
be the dominant caregiver during
iblical times. Keeping this context<br />
in mind, the passages that depict<br />
Yahweh as a comforting mother,<br />
caregiver, and householder can be<br />
interpreted as feminine images. As<br />
noted above, God is the mother of<br />
creation, of the sea, the earth, and<br />
the sky, but also of all her followers.<br />
God describes herself as acting like<br />
a caring mother in Hosea 11:3-4,<br />
saying “I who taught Ephraim to<br />
walk; I took them up by their arms,<br />
but they did not know that I healed<br />
them. I led them with cords of<br />
kindness, with the bands of love,<br />
and I became to them as one who<br />
eases the yoke on their jaws, and<br />
I bent down to them and fed<br />
them.” As well, Christian feminist<br />
advocates Erin Saiz Hanna and Kate<br />
McElwee cite God as a comforting<br />
mother in Isaiah 66:13 where God<br />
tells his follower, “As one whom his<br />
mother comforts, so I will comfort<br />
you; you shall be comforted in<br />
Jerusalem.” Implied in the former<br />
quote as being a human mother,<br />
God is also compared to a furious<br />
“mother bear robbed of her cubs”<br />
in Hosea 13:8 and a mother eagle<br />
that “stirreth up her nest, fluttereth<br />
over her young, spreadeth abroad<br />
her wings, taketh them, beareth<br />
them on her wings.”.<br />
What is significant to understand<br />
about the examples above is that<br />
they all conform to traditional,<br />
biblical women’s gender roles as<br />
a mother, caregiver, and midwife.<br />
Feminist scholar and Catholic<br />
theologian Rosemary Radford<br />
Ruether points out that these scenes<br />
of God as feminine are mentioned<br />
only “when the authors wish to<br />
describe God’s unconditional love<br />
and faithfulness,” essentially using<br />
femininity as a tool to portray love.<br />
However, other biblical passages<br />
also imply God’s likeness to women<br />
without reverting to women’s<br />
association as a caregiver. In Luke<br />
15:8-10, Jesus describes God as<br />
a woman looking for a lost coin,<br />
saying:<br />
Or what woman, having ten silver<br />
coins, if she loses one coin, does not<br />
light a lamp and sweep the house<br />
and seek diligently until she finds it?<br />
And when she has found it, she calls<br />
together her friends and neighbors,<br />
saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have<br />
found the coin that I had lost.’ Just<br />
so, I tell you, there is joy before the<br />
angels of God over one sinner who<br />
repents.<br />
Women during biblical times<br />
were not typically known for<br />
managing finances. In this way, the<br />
fact that the actor in the metaphor<br />
is a woman has no bearing in the<br />
metaphor; she is simply a woman<br />
without having to portray a<br />
specific feminine characteristic.<br />
Thus, God here relates to women<br />
without having to reduce their<br />
identity to a stereotype. As well,<br />
many have argued that Genesis<br />
1:26-27 bears the possibility of both<br />
men and women being made<br />
in God’s image. From the English<br />
Standard Version of the Bible the<br />
quote reads:<br />
Then God said, “Let us make man<br />
in our image, after our likeness. And<br />
let them have dominion over the fish<br />
of the sea and over the birds of the<br />
heavens and over the livestock and<br />
over all the earth and over every<br />
creeping thing that creeps on the<br />
earth.” So God created man in his<br />
own image, in the image of God he<br />
created him; male and female he<br />
created them.<br />
Keeping in mind that the Hebrew<br />
word for “man” (adam) is the<br />
generic term for humanity, the<br />
quote can be interpreted as saying<br />
that all of humanity is created<br />
in God’s image, including women.<br />
Mollenkott delves even further with<br />
this analysis, saying if both genders<br />
are under the label of God’s image,<br />
“then in some mysterious way the<br />
nature of God encompasses all the<br />
traits which society labels feminine<br />
as well as the entire traits society<br />
labels masculine.” If women are<br />
created in the image of God, then<br />
God must in some way have a<br />
physical connection to women!<br />
Mollenkott further uses this<br />
quote to imply that every actor<br />
in the Trinity has both feminine<br />
and masculine qualities. Citing<br />
Genesis 1:26, “Let us make man in<br />
our image, after our likeness,”<br />
Mollenkott suggests that the use<br />
of the plural pronoun refers to all<br />
the actors in the Trinity and thus,<br />
mankind is made under the image<br />
of all the Trinity’s members. Thus,<br />
she follows that “every member<br />
of the Trinity possesses both<br />
masculine and feminine elements,”<br />
including Jesus and the Holy<br />
Spirit. As we have already seen in<br />
my biblical citation of God’s varying<br />
feminine metaphors, it is clear that<br />
a God displaying both masculine<br />
and feminine dimensions exists.<br />
In spite of the fact that God and the<br />
Holy Spirit are transcendent figures<br />
that defy human limitations<br />
and conceptions, their perceived<br />
gender, as well as Jesus Christ’s<br />
gender, have important bearing<br />
on how the Christian community<br />
views gender and therefore on how<br />
Christian relationships are founded<br />
and acted out. Where masculinity<br />
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within the Trinity is emphasized,<br />
femininity suffers as being thought<br />
of as inferior and women suffer in<br />
forced submission and forced<br />
silence. In addition, this paradigm<br />
of masculinity being divine and<br />
femininity being lesser sets up<br />
Christian relationships between<br />
men and women as one of<br />
dominance and submission, where<br />
Mollenkott writes that a Christian<br />
woman is told “it is only when [she]<br />
surrenders her life to her husband,<br />
reveres and worships him, and<br />
is willing to serve him, that she<br />
becomes really beautiful to him.” In<br />
another issue, the lack of feminine<br />
deities or powers in the Christian<br />
tradition alienates, invalidates,<br />
and excludes women, who have no<br />
higher power with which they can<br />
truly relate. Although androgyny<br />
is a viable option for gendering the<br />
Trinity, it is still unsettling or even<br />
shocking for some to hear feminine<br />
pronouns intermittent with male<br />
- Sarah Fernandez<br />
pronouns when referring to God<br />
and His agencies. Where<br />
emphasizing masculinity may<br />
exclude and silence Christian<br />
women, Mollenkott among others<br />
say a change to androgynous<br />
God-talk may be “a step in the<br />
direction of that enrichment” that<br />
allows women full participation<br />
and equality within the church. It<br />
is only when we acknowledge these<br />
masculine and feminine images of<br />
the divine that this first step can be<br />
taken.<br />
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E A R T H L Y G O D S<br />
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Stylist: Dianis Mercado<br />
Suit Jackets: Nick Graham<br />
Model: Alex Ruffio<br />
Photographer: Svetlana Blasucci<br />
Page #39
THE NEW COOL<br />
By: Kerrin Smith<br />
How many times a day do we say<br />
“Cool?” Let’s start counting. In each<br />
of those twenty-some-odd daily<br />
instances, what do we really mean?<br />
When we use Cool as verbal<br />
nod “yes” in agreement, what are<br />
we endorsing? When we dub<br />
something “Cool,” what is it that<br />
we think is so compelling? Visualize<br />
the last “Cool” thing you saw; what<br />
spoke to you? What did you want to<br />
be or have that that thing or person<br />
was?<br />
The concept of “Cool” is pervasive<br />
-- it’s everywhere. “Cool” is baked<br />
into our lexicons just as it teeming<br />
from our cultural imaginations and<br />
flowing through digital feeds. Being<br />
“Cool” has become our ultimate<br />
social goal. When a concept is<br />
so omnipresent, so aspirational,<br />
we must look under the hood to<br />
understand to what are we aspiring?<br />
Historians Dick Pountain and<br />
David Robins assert that a<br />
dominant understanding of Cool<br />
is grounded in ideas of narcissism,<br />
hedonism, and rebellion. Let’s make<br />
this real with an example of the<br />
“Cool” girl who doesn’t care what<br />
anybody thinks of her. She is<br />
uninhibited in her dress, speech,<br />
actions regardless of what the<br />
convention -- or conventional<br />
consequence might be.<br />
There is nothing inherently<br />
wrong with this practice of Cool,<br />
however, there are impacts: if being<br />
Cool means having the courage to<br />
take the unconventional path or<br />
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the emotional steel to act regardless<br />
of others’ judgements, what can<br />
also be lost is the awareness<br />
for how we affect others. The<br />
rebellion that underpins this<br />
understanding of Cool is an<br />
abdication of responsibility: we<br />
don’t have to be responsible for the<br />
impact we have on other people.<br />
What starts at a micro level an roll<br />
up into thinning social ties between<br />
people and a set of mainstream<br />
values that can subvert ideas like<br />
engagement and accountability.<br />
Something powerful could become<br />
available to us if we were to define<br />
Cool another way: what if being<br />
Cool means being generous and<br />
empathetic? Understanding Cool<br />
in this way could start to reshape<br />
our cultural priorities. Instead of<br />
aspiring to expressions of deviation<br />
or promiscuity, we can use that<br />
same fearless energy to get gritty<br />
and creative about solving problems<br />
that matter the most.<br />
One might call this “rebels with a<br />
cause,” but it’s more than that,<br />
because this new Cool calls for<br />
us to be courageous in taking<br />
responsibility for our actions. We<br />
can consider the experience of<br />
others before we drive forward<br />
with our own preferences and<br />
experiences. If we start to value<br />
the ability to imagine another’s<br />
experience, we start to build our<br />
collective empathy muscle.<br />
Imagining how the world looks<br />
to another is a fundamentally<br />
different starting point when it<br />
comes to problem solving: we are<br />
already beginning outside our<br />
own perspective. Thinking<br />
beyond our own preferences to<br />
consider others’ experiences,<br />
creates fertile grounfor crafting<br />
solutions that work for everyone<br />
involved, whether that be a group of<br />
friends working through a<br />
misunderstanding, or those at the<br />
helm of shifting social systems.<br />
In this way, Cool becomes<br />
our ultimate access. It’s the<br />
starting point an alternative set of<br />
aspirations: imagination, kindness,<br />
and compassion. When applied,<br />
these sorts of values can translate<br />
into honest interactions between<br />
people and new approaches to<br />
solving old problems, unlocking<br />
solutions that are trullasting,<br />
inclusive...and Cool.
S A K U<br />
2015 Sep launched saku new york<br />
2016 March New Orleans Fashion Week SS16 Collection Runway<br />
2016 April A’ Design Award & competition _ 2015-2016 Golden A Desing Award in Fashion<br />
2016 June A’design Award Winner’s exhibition in Como Italy<br />
2016 June Fashion Week Brooklyn AW16 Collection Runway show<br />
2016 Sep Macy’s FrontRow Fashion show<br />
2016 Sep Capsule show NYC<br />
2016 Oct Tesla X Fashion Week Brooklyn VIP reception<br />
2016 Oct Macy’s Herald Square NYC Pop-Up<br />
2016 Oct Fashion Week Brooklyn SS17 Collection Runway show<br />
2017 Jan Chelsea Market NYC Pop-Up<br />
2017 Feb New York Fashion Week (NYFW) AW17 Collection Runway show<br />
2017 May-June Galleria Department GangNam Seoul Pop-Up<br />
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S A K U<br />
SAKU is an emerging women’s contemporary brand, based in<br />
NYC. Showroom is located in East Village.<br />
Lissa Koo, as a very competent s a k u ’s chief designer, has<br />
graduated one of the most popular fashion school, PARSONS,<br />
the New School for Design. She had run a concept store called<br />
York Avenue and sponsored many celebrities with her store’s<br />
selected clothes. After 5 years of running York Avenue, she<br />
finally launched her own named brand “s a k u” in September<br />
2015.<br />
The motif for “s a k u” is both the chic New York sense and<br />
the easy, breezy West Coast atmosphere. While being a unique,<br />
never-seen-before style, “s a k u” offers clothes that are ready-towear<br />
and easily approachable by any one. In addition, pursuing<br />
both sportiness and femininity at the same time, “s a k u”<br />
showcases silhouette apparel that greatly emphasizes woman’s<br />
beauty along with comfortable fabrics that allow easy movement.<br />
Designer: @Saku_NewYork<br />
Photographer: @HaleLeePhoto<br />
Makeup Artist: @__ShadesByA<br />
Hair: @Hairtonicsalon_<br />
Model: @HelenaKoclanes , @Bellathedj<br />
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Indigo Ambrosia<br />
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For this shoot I was inspired by the<br />
book I was reading at the time, Boris<br />
Vian’s Froth on a Daydream. In that<br />
story, shortly after the lovers wed<br />
the young bride contracts a rare<br />
affliction, water lily in the lung, that<br />
can only be cured by surrounding the<br />
afflicted with blooming flowers 24<br />
hours a day.<br />
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I N D I G O
A M B R O S I A<br />
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Flowers feature heavily in<br />
Greek mythology and are often<br />
named for the characters in<br />
the myths. I wanted to reflect<br />
the gods/goddesses connection<br />
to flowers and their associated<br />
color palette.<br />
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Stylist - Samantha F. Brown<br />
MUA: Shay Garcia<br />
Hair: Dunia Ghabour<br />
Talent: Mariany (One.1)<br />
Talent: Izabella (Q Models)<br />
Photographer: Dustin Sonneborn<br />
Producer/Art Director: Svetlana Blasucci<br />
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W A L K<br />
T<br />
H<br />
I<br />
S<br />
W A Y
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ALK THIS WAY WALK THIS WAY WALK THIS WAY WALK THIS WAY WALK THIS WAY WALK THIS WAY WALK THIS WAY WALK
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ALK THIS WAY WALK THIS WAY WALK THIS WAY WALK THIS WAY WALK THIS WAY WALK THIS WAY WALK THIS WAY WALK<br />
Photographer: Svetlana Blasucci<br />
Stylist: Maria De Lalma<br />
Vintage Clothing: Couture Du Jour<br />
Hair/Makeup: Dunia Ghabour<br />
Earrings: Pipirisnais<br />
Model #1: Sophie Olszak<br />
Model #2: Trinity Blades<br />
Page #57
“I can’t dance. I can’t in my room, nor in a club, let alone any kind of stage.<br />
Whenever I am forced to try, I stumble or freeze or drink enough to disappear.<br />
However, this time, for the first time, I found myself actively involved in<br />
dancing - even if by using someone else’s body.<br />
In my project I function as a visual choreographer, making up a certain movement<br />
language that is the outcome of a verbal dialogue between the photographed dancer<br />
and I. On my part, it is a language born of a screech, it is uncomfortably beautiful.<br />
I don’t predetermine the result - insisting on well-planned perfectness - but rather<br />
establish a strong understanding, let the dancer improvise and capture his<br />
movements. Afterwards, I experiment with layering various photos on top of each<br />
other, searching for intriguing combinations. Unlike everything I had done in the<br />
past, which was always carefully sculpted, this time I put my<br />
trust in the coincidental.<br />
My subjects provided me with the physical intelligence. I only had vague mental<br />
images, a camera, and a long history of unused dancefloors.”<br />
-Nir Arieli<br />
The<br />
TENSION<br />
Series
“In my project I function as a visual choreographer, making up a certain<br />
movement language that is the outcome of a verbal dialogue between the<br />
photographed dancer and I”<br />
Nir Arieli launched his career as a military<br />
photographer for the Israeli magazine Bamachane,<br />
before receiving a scholarship to pursue a BFA at<br />
New York’s School of Visual Arts; he graduated<br />
with honors. Nir’s photographic passion is within<br />
the portraiture and dance fields.He is an admirer of<br />
gentleness, beauty that embodies a sense of<br />
conflict and physical intelligence.<br />
Nir has won numerous scholarships and<br />
awards throughout his 13 years career. His<br />
work has been published, exhibited and collected<br />
internationally and his dance clients include the<br />
Juilliard School, The Alvin Ailey school, The Joyce<br />
Theater Foundation, Gallim Dance, MADboots<br />
Dance, Pontus Lidberg, Loni Landon and Jonah<br />
Bokaer. Nir’s commercial clients include<br />
The School of Visual Arts, Time Out NY,<br />
Bloomingdales, CRCmedia, Blonde + Co and<br />
Craft & Root. Nir is represented in NYC by Daniel<br />
Cooney Fine Art gallery and in Israel by Pinzeta<br />
initiative. His last solo show “Flocks” was on<br />
view at Daniel Cooney Fine Art gallery between<br />
April 2<strong>1st</strong> and June 4th 2016.<br />
Nir Arieli<br />
P h o t o g r a p h e r<br />
www.NirArieli.com<br />
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N E M E S I S
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Photographer Justin Boswick & Svetlana Blasucci<br />
Hair/Makeup: Kelso Millett<br />
Syling: Chamone Diane<br />
Models: Ems Clair & Kat Wilkins<br />
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UNTAMED<br />
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Makeup: Latisha<br />
Model: Colleen KM<br />
Photographer: Svatlana Blasuccii<br />
Page #81
Mass media is an enormously<br />
powerful enterprise; it normalizes<br />
and ostracizes phenomena, shaping<br />
thoughts and actions, and influencing<br />
behaviors, concepts, and people<br />
in society. As a capitalist industry,<br />
media’s primary goal is income, and<br />
it moves wherever popular opinion<br />
goes in order to make this profit.<br />
In previous generations, public<br />
opinion demeaned and ostracized<br />
feminism, and mass<br />
media reflected this<br />
opinion; however,<br />
today’s millennials<br />
are arguably more<br />
liberal and socially<br />
conscious than their<br />
predecessors. As a<br />
result, celebrities<br />
and modern media<br />
push an agenda of<br />
vague feminism that is apolitical,<br />
liberal, facile and palatable, in order<br />
to make a product that does not<br />
create any larger institutional<br />
changes, but is accessible to every<br />
possible consumer.<br />
It has always been argued that<br />
liberal, reformist feminism is more<br />
enthusiastically accepted than<br />
radical or intersectional feminism,<br />
and in her book, Full Frontal<br />
Feminism: A Young Woman’s Guide<br />
to Why Feminism Matters, feminist<br />
writer Jessica Valenti’s dictionary<br />
definition of feminism exemplifies<br />
why, where she defines feminism<br />
as the “belief in the social, political,<br />
and economic equality of the sexes.”<br />
Because liberal feminism only<br />
focuses on gender equality within<br />
the existing institution rather<br />
than targeting and dismantling<br />
institutions that perpetuate sexism,<br />
it offers a vague purpose and<br />
definition that is uncomplex and<br />
easy to digest. This simplicity<br />
provides media a product it can<br />
Page #82<br />
easily push to masses. Even<br />
better for capitalizing, Valenti<br />
states that “...feminism is really<br />
something you define for yourself ”<br />
and that “[Feminism is] about<br />
finding the cause that works for<br />
you and makes you happy, and<br />
doing something about it.”<br />
These extremely open definitions<br />
of feminism and feminist causes do<br />
not define these concepts politically,<br />
MEDIA<br />
MANIPULATIONS:<br />
WHY MEDIA’S<br />
nor answer the<br />
questions of what<br />
political beliefs<br />
define feminism<br />
and what it<br />
means for a cause<br />
to be feminist. In<br />
this way, people<br />
can claim they<br />
are feminist with<br />
only a vague idea<br />
of what feminism<br />
is in relation to them. Author,<br />
feminist, and social activist bell<br />
hooks defines this phenomena as<br />
“lifestyle feminism” where “there<br />
could be as many versions of<br />
feminism as there were women” and<br />
as a result “the politics [are] being<br />
slowly removed from feminism.”<br />
With feminism losing its strong<br />
political motives, liberal lifestyle<br />
feminism becomes more palatable<br />
to society at large, “...because its<br />
underlying assumption is that<br />
women can be feminists without<br />
fundamentally challenging and<br />
changing themselves or the culture.”<br />
This is not to say that liberal<br />
feminism does not address<br />
feminist issues at all; contrarily,<br />
it addresses very pertinent issues<br />
of rape culture, equal pay, unfair<br />
beauty standards and abortion<br />
among other gendered problems.<br />
The conflict arises when liberal<br />
feminism addresses these problems<br />
individually, rather than addressing<br />
the underlying source for them all,<br />
societal institutions like schools,<br />
EXPLOITATION OF<br />
FEMINISM GENERATES<br />
APOLITICAL FEMINISM<br />
FOR PUBLIC<br />
CONSUMPTION<br />
marriage, government, and<br />
mass media that perpetuate<br />
sexism. Because this vague liberal<br />
conception of feminism as gender<br />
equality is something that everyone<br />
can support, mass media claims<br />
liberal apolitical feminism as the<br />
definitive form of feminism in order<br />
to profit from the masses who<br />
can accept and support lifestyle<br />
feminism.<br />
Mass media, while primarily<br />
being a capitalist enterprise, works<br />
to maintain institutional sexism<br />
by normalizing and ostracizing<br />
certain cultural practices and<br />
thoughts. Professors Megan Boler<br />
and Michalinos Zembylas in their<br />
article “Discomforting Truths: The<br />
Emotional Terrain of Understanding<br />
Difference” support this claim,<br />
writing that hegemony, or “the<br />
maintenance of domination,” is<br />
performed through “consensual<br />
social practices, social forms, and<br />
social structures” which are<br />
“produced in specific sites suchas<br />
the mass media.” Even further,<br />
Boler and Zembylas state that<br />
people “absorb the values of the<br />
dominant culture through what<br />
might be called popular history,”<br />
and that “the sources of popular<br />
history...include newspapers and<br />
periodicals — especially the<br />
photographic-historical.” This<br />
erasure of intersectional and radical<br />
feminism creates the public belief<br />
that the liberal feminism described<br />
by Valenti and emphasized by mass<br />
media is the only feminism; just<br />
as bell hooks wrote more than a<br />
decade ago, it seems that “the vision<br />
of “women’s liberation” which<br />
captured and still holds the public<br />
imagination was the one representing<br />
women as wanting what men<br />
have” rather than women wanting<br />
to create institutional change.
Comparing popular news outlets<br />
and magazines to smaller blogs,<br />
academics or articles supports<br />
this claim. I specifically realized<br />
this truth in my own experience<br />
by looking at media on Beyoncé<br />
Knowles. I have always been an avid<br />
Beyoncé fan, and everywhere one<br />
looks, magazines, tv shows, and<br />
news outlets make her out to be a<br />
feminist icon. Everywhere are<br />
articles highlighting her activism,<br />
from her feminist declaration at<br />
her 2014 VMA performance, to her<br />
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie<br />
sampling in her song “Flawless”, to<br />
her visual album Lemonade that<br />
many, including myself, claimed<br />
celebrated and empowered black<br />
women. It wasn’t until I read bell<br />
hooks’ analysis of Lemonade that<br />
I truly questioned what I actually<br />
knew about Beyoncé’s feminism.<br />
Naming it “capitalistic” and “<br />
unrevolutionary”, and claiming that<br />
its message did not do much but<br />
glamorize “surviving adversity,” bell<br />
hooks’ in-depth intellectual analysis<br />
cracked the protective wall I had<br />
over Beyoncé’s feminist intentions.<br />
When I began to research<br />
Beyoncé’s feminism myself, I found<br />
more problematic results. Where<br />
larger media companies like<br />
Huffpost Women and Time<br />
pushed an image of Beyoncé as<br />
revolutionary, feminist scholars<br />
and smaller feminist news outlets<br />
criticized and discussed Beyoncé’s<br />
feminism, often highlighting<br />
problematic song lyrics or her<br />
simplistic, liberal definition of<br />
feminism. I was confused and<br />
distressed by these contrasting<br />
images of Beyoncé, desiring to<br />
believe in the propaganda while disheartened<br />
by the reality. . Boler and<br />
Zembylas cite a very similar<br />
experience to describe this “<br />
emotional labor”, where a student<br />
analyzes news reports and feels at<br />
once “angry...that I would question<br />
“patriotism”...[and] also sad...a<br />
loss of innocence.” This look into<br />
Beyoncé’s feminism as represented<br />
in the media is in no way meant to<br />
invalidate her feminism or activism;<br />
her tremendous work as a voice<br />
for Black Lives Matter, as a vocal advocate<br />
of body positivity and sexual<br />
agency, and her philanth<br />
ropic donations speak well beyond<br />
any comments said in this article.<br />
However, it was through the<br />
exploration of varying media<br />
around Beyoncé that I realized a<br />
critical discussion of Beyoncé’s<br />
feminism was taking place within<br />
the shadow of larger media<br />
corporations who claimed<br />
Beyoncé’s feminism as flawless<br />
simply for creating political art.<br />
While media surrounding<br />
Beyoncé was examined above,<br />
apolitical liberal feminism is<br />
an immensely popular trend<br />
among famous white women.<br />
Katy Perry, Blake Lively, Taylor<br />
Swift, Miley Cyrus, Lena Dunham,<br />
Jennifer Lawrence, Amy Poehler,<br />
Emma Stone, Tina Fey, Emma<br />
Watson, Amy Schumer, and Tilda<br />
Swinton are just a few white female<br />
celebrities that capitalize on<br />
feminism through feminisms<br />
that are simplistic, relatively<br />
unchallenging, self-centered, and<br />
often harmful. Katy Perry is an<br />
avid Hillary Clinton supporter, a<br />
vocal advocate for sexual agency<br />
and LGBT support, and claims<br />
herself a feminist, but looking into<br />
what her feminism constitutes<br />
leaves much to be desired, where<br />
she defines feminism as meaning<br />
“that I love myself as a female and<br />
I also love men.” Additionally, her<br />
rampant cultural appropriation of<br />
Asian and African American<br />
culture and pathetic apologies<br />
regarding it shows that her<br />
feminism is actively detrimental<br />
to black and Asian women and<br />
centered on her whiteness. Lena<br />
Dunham has been heralded as the<br />
voice of a new feminist generation<br />
by popular media corporations like<br />
Rolling Stone , Vanity Fair , Time ,<br />
and Harper’s Bazaar , yet a critical<br />
look at her feminism shows a<br />
harmful nature. While Dunham<br />
actively speaks out against unfair<br />
beauty standards and body<br />
positivity, her feminism only<br />
targets issues pertinent to her life<br />
and whiteness; her talk on beauty<br />
standards doesn’t mention the<br />
pressures of white beauty standards<br />
on women of color, and her body<br />
positivity centers on the bodies<br />
of white women. Further, her<br />
fetishization of Japanese culture,<br />
lack of representation for people of<br />
color on her TV show Girls , and<br />
her reckless comments on black<br />
and Asian men are actively harmful<br />
to women of color, branding her<br />
feminism as white liberal feminism.<br />
Jennifer Lawrence actively<br />
speaks out on equal pay, but doesn’t<br />
acknowledge that although white<br />
women make less than white men,<br />
women of color make even less<br />
than white women. Amy Schumer<br />
is a vocal advocate for women’s<br />
sexual agency and body positivity,<br />
yet has consistently made racist<br />
comments about men of color and<br />
her parody video of Beyoncé’s<br />
“Formation” stripped it of all its<br />
significance to black women and<br />
black culture. Emma Stone talks<br />
of equal pay between actors and<br />
actresses, yet puts on yellow face<br />
to play an Asian American woman<br />
in Aloha . Miley Cyrus claims<br />
herself “one of the biggest feminists<br />
in the world” and “really empowering<br />
to women” simply because she’s<br />
Page #83
“loud and funny and not typically<br />
beautiful.” The list of problematic<br />
“feminist” female celebrities<br />
unfortunately goes on. Critically<br />
looking at the actions and words of<br />
these women, it is easy to see that<br />
their brand of feminism is liberal<br />
lifestyle; it solely contains causes<br />
that concern or benefit their<br />
personal lives. As a result, the<br />
feminism of these women is<br />
simplistic at best and extremely<br />
detrimental to the intersectional<br />
experiences of women and public<br />
conceptions of feminism at worst.<br />
The emotional labor of realizing our<br />
favorite celebrities are not perfect<br />
feminists or activists is difficult<br />
to face. But if there is emotional<br />
labor in analyzing media, there<br />
is subliminal messaging and<br />
manipulation at work. Because mass<br />
media works for higher oppressive<br />
institutions, it seeks to maintain<br />
the status quo, and in doing so, it<br />
utilizes a form of simplistic, liberal<br />
feminism that has no political<br />
parameters. In this way, media<br />
companies can induce a feeling of<br />
progressive change in society, while<br />
in actuality no change occurs except<br />
for the growing income on their<br />
balance sheets. If we want to call<br />
ourselves feminists and ascribe<br />
ourselves to the feminist movement,<br />
we cannot uncritically accept the<br />
faux-feminist messages fed to us<br />
by people who profit from our<br />
consumption. With a critical eye<br />
and a sharp mind, we need to<br />
criticize feminisms that are not for<br />
all women, feminisms that don’t<br />
go beyond the phrase of “gender<br />
equality,” and feminisms that do not<br />
fight actively and aggressively for<br />
institutional change.<br />
- Sarah Fernandez<br />
Page #84
F<br />
R<br />
A<br />
G<br />
M<br />
E<br />
N<br />
T<br />
E<br />
D<br />
BEAUTY<br />
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Page #86
Photographer:<br />
Alissa Laurie<br />
alissalaurie@gmail.com<br />
@alissalaurie<br />
alissalaurie.com<br />
Stylist:<br />
Carley Fernandes<br />
carleyfernandes@gmail.com<br />
@thestylerealm<br />
Model:<br />
Sarah O’Connor (brown hair)<br />
sarahnicolecon@gmail.com<br />
@sarah_ocon<br />
Hair:<br />
George Guzman<br />
George.g.guzman@gmail.com<br />
@gorgeous_georgiee<br />
Carolyn Daly (blond hair)<br />
cdalyserene@gmail.com<br />
@onthedaly<br />
Makeup:<br />
Kory Martinez<br />
Korymar@mac.com<br />
@kurrysprinkle<br />
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MINIKA KO<br />
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Isn’t it time that our clothes keep up with us? Minika Ko certainly think so. She is<br />
an award-winning, New York City based fashion designer whose designs are inspired by<br />
and for women who are fearless in standing out and making an impact. She calls them the<br />
modern Wonder Women. Minika believes that we the women can (and deserve to) have it<br />
all - strength and femininity; beauty and brains; style and comfort. She incorporates high<br />
tech fabrics and high-end tailoring to create the KOVASKY collection that show confidence,<br />
style, and a powerful yet feminine silhouette.<br />
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All the outfits are fashionably wrinkle resistant, flexible and machine washable.<br />
The essence of Minika’s mission as a designer is to provide high fashion and low<br />
maintenance clothing, so that the modern Wonder Women can focus on their<br />
adventures and look good effortlessly.<br />
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Poetry By<br />
E L L E S A N C H E Z<br />
A Reminder<br />
I continue to crave exploring maps, and distant worlds because I know these names<br />
remain the same, These places have been deeply ingrained into my soul, even though I<br />
know I’ve never visited them,<br />
all of this has created an open closet in my mind, and keeps it,<br />
running,<br />
and crawling,<br />
and shapeshifting<br />
Mouths Full of Fire<br />
Life is a mysterious maze full of rumors.<br />
Venus fly traps of negativity can be found hidden, lurking in many possible<br />
directions.<br />
They crawl, begging for help on occasions,<br />
and once you lower yourself, they snatch you up,<br />
and tug at your mind and body.<br />
Every so often, I can feel my knees give in under myself,<br />
and I’m being pulled into the ground.<br />
I’d become blinded to what’s around me,<br />
but still,<br />
my heart would claim it knows not others true intentions,<br />
but simply my own.<br />
And that is to allow my touch to spread electricity,<br />
instead of harboring secrets,<br />
throughout the folds of my ever changing exterior.<br />
Deep, tangled wires, and exposed circuits push against my skin,<br />
To speak and to provide warmth through words and phrases,<br />
yet, have enough energy to expel flames of emotion,<br />
Page #96<br />
Burning even the most vigorous of homes.<br />
My tears become replaces by gasoline, and my mouth full of fire.
Certain Beginnings<br />
There are these paths that lead everywhere,<br />
Spreading around like branches of an old tree, which extend throughout this empty land,<br />
It hides feelings, like water in a desert.<br />
I become paralyzed because I never know how things are going to work out.<br />
I become blinded by my desires, because it’s as if my choices grow conscious and throw sand into<br />
my eyes when all I want is to see.<br />
I always reassure myself when those non-supportive days use all their might to harden my heart.<br />
Their efforts aren’t wasted in a way though, simply because, what is a day without difficulty?<br />
In other words, what is life without living?<br />
What truly matters is whether you take that step and fall into the abyss or choose to float.<br />
It’s exciting to be uncomfortable; to hurt and to feel. To cry for hours until your bones ache, and<br />
your chest feels as if it’s been hammered in, and to laugh until your body is soaring but you look<br />
around and you’re still on the ground.<br />
A mouth that is motionless and mute, could harbor bold thoughts that refuse to be said.<br />
Fears and regret claw and bash against unresponsive doors of the clouded mind.<br />
Hope extends from each ligament as an arm is extended inch by inch towards a stranger<br />
Dry Eyes<br />
We often forget that we have no limits, that we are capable of an infinite amount of wisdom and<br />
self-discovery.<br />
We forget that there are little words and phrases that we cannot interpret or pronounce within<br />
us, and these are what makes us who we are.<br />
This is who i am.<br />
The unknown makes more wonder if there’s more, and my heartbeat feels as if it’s being counted<br />
and pressured by the weight of uncertainty.<br />
I want to be greeted with curiosity, yet I don’t want the jagged feeling of unpredictability.<br />
I want to be damp,<br />
but I want my eyes to be dry,<br />
just this once.<br />
Page #97
I<br />
Went<br />
to<br />
a<br />
casting<br />
for<br />
a<br />
wes<br />
anderson<br />
film<br />
and<br />
all<br />
i<br />
got<br />
was<br />
some<br />
disco<br />
tech
PR Showroom @thehiveshowroom<br />
Model: Gia Charles @msgiacharles<br />
Hair & Makeup: Sephen Hudson @sevenknows<br />
Assistant: @beautiibyday<br />
Stylist: Kasha Reavis @kashareavis<br />
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SHACKLED
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Page #108
Designer: MArk Tauriello<br />
Model: Olya Anikina<br />
Photographer: Svetlana Blasucci<br />
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TAH BAGS<br />
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Makeup: Adriana Demisoul<br />
Model: Jackie Kuczinski<br />
Photographer: Svetlana Blasucci<br />
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RETROGRADE
Photographer: Marck Lund-Nielson<br />
Model: Astrid Carlsen<br />
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FROST
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Designer: Teresa Chong<br />
Makeup: Sharon Becker<br />
Hair: Jenna Marie<br />
Model: Teresa Chong<br />
Photographer:: Svetlana Blasucci<br />
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dOWNTOWN dALL hOUSE
Photographer - Melinda DiMauro @melindadimauro<br />
Stylist - Raymond Casas @casa.nyc<br />
Make-up & Hair - Josephine Kong @silvernoir<br />
Designers/Accessories:<br />
Helen Castillo: @designerhelen<br />
K/llerCollection: @kller_collection<br />
Jakimac: @jackimac<br />
Ex-Mermaid: @exmermaid<br />
Jimmy Crystal NY: @jimmycrystalny<br />
Jenny Zhang: @Jennyzhengafl<br />
508 W 26th St. 4A<br />
New York, NY 10001<br />
www.melindadimauro.com<br />
www.driftstudionyc.com<br />
m@melindadimauro.com<br />
917.558.5597<br />
Page #125
The<br />
D<br />
O<br />
L<br />
L<br />
S<br />
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TAKEN<br />
Photographer: Melissa Isabel<br />
(@Melissa_IsabelPhoto)<br />
MUA: Denekia Carmel (@DenekiaCarmelArtistry)<br />
Model: KJ Schel (@KatherineJune)<br />
Stylists/Art Directors: Bryan Alexis & Miguel C. Martinez (@BryanStyling & @ArtDirectorMCM)
Look 1<br />
Beaded Corset - Lory Sun<br />
Beaded Neck Piece - Lory Sun<br />
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Page #138<br />
Look 2<br />
Silk Gown - “Noir Collection”<br />
Envieux Horned Mask - Lory Sun
Look 3<br />
Shear Bell Sleeve Gown - “Noir Collection” Envieux<br />
Metal Neck Plate - Lory Sun<br />
Metal Chest Plate - Lory Sun<br />
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Page #140<br />
Look 4<br />
Detailed Gown - Lory Sun
Look 5<br />
Couture Detailed Corset - Lory Sun<br />
Lace Jumpsuit - “Noir Collection” Envieux<br />
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Page #142<br />
Look 6<br />
Lace Top Gown - “Noir Collection” Envieux Beaded<br />
Neck Piece - Lory Sun
T R A V E L
MY<br />
ITALIAN<br />
SUMMER
“THE STRETCH Of THE ITA<br />
OF LIGURIA THAT GOES FR<br />
IMPERIA TO THE BORDER OF
PEOPLE<br />
S ITALIAN RIVIERA OR<br />
RI (THE FLOWER RIVIERA)<br />
HAT I CALL HOME.”<br />
The English name emphasizes the difference from the more glorious<br />
French Riviera, whose beauty has been celebrated by the French movies<br />
of the 60s. The Italian name recalls what people’s main occupation has<br />
been for the past couple of centuries, cultivating flowers, mostly roses<br />
and carnations. This is an occupation that I know well, through my<br />
grandfather, and whose remains are still visible in the many greenhouses<br />
and water cisterns, still in use or abandoned, that dot the land between<br />
the Mediterranean Sea and the inland mountains.
Liguria represents a perfect<br />
balance between the mountains and<br />
the sea. You won’t find any other<br />
region in Italy where this union<br />
is more meaningful to its history,<br />
to its people and to its culture. It<br />
explains why the food we eat has<br />
certain ingredients and lacks others,<br />
why locals are always suspicious<br />
before becoming welcoming and<br />
warm, and why we work harder to<br />
compensate for that geographically<br />
imposed gap.<br />
As an expat living in New York<br />
City for two decades, I have built<br />
a relationship with my homeland<br />
that is more like that of a sensual<br />
lover than a rational thinker. I miss<br />
the openness of the starry skies, the<br />
pastel colors of the buildings, the<br />
salty smell in the air, the taste of the<br />
simple food, the roughness of the<br />
stones and the sound of the local<br />
dialect—features so unique to this<br />
land that only a prolonged stay<br />
in this part of the country could<br />
illustrate what I really mean.<br />
In the eyes of the occasional visitor,<br />
all these details might not reveal<br />
themselves immediately; they might<br />
not be obvious. What is obvious is<br />
the overall humble beauty of this<br />
land: no frills, no fanciness, just<br />
simple and straightforward beauty.<br />
To create a first impression between<br />
the two Rivieras, French and<br />
Italian, I will start from Nice, where<br />
I usually land on solid ground from<br />
any place from which I have flown<br />
home.
Nice is the closest large city to where I grew up. If you wanted to<br />
skip boredom on a sunny day as a young adult living in a small<br />
Italian village, you would take a train to Nice from my hometown of<br />
Ventimiglia. You will find a place with all the cultural, shopping, and<br />
nightlife opportunities of a real city and the more familiar common<br />
places of a small Ligurian town. Nice is where we still go to see a<br />
concert, to buy records when the mp3s are not sounding scratchy<br />
enough, or to eat in an exotic restaurant. Nice provides us with that<br />
taste of fancy that doesn’t quite belong to us, but that makes us feel<br />
part of a cosmopolitan reality that we envision for ourselves.
Nevertheless, we can hardly avoid venturing into the labyrinth of<br />
the old city, if only to remind ourselves that not too long ago we<br />
were all the same country, we shared the same last names, we liked<br />
the same food and we used the same ingredients to prepare our<br />
meals. Try a slice of ‘socca’ from a small deli in the old city, a thin<br />
oven baked specialty with a crusty outside and a slightly creamy<br />
inside, sprinkle some ground pepper on it. If you decided that you<br />
liked it as much as I do, then when you later cross the Italian border,<br />
find the farmers market in Ventimiglia and ask for a slice of<br />
‘farinata’: same specialty, just a different name.
Traveling back toward the Italian border, we pass by<br />
beautiful coastal landscapes, we cross through the fancy<br />
Principality of Monaco and we end up in Menton, sister<br />
border city to Ventimiglia on the French side. It is the<br />
very first taste of France we get from ‘the other side’, the<br />
place you go to fill the tank of your car (our gas prices<br />
are outrageously more expensive than anywhere else in<br />
Europe!), to take a walk on a larger promenade, to taste<br />
a crepe in the middle of the afternoon, to enjoy that<br />
distinctive French Riviera cleanliness that only the French<br />
can maintain so well. You will never experience this on<br />
the more chaotic streets of ‘our side’.<br />
Menton is for some of my people a preferred destination<br />
to take in a sandy beach and an umbrella drink, but only if<br />
the much beloved Calandre beach, the only short and very<br />
narrow stretch of sandy coastline in a more secluded part<br />
of Ventimiglia, is not enough.<br />
And here comes a big difference between our Rivieras.<br />
The French people make a bigger effort in bringing<br />
real sand to some of their beaches, like in Menton and<br />
Monaco, while we strictly haul small river stones from<br />
our nearby valleys, giving a tougher lesson to our growing<br />
up feet. If, however, you prefer sand and you strictly<br />
want to enjoy it on Italian soil, travel to Arma di Taggia,<br />
a half-hour’s drive from Ventimiglia
So what is in Ventimiglia beside<br />
my home, my family, and my<br />
friends? Not much really. It is the<br />
quintessential humble city of the<br />
Italian Riviera. At first glance it<br />
doesn’t offer much, but if you spend<br />
more than a couple of hours<br />
there, you might realize that it<br />
hides remains of history from the<br />
Prehistorical times, the Roman<br />
Empire, the Middle Ages, all the<br />
way up to more recent centuries. All<br />
these remains could be honestly<br />
cherished and conserved more<br />
properly, (the ‘American way’ if I’m<br />
being more specific), but as it often<br />
happens, history in Italy is an<br />
overwhelming burden more than<br />
a treasure to nurture: the remains<br />
of a Roman amphitheater can<br />
sometimes be seen as more an<br />
impediment to the car traffic than a<br />
unique gift from a faraway past.<br />
If you visit my town you should<br />
focus more on the obvious than<br />
specific cultural destinations. Just<br />
walk around the Medieval City<br />
(Ventimiglia Alta) and lose yourself<br />
in its narrow and convoluted streets.<br />
You will hit a point where the<br />
streets end at a small piazza or at a<br />
viewpoint over the sea or the new<br />
city below. Let your mind wonder.<br />
Let questions flow. How did these<br />
people move things through this<br />
city? How much effort did they put<br />
in their everyday life to accomplish<br />
simple tasks? How skilled a driver<br />
must you be to park your car here<br />
every day? How did they build all<br />
this when no real technology was<br />
available? You might get a real sense<br />
of wonder enjoying the city this<br />
way!
Another visible feature is the<br />
luscious nature surrounding<br />
the place. The Mediterranean<br />
scrub comes to mix with a not-tooobvious<br />
type of nature that someone<br />
might point out being more<br />
appropriate in South America or<br />
North Africa. Well, Ventimiglia,<br />
and the portion of the Italian<br />
Riviera up to Sanremo, became a<br />
destination in the 19th century for<br />
many aristocrats around Europe.<br />
Many wealthy intellectuals retired<br />
there to escape the cold weather of<br />
Russia or England. A lot of these<br />
intellectuals were botanists who<br />
went around the world most of their<br />
lives to study and collect seeds of<br />
exoticplants, and they were eager to<br />
recreate an environment for them to<br />
grow. So what better place than the<br />
Riviera, where the weather is stable<br />
and warm most of the year?<br />
If you want to experience the proof<br />
of this part of history, wander a mile<br />
away from the border and drive to<br />
the hills of La Mortola Inferiore.<br />
You will find the Giardini Hanbury,<br />
the former property Sir Thomas<br />
Hanbury, who left a very visible<br />
footprint of this part of history. The<br />
Gardens showcase a collection of<br />
what, as a child, I considered the<br />
strangest plants on Earth. A place<br />
worth seeing, if like me, you are<br />
madly in love with nature!
If shopping is more to your taste,<br />
feel free to stay in town on a Friday<br />
and you will get rewarded at the<br />
weekly Friday market. The market<br />
exists since way before I was born<br />
and, as my aunt always points out,<br />
it used to be the place where you<br />
could make a good deal on a nice<br />
locally made artisanal piece. Well,<br />
times have changed and all you will<br />
find are cheap made-in-China or<br />
made-in-India goodies, very few<br />
Italian made products at this point,<br />
but great prices. It is my favorite<br />
place to go buy underwear, cheap<br />
seasonal clothing, leather, and other<br />
accessories.<br />
When the beach towns are too full<br />
of tourists in summer, the interior<br />
mountains become an escape for<br />
many locals. If you don’t mind to<br />
leave the blue of the Mediterranean<br />
to look for some spots of blue in the<br />
small rivers behind the coastline,<br />
look for the tiny lakes or ‘laghetti’<br />
of Rocchetta Nervina and Pigna.<br />
The water is so clear, cold, and crisp<br />
there, that you won’t find a more<br />
refreshing break from the scorching<br />
sun.<br />
The mountain villages are also the<br />
hosts of most of the ‘sagre’ around<br />
my area, local food festivals that<br />
focus on a single typical dish, or<br />
on multiple ways to cook one<br />
single ingredient. Capra e fagioli in<br />
Rocchetta, Festa del Fungo and<br />
Festa del Raviolo in Pigna, ‘La<br />
Berlecata’ in Sasso, Festa della<br />
Michetta in Dolceacqua, Sagra<br />
della Lumaca in Triora, Sagra del<br />
Carciofo Provenzale in Perinaldo,<br />
Sagra del Vino Rossese in Soldano,<br />
Sagra dei Batolli in Seborga, Sagra<br />
dello Stoccafisso in Badalucco,<br />
Sagra dell’Aglio in Vessalico, … the<br />
list is endless especially during the<br />
months of July and August. The<br />
only limit is your stomach capacity.<br />
There are no limits of choice!
As I recall how many times I felt the boredom of my surroundings while growing up, I<br />
recognize that the quiet and silent side of these perched villages is as integral part of this<br />
corner of Italy as the active and chaotic ones closer to the sea. We Ligurians are both<br />
quiet and chaotic. Inebriated by beauty, we often don’t realize how lucky we are to have<br />
what we have until we go to live in another country and all you want then is to experience<br />
again that quintessential Italian air that is so hard to breath elsewhere.
Where to stay (vintage beauty by the sea)<br />
http://www.iltentacoloventimiglia.com/<br />
Recommended places in Ventimiglia:<br />
Where to enjoy a glass of wine as an aperitivo (a ‘classic’ by Ventimiglian standards)<br />
https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g187828-d3782242-Reviews-Enoteca_Consani-Ventimiglia_Italian_Riviera_Liguria.html<br />
Where to eat<br />
Make your own meal buying the freshest ingredients at the farmers market<br />
http://ventimiglia.town/<br />
Best bakery<br />
http://www.panetteriamondino.it/<br />
If in desperate search for a touch of fancy<br />
http://emanueledonalisio.com/menu/<br />
Other recommended links:<br />
The calendar of the Ligurian ‘sagre’ (you need to be proficient navigating HTML websites in<br />
Italian)<br />
http://www.sagre.liguria.it/
End