VidFlip: RUSSH #25

mondblog VidFlip: RUSSH #25 from Raymond Navarro on Vimeo.

Heard of Russh? — the Australian monthly publication for young women, cousin to Teen Vogue and Nylon. If it were the cousin of Nylon, references to houses such as Givenchy, Balmain and Rick Owens would definitely make Paris Vogue the influential sexy, single aunt to the down under publication. A good counterpart comparison would be its the "edgier" side of a magazine like the Italian Flair publication.

The first issue of Russh I’d ever obtained was in the summer of 2007 in Los Angeles not far from the sidewalk of stars at a newsstand where the pavement was hot, the breeze was cool and trannies on the street hit on you with no shame. What first grabbed me about Russh were the several candid, backstage photos of the girls (then a lot of Lily, Sasha, Tanya, Agyness and so on) throughout the entire magazine. The girls were fresh, the tips were spot on and trendy pulled of well. This in sum with the several Australian brands unbeknownst to an American sure spiced it up.

Shopping tips on how to “pinch the look” and numerous shot-outs to its advertisers in this issue filled the issue. Brands like Willow and Kate Sylvester find themselves in several of the editorial shots while also in the thick of the ad pages. The relationship between the content and advertising was a little too obvious in this issue but every magazine has got their loyalties. In a tough time for ad sales, publications have got to give reason to advertisers to hold on tight and ride out the economic ups and downs.

Design in the magazine is simplistic, minimalistic. Just about all text is in black ink, headlines in a bold serif'd type giving it a "tabloid"-like look said friend Alexandra felt. No daring or bold designs here — no bad design either.

The editorials —highly feminine, pretty girly, you could say — are sexy and quite distinct from editorials in Nylon, Teen Vogue or Seventeen. Strange and sophisticated references in issue #25, like those of Veruschka and Syd Barrett, also help give the publication an identity perceptibly different from other teen ‘zines.

The cost of clothing pieces in the “pinch the look” department pages do make one wonder, though. Who at a young age is really affording that $110 Tigerlily zip-up-the-middle one-piece and the $400 silence is golden slashed leather top? It’s a clue the magazines aims for a diverse (yet mostly young) age demographic and for reasons of taste, it can sometimes do a magazine better.
The content inside is consistently young and fresh, just like its models and features on designers like Christopher Kane and those at Preen make for a simple, enjoyable read for those outside the young age group. If you happen to dig it, look it for out on newsstands and bookstores, it’s popularity is beginning to spread and with good reason. Just wish I’d known of the Karlie cover last issue — damn.

VidFlip: i-D magazine, The Beautiful Issue

MONDBLOG VidFlip: i-D, The Beautiful Issue from Raymond Navarro on Vimeo.

i-D is onto the track with cover girl Eniko Mihalik gracing 2009's first issue — The Beautiful Issue.
While the month of January is over, you've got to still have a glance at the fresh-faced models and striking SS09 clothing stuffed inside:
Gareth Pugh, Raf Simons, Chanel, Maison Martin Margiela, Fendi and more more more.  

Chuckling, Calvin Klein bearing cover boy Boyd Holbrook and a nude Anne Vyalitsyna make an annual February men's issue
I hope to be delivering to you soon. So stay tuned — next VidFlip is with the one and only German Zoo Magazine with Alana
Zimmer on the cover, Ash and Cole on the inside.

Where Sports Meets Fashion

The blatant sportswear influence in Miuccia Prada's Miu Miu FW0809 collection — color-blocked jumpsuits, long-sleeve netted onesies and track jackets worn with cone-shaped heels and bright skullcaps — made some mixed reactions amongst friends and peers in the "fashion community," but I knew Miuccia's athletic expression in the hardly wearable clothes would serve as inspiration to me and many others.

The influence in design and function of sport is actually quite pragmatic and refreshing, two elements I'd believe to be necessary for selling clothes at a time when 1) economy's in the dump and 2) retail sales are down, way down. And while maybe none of the aforementioned designers' collections are exactly

"wearable," looks from designers like Raf Simons sleek, slim silhouettes for men, Balenciaga's austere, architectural forms and Undercover's spacey, tailored outerwear could be, has been, styled in sporty fashion in magazines. The look is more than believable, it's a reality. A sexy one at that.

And thank be to independent designers like Romain Kremer and Louis Goldin who on their own have integrated the aesthetics of sport making the surreal sleek linebacker-chic a reality on the runway. In them lies fashion's actual optimism; their exploratory trips on what's possible and "impossible" makes dreams played out in editorials and from your closets onto the streets.

Maybe you buy this, maybe you don't, but this is the first set of three posts dedicated to you finding an inspiration, or at least appreciation, for what's sporty in fashion. On the next update, find store items — new, vintage, slightly pricey and those comparatively cheap — from a list of international shipping stores.

There's so much to look to!

About Complex Geometries Video, plus interview with designer Clayton Evans

About a Label: Complex Geometries from Raymond Navarro on Vimeo.

Light, easy to move designs with versatility in mind stay quite well defines the Complex Geometries aesthetic.
The collection “inspired by the culture of mobility, exploring the pragmatics and aesthetics of travel” has pieces
ranging from draped, dyed tees and dresses to scarfed-tops and hooded jackets.  They’ve just recently put up
their SS09 collection up on their website, so you can check it out for yourself. Photos accompanied with a short
video by Jason Last featuring the soon-to-come collection shows off the springwear pretty damn well.  With the
help of friendly Adam DeKeyser at CG, I was able to get some questions to the designer Clayton Evans about the
FW0809 collection, his latest SS09 collection and the direction of Complex Geometries.


Tell us about the inspiration behind the collection.
The theme for fall was “Sex of the Ancients”.  To be honest, the title came first and we TRIED to
figure out what it meant.  So we pulled in all sorts of elements relating to sex and gender in the past.

There seemed to bit an element of bondage and "binding" along with
traditional Japanese costumesilhouettes;is this fair to say? 
The binding and bondage elements are related to the sexual theme, in probably the most literal way.
The Japanese elements are more removed from their origin, referencing other styles that
reference Japanese silhouettes.  Kind of like the game “Broken Telephone” where you whisper
something to the person next to you and they pass it down the line until the final message has nothing to
do with the original.

It seems you've got a much larger collection this coming spring. How has the
process of making a collectionbecome more efficient over the last couple years?
Well, it definitely gets easier as the style because more and more defined. And having a great team helps
things to get done faster (and better and more  creatively). We also reissued a dozen of the strongest unisex t-shirt
styles from previous collections.  

Are there any prospects of CG expanding the line to include — to say, shoes, underwear or denim? 
Shoes, yes.  Very soon, we hope.  That's always a problem when we come to the end of the collection and realize
that we just can't find the footwear that adds the "write" [or right]  punctuation to the statement. There's often denim
in the collection, but I don't think we'd ever do a “denim collection” per se.  When we use denim, its for a specific reason,
not just to fit into a defined market. And underwear, its possible.  I'm more interested in the way people use their clothing
to communicate, and underwear doesn't really communicate much except in intimate circumstances.  If we were exploring
that kind of communication in a collection, we'd try a few pieces, but not just as a way to pump up sales


There's a much-flattering juxtaposition between pieces the SS09 collection involving
fabrics,fits and color. What can you tell about the fabrics used? 
We try to balance every element in a collection.  So, for every smooth and shiny surface, we try to have
a soft and rumpled one to contrast.  There are garment dyed cotton jerseys, PU coated linens, washed
silks and shiny nylons.  


Are there any traditions when it comes to the ethic of Complex Geometries design? 
Lots of playing around.  When we make a sample, we try it on every way we possibly can.  Its that kind of experimentation
that leads to new ideas.  


Is there anything you could tell us about the audience(s) you try to reach? Is there a person,
or persons, CG has in mind when designing?
No, not really.  Diversity is what we aspire to.  

How much direct response to you get about your clothing and designs from buyers? Have there been any notable
compliments and/or clues recently that what you're doing is "right" — "with-it," yet still forward?
Sales certainly are the most notable compliments.  You know you're doing something right when fashionable consumers are still
excitedto buy the same styles season after season. It was new enough to catch their attention and strong enough to maintain it.