armour. ISSUE 10
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Fashion is the armour to survive the reality of everyday life. To do away with fashion would be like doing away with civilization.
Bill Cunningham
8
CLUELESS as if.
ROY FRANK
silk screen extraordinaire.
10
18
24
BARE NECESSITIES show your support.
STYLES & SPACES art, snakes and thrifted goods.
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BOY WONDER cape sold separately.
34
POOL SHARK into the blue.
ISSUE 10
editors-in-chief SARAH ETTINGER CAMIL SANCHEZ-PALUMBO LILY SULLIVAN
editors CHARLOTTE JONES AVIVA MANN GRANT PHILLIPS PRIYANKA REDDY
director of layout JACQUELINE PIFER
director of photography BONNER WILLIAMS
directors of blog LEAH NORDMAN STEFANI REY CARLA STEPPAN
director of social media PAULINA GALLAGHER
editorial photographer HANNAH BLUMER
contributors AMANDA BASS REBECCA GITOMER LAUREN HUENNEKENS CHLOE KARMIN ALEX LIGUORI TAYLOR OHMAN
layout team MARGARET FLATLEY NIKOLAI LABA SARA MEINECKE MICHAEL TARAZI
founders JACOB LENARD FELICIA PODBERESKY CHANTAL STRASBURGER
After spending the summer together in New York City living the intern life, style-stalking, and playing tourist more than we’d like to admit, the three of us have come to terms with one sad realization: summer really is over. Farewell to the many toothpick umbrellas in our drinks and gluten-free bagels in Tompkins Square. See you later, Brooklyn mega-hipsters and short-shorts we probably should never have worn. Hello, Human Ev hominoid tables, St. Louis tornado warnings, and day-old Etta pastries. All can’t be lost, though. Luckily for us Wash U’ers, the beginning of this year means reconnecting with friends, a new burst of energy and, naturally, Armour better than you’ve ever seen it before. The whole gang is back and testing the limits. We’ve pushed the envelope, bared a little (tasteful) skin, and treaded uncharted waters in this issue... Literally. From catching sunbeams in Pool Shark shot on a 1980’s Nikon film camera (p. 34) to boys just being boys in aptly named Boy Wonder (p. 26), the Armour team is singing summer’s last hurrah and celebrating style that will inspire us throughout the seasons. That means freshmen fashion icons like Roy Frank (p. 8), a nostalgic ode to Clueless (p. 10), the beautiful vulnerability shown in Bare Necessities (p. 18), and every sincere expressions of identity in between. So, as always, get out there—test out different styles, break past boundaries and, at the end of the day, be yourself. That trend never fails. And if you thought Armour had forgotten about you, our clueless friend Cher has never put it better—as if! Love, Sarah, Camil & Lily
ARMOUR STAFF SUMMERS
Lily Sullivan
Martha Stewart Wedding Magazine Style Intern
Grant Phillips Heidi Mcbride Space Design Assistant
Sarah Ettinger Kate Spade New York Design Intern
Camil Sanchez-Polumbo Young & Rubicam Production Intern
Jacqueline Pifer Anthropologie Visual Design Intern
Charlotte Jones Traction, Creative Agency Strategy Team
Priyanka Reddy Rosie Assoulin Design Intern
Paulina Gallagher SocialFlight Social Media Intern
Aviva Mann Photography Student Florence, Italy
Stefani Rey Peace, Love, World Marketing Intern
Bonner Williams
Carla Steppan Art Restoration
Leah Nordman Art History Student Paris, France
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Photography Student Florence, Italy
armouronthetown
LOUFEST 2014 written by ALEX LIGUORI photography PAULINA GALLAGHER
On the first weekend of September, lineup was filled with groups I’d never Wash U students and St. Lousians gotten to see before, including Cake, alike descended on a sun-soaked ForFuture Islands, and Trombone Shorty. est Park for two days of Performances that made For me, the best perforgood food, good vibes, the weekend special: mance of the weekend and good music. This 1. Florescent Adolescent Arctic Monkeys came from one of these year’s edition of Loufest 2. ATLiens strangers. Blues/Soul did not disappoint. EnOutkast outfit Vintage Trouble 3. Love You Madly tering its fifth year, the Cake played to a sparse crowd festival featured four 4. People Say on the Shade Stage on Portugal. The Man stages that played host Sunday night during 5. Tourist to over 40 musical acts. RAC Matt & Kim, but rocked While many flocked to 6. Rocking Chair out with the energy The Districts the park to catch big (Waiting On You) worthy of a headlining name headliners Arctic 7. Seasons Future Islands slot. Vocalist Ty Taylor Monkeys and Outkast, 8. Run Like the River Vintage Trouble channeled James Brown Loufest was packed with 9. Brain Stew with some killer dance bands that kept the party Trombone Shorty & Orleans moves and some brilAvenue going all weekend long. 10. Feel It All Around liant crowd interaction. Washed Out I was super impressed, One of the best parts given the size of the about Loufest is its accessibility. The crowd and the small stage. Bands massive crowds that plague bigger like Vintage Trouble remind me why fests like Lollapalooza are nowhere I love going to music festivals. It’s to be found, and it’s easy to navipretty cool to hear a band that takes gate from stage to stage. With such so much pride in making music for a diverse lineup, it’s really underpeople, and I would’ve never had the rated to be able to see all the major experience without wandering over bands without encountering schedto the side stage on Sunday night. uling conflicts. Although there were Check them out if you get a chance. a bunch of familiar bands, Loufest brough in some unique acts. The
This freshman from Los Angeles adds a bold twist to the clean-cut elements of menswear.
ROY FRANK interview by LAUREN HUENNEKENS
Roy Frank, more commonly known as Roy Wexman, began designing, screen-printing, and sewing his own clothes when he was just fourteen, as he was unable to find clothes that fit him. “I’m very tall and thin,” Roy reflects, “it was difficult to find pants that were long enough and shirts that were slim enough.” Roy was first exposed to the career opportunities in fashion design when he began watching Project Runway at just ten years old. At twelve, Roy created a prom dress for his sister, his first design, honestly reporting, it “didn’t really work out.” Roy focuses on men’s clothes as he feels “there’s a lot of creativity that needs to be explored in menswear.” His interest in menswear is rooted in his love of craftsmanship. “In menswear, there’s a lot of tailoring. I’m really into precision with artwork and design. I’ve never been super conceptual or outlandish... I like menswear because I can bring something to it and at the same time, it’s what really fascinates me about fashion just in terms of styling and tailoring.” When asked if Roy would ever consider designing womenswear in the future, he expressed his desire to “bring together menswear and womenswear” with his designs. “I have a design for men that has cheetah print
on it, which isn’t really popular for menswear. I want to explore a kind of androgynous thing with fashion.” Roy’s interest in screen-printing allows him to create “interesting and crazy, bold prints” which he features on his designs for both pants and button-downs. Reflecting on his own personal style, Roy says people describe him as “dapper and snazzy,” but he would describe his style as “clean-cut with a twist.” Roy launched his own website, called Roy Frank, about a year ago in order to expose his friends to his designs. “I would always tell people that I make clothes... but now they can check out my website and see what they think.” Roy is excited for the future of his website, stating that it will evolve and change as he continues to add more elements to it—perhaps including womenswear in the future. His goal for the website is to use it as “a way for people to recognize [him], maybe a few years down the line once [he] graduates.” Keep your eyes peeled for Roy Wexman walking around campus, probably rocking his black denim jacket with floral sleeves, a staple in his wardrobe, or fall in love with his designs at roywexman.wordpress.com.
year FRESHMAN, 2018 major ART HISTORY, but considering transferring to Sam Fox for fashion design hometown LOS ANGELES hobbies SEWING, SCREEN-PRINTING, WRITING guilty pleasure ARIANA GRANDE
CLUELESS
models CANDACE BORDERS, AMANI DAVIS, LAUREN HUENNEKENS, BECCA KOLODNER, JOHN KUBINAK, SYDNEY MEYERS, MAX NEEDHAM styling assistance EMILY BROWN, KATE LEVIEN, KATE SCHWARTZ
RUNWAY INSPIRED MAKEUP makeup CHLOE KARMIN photography SARAH MAE ETTINGER models JULIETTE HOURANI, KAT MAKEPEACE, VANESSA SALAZAR, CLAIRE THOMAS
DEREK LAM & VIKA GAZINKSAYA, 2014 blue smoky eye minimal neutrals elsewhere
ALEXANDRE HERCHCOVITCH, Fall 2014 RTW pale pink, brown, and purple eye shadows wine mascara 16
CHANEL, Fall/Winter wing tipped eye sparkly metallic eye shadow
MATTHEW WILLIAMS, Spring GIVENCHY, Fall purple/red brown lipstick similar tones in cheeks and eyes
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bare necessities
photography HANNAH BLUMER models MARIANA PARISCA & MEGHAN ZECCHINI
STYLES & SPACES written by GRANT PHILLIPS photography PAULINA GALLAGHER 24
As college students, when we move off campus, we often move into inherited spaces. While the people within the apartments surrounding Washington University change from year to year, the spaces and their interiors remain. Each year brings a new wave of students moving in to apartments and redefining them as their own. However as much as we create personal spaces we also build upon the legacy of those students who came before us and mix our styles with our contemporary roommates.
This third floor apartment at the St. Thomas building on Waterman reflects this mixing of personalities. Armour got to meet three of the five residents and their pet snake one rainy day to get an inside glimpse at their space. Kim Gagnon (CDes), Katie Luy (Elementary Education and Psychology), and Helen Head(Marketing) met us at their communal table under the robin egg blue rafters of their living room. Helen Pierson (Architecture) and Kathryn Reynolds (Global Health and Environment) couldn’t join us but their presence was felt amongst the belongings in the room. Kathryn’s Indian tapestries colored the wall across from us, and Helen P. herself gave a quizzical glance from the framed picture on a side table. The three roommates who did join us seemed to downplay their decorating skills amongst giggles and smiles. When asked how to describe their general style they all agreed on some form of organized clutter although Helen H. distinguished her personal style as a little more organized than Katie’s. Nothing should be too match-y though, they all agreed again. Indeed, it seemed the way in which the disparate articles came together within the apartment achieved the most satisfying affect. From the collection of blow up dolls and animals next to the glowing palm tree to Erica, the mannequin head, resting on the windowsill lit up with Christmas lights the space spoke to the quirky personalities within it. Much like their personal styles, many of the items in the apartment were thrifted or found. Katie mentioned that the back alleyway behind the apartment offered up furniture pretty regularly. Kim decorated her room with old sculpture projects (molds of hands to be specific) that were discarded by others at studio. These scavenged finds, that could have been so easily passed by, were smoothly incorporated into their lives. But still the three roommates continued to downplay their style. “We aren’t used to being photographed,” they said laughing in front of the camera.
BOY WONDER
photography BONNER WILLIAMS models JAMES COULTER & ISSAC HOWELL
PRO
AMANDA BASS
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T S A F
Working for a designer in New York City this summer, it was hard not to drool over the garments as I watched the designers and production team go through final production fittings. I would fall in love with a piece but then acknowledge that, as an unpaid intern, a $1,200 dress was probably not within my budget. I had one saving grace, though: I lived and worked just a few blocks away from Zara, H&M, and Topshop, and only one block from Forever 21—the best stores for a girl who wants to be fashionable and trendy on an almost non-existent budget. These “fast-fashion” retailers bring on-trend, affordable pieces to the masses. You no longer have to be a famous blogger to wear the cool new blanket capes you saw on the Burberry runway this past spring— you can find a similar one online at ASOS for only $66! There’s no denying that designer garments are much higher quality, and that ASOS cape doesn’t really compare to the one-of-a-kind Burberry cape with initials embroidered on it but, even if you could afford to drop a few hundred dollars on clothes straight off the runway, is it worth it to waste your entire life savings as a 20-yearold on a piece of clothing that will be “so last season” before next season even starts? If you just want to be of the moment, why not spice up the basics in your wardrobe with a few cheap, trendy pieces inspired by the work of your favorite designers? Even fashion fanatics like Olivia Palermo
and Cara Delevingne are frequently photographed in pieces from stores like Zara.
In turn, by making fashion more readily available to those of us not invited to sit front row at Mercedes Benz Fashion Week, fast fashion retailers are changing the dialogue between designers and consumers. Because of its accessibility, fast fashion is helping to develop a generation of young, fashion-forward consumers who change the role of designers. Now rather than acting as tastemakers, designers are beginning to look at what is going on in the world of street style and trying to apply those trends to their own collections. Hedi Slimane’s recent takeover at YSL was met with both approval and disdain when he mixed cool, street-style grunge with the classic YSL luxury that has defined the brand for so long. Slimane isn’t alone in this quest to invigorate high-end fashion houses and appeal to what is happening in the changing world of fashion. Sneakers, one of the biggest trends right now, started on the street and transitioned all the way up to the likes of Chanel Haute Couture. Since given the Chanel stamp of approval, the sneaker trend has spiraled
out into iterations at every price point, covered in embellishments, unconventional fabrics, and neon colors. This season, Alexander Wang even went so far as to create a collection inspired by the sneaker trend, without ever showing the actual footwear on the runway. It’s exciting knowing that, because of the rise of fast fashion, not only can you adopt trends seen on the runway into your own wardrobe, but in a time when the dialogue about fashion is changing so rapidly, what you choose to wear could become the next big thing. CON
CHARLOTTE JONES
This summer I bought a midi skirt emblazoned with a black-and-white rendition of the Campbell’s soup logo. My reasoning? It’s fun, it’s a tribute to Warhol, and, hey, it’s only ten dollars. I know I will wear this skirt, but I also know I won’t wear it every day. The same thing goes for my pink linen Zara blazer and West Coast Taco T-shirt from Forever21. They are fun filler items; accents to spice up a wardrobe surrounding higher quality neutrals. And I am guilty of loving them—of browsing Nasty Girl new arrivals like it is my personal cross to bear and of ordering jelly sandals because, hello, when in my life will they ever be more appropriate to wear? Yet
T FASHION E R E H W
if I pause while checking out my shopping cart, I know that I am drinking the fast fashion Koolaid. Underneath the marketing, fast fashion fiscally and psychologically harms individuals and ecologically damages the environment in which we live.
Fast fashion is the phenomenon of mass-market retailers including Forever21, H&M, and Topshop, responding quickly and cheaply to the seasonal changes of high fashion runways. Leather fringe in F/W 2015? In a month Zara will announce their recently inspired fringed jackets and bags. The result is a perpetual cycle of “must-haves”—trends fused with necessity. Akin to a restaurant turning tables, these retailers depend on consumer return. Who can forget Meryl Streep’s piercing soliloquy concerning Cerulean blue—her disdain for an article of clothing not “in season?” To the ordinary eye a color may just be a color, but for high and fast fashion retailers, color and silhouette are fashion tied to an inextricable context. Yet what effect does this perception of fashion have on the psyche? College itself
? D N A T S U O DO Y
is a microcosm of the fast fashion outlook—have you ever shopped for a new dress for a formal, or borrowed from a friend because you didn’t want to “repeat?”
While advertisers and brands preach the requirement of staying on trend, the cycle of waste and disposal quickens. Fast fashion critics target the inherent nature of fast fashion, arguing that its effects are twofold on the environment. In addition to the sheer amount of material being created and disposed of, its cheap synthetic fabrics decompose inorganically, in contrast to more expensive organic cloths including linen and cotton. According to the EPA, US citizens alone throw away 12.7 million tons of clothes each year. Elizabeth Cline author of Overdressed: The Shockingly High Cost of Cheap Fashion states, “A store like H&M produces hundreds of millions of garments per year… They put a small markup on the clothes and earn their profit out of selling an ocean of clothing.”
And where is this clothing manufactured? Outsourced garment factories in China, Vietnam, and Taiwan churn out clothes while US citizens dictate the price. These
arbitrary price tags don’t eat into corporate profit margins, though— instead, they affect the workers’ wages. While an argument exists supporting the garment factories’ existence in these countries, one cannot deny that it is our own obsession with “trend” that causes companies to keep workers’ at occasionally legal but perpetually unlivable wages. H&M, Gap and Zara have signed an agreement to improve factory conditions but the 200 fatalities of the 2013 Bangladeshi garment factory collapse cannot be erased from our global memory.
There are certainly legitimate critiques against high fashion brands including Versace and Chanel, namely related to their inaccessibility and outlandish prices, yet I would argue that fast fashion is not the panacea for outsmarting the fashion industry. The hidden repercussions in your Forever21 visit constitute an inconvenient truth, but a truth nonetheless. It concerns not only your own existence, but also the workers’ who created it and the environment that it has and will continue to affect. While fast fashion has fed my fashionable hedonism, I think it’s time to reevaluate my wardrobe, and think about what will endure the seasonal shifts to come.
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pool shark
film photography LILY SULLIVAN model HALEY LUNDBERG
written by REBECCA GITOMER Lipstick, my friends, is not just a stick. It is a symbol of glamor and femininity. It is terrifying. And I love it. My relationship with this powerhouse cosmetic began just last year for I had previously convinced myself that my face was the wrong shape. Lipstick felt bold and I did not. However, encouraged by that ever-persistent desire to try something new (ie: magically look like a whole new version of myself), I took the plunge with a classic red. Yet experimenting with lipstick was not always as easy as walking into your local Sephora. The origin of this now iconic beauty product is actually quite captivating. The first trendsetters were up precious gems and decorated their lips with the resulting dust. There they invented lipstick recipes containing occasionally poisonous ingredients originating from insects’ intestines. (Adding a whole new dimension to the phrase “beauty is pain”). It’s unlikely I would have felt quite comfortable participating in this phase of lipstick culture. Yet lipstick nearly vanished from fashion as the Catholic Church barred the usage of cosmetics, claiming that scarlet lips revealed a penchant for the devil and English society began to associate it solely with prostitutes and “painted
ladies.” However the industrial revolution’s economy of scale swept lipstick into the mainstream with lowered prices and vogue pop culture saturation. From its ancient roots and into the present, lipstick’s popularity spread to the US and in the 1930’s was an important component of women’s involvement with the war. Women were encouraged to ‘do their part’ through purchasing lipstick. However, lipstick’s now quintessential sexiness emerged later with the help of someone I think you may have heard of: Marilyn Monroe. In fact, it is hard not to imagine Marilyn without visualizing her scarlet smile. I think it’s safe to say that both diamonds and red lips are a girl’s best friends. Ever since old Hollywood, lipstick has been used to define women’s style and add flavor to their physical presentation. Its versatility is reflected in the extensive shades available, meaning there should be no excuses for not trying it out. So here I am, hooked. My personal collection has grown to a respectable four and will continue to multiply with both age and income level. What I previously thought to be a scary and intimidating cosmetic has now become a coveted necessity, so much so that I even wrote an article about it.
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