Scrolling through 21 year old Jessica Bialkowski’s blog (or looking at her flickr, for that matter) is like entering a dream world where everything is light and sunny, sparkly and sprinkled with a sort of ethereal cuteness. What stands out for me is her photography. Though her site is more personal diary than self-proclaimed “fashion blog,” there is still an emphasis on fashion and clothing. In Jessica’s photos, she captures clothing on its own, out of context, as well as in complete outfits she wears day-to-day.

What did you dress like in elementary school and how has your wardrobe changed since then?
I’m pretty sure back in primary school I just wore jeans (I think flares were cool back then, right?) and plain tops and that kind of thing. I don’t even really remember it that much because fashion wasn’t a huge focus for me, but obviously I have changed since then! For a large part of my teenage years I pretty much exclusively wore black jeans and band t-shirts, but since then my style has evolved to incorporate a lot of different things that I’m interested in (though I still wear band t-shirts occasionally) and I think it’s still changing and evolving now.

You seem to have a liking for bows, lace, and other little details in clothing now.
I think I always tend to gravitate towards clothing with a little extra detail, or if I’m wearing something plain I will add accessories to spice it up. I really feel like the details are what make or break the outfit and it’s where someone’s personal style really comes through. Floral dresses are a dime a dozen, but if it’s got a pretty lace collar or you match a cute belt and shoes with it, then you’ve created a look instead of just wearing a dress, y’know? Small details here and there make a big difference to an outfit and the overall impression that it gives people, so I always try to include a little something special whenever I get dressed.

What do you think contributes to shaping your style?
I think everything contributes to it. You can find inspiration anywhere - online, in the street, in the media, through music, books, or movies. I think generally my style is influenced by all of these things and by whatever happens to cross my path, but at the end of the day it’s my personal taste that brings individual elements together, and I am the one who shapes what I see into something that truly represents who I am.

We’re so used to seeing bloggers who only write about their outfits and clothing, and it can remove their personal styles from the contexts of their lives. How did you decide to incorporate a personal diary with a style blog?
For me it was more of a question of incorporating fashion into my personal journal because I have always used LiveJournal, so it was more about writing before it was about fashion. Even now I think my journal is still more life-orientated than fashion, but since the way I look and present myself is an important and fun part of my life, naturally it has become more prominent in my journal. At the moment I’m only working part time, but the industry that I want to get into career-wise (the management side of the music industry) tends to be pretty open-minded when it comes to style, so I don’t feel like that would hinder me too much.

You love op-shops (or thrift stores) and buy a lot of second-hand things. What do you like about buying used and vintage items?
There are several things I love about buying second hand items compared to new. Firstly, it’s the thrill of the hunt. You can walk into any chain shop and know exactly what you’re going to see, but when you go to an op-shop you can find just about anything - clothes, shoes, books, records, jewellery, perfume bottles, cute little ornaments, anything. It’s always a surprise and sometimes you walk away empty handed, but sometimes you find a real gem and to me that is much more rewarding than going to your local shopping centre. Secondly, I love that whatever you find is more or less going to be unique. There is probably more than one of it in existence, but chances are you will be the only person you know who has it and you can show your sense of style by picking out something that’s different to what everyone else is wearing. I also love that especially with the older items you find, there is a sense of history behind them and you never know what they have seen in their lifetimes. Op-shopping is also one of the only ways you can track down vintage fashion, even if most of it has to be hemmed! I also love the idea of recyling clothing instead of just buying new ones and throwing everything away - that’s quite important to me given the state of the environment and the impact that factories and large-scale manufacturing have on it. And of course, I love that op-shops are so much cheaper than regular shops. This is the first year of my life that I haven’t been a student, so money has always been tight with me and it goes a lot further when you’re spending it in op-shops!

Jessica’s Top Ten Style Influences (in no particular order)
1. Taylor Momsen: I’m talking about her current style here; there are certain outfits where I think she’s gone wrong, but on the whole I really love her look and how strong it is for someone so young.
2. Carrie: She seems like a really sweet girl and we have a lot of things in common, particularly when it comes to our taste in fashion.
3. Alexa Chung: A cliche response, maybe, but nonetheless justifed.
4. Alix: She is always so elegant and sophisticated.
5. Louise: Very sweet and girly but often with a bit of a dark twist that I love.
6. Blair Waldorf: Again, cliche, but utterly adorable.
7. The TV show Skins: Particularly Effy, Cassie (though there was always something a little off about her), and Emily.
8. The movie Grease: Ever since I was little I have loved the clothing in this movie, and whenever we went to the video shop I always wanted to re-rent it and watch it over and over. Not only do I love the girls’ clothing, but Danny Zuko is a BABE and I’m still in the process of convincing my boyfriend to try greaser hair.
9. Classic film stars who reflected the style of their time, i.e. Audrey Hepburn, Brigitte Bardot, Marilyn Monroe, Anna Karina, etc. I’ve grouped them together because I can’t pick a specific one.
10. Vintage Pin-ups: I just love the femininity of seamed stockings and garter belts.

- Stephanie Fereiro

When I started reading Francesca Granata’s editor’s letter in Fashion Projects No. 3, something struck me as incredibly familiar. Then I re-read my own editor Serah-Marie’s interview with artist Iris Haussler in issue 10 of WORN, an article aptly titled “Second Hand Stories.” Both writers address and assess the connection between clothing and memory – the fact that garments themselves are important vessels of personal stories, and that they can in turn tell those stories or leave them behind. The third issue of NYC-based independent magazine Fashion Projects is titled “On Fashion and Memory,” and features a series of interviews with designers, museum curators, and photographers who explore memories’ ties to fashion with their creations.

The little magazine measures only 9.5 x 6.5 inches, and with heavy pages of book-like quality, the publication’s 52 pages pack a punch. The issue begins with an introduction explaining Granata’s interest in fashion and memory and the growth of her idea to dedicate an entire issue to the topic, which stemmed from a reading of Peter Stallybrass’s “Worn Worlds: Clothes, Mourning, and the Life of Things,” in which the author remembers a late colleague through the garments he wore. Turning the pages brings the reader to three lengthy, insightfully conducted interviews, a photo essay about the Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum’s Textiles Collection, a short piece on the recovery of 10,000 sweaters from the now-closed Ohio Knitting Mills, and two more interviews.

The images in the magazine are clearly numbered, and a list on almost every two-page spread concisely explains each one’s purpose and connection to the story. However, the magazine is small, and as a result, some of the images are miniscule and fill less than a quarter of a page. The images (for example, the sketches by Eugenia Yu on p. 17) would be much more effective viewed on a larger scale. Perhaps two larger images would provide more insight and detail than several smaller images that are more difficult to see.

My favourite interviews are those with Eugenia Yu, who creates sculptural fashion designs based on memories from her childhood and of her family, and Erica Weiner, a jewelry designer who explores mortality and memory with her designs, which often include old family photographs she buys by the bagful on eBay. What I appreciate about these interviews is that they, unlike many I’ve read in print and online, are quite obviously well researched and thought through. There are no “what are your favourite ___________” questions, no “tell us about your sources of inspiration.” Rather, the interviewers ask questions about specific, individual garments, the feelings behind them, and (fitting with the theme) the memories the artists wish to keep alive with their work.

The interviews in this issue of Fashion Projects tend to be quite long, and I found that my interest sometimes waned partway through an interview, especially when a little caption at the end of what seemed like a finished piece read, “continued on page 45.” That being said, the length of the interviews is not necessarily a hindrance – it allows readers a great amount of insight into the designers’ projects, which they have most likely never seen in real life. Fashion Projects does not talk down to its readers, but it informs them of things and people they ought to know. That is perhaps the most important quality of this little publication – though almost every interview is about a person many readers will never have heard of, this doesn’t make the reader feel lost or ignorant for not already knowing. I like that.

Fashion Projects Issue No. 3, 2010
Reviewed by Stephanie Fereiro

I’m not wearing nail polish today. I’m watching my unpolished nails tap, tap, tap at the white keys of my computer. They’re so bare looking. My nails nearly blend into my fingertips! There might as well be no nails there at all!

This summer, I have two jobs. One is in a coffee shop, where the uniform is all black and the health and safety rules tell me that nail polish (even clear!) is, by all means, prohibited. The other is in a clothing store where I’m encouraged to express my own style (which most often happens to include, you guessed it, nail polish). I work the first half of the week at the former job, and the second half at the latter. There are no in-between days. My head spins and my two personalities are neatly divided. On Wednesday afternoons, I leave Job #1 and head for #2, applying nail polish in the hours between, if there’s time. If there isn’t, I do it before working at Job #2 on Thursday. Then it comes off on Sunday morning before I dutifully show up, clean-tipped, at Job #1.

Before this summer of two jobs, I never realized how much a small rule like “no nail polish” could feel like a constraint on my freedom of expression. I also never realized how hopelessly addicted I am to nail polish - maybe in the same way that someone else may be addicted to bright blue hair dye, but that’s not allowed at Job #1 either.

- Stephanie Fereiro

Gabi Gregg of Young, Fat, & Fabulous

What comes to mind when you hear the word ‘fat’? Do you think of Nutrition Facts labels and the first column you look at before deciding whether to buy the crackers? Or maybe you think of elementary school, when the best insult little boys could come up with for girls was “well… you’re fat!” (Good for you, little boys. You’re… dumb.)

Well, I don’t think of anything - or I try not to. To my editor’s dismay, I generally refuse to use the word, except when referring to this blog post. (”What are you working on right now?” “The ‘Fear of Fat’ blog post… Social networking…” “Hey, you said it! You said ‘fat’!”) She thinks “fat” should be used as an adjective, just like “thin,” or “tall,” or “short.” It shouldn’t be a negative thing - not if it’s true. I have a hard time agreeing with her. Nobody wants to be called “fat,” is my rebuttal.

But why not?

It’s not that I have memories of being called “fat” as a kid. In fact, despite being technically - or pretty close to - a “plus-size” (even though I refuse to buy plus-sized clothing, but that’s just a whole other story) for most of my life, I don’t ever remember being described that way. I still have friends who call themselves fat to get others to argue that they aren’t - something else I refuse to do. Be warned: if you call yourself fat, I’ll probably just agree with you, even if you’re a size 4. Because, what’s fat, anyway?

A few weeks ago, I stumbled across Gabi Gregg’s blog, Young, Fat, & Fabulous. “She’s almost the same size as me,” I thought. And she is. And she calls herself fat without cringing. And she doesn’t feel bad about it.

Can you tell me what you think of the word “fat”?
I think the word fat is unfortunately extremely stigmatized in our society, and that needs to change. Just because someone is fat does not mean that they’re lazy, unhealthy, unworthy, ugly, sloppy, or any of the other things that many people unfortunately associate with the word.

The word seems to have several negative connotations - many people I’ve talked to have said this is because “nobody wants to be called fat.” Why do you think that is?
We grow up in a society that tells us that being fat is a bad thing. We are constantly inundated with messages and images that portray thinness as the ideal and fatness as this “evil” thing to avoid at all costs. That’s why many people don’t want to be called fat, even when they are fat. It’s understandable because of what we are taught, yet that does not mean it’s okay. People should reevaluate the word! Being fat is simply a description of someone’s body type.

What do you think of the common association of “fat” with poor health?
I think that there are healthy fat people and unhealthy fat people, just like there are healthy skinny people and unhealthy skinny people. I don’t think anyone is arguing that it’s good to sit around all day and eat ice cream for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. However, it’s important not to assume anything about anyone’s health based solely on their weight. A size 16 woman might well be healthier than a size 6 woman. It depends, and it’s important to realize that other people’s bodies and health are not anyone’s business but their own.

My editor thinks that the word should be used as a descriptor, just like you would call someone thin. Nobody would get mad at you for calling them thin, but some people would definitely be offended if you called them fat. What do you think about that?
I agree 100%. It would be nice if the word fat could be de-stigmatized and used simply as a way to describe people. That is how I use it.

With your blog, you refer to yourself and other plus-sized girls as fat. Clearly you are working to change the meanings or associations the word possesses. Why do you think it’s important to embrace the word “fat”?
I think that giving other people power over the word does no good. Once fat people embrace the word “fat” and stop fearing it, they don’t have to walk around wondering if other people think they are fat or not, or be afraid someone will use the word against them. When someone calls me fat now, I just nod. It’s not an insult to me. I use the word in my blog, because too often fat people are thought to be ugly and unfashionable. I wanted to juxtapose the word fat with fabulous and show people that it’s possible to be stylish at any size.

- Stephanie Fereiro. Photos from YoungFatAndFabulous.com.