May 19, 2008

Magazines ad sales decline in the double digits.

Don''t make me say goodbye.

It's so upsetting to hear that the industry that I plan to start a career in is declining. Please internet... don't take away the pretty glossy pages of W Magazine away from me. (At least not until I could have contributed to the magazine in some way.)

Damn you, ECONOMIC DECLINE!

According to WWD, the Media Industry Newsletter has shown a decline in ad pages for the last 6 months. The luxury market magazines like Elle, Harper's Bazaar and Vogue hasn't shown a decline, but the mass market magazines, like Cosmopolitan, Glamour, Marie Claire and In Style are in the negative. "
Harper's Bazaar increased ad pages 9 percent, to 890. Vogue reported flat numbers, coming in at 1,328 ad pages. W reported a 2 percent drop in ad pages, to 878," says WWD.

I admit that when I wake up in the morning, I don't read the newspaper. I go directly to fashion/magazine blogs to get my daily fix with industry news. Even though I want to get into the high gloss print industry, I don't have this huge urge to have to subscribe to a magazine when they show so it online (sometimes even more online).

Do you really think print magazines will go away?

Honestly, I think they eventually will... even though I believe that having something in print that I can take around is a lot better than having to lug around a computer trying to look for WiFi. I just think that magazines will slowly move over to using their websites because it's so much cheaper to publish something online than print it.

Who knows... anything can happen.

MJ in high heels.

(Marc Jacobs on current issue of Interview Magazine. Source)

Marc Jacobs was photographed for the cover of Interview magazine's June/July issue celebrating Andy Warhol's 80th birthday. Looks like everyone in the media has mixed reviews with the comparison of Jacobs and Warhol. In a sense, they are very much like pop artists. Even though Jacobs doesn't admit it, he has created apparel that was very much like pop art. For example, his colorful Murakami Bag with color logos or his graffiti bags. These pieces will be extremely iconic in history because he is very much a person that is ahead of fashion right before they become trends in major magazines like Vogue.

In this cover, Interview decides to make Jacobs look like Warhol. The rest of the photo spread is very controversial. This spread conveys Jacobs in a way we've never seen before. It's going to fun watching the media talk about the cover. Once again, he pushes the boundaries and is in the spotlight.

These T-shirts ($35 and totes, $15) will actually be printed to benefit Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh. I'm definitely going to get the t-shirt because it will be a collector's item in the future for sure.


May 15, 2008

Shia LaBeouf on the cover of GQ.

(Images from GQ Online)

LaBeouf has always been lucky with his choice in movie roles. He has been in the media lately as a rebel, but he is still a good actor. I still remember him from his roles when he was a preteen.

The current cover he landed looks great. It's almost like a right of passage for him to manhood. GQ did a great job styling him for the cover. The article written about him is getting interpreted the wrong way by readers, but he still seems like the dorky person he has always played.


May 14, 2008

I'll have my cake and eat it too.



John mentioned to a friend of his that he was going to be moving SF with me. He also told her that I was going into the fashion industry (particularly, fashion magazines) and she said, "Does she have thick skin? Because they are really competitive out there."

Wow. Really?! Gosh darn it... I NEVER knew that. (Rigggghhhtt.)

I don't want to sound arrogant, but it was insulting to hear that. I know what I'm getting into and it's fierce. People in this industry push and shove for years to try to get to the top. I don't want to push and shove, I just want to work hard because it's something I love. I don't want to play dirty. People that play dirty don't last very long because they always get caught. Being in any industry or job that makes you a lot of money and fame on top of that will always be competitive. It's just the rules of nature. If you're going to make a lot of money or aspire to... you have to work hard for years and years until you are close to your goal.

His friend also said,
"My friend worked for (insert major publication) in NY and they made it so hard for her that she use to cry."

I'm expecting this industry to try to chew me up... and swallow me whole. I know people are going to try to make me crack but I'm there to stay. I'm a tough cookie. I got it from my parents. They came from nothing and are successful now. I'm so proud of them. They came here from a different country and had absolutely nothing. They made a great life here and I want to do that for myself, in my own way.

As a child, I was really emotional when I was criticized about anything. Now that I'm older, I have this weird stamina for criticism. I don't think of it as a personal attack. I want to take any kind of criticism that will help better me as a person. I try not to take things personally. I'm okay with if you think what I'm wearing is crazy/weird/overdone. This is very much me. Take it or leave it.

I love magazines and looking at trends that they make, but I'm not really a person that likes follow trends. They go away and the money that you spend on a trend becomes wasted after a season. I like things that will look modern for years... something that isn't said to be in style but it looks good on me because I understand my body and my style. I don't want part of the industry that does things to make people happy. I'm here to push boundaries. I'm on this earth to be outside of the box. I'm here to make my stamp in this industry.

And when I get there (which won't be right away, of course) I'll have my cake and eat it too.

May 12, 2008

Misshapes' Leigh Lezark at IMG.

(Lezark from The Sartorialist)

I was excited to hear that Leigh from the Misshapes has signed to IMG. She has been such a style icon for so many years, I'm surprised no one has gotten her to sign up sooner.

She always looks great whenever I've seen photographs of her. Especially the photo above from Scott Schuman. She always looks so cool and serious and rarely do we get to see her smile.

I'll be looking forward to see who is going to book her this coming season.


(Lezark's comp card From models.com)

May 11, 2008

Sorry I lied...

I went to SF on Wednesday to do two formal interviews for jobs I plan on having while living there. My magazine one went extremely well. The Editor and Chief loved me so I got that job. He is a really out going person and has been living in the bay area for about 35 years... so he knows the city really well. I can't wait to start already! It's going to be cool because it's a smaller magazine... so my contributions will be able to show. I have to decide what I really want to do with it though.

The second one is for the company I work for currently. It's something to make me money while I wok for free. It's a cool job but it's not something I want to do forever. I'm not sure if they are going to give it to me... but I did great on the interview. They are stupid not to hire me. I know too much about the company and all.

Now... with the Subtle pictures... my camera died by the time I got to the show. The show didn't meet my expectations at all. I saw them last year at the Great American Music Hall and they were great. They were really into the crowd and vice versa. For some reason... this time around, the sound was bad. I know that sounds surprising considering the venue, but it's true.

But anyways... here is a video.

May 6, 2008

Last Night's Met Gata.

(Anna Wintour, Zac Posen and Kate Mara, Mary-Kate Olsen from nymag.com)


The biggest party of the year, The Met Costume Gala, was last night. Everyone kept it safe with their outfits. Nothing really stood out to me besides Anna Wintour and Christina Ricci. These are the only two that I really think tried to tie in with the theme of the night, which was superheros.

Posen and Mara look like a really cute couple in their semi-themed outfits. But... Mary-Kate's DVF dress doesn't make her look good at all. It doesn't help her figure and her hair looks so incredibly nappy. I usually like the way she dresses, but this is a no-go.

I'm normally not a Ricci fan, but she just looks amazing, confident and comfortable in this dress.


Hiatus.

Ok... so it's been a week. Sue me.

I've been trying to get things together for my move in June... which is rolling up a lot faster than I think. I am taking a paid position with my current job and then interning for a magazine based in SF. I will be meeting with both tomorrow. So wish me luck.

I just got a rejection today from a major publication that had an office in SF. Turns out the office is too small to even have an intern for the summer... but I'm not going to lose hope.

I'll update you with pics from the band Subtle tomorrow, as well as people attending.