The King of Carnaby Street, Jeremy Reed’s biography of fashion designer John Stephen, escapes many of the familiar tropes that biographies tend to fall into. The “life” of John Stephen, as indicated in the title, is really only his professional one, with little of the typical biographical exposition bookending each side. Reed begins his story with the Glaswegian’s arrival in London in 1952 at the age of 18. Six years later he opened the first boutique in Soho’s Carnaby Street and played a key role in transforming the neighbourhood into the a shopping and cultural hub.

Perhaps due to the fact that Stephen himself was a private man during his heyday, Reed has built his story around the major cultural events of the era when he was active. Though Stephen’s career is the focal point, the book equally functions as the story of London in the 1960s, of Carnaby Street and of the mod subculture. Other cultural figures like Mary Quant, Foale & Tuffin, the Beatles and the Who all make appearances, emphasizing the influence of different types of artists on each other. While forging a link between clothing and music is nothing new, Reed also manages to draw parallels between fashion and drug culture, as well as social ideologies popular amongst the young in trendy London. As he detailed the tendency of Mods to prioritize aesthetics and borrow from other cultural movements, I wondered how seamlessly they would fit in with today’s tumblr generation.

Reed’s choice to focus on Stephen’s contribution to fashion rather than dramatizing his personal life is a smart one, making the book read less like the novelization of a Lifetime movie and more like an intelligent deconstruction of an influential designer’s oeuvre. That said, this method does carry its own pitfalls – occasionally, the books lags sometimes when it goes into detailed accounts describing the techniques Stephen used to cut a suit or all the possible colour combinations of striped trousers he designed (though design aficionados – and I’m sure there are many among WORN’s readers – might appreciate these details). Other times it began to feel repetitive where Stephen’s dealings with other famous people are brought up – it seems every page carries at least a few references to the Kinks, Mick Jagger, or other stylish rockstars, to the point of excess.

For me, the most intriguing aspects of Stephen’s story were the ways he used his clothing to provoke the status quo. Stephen, a gay man, was forced to live most of his life in the closet, putting on airs of being an eligible bachelor for his young fan base. However, he used his clothing as a means of blurring the lines of gender presentation, often designing androgynous clothes for both men and women. Men’s clothing was his specialty, and many of his designs were much showier than what men had previously worn – jeans became tighter and shirts came in flamboyant colours like pink and aquamarine. Stephen turned shopping into a recreational activity for men by making his stores have a nightclub feel.

The King of Carnaby Street, while giving a general idea of who John Stephen was as a person, is more about the influence a provocative design aesthetic can have on a generation than a typical biography. True, Stephen was the driving force behind his line, his business philosophy, and his success, but it’s the clothes that are the stars of this story.

The King of Carnaby Street: The Life of John Stephen
By Jeremy Reed, Haus Publishing London
book review by Anna Fitzpatrick
photography by Hillary Predko

Chances are, if you have even a passing interest in industry fashion, Tavi needs no introduction. Since starting her articulate fashion blog Style Rookie in April 2008, the now fourteen year old has become something of a celebrity both online and off. Case in point: when she wrote about her visit to the WORN Offices last month, I got no less than five e-mails from people I hadn’t spoken to in years saying some variation of “OH MY GOD CONGRATS FOR GETTING MENTIONED ON THE STYLE ROOKIE!” (for the record, friends of mine from middle school, we wrote about it here first).

Tavi was in town for Toronto’s Idea City, at which she spoke about the need for a Sassy-esque teen magazine for the new generation. We had a chance to talk to her about about the state of fashion today.

Is there a difference between fashion and style? If so, what is it?
There definitely is, but I’m not sure how to pinpoint it. I think style has a much clearer definition than fashion, which is such a broad term… I think the difference that is the most clear to me is that style gives more opportunities to be subversive while fashion usually entails rules. If you’re stylish, you’re creative and original, and if you’re fashionable, you know how to look attractive and uncontroversial.

When evaluating a fashion collection, do you think the aesthetics or the context of the clothes are more important?
I think about this a lot. I’m really not sure. I think it’s very difficult to project ideas through clothing, and I like that designers are creative with their sets and music and hair and makeup. It makes it more fun, plus fashion is very much about presentation. And, even if a designer chose not to use these elements at all, they would still be making a statement, I think? So I guess that when I look at a collection, I use the theatrical elements to help me interpret the designer’s message, but I interpret the strength of the actual collection by looking at how well the clothes can stand on their own without being dependent on the set and music and all that.

Has your opinion on any fashion labels changed after meeting the designers and learning more about the ideas that go into their lines?
Yes. Seeing Kate Mulleavy talk about her dresses (which I was seeing in real life for the first time, which is quite an experience) and about all the work and inspiration that goes into them put Rodarte even higher up on my favorite designers list.

I love Prada and Comme des Garcons forever, but learning that there was more of a team and less Miuccia Prada and Rei Kawakubo doing the designing was a bit disheartening. I suppose it was ignorant of me to imagine them sketching in a dark room with a single lightbulb alone at night, but still.

What level (if any) of responsibility and accountability do you think the fashion industry should have in presenting a diverse image of beauty? Do you think it’s important? Why? Where do you see opportunities for change (if you think change is needed)?
Oh man, hefty issue. It all goes back to the Charles Barkley quotation about being a role model… on one hand, I don’t think artistic vision should be compromised, but on the other, these images have influence whether those behind them want them to or not. Change is certainly needed but I’m not sure how to go about that. Something is definitely to be said for the way blogs and the Internet could help this movement.

What role do you think magazines have in fashion?
They have become more sacred now in the age of the Internet. Now you know that what you’re getting in the magazine you’re buying is really good, because it made print and didn’t go on their website. They’re part of the conversation in a way they weren’t before… I think magazines now play the role of inspiring as opposed to acting like guides, since it’s more convenient for everyone if trend reports and all that remain online. There is a need in magazines for timelessness, now that fashion moves even quicker than usual because of the Internet. The role they play is to give the readers the best of the best of the best; what is special enough to print. I think there’s also something to be said for the way print is becoming an increasingly more intimate thing… I know that my favorite magazines that I buy in print and cherish deserve tangibility either because they’re so beautiful and inspiring and high-quality or because I relate to them and that’s more special to hold in your hands. Olivier Zahm just complained about how bloggers don’t allow editors to have points of view, and this isn’t true — editors just need to strengthen theirs (I am certainly not saying all editors in general, I mean the ones who are getting nervous). When it comes to bloggers vs. editors, it’s the best content that will be the most successful. But really, I don’t think there needs to be any winners. Different people like different things and have different taste, and I think there can be something for everyone. Let’s all just coexist together. Man, I’m such a hippie!

interview by Anna Fitzpatrick
photography courtesy of thestylerookie.com

50 Fashion Designers You Should Know is just what the title tells you: this is not a collection of obscure or niche designers, but rather a book profiling the biggest movers and shakers in the fashion industry. More specifically, it is a guide to those who have had the biggest influences, primarily on contemporary western women’s fashion. Spanning from Jeanne Lanvin opening her first hat shop in 1899 to Stella McCartney’s most recent collection, the book features short profiles of the biggest designers who show at the four main fashion weeks (London, Paris, Milan and New York City). While it’s far from being a comprehensive encyclopedia of names, 50 Fashion Designers is excellent as an unintimidating crash course for fashion newbies.

The names included are the more obvious ones: Coco Chanel, Vivienne Westwood and Marc Jacobs are all present. While the focus is on the famous, there is some variety. Both the more commercial designers (Gianni Versace, Calvin Klein) as well as the avant garde (Yohji Yamamoto, Hussein Chalayan) are included. There are also a few designers who had an impact in their time but have since gone a bit under the radar, like Madeleine Vionnet and Main Boucher.

The profiles themselves are well researched, and though quite brief they hold a fair bit of information. Author Simone Werle includes only the most essential of biographical facts (date of birth, country of origin, etc.), focusing instead on the designers’ technical and professional accomplishments. There are several instances where Werle editorializes, highlighting each designer’s strength in order to emphasize where he or she made an impact, although all the profiles remain heavily steeped in fact. Most of the personal sentiments in this book come from quotes pulled from the designers themselves, stating their own fashion philosophies. It’s intriguing to see the way so many designers differ in their ideals, even those who at first appear to be of similar calibers. Several designers, including Miuccia Prada and Franco Moschino, explicitly state that they hate fashion. Hearing these declarations from people who have devoted their entire professional lives to the creation of clothes made me wonder about the various ways fashion is considered by different people, and how commercialism can affect one’s creative output. Naturally, these were contrasted with profiles of designers who focus more on the business aspects of building a brand, with quotes about how buying one of their designs is akin to buying into a lifestyle.

My first thought upon finishing the book was, “where does one go from here?” The brevity of the profiles prevents any real analyses of the designers’ careers. While the book still works as a useful introduction to runway designers, it would have been helpful had the edition included sources, notes for further reading, or even an introduction or conclusion for those looking to dig deeper. Instead, 50 Fashion Designers dives right into its subject matter with little additional content explaining the processes behind its selections. However, even without this, I would definitely recommend the book to anybody looking for a place to start in understanding today’s fashion. Aspiring Wornettes take note.

50 Fashion Designers You Should Know by Simone Werle, Prestel, 2010
reviewed by Anna Fitzpatrick
photography by Deua Medeiros

A couple of weeks ago I had a conversation with WORN’s Editor-in-Pants, Serah-Marie (whose living room doubles as the WORN offices), that went something like this:*

Me: I am coming to Toronto for a week.
Her: Sounds good!
Me: I might need to crash on your couch while I’m in town.
Her: Can’t wait!
Me: I’ll also probably raid your fridge and watch all your Gilmore Girls DVDs.
Her: We’re ready for you!
Me: Also, my blogger friends Tavi and Isabel are in town, and I might bring them around for a tour.
Her: …Dang, now I’ll need to tidy the place up.

As general fans of anybody with intelligent things to say about fashion, it was a delight and a half to have these ladies come around. Being a typical work day, the office was filled with Wornettes.

Left to right: Deua, yours truly, Stephanie, Tavi, Isabel and Hillary

Our guests spend a minute or two examining our fashion library, followed by two hours (give or take) of ogling a Star Wars Pez collection.

Tavi is fascinated by the inside of a barrel of monkeys. We’ve all been there.

Gathering around to look at proofs from a recent photoshoot for issue 11 (out this fall). Excited? We know it’s a long wait, but we’ve got the recent release of issue 10 to tide you over.

Stephanie Wornette is so hard at work that it cannot even be accurately captured on camera.

To the left, Tavi continues to earn her title of “Wornette” by making pins to go out with recent subscriptions. To the right, she poses with an equally purple Serah-Marie.

After a hard day’s work (okay, more like 20 minutes), Isabel, Tavi and I departed the WORN offices to explore downtown Toronto. Not captured on our cameras (but Isabel’s got some good shots): Kensington Market, Honest Ed’s, and Tavi’s first Tim Hortons experience.

- Anna Fitz

* I am paraphrasing for dramatic effect. To my knowledge, Serah-Marie has never used the word ‘dang’ in casual conversation.