From Oscar nominee pie charts to DIY Addams Family skits and Ye’s plan to better the world with fashion, here’s what had the Dazed team hitting ‘share’ this week
EXCLUSIVE: THE KANYE WEST INTERVIEW
“As much as a regard Yeezy as a deity, I tried to be non-biased in my think piece on his adidas collection (and why everyone was hating on it). This style.com interview with the man himself set the record straight on a few of the collection’s main talking points: yes he was inspired by the designers people accused him of ripping off (‘I’m not going to try and act like I was influenced by a fucking dog walking down the street’) and yes he did have a personal connection to the London riots: he was actually living in the city at the time. West also speaks about his quest for a kind of fashion democracy: ‘I’m only concerned with making beautiful products available to as many people as possible.’ It’s an interesting insight into the mind behind NYFW’s most controversial show” – Emma Hope Allwood, Fashion Features Assistant (@EmmaHopeAll)
WHAT WOULD MADAME VIONNET MAKE OF GOGA ASHKENAZI?
“Back in 2012, Vionnet was a struggling Paris fashion house. Then Goga Ashkenazi – Kazakhstan's only female oligarch – swooped in, bought it and appointed herself as designer. It's a totally 21st century story of art, commerce and post-USSR wealth.” – Zing Tsjeng, News Editor (@MissZing)
HOW TO TELL CREEPY DUDES TO LEAVE YOU ALONE
“It’s the stuff that has been drilled into us since we were kids: ‘Don’t talk to strangers,’ mum nagged. But honestly, even at 26, that doesn’t stop them from talking to me. Creepy guys at empty bus stops, more creepy guys on a crowded train, fucking creepy guys everywhere! Finally – and trust it to come from the all-girl-empowering Rookie – someone has spoken. And, for once, it's not about us shutting the hell up and crying about it later. As the weekend approaches, and creepy men take to the streets in their droves, forgot what you’re mum told you and arm yourself with this instead – just tell them to fuck off. In fact: ‘YOU ARE BEING CREEPY, STOP TOUCHING ME RIGHT NOW’ will do the trick. Thanks, Rookie!” – Ashleigh Kane, Digital Assistant (@AshleighKane)
ADULT WEDNESDAY ADDAMS – WEDNESDAY V CATCALLERS
“Don’t mess with this girl. Well done, Melissa Hunter for being able to send a clear message with this clever skit, part of her web series ‘Adult Wednesday Addams.’” –Camilla Mathis, Junior Production Manager at Dazed Vision (@CamillaMathis)
THE OSCAR BEST PICTURE NOMINEEES AS PIE CHARTS
“If the best way to experience an event is to watch it being reported on Twitter, the best way of predicting the Oscars is to say a bunch of funny sentences about the films.
And if the best meal is a pie, the best article needs a pie chart.
Thus, Vulture's annual Oscars pie charts are the best pre-Oscars buzz you can read. A beautiful addition to the long, storied tradition of journalistic snark, it's the essential take on the Academy's annual earnest-athon.” – Charlie Robin Jones, Digital Editor, @CharliexJones
WHEN WILL WOMENSWEAR CATCH UP TO THE WAY WOMEN ACTUALLY DRESS?
“New York Fashion Week: the one that drags on for five days too long, has an unfathomable schedule and leaves you never wanting to see/hear/write the words ‘day to night minimalism’. Ever. Again.
However, recent seasons have seen NYFW finally begin to carve itself a new niche, spearheaded by emerging labels buoyed by a cult-like online fan base: Eckhaus Latta, 69 Worldwide and friends. They spark fearless new conversations around gender and identity, in silhouettes that seem to step way beyond ubiquitous androgyny.
I’m very excited about this. A healthy portion of my wardrobe is menswear, but I’m not a tomboy (the term Fader chooses here). The ‘mens’ stuff fits better and is devoid of naff and fussy embellishment. Plus its comfy. I’d like to browse the mens section in peace (‘Are you looking for something for your boyfriend..?’), but even better, I’d like to browse a store without ‘sections’ at all. Somewhere where I’m not expected to fit neatly into the cutesy or minimal or sexy or basic categories of feminine dress.
Fader focuses on the straight up women-in-menswear thing, quizzing eight creative women on their cross-gender dress choices. It’s not news (Marlene Dietrich etc etc) but it’s great to see these conversations now linked to what’s happening in New York. Awesome.” – Natasha Slee, Social Media Assistant (@TashaLouiseS)
A FEMININE MAN IS A POWERFUL THING TO BE
“Wearing a lace ruff and a lavish mock-Tudor gown, Somali-born Diriye Osman tears (in the most graceful and articulate way, of course) at the constraints of our classic gender roles. What does it mean to be a feminine man or a masculine women? And why do we still have so many issues with blurring those boundaries? ‘I was constantly bullied at school for the fact that I was a distinctly feminine gay lad,’ he writes. ‘It was only a decade later, after I had finished school and was living on my own, when I realised that there was a tremendous sense of beauty and pride in valuing my identity.’” – Dominique Sisley, Editorial Assistant, (@DominiqueSisley)
FROM A PRIVATE SCHOOL IN CAIRO TO ISIS KILLING FIELDS IN SYRIA
"It’s last month, I’m sitting next to my Dad in a car driving down the M4 towards London, the last of the evenings half light shone through the window. Some guy was ranting on the radio about stopping all our young boys from going off the Middle East and grabbing rocket launchers to declare war on the western world. It almost sounded farcical, like something out of a Monty Python skit. “I don’t believe that”, I remember by Dad muttering, “How can any sane boy choose that sort of life, it doesn’t make sense”. Cut to this week, I’m two hours into an Internet binge, neck deep in endless Reddit feeds and Twitter links. I came across this, and remembered that look of utter bafflement on my Dad’s face, sitting next to him in the car as the evening set in." – Andrew Gale, News Intern (@AndyGale123)
