September 2023 - FashionArts

70-year-old named Arthur Centennial Queen

SULLIVAN — Wilford Gaddis of Sullivan has filed suit for $20,000 damages against his father-in-law, Fred Baker of Windsor township. The Charge is alienation of (Mrs. Gaddis’) affections by Maker, and is the outgrowth of domestic troubles of Mr. and Mrs. Gaddis…

NEWTON — Reynolds Creed was arrested for transporting liquor here late Friday by Sheriff K.Y. jones. Creed had the liquor in a new Ford coupe. C.H. Richardson, musician with the Campbell Bros. circus, is under arrest here for stealing a diamond cluster ring valued at $2,500. Richardson disposed of diamonds in Frankfort and Logansport, Ind.

MATTOON — How does one go about getting the public involved in the revision of the 1959 Mattoon Zoning Ordinance? That question has sparked a lively disagreement between a man and a woman – both interested in upgrading the ordinance. That man is James O’Neal, chairman of the Mattoon Planning Commission. The woman is Carol Specht, a member of the Mattoon League of Women Voters noted for her interest in public affairs. The object of the debate between them — the creation of a citizens’ advisory committee. O’Neal and Specht both believe that it is important that the public participate actively in efforts to revise the ordinance. The Mattoon Planning Commission and Mattoon Zoning Board of Appeals have been meeting jointly since January. The goal — a general overhaul of a zoning ordinance which is considered obsolete. O’Neal has urged the public to attend the joint monthly meeting of the two boards. The public usually consists of Mrs. Specht. She contends that more people would take an active part in the effort to revise the ordinance if a citizens’ advisory committee were created to assist the zoning and planning boards. O’Neal disagrees. “I just think people in general are ‘meetinged out’

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by Imelda D. Garrett

Former Dior Artistic Director Marc Bohan Dead at 97

Marc Bohan, the former Dior artistic director who helped the house’s most iconic collections take shape for over 30 years, has died at age 97. Bohan’s death occurred on September 6, less than a month after his 97th birthday.

Born in Paris on August 22, 1926, Bohan showed talent in drawing and fashion from an early age, and was encouraged in his pursuits by his mother, herself a noted local hatmaker. He first joined Dior in 1957, and created collections for the house out of its London office. It didn’t take long for Bohan to rocket to the upper echelon of Dior either, as he took took over the mantle of artistic director in 1961 when Yves Saint Laurent was summoned for military service. Apart from his work creating countless collections as artistic director, a mantle he held until 1989 when he left to work at British house Norman Hartnell, Bohan played a key role in launching “Miss Dior,” “Baby Dior” and “Dior Monsieur,” ready-to-wear lines for women, children and men, respectively. His work twice won him the “De d’Or,” or “Golden Thimble,” a prestigious French high fashion award, in 1983 and 1988.

Further adding to his legacy, Bohan dressed Iran’s Empress Farah for the coronation of the shah in 1967, and First Lady Jackie Kennedy was so taken with Farah’s look, she asked her own designer to copy Bohan’s style. He was also close with artist Niki de Saint Phalle and writer Francoise Sagan, and created stage costumes to satisfy his enthusiasm for both theater and opera.

Dior has issued an official statement on Bohan’s death — along with quotes from Kim Jones, Delphine Arnault, Maria Grazia Chiuri and Victoire de Castellane — all of which can be seen below.

Dior is deeply saddened to learn of the

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by Imelda D. Garrett

Aje, the fashion business that ‘deserves to be on the ASX’

It was 2006 when Edwina Forest first laid eyes on Adrian Norris. He had popped into a fashion boutique in Brisbane where Forest was working to ask for directions.

“He was dressed very . . . unusually,” says Forest. “He looked like a Norwegian tourist. He was given the worst directions and I spent the rest of the day feeling bad, thinking he must have been so lost.”

Fate intervened and by coincidence, the pair met again that very night at a mutual friend’s birthday party. Norris, from Noosa (not Norway), was about to open his own clothing boutique on Hastings Street after studying art in Italy; Forest was soon to move to Sydney to work at Russh magazine.

That same year, Norris had opened his store, Strada. It was a sort of 21st birthday present (he asked his parents to lend him money) and it stocked brands such as Kit Willow, Josh Goot and Sass and Bide. “For Noosa,” he says, “it was cutting edge. We thought we were very cool.” Forest, who grew up in the Darling Downs and Toowoomba, took the magazine internship and stayed for two years, eventually becoming fashion editor.

Best friends Forest and Norris now work atop The Aje Collective of brands. Darren McDonald

She and Norris stayed in close contact, visiting each other regularly. One place they’d often meet was Australian Fashion Week, where Forest was a stylist and Norris was buying for Strada. Eventually “they” became “we”, working on Strada together despite their physical distance.

“We were each other’s fashion sounding boards,” Forest says. She regularly worked at the shop when she visited Noosa. Their mojo was simpatico. They worked well together. But they had no idea how to make money.

“We were completely clueless,” says Norris. “I still ask my parents,

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by Imelda D. Garrett

Fashion designer Alicia S. puts Indigenous art on everyday clothing

In 2012, Alicia S. picked up a shoe from her closet and decided to draw on it with a Sharpie. Not thinking much of it, she posted it on Facebook—and it blew up.

“People were going crazy,” she says over Zoom. “It’s been a wild ride since.”

As a teenager, Alicia (who asked to be referred to by her first name) was a model for an Indigenous fashion designer, and always loved the idea of Native art appearing on everyday wear like t-shirts, jeans, and hats as opposed to ball gowns.

“I just had that idea in my head, like, ‘We need more First Nations art on regular wear, modern wear—going to work or going to the grocery store, just everyday things,’” she shares. “That’s probably what made me do the Sharpie on the shoe.”

Now, she’s created over 300 unique designs on sunglasses, earrings, purses, shoes, and dresses. She continues to use Sharpies on certain pieces, harnessing their oil-based pens to ensure the designs don’t crack or rub off easily.

Originally from the Nuu-Chah-Nulth (Ahousaht) and Kwakwaka’wakw (Alert Bay) Nations, Alicia gets much of her inspiration from her culture and her grandmother.

“She told me when I was a teenager, ‘You’re the artist of your life. Your life is a blank canvas, and you can paint whatever you want,’” she recalls. “And at the time, I think she was lecturing me, and I was like, ‘Yeah, yeah, yeah,’ but that was the one sentence that kind of stuck in my head my whole life. I use that every day.”

Alicia’s pieces have been showcased at New York Fashion Week twice, and she was recently the face of a Sharpie campaign called the World is Your Canvas—but what she’s most proud of is a painting she did of a blue

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by Imelda D. Garrett

‘I need to have some of me come out’

The 20-something corporate goth just clocked in, and they’re wearing an all-black work uniform of sheer tights, chunky heels, spikes, and chains. It’s a subdued version of the spooky, post-punk-inspired goth subculture meant to be palatable for the office. But while young goths celebrate being able to bring their dark, creative expression to work, critics debate whether the “corporate goth” trend is work-appropriate at all.

Take Chloe Hurst, a 29-year-old senior graphic designer at a marketing agency who also runs her own design business, called Contempo Mint. Hurst characterizes her personal style as alternative and edgy; in recent work outfit inspiration videos on TikTok, she models wide-leg pants, off-the shoulder blouses, and chunky rhinestone platform boots. She tags the ensembles #corporategoth, a hashtag that has over 26 million views, in order to help the next-generation goths who are going through the same experience she did.

@itschloehurst
🖤 #corpgoth #gothoutfitinspo #gothoutfit #corporate #gothicfashion #gothfashion

♬ The Perfect Girl – Mareux

Hurst says she spent a decade figuring out her style, which now earns her the moniker “Goth Barbie” on social media. But it wasn’t easy. When she first entered the workforce, she said she tried fitting into the cookie-cutter mold of women’s corporate fashion—pencil skirts, colorful blouses, and blazers—but she didn’t feel like herself.

“It really messed with me because I’ve always been an alternative person,” Hurst told Fortune. “As I got older, I thought, ‘I’ve got to try and find a way to bring my style in because I’m feeling so icky about myself. I need to have some of me come out.’”

Hurst is in a cohort of young workers who, after two years of working in pajamas from the couch, are overturning the definition of “professional attire” as they return to the office in droves. And

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by Imelda D. Garrett

VLGE opens SDK for its no-code virtual world builder aimed at fashion, beauty and art industries

We’ve seen the rise of no-code and low-code platforms being applied to any number of applications and use cases. What would happen if this thinking were applied to metaverse-style virtual worlds? What would be built?

Certainly, with Apple’s recent announcement of the launch of the Apple Vision Pro headset, there is renewed interest in the “metaverse,” and investors appear to be coming back to startups in the sector amid this newly rebranded era of “spatial computing.” Indeed, Immersed, for instance, recently launched its first headset, the Visor XR, and it’s winning plaudits so far.

Amid this renewed interest is VLGE, a France-based startup that has metaverse-invest-digital-village-web3-bfc-1235467738/”banked $4 million in funding from the likes of Venrex VC and L’Oréal. It now plans to hand over the tools to build immersive, scalable, and intuitive digital worlds to the experience-obsessed industries of fashion, beauty, and art — specifically — so that they can create and monetize their own worlds. This, rather than rely on the likes of, say, Meta and Mark Zuckerberg.

VLGE is building out V-Suite, its proprietary, no-code world-builder and asset management tools, and has now opened applications for creators and brands to get their hands on its SDK (you can apply here).

Given SDKs have played a pivotal role in standardizing and advancing ecosystems for new builders, it should appeal to those wanting to kick the tires on this new upstart in virtual reality. (VLGE isn’t the only one banking on an SDK strategy. Crucible, a metaverse company that creates tools for game developers, recently launched its Emergence software development kit (SDK) for Unreal Engine, for instance).

As well as Venrex and BOLD (the venture capital fund of L’Oréal), investors in VLGE include the British Fashion Council and the VR Fund. It also retains advisers

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by Imelda D. Garrett

Sheriff goes to Oklahoma in slaying probe

100 years ago, August 21, 1923

CHARLESTON — Bruce Weeman, 34, a resident of this city, shot and instantly killed his wife, Laura Weeman, 31, as the two were seated in an automobile, the tragedy being enacted between three and four o’clock this morning in a lonely piece of highway northwest of Charleston. The bullet pierced the woman’s breast, almost touching the heart, and death is believed to have been instantaneous. Weeman is now in the county jail, facing a charge of first degree murder. Weeman confessed to Sheriff McNutt that he had killed his wife, from home he had been separated for a month, the belief being that it was the outcome of jealousy. Weeman has been silent since being placed in a cell, and the officers have gleaned but little from him.

50 years ago, 1973

Sheriff Paul Smith is in Tupelo, Okla. investigating the shooting death of Joe Carl Plumley, the Journal Gazette learned today. Smith left Sunday for Tupelo. He was accompanied by Illinois Bureau of Investigation agent Bob Martin. The JG asked State’s Atty. John J. McCarthy today if Smith and Martin were investigating a suspect in the case. “They are following some leads,” said McCarthy. “That’s about all it amounts to now. You always go back into the local community to see what enemies—if any- the victim might have had,” said McCarthy…An aggressive county program has resulted in the building of 14 new bridges since Aug. 17, 1971. That was the date Seneca Abell took office as county superintendent of highways. The total value of the 14 bridges constructed so far is approximately $213,250. Abell asked the county board in the fall of 1971 to increase the tax levy for 1972 in the county construction of township bridges fund to five cents per $100,

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by Imelda D. Garrett

9 Chic Outfits That Will Inspire Your New Autumn Aesthetic

After what felt like the most confusing September of all time, the freak hot weather has finally cooled down. And whilst it’s not quite time to start wearing scarves, tights and faux fur coats, we are excited to ready ourselves to hunker down and make the most of the cosiest season in the calendar by wearing jumpers, jackets, boots and more of autumn/winter 2023’s biggest trends.

For those who had gleefully packed away their “sensible clothes” in favour of swimwear and linen, I regret to inform you that now is definitely the time to start rebuilding your cold-weather wardrobe. But if you’re bored by the thought of wearing the same autumnal outfits on rotation, fear not. I’ve searched through social media to find some autumn outfit inspiration that is anything but samey.

If the giant bows, head-to-toe leather and femme fatale dresses that made their way down the A/W 23 runways weren’t exactly what you had in mind for this season’s dressing, I’ve come up with nine entirely more wearable ways to tackle the trends, so all you have to do is chose your favourite aesthetic and let it inspire the rest of your wardrobe.

From Emily Wells’ take on dressy minimalism to Emili Sindlev’s adorable nod to balletcore, keep scrolling to shop the chic influencer-approved outfit ideas we’re already re-creating this season. Now, just to order a Pumpkin Spice Latte…

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by Imelda D. Garrett

Elevating Your Wardrobe: Unveiling the Art of Timeless Fashion

In the ever-changing landscape of fashion, there exists a realm untouched by trends and fads—a place where timelessness reigns supreme. As we navigate through the myriad of clothing options available to us, the pursuit of enduring style becomes a journey in itself. This article explores the enchanting world of timeless fashion, delving into the art of curating a wardrobe that transcends seasons and trends, while embodying the essence of individuality and sophistication.

The Power of Classic Pieces:

At the heart of timeless fashion lies the power of classic pieces. These are the wardrobe staples that effortlessly traverse the years, holding their allure and elegance irrespective of passing trends. From the versatile little black dress to the crisp white shirt, these items are the foundation upon which a timeless wardrobe is built. They are the canvas upon which personal style can be painted, allowing for endless combinations and creativity. You can find an array of timeless pieces here.

Quality Over Quantity:

One of the defining characteristics of timeless fashion is a commitment to quality over quantity. Timeless pieces are crafted with meticulous attention to detail, ensuring durability and longevity. Whether it’s the impeccable stitching on a tailored blazer or the luxurious feel of a cashmere sweater, these garments are designed to withstand the test of time. Investing in well-made, high-quality items not only ensures a lasting wardrobe but also promotes sustainable consumer practices.

Versatility in Simplicity:

Simplicity often serves as the cornerstone of timeless fashion. The ability to effortlessly transition an outfit from day to night or from casual to formal is a hallmark of enduring style. Timeless pieces offer a versatile canvas that can be dressed up or down with ease, allowing for effortless elegance in any setting. A well-fitted blazer can elevate a basic jeans-and-tee ensemble, while a

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by Imelda D. Garrett

Repairs to 120-year old church unlikely

100 years ago, August 8, 1923

MATTOON — The death knell of what is known as the “stock show,” such as those which have been exhibiting under canvas on certain vacant lots the present summer, is seen in an ordinance which was presented to the city council on Tuesday evening for first reading. In the ordinance also is seen another whack at the carnival, which if the ordinance becomes a law, will be forced to pay a license fee of $200 a day, instead of the $100 daily, as the present ordinance requires. The death knell of the “stock show” is expected to result from the prohibitive license fees contained in the new ordinance.

50 years ago, 1973

MATTOON — The body of Barbara Beasley, 12, was found at 6 p.m. Tuesday in a drainage ditch west of the Columbia Machine Co. plant. Coles County Coroner Richard “Dick” Lynch told the Journal Gazette identification was made through clothing and the girl’s bicycle, which was found in the area near the body. The girl was reported missing to the Sheriff’s office Saturday. The report stated that she had disappeared at approximately 10 a.m. Friday, riding a white Stingray bicycle. She was found in the drainage ditch approximately one-quarter of the mile west of Columbia Machine Co. and north of the Cross County Mall and the Penn Central Railroad tracks. The area is accessible by a gravel road which runs east along the Penn Central Railroad tracks from 10th street. The ditch runs in a north-south direction through a heavily brushed, gulley-like area…CHARLESTON — The Charleston City Council approved an ordinance Tuesday night creating a city operated emergency ambulance service. The council also approved a resolution leasing an ambulance for a period of one year. The ordinance provides for a municipal ambulance

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by Imelda D. Garrett