Phreshly Squeezed

September issues are the table topics for many right now, and the unveiling of the hottest editorials leave many excited to hold the issues in their hands. Fashion stylist Rachel Zoe lends herself and favorite phrase “I Die” to good humor and lightheartedness with a Harper’s Bazaar feature depicting the many ways that she can “die.”

Notable fashion forward designers – Vera Wang, Francisco Costa, Brian Atwood, Marc Jacobs, and Michael Kors – take up this Rachel Zoe challenge. And before you start asking why this editorial isn’t under criticism for its depiction of violence, realize that it is not neither sexualizing violence nor glamorizing misogynistic values. Instead, it is just poking fun at the fashion stylist. So lean back in your coffee chair and have a good chuckle.

Take a look at how the designers would “off” the fashion stylist:

Vera Wang goes for sophisticated by slipping the poison into the drink

Francisco Costa goes in for the silent kill

Brian Atwood makes use of his precious shoes

Marc Jacobs goes in for an over-the-top kill

And leave it to Michael Kors to finish the job nicely

Images courtesy of Harper’s Bazaar and StyleList

To add to all of the discussions over the BP oil spill is a 24-page editorial shot by Steven Meisel for the August 2010 issue of Vogue Italia depicting Kristen McMenamy in various interpretations of the injured, oiled animals. And while, the spreads are undoubtedly beautiful and provocative, there is a sense of unease. After all, the crew and luxury goods are flown to the scene, with the clothing soaked in gasoline, which could be seen as wasteful of our resources and goods.

But one could say is that such editorial really is in fact a call-to-action. In being so provocative, and at times repulsive, one would think that the goal of Vogue Italia is to evoke the average reader to open their wallets to donating to clean-up initiatives. If such was the case, though, there would be a information at the end of the editorial to direct giving audiences. Flipping through the twelve spreads on Refinery29, there doesn’t seem to be any sign of such.

In which case, the editorial seems to be nothing more than a glamorization of a tragic incident, as opposed to being an intentionally thought-provoking editorial, and thus serving its purpose in capturing our attention and discussing it.

Find below some of the spreads from this month’s Vogue Italia.

Images courtesy of Vogue Italia via Refinery29

Since last writing my review on Earnest Sewn jeans, I’ve acquired several more pairs from various designers (albeit, all of them in the skinny style) in an attempt to find my “best fit.” Needing a light weight pair for the summer, I managed to grab a pair of Hudson jeans that were not only light enough, in terms of fabric, but also a steal for its price ($99 CDN), at Holt Renfrew several months ago. Strange, though, that there is no proper identification on the labels as to which model this is; all I had were style numbers and such on the tag, but that didn’t pull up anything on the internet. Through Google search, I think I’ve manged to determine that the pair I’ve bought best resembles the “Carly Skinny Jean.”

What drew me in, aside from the price tag, was the wash of the jeans, which is great for the casual with its faded black tone and worn-in look. Drawing me in the most, though, was the fact that the inseam of the jeans measured 30″, which is what I wear, but incredibly rare to see these days. Often, I end up buying jeans with an inseam of 32″ or even 34″ and then have them hemmed soon after so that I am not rolling the bottoms into summer cuffs for the winter.

Now before I dive into the one negative that I have, I did have fair warning when I asked the sales rep when she did say that Hudson jeans stretch, as most denim does. Of course, I didn’t think that the pair would end up stretch one or two sizes up. So what went from a perfect and most comfortable fit (I was going in between either a 27 or 28 at the time, and chose the latter) wound up being loose at the waist and on the thighs. From the knee down, though, there wasn’t much stretch to it and the calf area remained fairly tight. With that said, the taper on the jeans is more than your usual pair of skinny jeans – it’s more narrow than what you would normally fine, which may leave you wanting to go one size up from the usual, which I did.

The jeans do hold up (no pun intended) and meet all other expectations that one would have; they’re comfortable, easy breathing, and durable. Perhaps what can best remedy the situation is a belt to cinch the waist together a bit more and to stop the jeans from slowly sinking. The next time that I go and buy a pair of Hudson jeans, though, I may have to go down to the smaller spectrum of what I wear.

About Hudson Jeans
Founded in Los Angeles in 2002 with the desire to embody British cool and California freedom, Hudson Jeans is often recognized with its union jack logo and triangular flap pockets. It is said that each pair is created from denim from Japan and Italy, and then each hand-finished and tailored to be one of a kind.

For more information, visit http://www.hudsonjeans.com

Image via coldbling.com