Our Lips Aren’t Sealed

10 Things You Probably Didn't Know About Lipstick

By: Alex Chronopoulos, Stephanie Chunoo, and Tabitha Poeze

A lot has happened in the 5000 years since the dawn of lip paint. Wars, corruption, harem pants—the list goes on, and somehow, lipstick has survived. But everyone seems to have an opinion on it—Sarah Palin calls it the distinguishing factor between hockey moms and pitbulls. Holly Golightly can’t read the paper without it. Yes, we have very intimate relationships with our rouges, and below, you’ll find our list of 10 facts that’ll blow your mind about this colourful cosmetic.

1 // Don’t Forget Your Lipstick, Mummy!
Cleopatra used henna and carmine to paint her lips, and in her time, women were encouraged to be buried with two pots of lip paint so they would look good on the other side.

2 // Red-Lip District
The Moulin Rouge may have been hoppin’ in the 19th century, but alcohol-, prostitute-, and lipstick-induced good times date back to the Ancient Greeks (and perhaps even earlier). For the Greeks, though, the cosmetic was popular amongst women of the night, coming to signify poor social standing and low morals.

3 // Lipstick for the Lawless
At one point, wearing lipstick was actually illegal. During the French Revolution, lopping the head off a king may have been acceptable, but lipstick was completely banned. Wearing it was considered to be sympathetic to the monarch, and anyone caught with it was condemned to the guillotine. To borrow a line: off with their heads!

4 // Hot off the Production Line
Women (and a fair amount of men) added the cosmetic to their daily beauty routines in 1880, when French company Guerlain produced the first commercially successful lipstick. It was composed of a mouth-watering mixture of grapefruit pomade and wax.

5 // Portable Beauty
Women’s handbags welcomed a new addition in 1915, when Maurice Levy designed the first sliding metal tube. Thanks to this innovation, applying lipstick in public became socially acceptable. Instead of lugging pots of lip paint around, women could bring the convenient little tube with them wherever they went.

6 // Ain’t no Stalin our Lipstick Production
Lipstick experienced a resurgence of popularity after World War I, when women wanted to maintain their femininity while taking on new roles in the workforce. Fast forward to the next World War, and lipstick is prioritized by good ol’ Churchill when he rations all makeup—except for the precious tubular commodity. He felt it boosted morale on the homefront.

7 // Lipstick Fit for a Queen
Lipstick became a coveted Crown gem in 1952, when Elizabeth II commissioned her own shade to match her coronation robes. The royal rouge was named Balmoral after her Scottish country home.

8 // Lady in Red
On her film sets, Elizabeth Taylor required that she be the only person wearing red lipstick. Everyone else would have to wear a different shade or none at all.

9 // A Moment on the Lips, Forever on the Hips
A whopping 92 per cent of women wear lipstick regularly and buy an average of four tubes a year. But this magical substance doesn’t just stay on your lips; the average woman consumes four to nine pounds of lipstick in her lifetime, making the inside just as pretty as the outside. Not.

10 // Read my Lips
According to Dior makeup artist Eliane Gouriou, different lipstick colours convey different messages. Beige means “I don’t want to be noticed for this aspect of my personality.” Red evokes the feeling that “I have sensual and luscious lips, which I accept and which I offer.” Dark brown or violet means “I provoke, I impose, but my mouth is not to be touched.” Our thoughts? Let your lips, not your lipstick, do the talking.

photography // Stephanie Chunoo & Tabitha Poeze

further reading // Lipstick: A Celebration of the World’s Favourite Cosmetic. Jessica Pallington, 1998

Fashioning the Final Frontier

Is fashion plotting a new course and boldly going where no man has gone before?

By: Alex Chronopoulos

Final frontier

On April 10, 2013 the ROM hosted a panel discussion featuring designer Jeremy Laing, Ryerson University School of Fashion chair Robert Ott, branding and fashion lawyer Ashlee Froese and Nicholas Mellamphy, Vice President and Buying Direction of HBC’s The Room. They gave their two cents when the marvelous Jeanne Beker asked the hard-hitting questions: How does one deal with the fashion industry pressures? What does it mean to be Canadian in the industry? Is Victoria Beckham really a fashion designer? It was an eventful hour and a half.

Here’s how Star Trek factors in: Remember that episode when the Enterprise runs into the space probe Nomad, whose mission is to “find and sterilize imperfection?” No? Okay. Basically the episode delves into the man versus machine mythos that also underlined this panel discussion. Whilst no Borg were present, Mellamphy made the interesting conclusion that the industry can now be summarized as: online shopping vs. retailers and bloggers vs. journalists. These are two huge topics, and seeing as resistance is futile, let’s just get right to it.

Call me old-fashioned, but I much prefer shopping in-store. Granted, we all have those days when we just don’t want to wear real pants, but this virtual world lacks helpful salespeople and the thrill of the hunt. We lose, to borrow a line from Confessions of a Shopaholic’s Becky Bloomwood, the excitement of grasping the handles of a bag knowing that the goodies inside are yours. Like me, the panelists had their reservations. Although Mellamphy acknowledged that online retailing provides a solid platform for emerging designers, making their products accessible to all, he made the point that retailers now have to come up with innovative ways to attract customers to their shops. Ott was concerned with how this sudden surge of online shopping had dramatically affected retail stores, such as The Bay. The virtual world is convenient, and though it’s not entirely bad, it has lowered sales and could put many out of work. We want what we want and we want it now. The Internet can give us this. Real stores take more effort. And with that, Scotty, beam us to our next issue.

Fashion bloggers have shaped this new generation of “Internet dressers,” as Laing likes to call them. They have become the new fashion authority. But is it really authority when practically every under-30 has a different opinion? Do we even care about fashion authority in this day and age? The Jeanne Bekers and Suzy Menkes‘ of this generation are the thousands who have access to Tumblr and Instagram. And this seemed okay with the panel, because it meant fashion had become democratized, everyone can wear fast fashions and everyone can express their opinions on it. Even fashion shows have become affected by this radical change. Long gone are the days of the whimsical McQueen or Galliano show, as Beker reminisced. Now, Laing pointed out, shows are created for Instagram. Designers are responding to the iPhone generation, opting for low-key, minimalist approaches that would surely impress the always logical Mr. Spock.

The panelists gave me a lot to think about, even as I frantically tried to copy down everything being said while maintaining my cool—alas, it was my first time at one of these events, and a girl’s gotta start somewhere. I did get my (beloved) photo with Jeanne Beker and left thinking that despite the constant and radical changes that face it, the fashion industry can handle what is to come and live long and prosper.

The Wornlings Are Coming!

Stephanie3, Tabitha, and Alex Wornette form the newest WORN tri-pod

By: Stephanie Chunoo, Alex Chronopoulos, and Tabitha Poeze

Howdy, Gütentag, and Aloha to you all! We are Stephanie, Tabitha, and Alex. We are the new Wornettes on the block, and this makes us very excited. Since the three of us are the new co-op interns—or “Wornlings” as we’ve been dubbed—we are writing a collective introductory post so as to maintain simplicity.

First up, Stephanie (or Stephanie3 as she has been newly christened):
Though I may initially come across as nit-picky, assertive, and (in layman’s terms) a bitch, deep down I’m not really a Grinch-like person, and my heart is indeed three sizes larger than most think. I’m a romantic at heart, and I’m happiest when listening to the sounds of Pat Benatar and The Police whilst flipping through the works of Helmut Newton and Lee Miller. I find beauty in couples who have been married for more than 40 years and can still be seen strolling about hand in hand. I love thunderstorms, Humans of New York, and wish my life could mirror Julia Roberts’ in Eat, Pray, Love. I hope to pursue photography in the future and travel the world, ideally working for National Geographic.

And now Tabitha:
My parents named me after the witch and I must admit I can’t imagine living with any other name. I’m opinionated, ambitious, and if you don’t fall in love with me immediately after we meet I’ll be sure to use my magical witch charms until you do. On a regular weekend you’ll definitely find me out and about; whether it’s record hunting for my collection, dealing with the strange customers at my retail job, or trekking across the city just for a good bite to eat, I don’t think a day is complete without some sort of adventure. Recently I have developed quite the obsession with flavoured lattés and Kanye West. I’m still very young and still very much trying to figure out what I’d like to do with my life. All I really know is that I never want to give up my artistic lifestyle, and hey, maybe my time here at WORN will help me figure out the rest.

Last but not least, Alex:
I truly am an old lady at heart, not because I have hoards of cats and teeth that have a tendency to move a little every time I sneeze, but because I truly believe chivalry isn’t dead and no day is complete without some lipstick and a couple dabs of perfume behind my ears. I probably watch way too much Star Trek and Criminal Minds, to the point where I am convinced my neighbours are psychopathic serial killers descended from another planet. On a normal note, I also enjoy springtime walks with my father, scouring thrift shops for jewelry, and making ravioli with my Nonna. I absolutely love to write, so much so that I tend to ramble, and hope to pursue journalism in the future.

Current Inspirations

Stephanie3:
Humans of New York
This Big Apple-based photo blog started by photographer Brandon Stanton in 2010 aims to capture the everyday people on the streets of NYC through an exhaustive collection of photographs. What makes each photo memorable for me are the diverse set of captions. Accompanying each image, they range from a personal commentary on the weather to hard-hitting life advice. Overall, Humans of New York is a moving and inspiring tribute to the eccentric and compelling city of New York.

A`bout Design Corporation
This Toronto-based fashion design company is led by the visionary Dean Hutchinson. His approach to fashion is unique in that he makes his clothes with the intention that the wearer will form their own identity and story whilst wearing the garment, as opposed to many other retailers who hope clients will simply buy their merchandise for the name. Interning at Dean`s studio opened my eyes to the personalities and stories a garment can have.

Tabitha:
The Locals
After a trip to Denmark two years ago, I completely fell in love with the phenomenal sense of style that practically everyone had there. Coming across The Locals shortly after was like a dream. The blog originally started out with a focus on Copenhagen street style and has completely evolved and expanded to include street style from cities all over the world. I can’t think of a better display of how fashion and style are so universal, yet at the same time completely different from place to place. I love being able to grab inspiration for my style from such a diverse array of cities and people.

Thought Catalog
It could probably be defined as a blog but I think of it more as a collection of refreshing and nicely written articles. New content is posted every day relating to anything and everything from personal stories, music, fashion and pop culture, to poetry and, well, just life in general. Similar to the articles, the writers are also very diverse. They all seem to have intriguing (yet varying) backgrounds, style, experience, and locations around the globe. I find it so incredibly fascinating that all these different people can write such different pieces, and still have them come together like clockwork. There really is something for everyone on Thought Catalog and I’ve never left the website without a new idea, perspective, or thought.

Alex:
The Original James Bond Movies
The 1960s, exotic locales, crazy villains, shoddy special effects, and a tanned and toned Sean Connery. Need I say more? In all seriousness though, it’s fascinating to compare the original 1960s Bond to the modern-day version. While his class, charm, and overall debonair disposition have stayed the same, the fashion and general social graces most certainly have evolved with the times. The impeccably tailored suits, sophisticated millinery, and of course the badass-ness that is The Bond Girl—or the original Femme Fatale—is nothing short of inspirational.

Maureen Lee & Jill Barber
Two very different people with two very different jobs, these ladies never fail to inspire me and put a huge, goofy grin on my face. The former is an author and a Liverpudlian as they call themselves, who centers all of her novels around strong-spirited female protagonists pre- and during WWII. The latter is a Canadian jazz singer who has recently risen to fame with her vintage, war-era sound and disposition, covering such artists as The Andrews Sisters (another personal favourite). As I am completely obsessed with the war years, these two remarkable ladies continually inspire me with their witticisms, class, and of course their obsession with lipstick.

photography // Zoe Vos