In my capacity as WORN’s Official Musician, I was invited by a reporter to compile the imaginary “WORN Fashion Journal Original Soundtrack Album.” Although excerpts of it may have appeared in Humber College’s newspaper, I thought that my full list might be of some interest to our blog readers.

The WORN soundtrack is a combination of songs that are popular at our events, popular in the office, or featured in the magazine. Ideally, dialogue from WORN appears between tracks (a la Pulp Fiction, and other 90s soundtracks).

Track Listing below!


1. You Can’t Hurry Love — The Supremes
This song is discretely quoted somewhere in almost every issue. A must.

2. Daddy Cool — Boney M
Filled the dance floor at every event we’ve had - and just look at their album covers.

3. He Hit Me and It Felt Like a Kiss — Hole
I don’t think Hole ever released this cover version officially, but it’s all over the internet. Courtney Love, sixties girl-groups, Carole King and feminist/post-feminist politics are all inextricably linked with WORN in numerous ways.

4. Let Me Kiss You — Nancy Sinatra
Ms. Sinatra has appeared in WORN a couple of times, but “Boots” is way too obvious. Her 2004 comeback album came out while Serah-Marie was concocting the idea for the journal, so it was an easy choice.

5. I Put a Spell on You — Screamin’ Jay Hawkins
I wrote a little piece on Jim Jarmusch’s personal style for issue 3. Screamin’ Jay comes up in Jarmusch’s films numerous times, and you can’t really question the fashion choices of a guy wearing a cartoon bone in his hair.

6. Spirit in the Sky — Norman Greenbaum
On the few occasions we’ve done fashion shows, we always use this as the music. Probably our ultimate runway choice.

7. I Believe When I Fall in Love — Stevie Wonder
It has figured prominently at the events we’ve thrown with Slowdance Night, and it’s a highlight of my and Serah-Marie’s wedding CD, which is always a popular door-prize at our Valentine’s events.

8. Warm Leatherette — Grace Jones
The spectre of Ms. Jones figures in WORN several times (see our “Cut to the Grace” photoshoot, issue 7). This cover of the Normal song always gets them dancing.

9. Gift & Seasonal — The Chorus Barloff
This is my band. This song is about your parents buying you clothes for Christmas.

10. Zebra Kiss — Donzelle
We featured her in issue 6, and I love the picture that accompanies this track on her MySpace.

11. Blue Suede Shoes — Elvis Presley
Sonya Topolnisky wrote an impassioned defense of the King’s jumpsuits for issue 6 so he has to feature on the soundtrack somewhere. I was tempted to choose more obscure clothing-related titles like “Big Boots” or “Something Blue” but, frankly, they suck. We want the WORN soundtrack to be listenable, so I went with the obvious choice.

12. Mercy Seat — Nick Cave
Personally, I can’t stand him, but Nick Cave’s an icon thats made an appearance in Worn (issue 1), so he’s got to be here somewhere. I think this song’s pretty okay.

13. Safety Dance — Men Without Hats
The band started in Montreal, as did WORN, and there’s an article about safety pins as fashion accessories in issue 2. Something by Television or Richard Hell would’ve been more appropriate, but people seem to associate this with safety pins for some reason, and it’s real popular at our events.

14. Je T’Aime…Moi, Non-Plus — Jane Birkin
Written by Serge Gainsbourg for Brigitte Bardot (and rejected). Sexy, stylish, atmospheric, campy and WORN.

15. Cherry Bomb — The Runaways
So many songs to choose from here, but this is the hit. Their manager, Kim Fowley was profiled in issue 3, but we really should do something about them specifically at some point. Just search youtube for old concert footage and be wowed. Narrowly beat out Joan Jett’s solo “Bad Reputation.”

16. Tear it Up — The Cramps
We did a feature on psychobilly fashion for issue 4. Members of Montreal band the Gutter Demons were featured, and I was really tempted to put them on the album. But Lux Interior passed away last year and I’m still a little devasted, so I went with the psychobilly grandparents. If you can track down a copy of the film “URGH!: A Music War” check out the incredible performance, with Lux wearing nothing but ill-fitting spandex pants and black mascara singing the entire song with the mic jammed in the back of his throat.

17. Just a Little Lovin’ — Dusty Springfield
The “Dusty in Memphis” album goes into the office cd player at least once a week.

18. King’s Lead Hat — Brian Eno
“ENOBOX II: Vocals” rarely goes a week without a spin, either.

19. Material Girl — Madonna
The title of our regular feature on fibres. Mandatory.

20. Gold — Spandau Ballet
The Material Girl Column in issue 6 is subtitled “Spandex Ballet,” a nod to these 80s crooners.

21. Grease — Frankie Valli
Coco & Laura’s sidebar on tanning lotion in issue 6 notes that “Greece is the Word.”

22. Paint it Black — Rolling Stones
Coco & Laura also note that black paint was once used as primitive sunburn protection.

23. Heart and Soul — Diane & The Javelins : We decided on the title “Art and Sole” for our collaboration with the Bata Shoe Museum and Keds very early on. This song got stuck in my head every time someone said the title. This is my favourite recording, found on most Joe Meek compilations.

24. Devil With the Blue Dress On — Shorty Long
Issue 9’s piece on vintage denim is titled “Devil With the Blue Jeans On.” Close enough.

25. Who Are You - -The Who
The subtitle of Gwen’s “Everything I Know About Fashion I Learned from My Mother” column in issue 9. Also, my Editor-in-Pants/spouse, Serah-Marie, calls this “Theme from CSI.” Good illustration of the differences a slight generation gap can create…

26. Hockey Night in Canada Theme — Dolores Claman
Really the only appropriate thing to listen to while perusing our Don Cherry piece in issue 10.

27. Norwegian Wood — The Beatles
Fashion designer Angie (and her line that shares the name with the Beatles song) is featured in issue 10.

28. After Hours — The Velvet Underground
The lyrics accentuate a photo-spread in issue 6, and Moe Tucker is a personal style-icon. This song can’t go anywhere but last on any album.

-Ted Kulczycky

Walking into Nokomis is always a bit like stepping into a storybook for grown-ups – if you’re the kind of grown-up who lives for tea parties, fairy tales, quiet corners, and playing dress-up.

Tucked into the century-old Griffith Block in Edmonton’s Old Strathcona, the store is full of artfully arranged rows and stacks of dresses, skirts, blouses, pants, shoes, jewelry, scarves, belts, bags and oh so many things in between. (Nokomis carries WORN, too!)

The last time I visited, on a windy weekday afternoon, co-owner Jessica Kennedy greeted me warmly and encouraged me to roam around and take pictures. The soundtrack to the movie Amélie was playing on the stereo, and with a creaky wood floor underfoot and surrounded by well-crafted, Canadian-made clothing, I was convinced I had entered my own personal, dress-filled dream world. I wondered what they would say if I decided just to never, ever leave.

When I go to Nokomis, it is always with a mission. Its seductive powers are such that, without a definite goal in mind, I am at risk of leaving having purchased the whole entire store – which would be happy for my closet but sad for my wallet. The deal I have worked out with myself is this: If I need something especially wonderful – to wear to a wedding, a party, a fancy dinner – Nokomis will be one of my first stops.

Of course, sometimes I break my own rules. (Often enough that, really, they’re not actually rules so much as nice ideas.) But every decision that ends in me carrying out one of their hand-sewn, raven-printed bags is never a decision I regret.

Nokomis is the Ojibwa word for grandmother – and as a tribute to its name, the west wall of the store is covered in photos of customers’ grandmothers, each in a simple wooden frame. If you come bring in a picture of your grandmother for the wall, you get ten percent off your purchase – and if you bring in pictures of both of your grandmothers, you get twenty.

Not only is Nokomis the name of the store itself, but it is also the name of the clothing line designed by Elizabeth Hudson (who runs the studio while Jessica runs the store). Their website defines the Nokomis line as, “pretty frocks for girls who read books.” Some of my favourite dresses have been from here – when I wear them, I always feel elegant, feminine and ready for a tea party.

Recently, on the Nokomis blog, Jessica and Elizabeth have announced that they are closing production on the house line, and that Fall 2009 will be its final season. The store will remain open, and will still carry all of its other usual, independent Canadian clothing lines – readers of the WORN blog might recognize complexgeometries, Supayana, and Norwegian Wood, among others – but after this fall, their house line will cease to be. The announcement saddened me, because I’ve become a big fan of the Nokomis label and all its lovely dresses. But, then, this is definitely an occasion special enough to warrant another mission of the seek-and-dress-up variety.

- Hailey Siracky

Fashion royalty Queen Michelle will make even the most sartorially shy among us want to rock a pair of black lamé leggings. She showcases her dark, experimental style over at her blog, Kingdom of Style.

What is your favourite item in your wardrobe?
At the moment it’s a dress Angie from Norwegian Wood and I collaborated on to design.

Do you ever try to evoke certain characters when you get dressed?
Sort of. Sometimes I might say to myself, “I’m feeling a bit gothic today,” so I would wear layers of black and other days I might feel a bit hippie. Music influences me a great deal, more so than characters.

How did you dress when you were in high school?
I was a total heavy metal kid at high school in the 80s, so lots of black, studs, tight black jeans, and band t-shirts. Luckily my school wasn’t strict about wearing the school uniform!

What is your day job, and does what do you do for a living affect what you wear?
I’m a graphic designer, which means I can wear whatever I want to work. It’s a creative environment so self-expression is usually encouraged.

What was the inspiration behind the t-shirt you did for Borders and Frontiers?
I was thinking about how youth subcultures are good examples of people who use style to express themselves. So I used a photo of my uncle Billy who was a Teddy Boy in the 50s. I thought the image was amazing, and the fact that he has “True” tattooed across his fingers was perfect - he was always true to himself and his look, which is what real style is about.

You blog with a partner (Queen Marie) – what are some of the advantages and disadvantages of blogging in a pair? Do you find that the two of you tend to influence each other’s style?
The main advantage is I get a break from writing on the weekends, which is when Marie writes. Having someone else write for the blog means it brings another voice and style to the table so, in theory, we should have something for everyone. There aren’t really any huge disadvantages other than the fact that a lot of people still don’t even realize that there are two authors! We don’t influence each other’s style at all. Style-wise we have pretty much nothing in common - total polar opposites!

What do you think the relationship is between fashion and art?
Fashion is art since art is a mode of self-expression. Britannica Online explains art as “the use of skill and imagination in the creation of aesthetic objects, environments, or experiences that can be shared with others.” Fashion ticks all those boxes. Of course it will never attain the high-brow, chin-stroking status as painting or sculpture for example, but for those who have experienced or appreciate higher forms of fashion, such as couture, there is little doubt it is an artform.

Queen Michelle’s Top Ten Up-and-Coming Designers
Holly Fulton
Gemma Slack
Mark Fast
Iris Van Herpen
David Koma
Onhe Titel
Louise Goldin
Jakub Polanka
LF Markey
Claire Tough

-Anna Fitz

When that little angel of a Wornette, Carmen, e-mailed me about attending the Fashion Pop Montreal event as a WORN correspondent, my level of giddiness was too high to even try to contain. I gave up all hope of pretending to be accustomed to the idea of having my name on a seat at the front row of a fashion show and gave into the dorky side of me who never leaves the house. I really couldn’t believe I was being offered the chance to write for the WORN blog again.

Showing up at the event was totally intimidating at first. Being someone who has lived in Montreal my entire life and still doesn’t know anyone makes events like these sort of scary, but once I got to my seat and snuck – really, I was so sneaky about it – a bad picture of my reserved seat, I sat down ready to take in all the glorious designs.

Normally when I see collections I sort of end up skipping over the pieces that I couldn’t see myself wearing. Anything that feels modern or less feminine than I prefer often gets overlooked while I ooh and aah over the pieces with bows, gingham, or peter pan collars. But this time I wasn’t looking for pieces I would wear – though that isn’t to say I didn’t see several I wanted to run home with – I was looking in awe at the talent all of these girls have! I’ve been so obsessed lately with the idea of creative lifestyles, and the fact that all six of these local designers are making a living doing what they love to do made this show all the more inspiring to me.

The winner of the evening was Angie Johnson of Norwegian Wood, a designer I fully admit to internet-stalking all the time. I was all over her tweets about how stressed she was to have to finish her dresses in time for the show last week, and I’ve had my eye on her designs ever since my first visit to her Etsy shop a while back. It seems like everywhere I look there’s some buzz going on about her, and I’ll be the first to say that the hype is more than well deserved.

Her designs weren’t the only ones to sparkle and shine that night, though; several other items – and entire collections - definitely made my heart skip a beat.
Flavie Lechat’s items conjured images of birthday parties and cupcakes in my head. Her perfect red, white, and blue top as well as that beyond amazing chambray (was it chambray? It looked like chambray from where I was sitting) skirt were enough to make any girly girl swoon. And anyone who adds white tights to an outfit has my vote.

Rachel Chan’s collection, Contradict, sort of felt to me like it was David Bowie inspired in the best possible way (as if there is a bad way to be David Bowie inspired). I couldn’t help but picture his beautiful face as the girls walked barefoot down the runway in their awesome space age body suits and angular shoulder pads.

The outfit sported by WORN’s own Tessa from Emilie Brunet’s collection, La Fête, was on my mind all night after the show. I could just imagine myself tap dancing around my apartment to some silly silent film music on a Saturday night. The whole collection was black and white and made use of lots of different fabrics and inspiration to keep things all kinds of interesting.

Marie-Eve Emond nearly killed me when she opened her collection – Betina Lou - with a perfect white peter pan collar blouse. I would have been sold on her designs on the basis of that piece alone, but then the dresses and skirts and blouses just kept getting better and better. When she finally came out to humbly accept her applause, I realized she is as wonderful as the clothing she makes -perfectly Audrey Hepburn-esque with her cropped hair and classic style.

And Charlotte Eedson must have been sent here from my own personal fashion heaven, because that pink silk blouse and pants number she pulled out of her sleeve was pure magic. The rest of her collection was nothing short of perfect as well. And really, it isn’t fair that some girls have hair as good as hers!
Really though, the whole night was such a dream and the people who put it together are far too good to be true! I fell half in love with everyone I met and as I left my little seat (the one with my name on it) I couldn’t help but write mental lists of all the craft projects I want to start in the next few weeks.

These six designers deserve all the buzz, credit, and praise they get just for having the guts to put themselves out there and do something so awesome with the little creative gnomes that live in their heads.

- Meaghan Kelly