FASHION Magazine

It seems Andrej Pejic can’t stay away from controversy for too long. The It model is raising brows yet again, but this time, it’s not because of a gender-bending editorial; he’s ticked off a lot of people by tweeting the “N” word.

Oh No They Didn’t posted a screengrab of the brow-raising tweet, which provoked an outpour of offended commenters who were not impressed by Pejic’s unapologetic attitude (the tweet has not been deleted).

What was he thinking? Well, the tweet was in reference to his viral YouTube video—a parody of a transvestite dating profile from the LES looking for  “a real white n****.”

Strategic cut-outs, thigh-high slits and body-con shapes: Sébastien Peigné and Nicola Formichetti of Mugler are bringing sexy back.

Reviving Mugler is a monster task. After designer Thierry Mugler took his final runway bow at his couture show in July 2000, this kinky house of cool (remember Demi Moore’s bondage-style dress in 1993’s Indecent Proposal?) started flatlining. Ten years later, the resuscitation began. In 2010, following months of speculation, Nicola Formichetti (Lady Gaga’s stylist) was tapped to lead the revival of the French house known for its over-the-top theatricality and sex appeal. Besides outfitting Mother Monster, this 34-year-old half-Italian, half-Japanese, techno-savvy superstar is also the fashion director for Vogue Hommes Japan and global retailer Uniqlo. His debut Mugler womenswear show during Fall 2011 Paris Fashion Week had the twitterverse buzzing about its latex-dipped leggings, body-stocking dresses and the catwalk pièce de résistance: Gaga, smoking in every sense of the word.

Read the interview »
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Word: Liketivism

Usage: “30 million views and counting? All in a day’s liketivism.” – me

Meaning: A less-hot version of “clicktivism,” which is the practice of promoting causes through social media.

You should know it because: Did you watch the Kony 2012 video this week?

“Those girls started riots, because Chinese people thought they were ugly,” says Phillip Ing, vice-president of global retail and special events for M.A.C. He’s describing the public’s reaction to a series of images by Beijing-based photographer Chen Man, published in 2003 on the covers of Vision, an avant-garde Chinese fashion and art magazine. OK, so they weren’t actual riots, but there was plenty of hate mail; resistance is a common repercussion when one is blazing a beauty trail in a conservative country. Her images were arresting and fantastical, and they instantly garnered attention, as did the artist herself. At the time, she was only 23 and still in school, but she represented the next generation, who no longer felt constrained by many of the limitations their nation imposed.

Continue reading about Chen Man »
View the gallery »

I will start with an admission: I am a terrific failure at online dating. It’s not that I’m a Luddite when it comes to cyber-communication; I grew up on the cusp of the generation that came of (dating) age during the digital era. Yet somehow, meeting someone online reduces me to the level of awkward small talk at a wedding with an elderly uncle: “Where do you live?” “Is it nice there?” (Uncomfortable pause.) “What do you like to eat?” And the perils of online communication don’t disappear after the first few dates: A guy I was seeing ignored my Facebook friend request until I retracted it, embarrassed; an ex-boyfriend abruptly untagged himself from every photo we appeared in together. The internet, for all its Google Pluses, has created plenty of minuses in my love life.

Word: Bashtag

Meaning: A Twitter hashtag (you know, the categorical or punchline-type coda to your tweet) meant to insult, or bash, what you’re tweeting about.

Usage: “Expect to see #bashtag appearing soon in slide decks on social media across the land. It is a very simple way to describe what advertisers don’t want to happen.” — Alexis Madrigal on the Atlantic wire

Last night (read: 4 a.m. his time) Kanye West took to took to his preferred forum to rant, muse, and philosophize, Twitter! Never one to mince words, West produced a series of over 70 tweets about everything from his time as an undercover Fendi designer to his thoughts on the VAT tax. His tweets culminated with the announcement of his plan to create an all-encompassing think tank, DONDA. (Yeah, you’ll be hearing that word every five seconds for the rest of your life.)

We summarize his best fashion tweets »

Word: Twepression

Meaning: A certain slide in happiness, as seen on Twitter, over the last few years.

Usage: To paraphrase—with apologies—David Foster Wallace, “Twepression is a failure to identify.”

Karl Lagerfeld, as quoted by Coco Rocha on Twitter, has a strong opinion on holiday loungewear: “Sweatpants are a sign of defeat. You lost control of your life, so you bought some sweatpants.” Thankfully, Eileen Fisher comes to the rescue. The brand, known for simply chic and wearable apparel, has opened its first Canadian storefront in Vancouver (2721 Granville St., 604-733-5225, eileenfisher.com). Perfect for a cozy chalet getaway.

By Megan McChesney (@meganmcchesney)

Those in a position to hire you for your dream job are closer than you think, but you’ll need the right tools to find them.

Back in February, Marc Jacobs International was looking for a social media staffer. The company eschewed the standard job boards and headhunters and went straight to the medium itself, sending out a rallying cry from its Twitter account (@MarcJacobsIntl): “We are interviewing only people who are tweeting us. Be clever. Smart. Understand our DNA. Say it in one tweet! That is your interview!” One hundred and forty characters isn’t exactly a lot of space in which to shine, but this one tweet sums up the new world order if you’re hunting for your dream job. Never mind mixers and events and cold calls—if you want to be proactive about landing a plum gig, you need to take the party to social media.

Word: Twitterology

Meaning: The study of tweets, or more academically, “real-time language data.”

While you may be able to hold your own at dinner with friends, this is the wedding of the century, (with the Queen Mum herself in attendance) and something tells us you’ll have a lot more to worry about than which fork to use first.

Luckily, if you manage to swing an invite, you will be given very strict instruction on what’s expected once you’re inside Westminster Abbey. However, if you’re anything like us and like to be prepared, here’s a crash course in royal wedding etiquette⎯including pointers from both the Monarch and Anna Dello Russo.