You said:
It seems that Skinny Jeans are still in style…for now.  Almost half (47%) of you think they’re in style.  However, 28% think they’re on their way out, and 25% believe that they’re already Out. 

Omiru: In a nutshell, what exactly is the Modus Project, and what makes it unique?

O: What was the inspiration behind the Modus Project?

D: The project really is an outgrowth of our desire to play in the juniors space.  We were closing SG magazine (a magazine geared towards surfing girls), and I thought there had to be a way that we could cover fashion and the energy of the Southern California culture.  I had heard about Otis from the CEO of QUIKSILVER, Bob McKnight, he’s on the board and  his daughter goes to school there.  They were doing a fundraiser last October, and Bob asked us to buy a table.  It was a great cause, so of course we agreed.  I was driving down the road the day we announced that we’d be ceasing publication of SG , and it hit me that we could partner with the students at Otis and create a whole new kind of fashion publication.

O: How is the staff organized?  

D: The students are organized into four teams, each with an art director and a photographer, and each team is responsible for a photo-driven 12-page story.

O: How long did it take to transform the Modus Project from idea to reality?

D:  It was last September that we first started talking about the project.  I met with the president of the school and the head of the fashion department.  In October, I met with the school’s department chairs.  We collectively decided to make this a Spring semester project for the students.  It was really a perfect fit between Otis, and us, since they were already looking for an interdisciplinary project with a tangible result.  We’re hoping to make the Modus Project a permanent part of the Otis curriculum.

O: What other magazines, if any, served as inspiration for the Modus Project?

D: Paper, Nylon, Black Book, Look-Look, and Monster Children from Australia are among our inspirations.  However, our format is different.  We have an oblong format.  Plus, we’re distributing in polybags, so we can do things with the cover that we couldn’t if it were in a traditional newsstand format.

O: What sort of things are you free to do with this alternative format?

D: For one, we don’t have to worry about cover blurbs.  We can also put our logo in a different place.  Normally, we’d have to adhere to certain conventions, but since it’s not being sold on a newsstand, we can experiment much more freely.

O: Tell us a little more about your background and how you got here.

D: I’m from a media and entertainment background but have been part of the surf industry off and on for a long time,. As a lifelong surfer  my questions are: How do you serve a growing  market that has limited options?  How do you communicate its vitality, energy, and the interest of this Southern California lifestyle? And how do you do it in a way that makes sense?  We have sports, the beach, music, and fashion.  There’s really a big cultural divide between here and New York, and there hasn’t been a translation of it that has felt authentic.  Not to diss Elle and Vogue, but unless you’re a part of this world, it’s hard to get the nuance and the subtleties right.  

O: Do explain.

D: Ok, A catalog came in the mail, and I asked my 17 year-old daughter to look at it.  She wrote it off after a quick glance. The catalog had teen girls selling swimwear and surfwear, and they got a bunch of models who didn’t surf to do it.  It was all wrong…if it were music, I would say that it was off key.  The Modus Project is about making sure we’re on key.  Really, authenticity is everything, and I feel that we’re in great hands because these kids [from Otis] are the real deal.  They’re working artists and designers and are the next generation.

O: Describe your role as publisher of the Modus Project.

D: I’m the head cheerleader for the project.  My job is to see that all of the resources are lined up, to get the information to the marketplace, to make sure that the reps understand what it is, to communicate clearly what the value proposition to the advertisers is.  In short, it’s my job to run this thing—to empower the creative side, and yet run it as a business.  

O: How do you manage that?

D: I’m fortunate to have been part of business organizations with robust creative functions, and while I’m not a “creative”, I love the process and the energy that goes into it..  It’s all about setting up the framework and structure.  The rest of it is easy.

O: About what feature of the Modus Project are you most excited?

D: That we’re giving these kids something real that they can have their name on when they leave school.  I love watching them light up when we tell them that a million people will be seeing their work.  There’s a little bit of a leap of faith that they can pull this off.  But having seen their work, and seeing their contributions, I have no doubts that they’ll do just fine.

O: What’s it like to work with the students?  

D: Mindblowing.  We get stuck in our world of making magazines, and through this project, I think we’re working with some of the best creatives in the industry.  These students bring a whole new way of looking at things.  I’m amazed by their versatility.  They know Illustrator, Photoshop, Flash—when you walk through a list of creative tools, you see that they know everything.  I’m amazed by how much they get done with nothing to work with—they’re so resourceful!

O: Give us an example of their resourcefulness.

D: At first, we thought the graphic design kids were just laying out the stories.  But they also wanted to help design the logo and the cover.  The things they came back with in their first round, with nothing more than a verbal creative brief, were astounding.  One girl shot the photos for her cover herself and handlettered and handtinted the art.  It was as good as anything you’d see on the newsstands today.

O: What challenges have you faced?

D: We’ve actually had very few crises, and we have had no lack of energy.  If anything, we probably want more of the students’ time than they can give us!  Case in point: we’re working with a major auto retailer, and they want the students to design the ad for them.  

O: Describe the launch of the Modus Project.

D: We’re launching in September 2006 at the Action Sports Retailer Tradeshow with a sheltered launch concept with a 250,000 guaranteed rate base.  We’re inserting them in polybags and packaging them with Surfing, Surfer and Snowboarder magazines.  We’re also placing our overruns in higher end boutiques such as Fred Segal and Kitson.  Research tells us that our readers tend to be influential in their peer groups.  

O:  Who is the audience for the Modus Project?

D: We’re looking for a national audience.  We think that the Southern California lifestyle is universal in appeal.  It has a lot of energy that influences rest of the world.  There are several cultural axes that the world revolves around—New York, Shanghai, Milan, California.  For youth culture, in particular, Southern California is one that’s pretty important.   

O: What’s the next big step for you post-launch?

D: In May, we’re going to sit down with the kids, the faculty, and the admins to see if they want to do it again.  If they want to, we will immediately get to work on Spring 2007 as a fall semester project.

O: Last words?

D: The Modus Project is really a win-win for both us and Otis.  We’re covering fashion territory that we otherwise couldn’t, and we’re giving the Otis students a creative outlet—and money for the pages they’re creating.

Look for the Modus Project this September at Barnes and Noble, packaged with Surfer, Surfing, or Snowboarder magazines.

You said: It seems that Leggings are Out of style.  Only 17% of you think they’re still in style, and a whopping 44% say they’re Out.  And another 39% say that they’re on the way out.

You said: Looks like Nautical Fashion is still in.  Most (59%) see Nautical Fashion as a Classic, and another 23% believe that it’s a trend that’s still in style.  Only 13% think it’s Out of style, and another 5% consider it on the way out.

Alana: Likewise, I always loved fashion.  My mom tells me that I would pick out my clothes when I was young, down to the ribbons in my hair.  For me, going into fashion was a decision of schools.  It was a big decision to go to FIT—you don’t get a fashion degree and then go do something else.  It was an all or nothing decision.  

O:  Describe your career path.

A: I attended FIT, majoring in Buying and Merchandising, which got me into the fashion community.  I was lucky enough to land an internship at VH1, and after I graduated, I was hired here as a stylist.  It’s a great environment here, and Esther and I are lucky to have consistent work—that’s not the norm in the styling business.  We also pick up tons of freelance work—for movies, editorial, and other TV shows.

E: I also attended FIT, majoring in Buying and Merchandising, and interned at VH1.  Styling here is a pretty small department, and it’s extremely hard to get a job here even after an internship.  I learned so much during that three months though—probably more than I did in all four years of school.  After graduating, I went to MTV.   But I kept in touch with all of the people I met, and eventually ended up back at VH1.

O: Any advice for aspiring stylists?

E: A smaller environment is better for interning.  Here at VH1, I had 2 or 3 people that took me under their wing and they taught me what they knew.  Their help landed me freelance jobs afterwards, and to this day, I still use some of the techniques they taught me.  

A: Be thorough.  Keep your promises.  Relationships matter.  People remember that we always follow up.  How do we do things? No. 1, we give the vendors credit, and no. 2, we give them videotapes showing their clothes on film.  We treat it like any business relationship.  

E: All of our vendors that we work with love that it’s very personal with us.  All of our notes are handwritten.  We do our best to get photos of the client in the clothes to send to the vendors.  It’s important to us that our vendors know that they’re doing us a favor.  

A: The fashion business is all about networking and keeping good relationships with everybody.  People jump around in our business.  It’s a pretty tight knit circle. So keep in touch with all of the people you meet—contacts are important.

O: Describe a typical day as a stylist.

A&E: We usually start our days at the office.  When we arrive in the morning, we have to find out what talent we’re dressing, what they like, and then we have to start calling in the clothes.  A lot of the job is correspondence, via phone and email.  We’re probably on the computer 50% of the day.  Appointments are usually scheduled anytime between noon and five.  We go out to the showrooms and stores, coming back for fittings later in the afternoon.  Fittings usually take an hour, and only about 25% of the clothes typically make it into the final closet.  From there, we style out the shoots we need for the next day and send out the clothes.  We typically leave between 6 and 8pm, though sometimes we’re here till midnight.  

E: We work long days, but we typically switch off and cover for each other.  We work as a team, and there’s a nice balance between the two of us.  

O:  Is that kind of teamwork common in the industry?

E: I would assume that it’s common, but it might be different here because it is such a small department.  There’s actually three of us in our department—it’s nice because we’re a tight knit group, and we look out for each other.  We even pass off jobs to each other.  

O:  What was your favorite styling assignment?

E: During my MTV years, I worked on a traveling show called “I Bet You Will.”  What I loved about it was the tight knit group of production people.  It was a really fun environment, and I liked the fact that there was a lot of traveling involved, along with interesting last minute requests that constantly kept me on my toes, such as being in the middle of Virgina and at 12:30 am making a run to Walmart to get 10 white sheets so I could make 10 togas for 10 half-naked frat boys for one of the ‘bets’.

A: VH1 did a concert for New York after Sept 11.  It was such a big event for such a good cause.  Everyone broke down all their walls.  There were hundreds of celebrities there, and nobody got star treatment.  We had one big green room, and everyone was there, which is so unusual.  Stylists and crew don’t usually mix with the on-air talent.   

O: What kinds of unusual requests have you gotten?

E: A 1970s style suit for a person who isn’t a sample size, a futuristic outfit for someone who’s a XXXL size.  You get a lot of last minute crazy moments.  During Halloween, my life is easier—you can get costumes the same day.  Other times, I’ve been known to pull all nighters creating outfits.

A: I once did a heavy metal makeover with piercings and tattoos. I was up till 3am before a 7am shoot painting and distressing doc martens.  I also made an Elvis costume for a guy weighing 400 lbs.

O: Where are your favorite places to shop?

A: We’re bargain hunters.  We’re used to doing shows with low budgets, and it’s tough to look at clothes at full price.  Some of my favorite places are Loehmanns, H&M, and sample sales.

E:  Oh yeah, we’re huge Diesel junkies.  Our favorite sample sales are Diesel and Theory.  It’s interesting—stylists typically go for the classic kind of look.  Solid colors and denim.  We dress people in trendier clothes, but we’d recommend more classic pieces.  

O: As stylists, do you feel extra pressure to trend it up?

E: Every day, I stand and stare in front of my closet and think, “What am I going to wear?”  It’s tough because everyone knows what we do.  They think, “What are the stylists wearing today?”  You can feel the pressure.  However, I generally wear what’s comfortable.  Today, I’m wearing Frye boots and jeans.  

A: I’ve never felt uncomfortable wearing trousers and a pair of Converse sneakers.  I think that if you put yourself together well, it’s ok.  We’re running around, on the subway, and all over town.  We can’t get all decked out.  

E:  Yeah, it’s rare that I wear heels.  We’re running around, and then we’re down on the ground putting hems up and ripping clothes up.  It’s a lot of physical work.

O: What do you think about this increased interest in what celebrities are wearing?

E: It has to do with the fact that we’re saturated with magazines like US Weekly. Everyone has an interest in entertainment interest, and they look up to these celebrities.  Fashion magazines used to include actual people doing everyday things.  Now, it’s celebrities everywhere.

O: If your house was burning down, and you could only keep one thing in your closet, what would you keep?

E:  That’s a tough one—I can’t choose just one!  Any pair of jeans that I have, probably one of my pairs of Diesels because they fit me so well.  I also have a pair of boots passed down to me from my mom that wore when I was younger.  However, my feet are a half size bigger than hers.  There are so many pieces that I love that I would want to pass along to my future daughter—my Frye boots, a periwinkle Marc Jacobs sweater, and a big puffy navy pullover hoodie from 8th grade that I always wear…it has special significance to me because it has the name of my school, the year I graduated, and signatures of all of my classmates.  I’m very attached to clothes, but even more attached to the memories.

A: An Eggplant Marc Jacobs bag—they’ve since discontinued the color.  That, and a one-of-a-kind brown Moschino jacket with flower patches that my mom got for me.  Whenever I wear either of these items, people stop me on the street to ask me where I got them.   

O: What clothes have you worn that you’re now ashamed of?

E:  2 years ago, I wore one of those mini flouncy skirts.  But it was on vacation…so it was “ok” that I wore them.  Oh, and years ago, I wore this button down silk blouse that my mom bought me at the Limited.  I wore that with a silk vest over it.  I’ve also worn flannel mini shorts with black tights and knee-high boots.  Oh, and cowboy ankle boots.

A:  What she’s not telling you about is her wellies.  Every time there’s even the slightest chance of rain, she wears them.  99% of the time, it doesn’t rain—it’s hilarious!  As for me, the list would include cowboy boots.  I’m not doing them now, but since they’ve come back in, I don’t feel so bad about this one.  I’ve also done the French rolling of my jeans with baggy socks.  More recently, just a couple weeks ago, I wore these Moschino plaid pants to Fashion Week.  I felt like I had pajamas on.  I don’t think I’ll ever wear them again.

O: What are you inspired by?

A:  I get all worked up about magazines, movies, television, and current events.  Pieces of everything inspire me.  On the streets of New York, I love people watching.  I’m also inspired when I’m meeting the individual I’m dressing.  What’s interesting is that our work is so current because it’s TV.  We go to Fashion Week every year, but then we use the trends in our own way to make it work for real life.  We’re dressing real people.

E: I second that.

O: What are your favorite designers?

A: Stella.  We also just saw Versace’s fall collection, which is taking a totally different turn.  Francisco Costa taking over the house at Calvin Klein is also doing a great job.  My specific favorite, though, has to be Diane von Furstenberg.  Her designs are comfortable, wearable, and the patterns are fun.  I have four or five of her wrap dresses.  But if I had to pick a designer that I look to for inspiration season after season, I ‘d go with Carolina Herrera.  She doesn’t ever do wrong.  

E: Me too! Beyond that, I’m a huge Proenza Schouler fan.  I love the structure and how well everyone seems to fit in it.  I also love Narcisco Rodriguez for his simplicity and Michael Kors for his versatility.

O: What up and coming trends do you see?

A&E: Dresses, especially floral, feminine, and A-line styles; shorts of different lengths; nautical (short lived?); simple, solid colors; menswear inspired looks like high waisted, vests, and trousers; necklaces with a lots of layers; gold jewelry; feminine, layered pieces.  Jeans are also here to stay.  You can wear them anywhere.

O: And what’s going Out of style?

A: The shrug look—it’ll be around for a bit, but it’s going out.  Also, peasant skirts, and the miniskirt Ugg look.  And the big wooden necklaces that everyone’s wearing.  Big necklaces and large bangles, à la Nicole Richie, are going out.  Vintage, however, will stick around.

E:  But I think Uggs will be back.  Not in the form they’re in right now.  They’ll have to evolve, but I think they’ll get big again.

O: Last words?

A: I love my job!  

E: I feel the same way.  However, a lot of my friends think I work in this glamorous environment, going to shows.  In reality, though, it’s a lot of work.  

A: We love our jobs and interacting with people.  However, it is work.  We enjoy it and we’re grateful for it, but we’re here from 9 am – 7 pm, and there’s a lot of schlepping, and hard physical work.  It’s not as glamorous as one might think, but we live for it.  For anyone who is interested in styling or fashion, they should definitely pursue it.  There are so many opportunities.  You can start your own line, or start styling by making over people you know and go from there.

You said: With 54% of the vote (mind you, this poll was completely unscientific), Cheap Chic rules!  Coming in second, with 23% of the vote–online shopping.  Specialty stores finished third, with 14% of the vote, and Department Stores, Boutiques, and Sample Sales all came in last, with 3% of the vote each.

Omiru’s take: Can’t say that we’re surprised about the popularity of Cheap Chic….what’s not to love about fashion forward styles at dirt cheap prices.  Perfect for trends that you would only want to sport for one or two seasons.  Online also had a strong showing, reflecting the growing acceptance of buying style items without the benefit of trying them on first. 

Omiru: How did you get started in fashion design?

Parris: Once upon a time, a being by the name of Parris Harris had a love affair with the need to express. This being searched high places like Macy’s Christmas catalog and Kmart’s Super Store and low places like the depth of his soul. I had a love affair with the need to express, especially in places that call for fabulous attire like night clubs, red carpet world premieres, and Texas horse stalls. Overalls can be hot, and if you look hot, your animals may be more responsive to you. You heard it here first, folks. Write it down.

Long story short, I needed outfits, and I first started dressing myself. Fashion or clothing is one of my paints of choice and people’s bodies are notebook pads or expensive pieces of paper to pour all the lovely paints on.

What’s interesting is that circumstances suggest what to wear. They can DOWNRIGHT dress you. Poverty, pride, mourning, death, opulence, regret, sorrow, thug life, wealth, punkness, weddings, racism, hate, conservativeness, etc. I’ve always been observant of how people respond to what others wear and how we act in what we wear. If a 27-year-old accountant went dressed in an Armani suit one day, rags the next, overalls the third, and a Vivienne Westwood couture gown on Thursday, there is a good chance she would be received differently each time based on appearance alone. At some point of my existence, that realization grabbed my attention and kept it.

O: From where do you get your inspiration?

P: From the stars and the moon and the grass that minds its own business and doesn’t bother anybody and just grows. Again, in some way, poverty, pride, mourning, death, opulence, regret, sorrow, thug life, wealth, punkness, weddings, racism, hate, and the conservative all offer inspiration. The power of fashion, the fun aspect, the silliness, the history, the emotions it instills, the actors it suggests, the silence it speaks. Fashion can protect, intimidate, and demean through appearance alone. I’m a sucker for art in unexpected places (performance art) There’s all that to inspire and then some.

O: What is your design philosophy?

P: 1. Make the outrageous understandable, functional, obtainable, and within reach.
2. Make the simple scream while silent (as it does so often) and perhaps cause you to feel that feeling we get when we wished we had looked closer.
3. To cause one to enjoy and appreciate being annoyed (Love thy dreadful neighbor).
4. Make destruction beautiful to the look and acceptable regardless.
5. To enjoy just being dressed.
6. To cause you to enjoy the ugly and never want to be beautiful again.
7. Make the average girls of the club and world, boring, poor, looney and punk, as hot and sexy as the tall, blond, blue eyed, and vice versa.
8. Club wear at the office. 
9. To make arty, magnificently animated, nonsense garments.
10. And of course all the other deliciously boring things like making a woman feel feminine or help a gentleman’s outsides match his ego.

O: Thoughts on the San Francisco design scene?

P: Hot, Hot, Hot….Japan mixed with NY and Paris. It’s unaware of its fashion potential. It has the freedom of Paris to wear what you want. It’s courageous. It has trendsetters on the DL (down low) so comfortable in their skin.

O: Who are your favorite designers?

P: Vivienne Westwood, Diesel, Cov’et, Channel, Jncos, Armani, Jimmy Choo, Alberta Ferretti, V.W., Serious, Snoop Dog Clothing, Outkast Clothing, Sean John, Moschino.

O: What trends do you foresee for Spring 2006?

P: New is the new. Pink isn’t going anywhere. Trashy glam with new cuts and lace. Hip Hop Couture. Men in hip, witty, sporty blazers with patches, torn seams, etc. Office meets baseball court in the work place. Punk Proms. Golf Couture. Men in smarter stripes that pop. Women in gowns before 5 p.m. again. The 1700’s revisited, but this time, women in gowns at the water cooler, walking to get the mail, in the mall, and at soccer practice.

O: Last words?

P: I love how clothing can be so accessible. Every day or every moment (depends on the person), we are blessed with the opportunity to change our clothes again…and create again. Is that great, or what?

O: When did Local Celebrity come about, and why did you decide to focus on t-shirts?
J: We got a screen printing machine and lived at our grandmother’s house in San Diego and printed t-shirts out of a barn for close to a year. Urban Outfitters was our first account, and they started ordering and needed to really pick up the distribution of the production. We partnered with a production facility, and the rest is history.

O: Who comes up with the concepts for the t-shirts?
J: Primarily it’s me and my brother, but every once in a while, our designer will come up with a good concept or Andi will throw something in there.

O: How many t-shirts do you come up with per season?
J: We haven’t really been working in seasons. We’ve just been making t-shirts. Ones that sell well, we keep around. Ones that don’t, we just discontinue and replace with another one. We try to get at least 10 a month to our showroom.

O: What makes your collection unique?
J: When we started, it was very unique. We feel like we really influenced the market for humor t-shirts. But now everybody and their mother has a humor t-shirt company. So we stepped it up. It’s not so much clip art and words anymore because that’s everywhere, and we’re tired of seeing it, and we don’t want to wear it. Our shirts have more flavor than other companies. Most of our competition in the humor t-shirt market sell shirts with sexual innuendos, and they talk about getting drunk, partying, and really just the whole college lifestyle (therefore mainly targeting college kids).  We try to "rise above" that and keep our shirts clean and wearable for everybody.  We want them a little more thought provoking, confidence inspiring, and flavorful.

O: From where do you draw your inspiration?
J: Everywhere. A lot of pop culture and hip hop. Mainly, I like to draw inspiration from music. Everyone can have a Local Celebrity shirt because there’s an occasion for every one of our shirts. Music reaches everybody. We also have random personalities in our family, so we draw inspiration from each other.  

O: Describe your collection.
J: We have fleece, canvas slip on shoes, and hats that are being produced right now, and within the next few months, we’re working on producing long sleeves, thermals, and tank tops.

O: What stores are you sold in?
J: A good list of stores that we’re in are Kitson, Atrium, The Lounge, Urban Outfitters, Hollywood Stars, and Delias.

O: Who wears your t-shirts and who do you want to see in them?
J: We have DJs rocking our stuff, we’ve got Delias customers, and Hot Topic customers. We just want people to wear our stuff and feel confident. Our customer is anyone who keeps it real, anyone who’s cool, has flavor, personality, charisma.

O: From where did you get the name Local Celebrity?
J: It was pretty random. My sister actually came up with it. When it first started, it was called TheVeryBestTshirts.com. We were trying to brainstorm, and it just came to my sister I think when she was going to bed one night. We love it!

O: If your house was burning down, and you could only keep one thing in your closet, what would you keep?
J: I’d definitely rescue my dog, Champ, before I grabbed anything else.  He’s a 4 1/2 pound miniature pinscher, and I could never leave him behind.  The fire can have my clothes (I have a clothing company, so there’s plenty to go around, and I’d probably already be wearing my Local Celebrity hoodie).

O: Last words?
J: We really wish that people could get to know us because we are the best representatives for the company. That, and our t-shirts are really cool. They have flavor, personality, and it takes a really cool person to wear our stuff.

Omiru had the opportunity to ask Shelli-Anne–an award winning journalist herself–a few questions about organizing such a massive event.

What are you inspired by?
I
am primarily inspired by anything and everything vintage. But I am also
inspired by what I want to wear. I love vintage clothes, but I steer
away from them because I just feel like a haggard when I wear them.
However, my love of vintage shows in the details I add into Rebel
Yell.  I try to make Rebel Yell clothes more updated. It just makes a
woman feel better about wearing vintage.

How has your style evolved over time?
It
doesn’t really. It kind of stayed the same. I’m super t-shirt and
jeans. Six-and-a-half days a week, I’m wearing a t-shirt and jeans.

Do you care about what you wear?
Well,
I don’t have time to think about what I wear, and that’s part of what
Rebel Yell is too. It should be something that doesn’t take too much
thought. You throw it on and feel good about how you look.