The New Design-y Wornettes

Jackie, Hannah, and Maegan Wornettes share their love of Clueless, Spice Girls, and the '60s

By: wornette

What do Jackie, Hannah, and Maegan all have in common? They all hate Comic Sans, they know what kerning is, and they all like to save widows and orphans in their spare time. Oh, and they are the newest additions to WORN’s graphic design team!

Hi, I’m Jackie
A Vancouverite, I was raised on the Beatles and dreamt of becoming a Spice Girl—platform shoes, flare pants, and choker necklaces were all staples of my wardrobe. From a young age, I wore my style on my sleeve, and my love for fashion has not faltered, but I certainly like to think my taste has matured. Now my days are filled with Kendrick Lamar, episodes of Parks and Rec and daydreams of the future Alexander Wang bag I will someday own.

… and I’m Hannah
My appreciation for clothing goes back to the playground, where I insisted on wearing puffy party dresses as a toddler. I’d say my style is eclectic, with bits of inspiration from everywhere, though I do have an affinity for the late ’60s. I love designs that are clean and fresh, with a touch of femininity and quirkiness. When I’m not doing design work I like to be out and about—exploring Toronto’s quaint cafes and shops—and make Brooch Boyfriends. I look forward to joining the WORN community of lovely, creative, and stylish people.

… don’t forget Maegan!
My first foray into fashion was watching Clueless when I was six. I shared WORN’s love of Cher Horowitz and I begged my mom to buy me plaid backpacks. I also love Michelle Williams movies, analogue photography, and John Green novels. I like ideas, especially in relation to fashion and culture. I’m excited to be a part of WORN because it approaches fashion and style in an intelligent and creative way—something I’ve been looking for in a magazine for a long time.

Current inspirations

Jackie:
Designspiration
My main source of inspiration, this dream of a website is filled with page after page of beautiful design and enthralling typography.

The Man Repeller
The Man Repeller mixes patterns like it’s her job and has a knack for satirical writing; she’s my current go-to for fashion and wit.

RoAndCo
RoAndCo is a Big Apple design studio that specializes in fashion branding. With resonant ideas and designs, their work inspires me on a daily basis.

Hannah:
Tiger in a Jar
The site explores themes of home and kinfolk, along with nature and locality. The haunting pastoral photography and short films are frequent muses.

Frankie
A publication that focuses on affordable fashion and arts & crafts; this isn’t really a current inspiration, but rather a constant fixation.

Toronto street fashion
It’s wonderful to see our city’s celebration of personal style.

Maegan:
Misprinted Type
The portfolio of artist/illustrator Eduardo Recife has been my foremost artistic inspiration since I first discovered Photoshop as a teenager. To this day, his mixture of collage elements and deconstructed, hand-drawn type is everything I want my work to be and more.

Girls
My love for Girls borders on obsessive. Lena Dunham is a genius; she’s somehow written a play-by-play of different moments throughout my life, except her version is hilarious.

Rodarte
Rodarte is my favourite fashion house because the pieces are not only mesmerizingly beautiful, but they are always rooted in an interesting and intelligent idea. Kate and Laura Mulleavy, the great minds behind Rodarte, design beautiful, intricate masterpieces that function as clothing as well as art. Also, they’re friends with Tavi: always a plus.

photography // Laura Tuttle

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Drawn Out Fashions

Crushing on Illustrator Ed J. Brown

By: Charlotte D'Arcy

Whether he’s whipping up a pastel-hued illustration for some awesome publication, cough, WORN Issue 15, cough, or just working on his whimsical drawing series of mythological beasts, Ed J. Brown is always telling a story. Focusing on the narrative power of illustration, Ed uses movement, kooky characters, and lots of texture to give an editorial some extra pizzazz or just make a viewer laugh. His vibrant blog is regularly updated with new work (his most recent pictorial interests include drawings of outer space and original typeface) and he’s a regular contributor to Art School Disco. We sat down with the UK-based illustrator to discuss how he wishes he could dress like his drawings and why illustration and fashion mags go together like ice cream and apple pie.

Is there any connection between your style as an artist and your personal style?
I’ve never been able to define my style, and I don’t mean that in a cool, I’m-so-indefinable-and-unique way. It’s more like one day I decided to wear plaid shirts and that’s going on three years now. I guess there is some overlap, like when I’m drawing people’s clothes I don’t want solid colours—I want some checks on there or some plaids. I’ll turn up the trousers or give them little tiny heels, and other than me notwearing tiny heels, there is a connection actually.

So your characters’ outfits reflect what you like to wear?
A little bit. I’d like to wear the kind of crazy textures and patterns in my drawings, but I don’t think I’m as brave as the people I like to draw. Visually I don’t always fit the artist/illustrator model. I sometimes wonder how important that is, especially when you’re meeting clients. Do they expect you to turn up with a Wesley Snipes wedge and glow bands?

I’m sure you do just fine with your plaid shirts. A lot of your art, even if it isn’t editorial, is very narrative. What attracted you to that style?
I connect more with an image if I know there’s a story behind it. I feel more involved with it. That’s what I try to put into my drawings. Something as simple as an image of a rainy day conjures up a narrative. I like to think someone could spend a while looking at different layers and elements within my work.

It’s interesting how layered your work is with textures too, I feel like those two things really play off each other.
I fucking love texture, my idea of design is ‘just fill the page.’ I get obsessed with making sure there aren’t little gaps or white space anywhere.

A lot of your art is centered on characters, how does dress come into play in these illustrations?
I like to create oddballs and I don’t like there to be flat colour or flat texture if there doesn’t have to be. Obviously, you do need solids in an image, otherwise it gives you a headache, but particularly with clothing you have a tremendous freedom to insert anything you want. You can sort of describe a character’s personality, get across ideas of who this character is, by what clothes you give them. I think clothes can be great for getting ideas across—same as tattoos really.

There’s a long history of illustration in fashion magazines, what do you think it is about fashion illustrations that photography can’t always replicate?
I think it may come down to communicating an idea within fashion. If someone is describing the feel of an item, or describing the back-story of the clothes, I think in moments like that you really need the whimsy of illustration. It can bring out the ideas behind the clothing.

Who are your favorite illustrators right now?
That’s such a tough question! It changes all the time. I’m always a fan of Jon Boam. He always seems to be doing something fun. Other illustrators I’m liking right now are Jon MacNair, Nick Alston, Luke Best, Roberto Blefari, Niv Bavarsky, George McCallum and of course my Art School Disco brethren.

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Japanese? Yes Please!

The best of Tokyo Autumn/Winter 2013/14 Fashion Week

By: Megan Patterson

Tokyo Fashion Week took place the same week as our fashion week here in Toronto (TWINSIES) last month. Here in Canada, the weather was still appropriately chilly enough to keep us in the spirit of the Fall/Winter collections that were being shown, though the story in Tokyo was a bit different with the sakura trees in full, pink bloom.

Tokyo fashion is known for a lot of things, most notably for not being boring, and I have to say, in this regard the collections did not disappoint. Streetwear tends to reign supreme, and you can always expect to see a lot of playing with pattern, colour, and proportion. Most importantly, Japanese designs are always fun.

MR. GENTLEMAN

First of all, how could you not like this collection based on the name alone? Japanese brands always have the most delightful names (there is a store in Shibuya called Nude Trump, which is probably my favourite). MR. GENTLEMAN is the brainchild of two Tokyo veteran designers, Takeshi Osumi from menswear brand PHENOMENON and Yuichi Yoshii, who is known for organizing the VERSUS TOKYO shows.

The look at MR. GENTLEMAN is classic English prep with a twist. The preppy look is pretty popular in Asia, but because it doesn’t have the same cultural connotations as it does in the West, Asian designers tend to have a lot more fun with it. In this collection the tweed shorts are paired with matching boutonnieres on the jackets, and dress shirts have boxy, high collars.
You’ll find the full collection here.

Facetasm

Pronounced “Facet-asm,” Facetasm has become one of the more well known Tokyo fashion brands since its debut in 2007. Facetasm is classic Japanese streetwear through and through. The A/W 2013 collection is pretty futuristic looking, but some of the skirts almost look like pleated kimono. This kind of haphazard layering is very Japanese. I’m pretty sure I could never pull it off, but here it looks amazing.

Leather and shearling manskirts make up the menswear side—this is not the only collection that seemed to have them. I officially call a trend! Facetasm’s certainly look like they’ll keep your junk warm and cozy (feel free to use this in your marketing copy, Facetasm).
The full collection can be viewed on Style.com.

Gut’s Dynamite Cabarets

See what I mean about the names? I don’t think I would want to go to a gut’s dynamite cabaret though. Sounds messy. Gut’s Dynamite Cabarets is notorious for its drag queen following. It’s definitely a fun, edgy show, and A/W does not disappoint: love all the fur and patterns. I think some of those coats might even be warm enough to survive a Canadian winter. I am also in lusting for the tights in this show (LEOPARD PRINT!). Japan has the best patterned tights ever, and this will not be the only show in which you see them. I even know where to buy them, but unfortunately I am neither short nor thin. Someone please buy some and make me insanely jealous.
See the full collection at Women’s Wear Daily.

Dresscamp

Dresscamp really played with pattern and structure, and this collection has some really amazing detailing that only becomes apparent up close (this dress, for example, whose skirt is actually made up of small, laser cut and edged pieces of fabric). Leopard print is also heavily featured. For women, flower inspiration is evident (a bit weird for a winter collection, but I guess that’s probably the time of year when you need to look like a plant the most). In menswear, the military, both past and present, seems to be heavy influences.
See the full collection at Fashioninsing.

mercibeaucoup

Mercibeaucoup’s fall 2013 collection is for the free spirit in all of us who doesn’t believe in tight pants, or tops, or really feeling constrained by their clothing at all. This free spirit is also obsessed with soccer. This is an extremely Japanese collection, with a typically Japanese sensibility towards both prep and streetwear. And while it’s not really my personal style, I definitely want this graphic, oversized sweater in my closet.

See the full collection at Style.com.

Anrealage

Anrealage definitely falls under the spectrum of classic and pretty, but regardless I absolutely love this collection (especially the dresses that are inspired by kimono). Also love? The wigs made out of paper. This is also one of the few collections where the models are wearing a heel. It’s a very low heel too. I’m not sure why (maybe it’s because everyone has to walk and commute so much), but flats or platforms rule the Tokyo streets more than heels do, and that’s been reflected in pretty much all the fall collections. See the full collection at Fashionising.

Jotaro Saito

Jotaro Saito is one of Japan’s youngest kimono designers (he launched his first collection at 27), and he comes from a long line of traditional Japanese fashion artists. His grandfather was a dye artist, and his father is also a kimono designer. Jotaro Saito takes a different, more modern approach to kimono design, however. Saito aims to design “kimono as fashion matched with modern space.” His kimono definitely are cut and patterned in a much sleeker, more modern style (and definitely with a bit more leg showing). I particularly love the patchwork look on the women’s kimono, and the braided belts on the men’s.

See the full collection here.

Araisara

Pretty much all of the jackets in this collection are perfect and I want all of them on me right now, but especially the blazer-y one. No wait, especially this sheer, cape-y one. And the flower peplums! So much good tailoring at Araisara. I mean…great? Too busy coveting to care.

See the full collection at Fashionising.

motonari ono

Motonari ono’s fall/winter collection is also completely killing it on the coat and blazer front. While it is largely warmer in Japan than in North America in the winter, but I’m still not sure why we’re seeing so many tailored shorts with bare legs looks across a lot of the collections. At motonari ono, they’re small and floral, and wouldn’t look out of place on a Mori Girl (albeit a very high fashion one).

See the full collection here.

Christian Dada

It’s like The Crow decided to give up revenging and became a fashion designer. This is a compliment, because there are GIANT BLACK WINGS ON THE SHOES. HOW IS THAT NOT THE BEST THING EVER? This collection does not give a fuck about looking pretty, and you’ve got to love that.

See the full collection at Fashionising.

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Under Where?

The male gaze dilemma meets pretty panties

By: Casie Brown

“Brevity is the soul of lingerie.” – Dorothy Parker

While borrowing lines from Hamlet to describe panties may seem like a stretch no elastic waistband should endure, Ms. Parker’s witty remark raises many questions concerning what we choose to put on underneath our clothes. It’s a simple decision that arises daily for both men and women, often thought to be mandatory and thoughtless, but is it? For myself (and I hope I am not alone in this one) countless daydreams are filled with visions of me slipping in and out of lingerie; of waking to the early sunlight in my darling (but too rarely worn) vintage babydoll slip. I wish for the moment when passion stops to observe the way silk skims a nipple. But more often than not, these moments are either lost or pass within a flick of the light switch. So why do we invest so much of our time and money on a moment so brief?

One understanding is that our obsession is centered around conforming our bodies to an attractive ideal. From the Victorian corset to spanx, many women have attempted to chisel their way to the ‘perfect’ feminine figure with elastic and whale bone. Jill Fields, author of An Intimate Affair, links the evolution of our unmentionables to the ever-changing gender distinctions and transformation of the twentieth century American woman. While this socio-historical approach helps us understand how we have evolved from bloomers to thongs, it hardly explains our fascination with undergarments within the context of the bedroom.

In her novella Simple Passion, Annie Ernaux describes the events of her intimacies with a married man. At the height of their affair, she pauses to illustrate the wreckage of their most recent encounter: “I would sit staring at the glasses, the plates and their leftovers, the over flowering ashtray, the clothes, the lingerie strewn all over the bedroom and the hallway.” The garments, meticulously prepared, lay discarded amongst the carnage of the evening. Ernaux’s illustration is a scene that I’m sure many women have woken up to, or even caught their feet in as they stumbled sleepy-eyed from the bedroom. The tableaux provokes a common interpretation of intimate apparel. We picture Ernaux, the blood and guts of her affair, and a pair of red lace panties. She dresses—and undresses—for him.

Feminist film criticism has brought to us the idea of the male gaze, and as Fields points out specifically in the case of lingerie, “Women construct themselves in dress and deportment as ‘to-be-looked-at,’ which requires them to look through the male gaze to see whether their bodies are attractive objects on display.” But this is where I seem to fail. I can say with confidence (based on many years of field research—please don’t tell my parents) that hours shopping and countless dollars and debt later, I have found that the only reason a guy ever remembers the colour of my bra is because it was resting on the nightstand beside his iPhone. So why persist?

As I sit on a rainy afternoon, making a chart of sexual encounters, what I wore, and the reaction, I come to a hypothesis. And while I have never been one to air my dirty laundry, here it goes. The results of my oh-so-scientific chart seem to point to one small black g-string as the undefeated champ—which I’ll have you know I have only worn a handful times out of necessity, under a super tight pencil skirt, or this one pair of jeans that fit like they came out of the last musical number in Grease. Revealing cellulite, stretch marks, and the obvious deviance from my squat routine, this particular delicate would not be my first choice. Instead, I tend to opt for things you would expect to see circa Valley of the Dolls. These items, a tiny bit more modest than your average g-string, are how I have chosen to represent my sexuality—despite the often lackluster response.

In the past half century, feminist art has been subverting women’s status as sexual objects by claiming this very status and exercising their ability to choose how it is represented; in the words of Simone de Beauvoir, “To make oneself an object, to make oneself passive, is a very different thing from being a passive object.” While I would never claim my high-waisted satin briefs to be a feminist statement, something does seem to bind these two ideas together. Is our time spent rifling through Victoria Secret catalogues a forfeit to the demands of the male gaze? Or could my obsession with the latest Agent Provocateur collection be a reclaiming of my body and sexuality? While I would prefer to place myself in the latter category, it could very well be that I am simply stuck in a male gaze of decades past, where the movements of Lana Turner across a screen would have forced me to tighten the elastic of my wrap-around girdle. Pushing up and into the unmentionable adventures of my future, however, I will strive with every eye-hook latched and every stocking unrolled to ensure that these private garments become my own quiet reclamation; that, like my outer layers, what I put on under my clothes will remain how I want to be represented, both as a woman and sexually.

photography // Laura Tuttle

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