This week, Anoushka styled Ebere in colourful prints for some vibrant spring inspiration to lift you out of any January gloom.
Spring 1 spring 4 spring 3 Spring 2
CREATIVE DIRECTOR/STYLIST/PHOTOGRAPHER: Anoushka Kavanagh
MODEL: Ebere Nweze
Blog Page 932
Holiday snaps
Time Tunnel: Edward II
Unsurprisingly for such an iconic play, Charlotte Vickers’ production is not the first to hit the Oxford drama scene. While it is exciting to produce work in dialogue with a rich theatrical history, a glance over the Cherwell archives reveals a rather checkered history when it comes to Oxford productions of Edward II.
Let’s hope our reviewer this year will be more impressed than Ellie Wade was with Francesca Petruzzi’s “comically bad” direction in 2012. Sounds pretty harsh, you might think, but Wade supports her damning conclusions with such examples as, “I think critics are entitled to have a pop when that ‘glittering’ crown you’re monologuing about came free with a Happy Meal and weighs visibly less than a Satsuma.”
She went on to describe the much-hyped gay element of the play as “a lot of groping and not much chemistry” and noted that three actors had “an amusing habit of standing in height order.” Vickers should take note: this publication does not take kindly to height-related stage direction. Big no-no.
While far removed from the dire straits of 2012, Cherwell also had reservations about Tom Richards’ 2008 production. Like Vickers, Richards used a modern setting, and certainly, “the sweet-sour smell of weed, star-cross’d lovers, and violence” all sound pretty evocative, although perhaps reviewer Chen-Li Yiu should avoid mixing her Shakespeare-Marlowe metaphors.
However, modern settings clearly have their pitfalls, as she went on to note that the actors seem, “never quite sure whether they are playing nobles or gangsters.” Second note to Vickers: make sure your actors know which parts they’re playing. What would Oxford theatre do without Cherwell’s sage advice?
Review: George Street Social
The George Street Social is the kind of cafe-bistro-bar conglomerate that Oxford does so well. Situated half-way down the city’s main food street, it definitely holds its own amidst the strong competition.
The GSS prides itself on its locality, making it the perfect place to visit if you’ve found yourself missing Oxford over the vac. Portraits of the city’s finest adorn the upstairs walls, inspiring the many students typing away diligently on their laptops. The décor is industrial inspired—think exposed panelling, steel lamps and vintage objects—but there is a hint of fun in the puns on the literature themed stairs (‘Olives and Twist’, ‘Gone with the Wine’).
Any menu with ‘heritage carrot’ as a salad ingredient maybe takes itself a little too seriously, but there is a variety of options ranging from light brunch plates to hefty main meals and also some exciting sharing boards. There is also a pleasingly broad selection of vegetarian and vegan dishes, as well as good catering for anybody with allergens.
My co-editor, who had dragged me here after raving about the baked eggs, had the shakshouka with tomato, peppers and feta. I, meanwhile, had the smashed avocado on toasted campaillou, with poached egg & chilli (campaillou, as I discovered, was an enjoyably crusty sourdough-type bread that was sourced from a local bakery up in Summertown). The flavours of this posh avocado on toast were all perfectly balanced, but I did find myself wishing there was more for my £5.50. Nevertheless, the prices are around the standard for most middle range Oxford restaurants.
Things we didn’t try but wish we had were drinks from the inventive cocktail menu, including a delicious sounding ‘Raspberry Collins’ with Beefeater gin, lemon juice, sugar and fresh raspberries, and the mouth-watering cake selection. The restaurant also very much lives up to its ‘social’ label, with weekday happy hours between 5-8pm and Friday evening events. All in all, the George Street Social is a great place to experience the buzz of Oxford again after six weeks at home.
George Street Social, 35 New Inn Hall Street.
Farage appointed to key rolls in the Foreign Office
Due to popular pressure, the Foreign Office has announced that it will be filling all of its diplomatic roles with self-styled business man and spokenword artist Nigel Farage. After the election of Donald Trump as US president, Farage was appointed as the British ambassador to America on the advice of several expert Twitter consultants, including @BritzJobz4 and @BravoBoobZero.
After the resignation of EU ambassador Sir Ivan Rogers, the Foreign Office announced that Farage would be taking on this role to help smooth the Brexit process.
The Foreign Office spokesperson Joanne Unbright said: “After public consultation we have decided to appoint a firm Brexiter as EU ambassador, largely because their unpopularity in the European Community will save tax revenue through a reduction in social engagements. Brexit means Brexit, after all.”
Several hours later she issued a further statement:“Sod it, Farage can take the lot. China, Australia, the UN. Who doesn’t want to see Farage try to negotiate a trade deal in the Congo? Or anywhere, for that matter.” After clarification from Downing Street, the press reported that this in fact meant the Farage is to be appointed ambassador to all 195 recognised nations, all global institutions and placed in charge of all economic negotiations.
In his new positions Farage will receive a sizeable salary, which he has chosen to draw primarily in pints of Ruddle’s Best County Bitter (allegedly around 300 pints per day) and packs of Benson & Hedges. He told Reuters: “What’s best for Britain is best for me and I’m excited to have such a pivotal role in re-forging Britain’s place on the world stage. It’s a bit like the war, isn’t it?”
Approached for comment whilst in America building new ties, Boris Johnson said: “Farage is a man that I can do business with. We played a game of charity cricket once. He was out for a duck and then we went and shot a pheasant in a Wetherspoons car park. What a pity that Mrs May confiscated our bails.”
Exclusive: Squatters set to stay
Iffley Open House have stated there are “strong indications” that squatters will be allowed to stay in the temporary homeless shelter set up on Iffley road after a hearing on Friday morning.
Speaking exclusively to Cherwell on Thursday night they said: “We really hope that we will be able to stay in the shelter. There have been strong indications that this will be the case and that the court will rule in our favour tomorrow.”
The current leaseholders of the Iffley Road squat, Midcounties Co-op, have expressed a similar confidence that they will reach an “amicable arrangement”, allowing the squatters to remain in the property, which is owned by Wadham college, throughout the rest of winter.
In a statement the company suggested that they will allow the property’s continued use as a homeless shelter until legally required to hand it back to Wadham in April.
Kevin Brown, Group General Manager for the Midcounties Co-op said: “We successfully adjourned the repossession process on Friday for seven days to give us more time to reach a positive outcome.
“We’ve also completed a health and safety inspection of the site. The areas affected by asbestos have been cordoned off, and we’re satisfied that the building is safe and that those staying there are taking their duty of care very seriously.
“In April we have a legal obligation to hand the site back, with vacant possession, to our landlord Wadham College. To ensure we’re able to meet that requirement, we will request a repossession order at Court next Friday, but our preference is not to have to use it.”
Students across the university have continued to show support in favour of the current residents of Iffley Open House (IOH). On Thursday, a motion was passed without opposition at OUSU Council to, “unequivocally support the actions of IOH.”
The motion called for, “Oxford Students to offer practical help, such as legal expertise, marketing skills, donations and volunteered time.”
At Wadham, the Students’ Union (SU) voted in favour of paying legal fees on behalf of the Iffley House Group.
Wadham SU President Lucas Bertholdi-Saad told Cherwell: “Wadham College, and Wadham Students’ Union, do have a material interest in the redevelopment of the Iffley Road Site and its development on schedule.
“Despite the health and safety issues around the occupation, it is far safer to be sheltered in IOH during the Oxford winter than out on the streets. Wadham College has an opportunity to offer concrete support to vulnerable people.
“Occupiers at IOH should be allowed to stay as long as is reasonable. Wadham College should help IOH in trying to ensure they do not need to return to the streets after the building needs to be vacated.
“Cuts to homelessness services by Oxfordshire county council have helped create a crisis in Oxford. It is a scandal that, in one of the richest cities in one of the richest nations on Earth, people still sleep rough in the streets in winter. People need homes, empty spaces need people.”
Hannah-Lily Lanyon, who seconded the motion at Wadham SU, said: “Many Wadham students are part of the IOH community, and do not want to have a split interest between Wadham and IOH: we want both College and IOH to be working together to help find solutions for homelessness while the weather is particularly awful.
“We urge College to open up the eleven empty flats above the currently occupied space, which would provide the housing which is so desperately and urgently needed.”
In response to the statement from the Co-op, the IOH group described its residents as relieved, and gave thanks to its supporters.
A member of the group told Cherwell: “Our focus now is to work with Co-op to turn their positive statements into a concrete agreement that will ensure the current residents can continue living in their new home securely through the harshest of the winter months. Until an agreement is made we face potential eviction in court this Friday.”
The group continue to urge people to show their support, and say that they “will support the Co-op and Wadham College to do the right thing in their local community, actions they say they are keen to take”.
The building, initially purchased by Wadham in 2015, is scheduled for demolition in order that it can be turned it into student accommodation.
The site has been occupied since New Year’s Eve by IOH. Around 36 people are believed to currently be sleeping in the space.
Top five things to do post collections
Haven’t recovered from collections? Not looking forward to explaining your grade to your tutor? Or are you just in need of a break already? However you’re feeling, Cherwell Broadcasting has taken some time to ensure that students know where to relax and enjoy in a post-collection world in Oxford. From learning something new in the Ashmolean or just grabbing an ice cream, we have the top five things to do in Oxford to help with those January blues.
From Dante to jewellery: The Divine Comedy in gold
You might not notice amongst the hubbub of hundreds of freshers starting their Oxford journey, but every Michaelmas term, a small group of Italian finalists back from their year abroad on the boot embark on an equally exciting and daunting journey through Hell, Purgatory and Heaven with Dante as their guide as they dedicate themselves to The Divine Comedy. Some may joke that it is like Hell; many will admit to feeling as lost in the text as Dante does at times. But most will say, at least by now in Hilary, that it is a special experience.
For Rosh Mahtani, New College grad in French and Italian and Dante student of Michaelmas 2011, it was life-changing. Her study of The Divine Comedy at Oxford not only influenced her jewellery brand Alighieri in name, but also in design, as each piece corresponds to one of the 100 cantos of the poem. It is an idea that came to Rosh through inspired reading. “It is just so visual,” she says. “As I was reading Canto 9, for example, with Medusa, I just couldn’t not see snakes wrapping themselves around my fingers.”
Of course Rosh is not the first to feel driven to turn the vivid imagery of the text into visual works of art, and Alighieri jewellery really is art. She follows in the footsteps of Botticelli, Blake and Dalì, to name but a few. This is something she has long been aware of, having first come across Dante in her studies of Art History at the British Institute in Florence during her gap year, even if she laughs “I thought I knew about him then, but I don’t think I really did.” She returned to Dante’s native city on her year abroad to remedy that. “I didn’t know anyone who was living there anymore, I just took Dante and made my notes canto by canto. It was quite a strange way to spend so much time on my own and at that age, but I really enjoyed it.” The connection she felt with the text was immediate, not only for how visual it is, but how universal too, from the very beginning when Dante is lost – “that struck a tone with me immediately.”
Lost is exactly how Rosh felt on graduating. Not, she says, because Oxford was her whole world, but because she didn’t know what was next for her. “I didn’t know what was going to happen, I didn’t know where I wanted to live, I didn’t know what I wanted to do with my life, but I knew this one text, The Divine Comedy. I took my copy with all my notes in everywhere… it was like a Bible, a safety blanket.” She pauses. “There was a boy too, and I was a little bit heart broken. I didn’t physically know what to do with my hands so I took a one day wax carving course and started making things.”
And she hasn’t stopped since. Officially founding Alighieri in 2014, now with a small London studio selling online and stocked internationally, she is already a firm fashion editorial favourite and has just been chosen as one of 2017’s 3 Future British Designers by Boden and the British Fashion Council.
Those unfamiliar with The Divine Comedy though often ask her how many pieces and collections she’ll be able to make inspired by just one, albeit long, poem. Indeed, seldom do brands in the fashion industry take such singular and unwavering inspiration for just one collection let alone the entire brand. Rosh agrees: “there’s something quite nice about it, especially in an industry where it is all about newness.” And she is not worried about inspiration drying up: “I could make a whole collection inspired by one word in The Comedy. The problem for me is that I have too many ideas from it.”
Rosh feels equally free in her medium as in her inspiration. She doesn’t just make jewellery but also hair accessories, men’s jewellery, bookmarks that can be worn on chains and even a capsule collection in collaboration with Australian designer Anna Quan of classic pieces like black palazzo trousers and white shirts punctuated with gold Alighieri buttons and cufflinks. Rosh is certainly not just a jewellery designer. “I didn’t train as one so I don’t have that voice in my head that says I am one.” In fact, she finds it hard to say she is at all, when she knows people who have studied jewellery for a really long time. That’s not to say that she didn’t try jewellery courses herself; she only found that she hated them. “It was very methodical and precise,” she explains. “Finicky precision is everything in the jewellery industry.” It’s a world obsessed by perfection, something that Rosh used to be worried about at school and then at Oxford where she never felt as perfect as she thought everyone else was, before she decided that “it’s boring being perfect.” Rosh prefers to make jewellery that is as “imperfect” as Dante and his subjects, bearing the marks of his journey and his story.
It is, as Rosh says, a universal story that we can all relate to. On the morning of our interview Rosh received an email from a customer who wanted to buy a necklace for her daughter, that Rosh describes on her website as being inspired by Dante who sometimes knows exactly what he wants and sometimes is terribly conflicted. The customer felt it described her daughter to a T and wanted to make sure the description came with the necklace in the box. “It’s really magical that people relate to it like that,” Rosh says, almost surprised. Of course, she knows from her own experience how impossible it is not to relate to the story told in Dante’s words, but she can’t quite seem to believe that her telling of it in gold, just as she had imagined it when she was studying it here at Oxford, has the same effect on people.
Fifty Shades of Pink
The weird, the wacky and the wonderful walked down the Gucci runway at the fashion house’s Spring/Summer 2017 Ready-To-Wear (RTW) Collection. Pink curtains, pink smoke and a pink runway created a vibrant haze through which only chunky jewelled embellishments and shiny satin structured silhouettes shone through with any clarity.
This conceptual and sensually over-empowering performance was the brainchild of Gucci’s Creative Director Alessandro Michele, who was appointed to his position at Gucci in 2015. Michele’s influence on Gucci cannot be understated, with the move towards eclectic arrangements of brocade flowers, metallic pleated fabrics and stiff jacquard collars, flowing Edwardian ruffles, pussy bow details and clear silk references to the Far East. All these features were seen, and he is known for his bold colour choices, playing with shades of pink and red in his ball gowns and pantsuits alike.
According to his press notes, the primary vision behind this beautiful (although at times somewhat costume-y) display was not to create something ‘iconic’ or ‘unique’; he specifically chose the term phantasmagorical to accentuate the dreaminess of the headline ‘Magic Lanterns’. And a phantasmagorical display he achieved – the dreamlike state that the pink haze enshrouded the models and the audience with, could only be cut through by camera flashes that documented every step of the runway show. But why would Gucci’s mastermind choose the enveloping embrace of pink for the show?
Pink is an incredibly versatile colour, and in the setting of beaded curtains and lounge seating, it’s one that conjures up a somewhat synthetic dreamlike world – red would be too strong, yet yellow or orange would not be bold enough of a statement colour. Nevertheless, in this context, pink in no way denotes a garishly girly fashion line. The connotation of pink in modern fashion and culture as symbol of femininity is a relatively new concept, and the androgyny of so many of Michele’s looks on the models demonstrates this.
Pink has had a long and varied history in fashion. Far from being a historically universal symbol of femininity, in Biblical art the Virgin Mary herself is portrayed in blue, whereas men wore pink as it was a shade of red, the colour of blood and war and masculine passions. It wasn’t until the 1950s that the colours pink and blue became associated with binary gender identification. As late as 1920, Jay Gatsby is depicted in his iconic pink striped suit. To a context-less modern audience, it is as though Fitzgerald is picturing Gatsby as a dandy, a man in touch with his feminine touch, but Tom Buchanan’s scoff at the choice of pink wasn’t aimed at it’s unmanly connotations but at it’s association with Oxford and the working-classes.
According to Jo Paoletti, professor at the University of Maryland, it was particularly during the 90s and 00s – our generation – that gendered clothing became the norm. The children of the 70s had been brought up in the unisex clothing that was all the rage at the time, but her studies suggested that the introduction of so heavily gendered clothing for their children was largely a reaction against their own upbringing. The beginning of the century saw babies dressed in white so as to prevent the identification with gender. Franklin Roosevelt himself was dressed in white dresses as a child in the 1880s, as was the fashion at the time. But today, Barbie dolls, power puff girls and other big brand children’s toys only perpetuate and reinforce the boy/blue – girl/pink visual on future generations.
Nevertheless, high fashion is seen to be veering away from this gendered colour trend, with unisex collections coming out from Alexander Wang’s SS17 runways, more gender neutral lines appearing in high street labels as well such as American Apparel and the influence of Yeezy’s nude/beige palette on major fashion houses and cheap online stores alike. Gender and fashion are intrinsically linked, and the rise of transgender or gender neutral models is making a profound impact on this colour assumption. Pink is a powerful colour which should be used wisely, and always with passion.
Spring/Summer 2017 – Top 10 Runway Collections, ranked
- Dior
As Dior’s first female creative director, Maria Grazia Churi had the models dramatically tightly laced and buckled up in whiter-than-white fencing jackets, black leather body armour and corseted bustiers. Logo straps and slogan tees proclaiming ‘Dio(R)evolution’ and ‘We should all be feminists’ created a bold, progressive statement – yet a softer side was brought out in acres of tulle, chiffon textures and corseted Victorian silhouettes. Dior’s new head is definitely one to watch.
- Alexander Mcqueen
Packed off to the northernmost tip of the British Isles to prepare for this season’s collection, research was the aim for McQueen’s creative team. Sharp tartan tailoring and chunky knitwear in eclectic patterns marked a homage to the brand’s Scottish roots, while diaphanous chiffon, shaped to evoke cascading waves, and embroidery echoing the Shetland Islands’ wildflowers clashed with black leather jackets, bralets and knee-high studded boots; an epic battle between barely-there and most-definitely-there.
- Moschino
Inspired by the 1967 film Valley of the Dolls, creative director Jeremy Scott emphasised its themes of voracious addiction, immediate gratification and yes, dolls, in a highly unusual offering of pill-printed rucksacks and t-shirts printed with the slogan: ‘just say Moschi-NO.’ Nevertheless, the most striking feature was the trompe-l’oeil prints of outfits on his clothes, the wigs and folding white card tabs rendering the models two-dimensional paper dolls, an extremely effective and ingenious illusion.
- Chanel
The brand’s last show was set in a mock atelier, and showcased seamstresses painstakingly stitching and embroidering in celebration of the hand-made artistry for which Chanel is renowned. In a dramatic show forecasting fashion in the digital age, the latest collection featured artificial lighting, cables, wiring, geometric stitching, and even robots. Complete with lacquer full-face helmets and Stormtrooper-esque gloves and boots, the model-robots were dressed in elegant bouclé tweed suits.
- Alexander Wang
Beachy hair and tanned skin lent a casual, surfer vibe to Spring/Summer ’17 Alexander Wang collection. Crisp white and pinstriped shirting came undone in the form of cropped hemlines, cami tops, and floaty shorts, while pyjama style silk edged with lace featured in eye-catching shades of acid yellow and pastel pinks and purples. Male and female models walked indiscriminately in this unisex collection.
- Versace
Citing sportswear as ‘the future of fashion’, Donatella Versace explored athletic silhouettes and functional fabric in an eighties colour palette of black, purple, lilac and green artfully swirled together. While form-fitting lycra jumpsuits, zip-up sports tops and waterproof trousers abounded, an element of luxury still shone through in billowy anoraks, while nylon was reworked into expensive-looking ruched mini dresses.
- Louis Vuitton
Louis Vuitton led the charge for the long, flouncy, elongated silhouette, complete with asymmetric hemlines that also featured on catwalks such as Victoria Beckham and Valentino. Fluid draped jersey, fastened with thick black straps and peppered with cut outs, was designed to echo the free, easy movement of French women and effortlessly elegant Parisian style.
- Marc Jacobs
High-octane nineties nightclub glamour showed itself in all its many forms at Marc Jacobs, where silver snakeskin, shiny plastic dresses, day-glo shirts, hotpants and tiny suede skirts were mixed together atop skyscraper platform boots. The clothes were, however, overshadowed by the controversy provoked by the multi-coloured dreadlocks piled up on the heads of predominantly white models, raising questions about cultural appropriation and the lack of diversity in the line-up.
- Dolce and Gabbana
More of the same came in the Italian fashion house’s latest offering, featuring the rich embroidery and embellishments in jewel tones synonymous with the name of the brand. Only by looking closely could one see the kitschy, updated symbols were in fact adorning low-slung denim and oversized hoodies as well as the Mediterranean glamour of black lace and full-skirted prints, a breath of fresh air in an otherwise predictable offering.
- Givenchy
Fittingly set in the grounds of Paris’ Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle, the exhibits seemed to walk straight off the walls onto the mirrored runway in the form of kaleidoscope gemstone print slip dresses and metallic foils. Oversized jewel pendants and jagged tailoring embellished with mirrored shards and precious stones then highlighted the continuation of a theme that, while eye-catching and unusual, seemed a little simple and one-dimensional.