5 Fashion Posts That Are Worth Your Attention

Wading through fashion and style blogs can leave one with a sense that they've been duped, because when you boil down all of these collective efforts to their essence the only thing that remains is a paean to vanity. Spending hours with the narcissistic reflections of a coltish blonde in the latest Chloe can make you feel hollow and sad. Calculating Sea of Shoes' monthly shoe budget alone will leave you whimpering in a corner.


Let's not forget that all of this blog-surfing can also bolster your spirits and provide awesome projects for you to work on. It can expand your knowledge base and set you down a fascinating rabbit trail of information and ideas. I've put together a list of posts from fashion and style blogs that really are worth your time and attention. Slaver over Susie Bubble's outfits when you're feeling especially masochistic, but stick with this list for a healthier way to navigate the world of blogs.


1. John Galliano for Givenchy: Vogue Patterns. This post explores Galliano's history at the house of Givenchy, and includes patterns from collections so you can recreate the looks on your own.

 

2. Maison Martin Margiela and the Cult of Invisibility. This post includes an excellent, high-brow essay by Lucian James that delves deep into the symbology and philosophy of the elusive Margiela.

3. On This Day in Fashion: Saint Laurent Introduces “Le Smoking,” and Changes Womenswear Forever. If you want a thorough look at the history of modern fashion, On This Day in Fashion is a site you must bookmark. They are on hiatus right now, but their archives are filled with fascinating snapshots of fashion on certain "historical" days in the industry. My favorite piece was the one they did about YSL's "Le Smoking" which I later incorporated into a piece I wrote about YSL's FW'12 collection. This site is useful, brilliant and addictive!

 

4. There are blogs out there that dissect style found on shows like Clarissa Explains it All and books like The Babysitter's Club. For any product of the 80s/90s, these blogs are a smorgasbord of nostalgia and whimsy. My favorite has to be Huxtable Hotness which reviews "the sartorial choices of the characters on The Cosby Show one episode at a time". I could spend hours on here. In fact, I have.

5. Sometimes, a good photo essay is all you need to spark inspiration and creativity, but this suggestion is better and far less pretentious. The Victoria & Albert fashion archives are rich with history, but if you're in the mood to just look at pictures, then check out their collection of prints from the 50s and 60s.

So Swishy in Your Sweater and Tat

I felt a bolt of pure glee course through me when I found this website. And then I got angry. Very angry. The utterly brilliant creations at Sexy Sweaters gave me a Phillip J. Fry moment. You know the one:

Then, I found out that they were conceptual pieces only and NOT FOR SALE. Keep in mind that I'm just the messenger. Please don't shoot me. I know you'll want these too, and I'm sorry that they aren't available for purchase.

Interview with TEPSIC Magazine Founder - Morgan Tepsic

I read the other day some verses written by an eminent painter which were original and not conventional. The soul always hears an admonition in such lines, let the subject be what it may. The sentiment they instil is of more value than any thought they may contain. To believe your own thought, to believe that what is true for you in your private heart is true for all men,— that is genius.

- R. W. Emerson

When people hear about TEPSIC Magazine, there is a common reaction: "It's so simple it's genius!" That's the reason I chose the Emerson quote as the epigraph to this piece. An original artistic endeavor should resonate with its audience. Listening to that slow, low frequency - to that tiny voice inside your head that tells you to pursue your passion with the pursuit as its own reward - that is genius.

Morgan Tepsic's magazine resides firmly at the intersection of Music and Art, where popular bands take one of Morgan's disposable cameras on the road with them and document themselves in action. Brilliant. I had the good fortune of meeting Morgan at the TEPSIC Magazine launch party at DNA Galleries last weekend and was impressed by his intensity and good energy. The finished product speaks for itself. I bought a copy and can't stop flipping through its pages. With bands like Das Racist, Chromeo and performers like Reggie Watts behind of and in front of the camera, TEPSIC's pages come to life with the adventures of an artist on the road.

Morgan graciously agreed to an interview with me. Read on for insight into what makes TEPSIC Magazine's founder tick:


What is TEPSIC Magazine?

TEPSIC Magazine is a quarterly music magazine where the artists take pictures on disposable cameras and are printed in a 11x17” magazine.

How did you develop the idea behind the magazine?

I’ve been doing TEPSIC for over 2 years now, as an art magazine...and I always had an idea to have a special “music” issue where bands would take pictures for an issue and do that once a year or something. So I started developing that issue and the more bands that were interested, the more the project began to snowball.

When I was younger, I would take my older brother’s Transworld Magazines, and rip out the pages and put them where I could. I sucked at tearing the edges!! I wanted a POSTER! So with these bands, I wanted to go big, and blow them up into posters. Hang it up where you want, but I leave out the staples so it’s still clean.

What is your creative background?

I was born in raised in Oklahoma City. When I was 18, I flew off to Korea and lived there for a year and kind of explored myself creatively. I began taking lots of pictures to document my travels there, and returned back two more times over the next three years.

In 2010, I was commissioned by Paul Morris to go travel the United States and take pictures for a special art project I had going on at the time. I got to see the country, met my awesome girlfriend and met a lot of people who inspired me to really take TEPSIC to the next level.

Now I live in Oklahoma City and make the magazine out of my studio.

You managed to land some big names for your first issue: The Flaming Lips, Das Racist, Chromeo, etc. Were bands immediately receptive to the idea when you approached them?

Yeah they were all really down with the idea, I’m not saying it was easy landing all of them, but the bands involved got really into the project.

What is your band selection process like? Did you work with any bands that you already had relationships with, or did you operate from the cold approach?

Before this project, I didn’t have any connections with the music world or anything, but I was always really fascinated by it. I become obsessed with the music I listen to, and I wanted to create a closer connection than me just listening to it.

Most of the process was accomplished through twitter or e-mail, I e-mailed them as a fan with a project I wanted to achieve.

TEPSIC Magazine is flawlessly presented. It comes in an oversized layout with big glossy pages that can be pulled out and used as posters, while any form of editorial or advertising is noticeably absent. How are you able to fund TEPSIC without advertising?


Finding advertisers to fill pages in the first issue of a magazine was pretty damn difficult, but I knew once I did it grassroots style, things would catch on. TEPSIC No. 1 would not have been possible without my mother, she made it happen, and I couldn’t be more thankful for how she’s helped this project grow.

Nobody wants to put their name in a magazine that hasn’t been done before, but I didn’t want that to keep me from making this happen. I don’t do any reviews or anything because that’s like every other music mag, and I don’t want to do that. TEPSIC lets readers focus on a different aspect of the music world. I’m creating something new here without sprinkling in CD reviews and whatnot.

The quality of the pictures is really amazing. It’s hard to believe they were all taken with a disposable camera. What’s your go-to disposable camera brand? How did you find one that took great photos?


Yeah I got that a lot at the release party, “I can’t believe these are all disposable cameras!!” Same with the cover shoot, Noah Kalina shot the whole thing with disposable cameras, and they turned out fantastic. There’s an unmatched vibe that you get from these cameras and people.

Your magazine is hitting newsstands today. Where can the public purchase a copy of TEPSIC?

You can hop on the website and check out our stockist list, but it’s all over the US, and you can order them on the website as well. If you’re in Oklahoma City, you can pick them up at DNA Galleries.

What bands are slated for appearances in future issues?

Only readers will get that info before the next issue comes out ;)

Tell us about your proudest moment so far as it relates to the magazine.

Last Saturday night at the release party. I had never thrown a party, much less a release party/exhibition. It was insane, we had a ton of people show up and party. I am very proud to be from Oklahoma and connect with people who dig TEPSIC. The whole thing was a real blur from me being so excited and having fun.

Rapidfire Questions:

Who inspires you?

Family & Friends.

Favorite TV Show:

Seinfeld.

Favorite meal:

Kimchi Jjigae and some Korean beef with steamed rice.

Favorite local band:

Stock Market Crash (RIP).

Favorite non-local band:

Breakbot.

Favorite comedian:

Demetri Martin.

Favorite artist/photographer:

Julius Shulman.

Favorite book:

Outliers.

Favorite beer:

Whatever’s around.

Favorite sound:

Waves.

Favorite smell:

New car.

Best time of day?

Whenever I’m not working.

When you were 7 years old you wanted to be…

Albert Einstein.

What inspires your creative process?

Family, friends and trees.

Current obsession? 

Floral button-down shirts.

Cheapest thrill?

Climbing a water tower (don’t do that, kids).

Guilty pleasure?

How I Met Your Mother.

Life motto?

Stay true to yourself.

Best 2am post-drinking snack?

Pickle Chips (89 cents at SAMIRS)

Best advice you’ve ever been given?

My father told me every day before school, “Son, always be a leader. not a follower.”