Warm Hues

ABA Fashion Show

Last Friday the Asian Business Association held their annual Charity Fashion Show and Bare Magazine was there to catch the action. The Julia Morgan Theater was an excellent venue for the production and packed with well-dressed (for the most part) business students and friends. With brands like Roxy, Quiksilver, Ben Sherman, G Star, BCBG, and Adidas being showcased in the show, it wasn't exactly the fashion parade we had in mind BUT forgivable considering that they are a business (not fashion) club. The performances were entertaining, the hosts likeable, and overall a great turnout!


Blog Editor Nancy Kim with the lovely ABA President

Survey Time

Hello Readers,



It would be awesome if you guys could complete this survey we need it for market research. Hope everyone had a good weekend! Now back to reality...

The Scarf and Necklace Combo

Alright so for this post, I had the perfect outfit in mind. I vividly remember jotting down notes in my Moleskine during the 2008 fall collections and recalled two designers that combined two fashion basics to pack a dual punch! I searched for thirty precious minutes of my time on runway sites and could not find the inspiration but here is the trend regardless.

I’m talking about the silk scarf and chunky necklace!

So don’t doubt me just yet! We’ve all had encounters with beautiful ethnic scarves (DO NOT even bring up mufflers with me; I believe they’re created by the most pathetic Los Angeles designers) and we’ve all collected some colored chunky jewelry along the years. Now, as long as the color palette matches try putting them together!

So I found this two-toned scarf at Charlotte Russe ($12.99, www.charlotterusse.com) that would go with either purple or grey jewelry. I suggest layering neutral necklaces as well as specific shades, like these I found at Urban Outfitters ($16.99, $19.99, and $19.99 respectively, www.urbanoutfitters.com), who’s having a major online sale BTW.

For this look, it’s about getting the mixture just perfect. Though tedious, sit in front of your mirror and try on unexpected combos. It’s my personal favorite ‘cause you don’t even need to go out and buy separates. I’ve spread the secret amongst you, now divide and conquer!


Trend Journalist
John Kim

Casual Chic

Halloween Thrifting

It’s hard to be super creative with Halloween costumes on a tight college-student budget, but trust us: it is so much more fun! Telegraph’s Mars, Sharks, and Buffalo Exchange all have great supplies of vintage-y quirky pieces to make your unique Halloween costume (sparkly sequin mermaid, anyone? 80’s prom queen? Vintage cowboy slash sailor?), but remember to check out some more traditional thrift stores around Berkeley for less obvious but much cheaper options! Out of The Closet and Goodwill on University both have pretty good selections of clothes, and you can go treasure hunting for a good costume, which only adds to the fun.

Happy hunting!

Twelfth Annual Charity Fashion Show: “La Dolce Vita”

WHEN: October 24th
WHAT TIME: 7 PM, Doors open at 6:30 PM
WHERE: Julia Morgan Center for the Arts
2640 College Ave Berkeley, CA 94704
TICKETS $10




The ABA Fashion Show is a creative combination of a fashion show, accompanied by Berkeley student performances and a raffle fundraiser. Now in its twelfth year, the charity fashion show continues to be a way for ABA to strengthen its presence in both the Cal and Berkeley community. The theme “La Dolce Vita” captures the enjoyable spirit of life, laughter, and wonder, and conveys the passion and serenity of living a sweet life.

All proceeds will be donated to the “charity: water.”This is a nonprofit organization dedicated to building freshwater wells in developing nations to provide entire communities with fresh water for years. $20 dollars can give a person clean, safe drinking water for 20 years.

Come experience La Dolce Vita by supporting ABA and “charity:water”, while looking at the season’s latest fashions!


Bare Magazine will be there tomorrow night to cover the event!

A Preview: Sports/Fashion Shoot

Last Friday, BARE magazine's Sports/Fashion shoot team embarked on the actual shoot portion of an article on the unlikely marriage of sports figures and the fashion world, which will appear in the February issue of BARE. We worked with triathlete/model Becca, pictured in this post (she's the blond in the pink dress). While we can't show you any of the great pictures we took at this shoot (yet), we wanted to give you a sneak peak at some of the exciting stuff you'll find in BARE's February issue.



Becca stylin' her hair



One of our production leads, Kelsey, feeling a little camera shy.

Our photographer, James, Kelsey and Becca, on our way to the shoot.

Becca's jacket and shorts courtesy of Mars Vintage.

The Original Fashionista

After all the hype over some fall/winter looks with tons of jewelry and sleek black garments (read: Givenchy), it can be easy to forget one of the first women to don the bling and black combo: Coco Chanel. Chic, timeless, and surprisingly fun, this is a great way to brighten up your all-black winter gear. So start loading up all the necklaces you have – and don’t forget the pearls!

The Flower Headband

Has anyone heard the classic John Philip’s classic where he tells people “if you’re going to San Francisco, make sure you wear some flowers in your hair”? What we do, as residents around the Bay Area, is to do exactly that.

A dainty flower headband will bring light onto any outfit this fall.

Of course Anna Sui, whom we consider the queen of bohemian chic, bloomed her fall line with heads of flowers. You might gawk at this overpriced accessory, but we found an alternative at CrewCuts (the children’s section at JCrew) and aren’t afraid to admit it ($16.50, www.jcrew.com)!

Now, we think Louis Vuitton is quite possibly timeless. Marc Jacobs did a French-esque collection for last year’s fall line and we’re still in love with the amazing headbands. To get this amazing look, we think it’s a good call for a DIY project. Just buy these reusable stretch headbands from Target ($7.99 for 2, www.target.com) and hot glue various plastic florals (which look amazingly real, by the way) at Michaels (prices vary, www.michaels.com).

Boring flyaway hair can be tamed and beautified by adding flowers-real or natural- in your hair!

Lulu Chang, THE Cal Alumni

Lulu Chang, Marketing Manager of Chictopia was kind enough to answer a few questions for Bare Magazine. Here's a little peak into what her style was like back in highschool and what she's been up to now!





1. How did you start Chictopia, what are your goals for the site and where
do you hope to take it?

Helen Zhu, Corinne Chan, and Richard Ho started Chictopia because they wanted to revolutionize and democratize fashion. Helen actually conceived the idea after reading a Time magazine article, naming "You" as person of the year. Basically, it talked about how the internet empowered talented individuals to make a name for themselves. Just like how Youtube made video a democracy, and how Myspace made music a democracy, Chictopia wanted to be the destination site where real, talented, stylish individuals of all shapes and sizes can get discovered. We would love to become the destination site for those interested in fashion. For so long, the industry has been so closed off to outsiders. To be able to create a site with the power to influence.

2. What was your style like back in college, were you as stylish here at
Cal as you are now?

Haha. My style back in college could easily be called "metalhead's girlfriend". I used to dress really inappropriate to class. I remember taking an East Asian Politics class where I showed up wearing a tartan mini dress. I don't think my professor ever took me seriously again. I would show up to American Poetry with all sorts of bracelet tags from the night before, smudged eyeliner, and my friend would say to me... "had a fun night?" I've always worn tons of jewelry, but I never wore heels because I walked so much. And I lived in Hane's white v-neck tees by the bulk.

3. What was it like working in New York's fashion scene?

When you're a young girl fresh out of college, they really treat you quite... rough. Sometimes it seemed like everyone was a chicken with their head cut off. The fashion, the spectacle, is nothing short of AMAZING. But too much could drive you mad.

Oh, and you run into the Olsens... a lot.

4. Any advice as far as majors go?

For fashion, they were actually quite enthusiastic about the fact that I was an English/ Political Science major. My only assumption is that most people who work in public relations/ branding are illiterate and don't watch the news. Have an idea of the direction you want to go in, and start interning at the most relevant places you can. Network! And learn how to do that air kiss!

5. What do you miss about going to Cal (if anything)?

I miss Naan 'n' Curry. I also miss going to the map library (I think most people don't know Cal has one). That was kind of fun.

6. What would you say about the fashion scene in Berkeley? (we've gotten alot of skepticism as far there even being a fashion scene in Berkeley)

Well, I think the problem with Berkeley is that any girl with an interest in fashion is automatically lumped together. So there is no standard. When I was in school, you kind of had to make up your own scene as you went along. Most of friends and I shared different mutual interests, like music... or drinking.

7. Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

In 10 years, I hope to being running some kind of Diddy-like empire.

8. Any advice for Cal students interested in a career in fashion?

You never know what is going to work for you until you try it. If you're interested in fashion, don't be afraid to just dive right in. You'll learn a lot of yourself, what your limits are, and what you really want out of the industry.



Check out what she's up to now at http://luluandyourmom.blogspot.com/

Blue on Black

Pretty dress, pretty tights, pretty girl

Another Project Runway Reaction

As my friends and I huddled around the pathetic television screen that possibly could never contain the fabulousness of Project Runway, we were all rooting for our favorites. Of course, it was either Korto or Leanne (if you liked Kenley, get yourself checked about that attitude problem).

Well lets get to the bottom line.

Kenley's debut was all over the place. Maybe it was just the company I was with, but everyone seemed to agree that her collection lacked focus and cohesive tact. The only outfit we were somewhat amused was with the cream dress with cascading floral designs (though I have to admit that I was impressed with the art she put into each outfit). Every piece belonged in different and distinct outdated shows and she definitely does not have the aesthetics of a (modern) woman. Can I hear an amen?

Now Korto was the one we all put our faith into. She seemed the most dedicated to the art and had the most consistency throughout the show. The Asian buns didn't seem to go too well with the African inspired theme, but her collection was a step-up (well, maybe a flight of stairs) from Kenley's. And yes, I agree with Michael that the simplicity yet impeccable twist she put into the final look was amazing. Perfectly paired with barely visible heels that reveal the sultry of the dress.. Definitely runner-up worthy.

Last but not least, Leanne did amazingly. The soft color pallet, with the cream, white, and Tiffany's turquoise, showed so many different ways of wearing the single idea of the wave. Each and every look was structured like an architect (taken from my friend, who is an architect major) but draped for a modern woman. It's hard for me to choose a stand-out look for this collection, since it was so eclectic in a good way, but the wedding gown just blew me away. I can die happy!

All-in-all, this season was a one that set standards a bit higher. However, we were wondering what would've happened if undeserving Kenley was replaced with some of our earlier favorites. Terri was sure to bring on a "fierce" show or (my personal bias as Marc Jacob's apprentice) Wesley's interpretation of the wedding dress. Can't wait for season 6!

Easy Win For Leanne Marshall

If you're an avid follower of Project Runway, then you were most likely parked in front of your TV tonight for the season finale. There was a lot of buzz around the finale since the finalists were three women with strikingly different tastes, but as the episode progressed, that was where the intrigue ended. We weren't blown away by any of the collections, but the clear and ultimate winner was Leanne. Even though Leanne's collection was monochromatic and repetitive, she did take a risk and used creative forms, which is more than can be said about Kenley's collection which was accused of borrowing ideas from major designers. Korto's collection was imaginative, but didn't have the polished look Kenley's did. Overall, underwhelming but it won't stop us from tuning in to watch next season.

MURS stops in Berkeley to mix up music… and fashion

LA-based underground rapper, MURS (which, you’ll never guess, stands for “Making Underground Raw Shit”), stopped by in Berkeley Tuesday night for a performance to which over 70 people crammed into Rasputin Records on Telegraph Ave. to watch. He’s touring to promote his seventh solo album Murs for President, which I think is his first since he signed with a major record label, Warner Bros. Records. The new album is inspired by MURS’s belief that hip hop needs to be elevated from the latest straight-to-ring-tone singles about sex, drugs, and violence to its original form of art.

Art also rules the fashion senses of MURS fans; the crowd came in all their hip hop, hipster, second hand, mis-matched, color-coordinated glory. They were clad in fitted caps, MURS and Obama t-shirts, loosely draped scarves, and Vans. It’s a mix of styles reflecting the mix in music MURS brings – he has techno sounds over hip hop beats and his fans are of all shapes, colors, and sizes.

Here are some photos I snapped at the event. I think you can really get a sense of how diverse the fans and fashions are.

Mad for Plaid

Talk about taking it to a whole new level

Trendy Leggings

We all know that sooner or later, leggings will fade into the abyss of recycled fashion. But before it becomes the new taboo equivalent of shoulder pads, we want to burn it out!

For fall, designers just could not bear not showing some leg in the cold, so they compromised it with tastefully textured tights (try saying that ten times).

Karl Lagerfeld was praised once again for the Chanel fall collection in Paris. But what stood out to me, above the impeccable tweed, were the slashes of prints on the tights. But don’t worry if you budget is not on par with Chanel’s; settle for ones by Forever 21 ($6.80, www.forever21.com). These can be great season transitional pieces or that unexpected peek-a-boo in a conservative outfit.

Now for the real trendsetter in you, Rag & Bone and Members Only did surprisingly outgoing but chic rubber leggings. While the ones from Members Only run at a modest $88 (www.urbanoutfitters.com), we found one at American Apparel for half the price ($44.00, www.americanapparel.net). These may be a little tricky to wear so minimize the color and cut of your outfit and stay with the rock-and-roll theme.

Ten years from now, we’ll be wondering why tights were ever trendy. Let’s just embrace the moment and go crazy with these modern leggings before they end up in the photo albums.

What is now... tonight's fashion jeopardy night

Intrigued by yesterday's questions? Join BARE tonight for more fashion jeopardy fun (and yummy snacks provided by LUNA Bar).

The meeting is in 03 Evans, at 8pm, tonight (Wednesday, Oct. 8).

And now for some solutions:

1. Louis Vuitton (but his brand didn't gain popularity until after his death)

2. Naomi Campbell (the shirt said "Naomi Hit Me And I Loved It.")

3. Emilio Pucci (this one stumped everyone last year!)

4. Nike

5. Nimes (the fabric was known as "serge di Nimes" and later just "di Nimes" until it morphed into the English word we know today)

Outside FSM

Who says you can't dress up for school?

What is... tomorrow's fashion jeopardy night!

For everyone attending BARE's fashion jeopardy night tomorrow, here's a teaser.

See if you can get these five questions from last year right.

1. It is one of the oldest designer brands, which began when its founder opened a luggage store in Paris in 1854. Name the brand.

2. Which phone-throwing supermodel turned her domestic violence into a catchy t-shirt slogan in 2007? (Bonus points!: If can you name what the t-shirt said?)

3. Which designer held a spot on Italy's Olympic Ski team?

4. Which famous athletic shoe brand, started by Stanford University graduates, was originally called Blue Ribbon Sports?

5. The origin of the word "denim" is related to which southern French city?

Good luck! Check back here tomorrow for the answers.

The Plaid Coat

The Plaid Coat

While Mother Nature has graced us with an extra month of warmth, it’s apparent that the chilly weather is well on it way to the Bay Area. It seems that now would the perfect time to introduce the fall coat. The ever so reliable coat has allowed us to wear dresses during September and flawlessly shift into the freezing winter months with jeans.

Many designers have come up with their own interpretation of the classic coat, this time in a plaid print.

Marc Jacobs had dozens of plaid options at his baby line,Marc by Marc Jacobs. [Okay this one isn’t exactly plaid, but sue us.] Wear it with a matching hoodie and it suddenly becomes an outfit fit for the streets. Or try this one from Urban Outfitters($88, www.urbanoutfitters.com) with a built in hood, to avoid the hassle of layering.

This season, Ralph Lauren returned to his signature smart plaids that go so well with his modern American aesthetic. Sure it’s warm, but the unstructured cut of this coat especially gives it a lightweight feel. Try one without a cinched waist, like this one from Forever 21 ($29.90, www.forever21.com), to bring out a similar effect.

The houndstooth prints were are so overplayed and now the fashion gods have brought back plaid. Designers have shown that by playing with proportions and color (by gosh, just look at that color!), the old coat has revitalized itself for the new season.

Cal Student on 4th Street

Ran into a student shopping on 4th street. Like the tights and sneakers mix.

Meeting

Just to let you guys know there will be a meeting tonight as usual in Wheeler room 222 at 7pm. Hope to see you all there!