http://cakeit.net www.cakeit.net Fri, 17 May 2013 13:58:46 +0000 http://cakeit.net en http://cakeit.net/MIDNIGHT-SHOW http://cakeit.net/following/cakeit.net/MIDNIGHT-SHOW Fri, 17 May 2013 13:58:46 +0000 www.cakeit.net 1089979 http://cakeit.net/XXX http://cakeit.net/following/cakeit.net/XXX Fri, 17 May 2013 13:58:42 +0000 www.cakeit.net 1114889 http://cakeit.net/COCKTAIL-RINGS-ARE-TRASHY http://cakeit.net/following/cakeit.net/COCKTAIL-RINGS-ARE-TRASHY Fri, 17 May 2013 13:58:40 +0000 www.cakeit.net 1145587 <img src="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/2/83432/1145587/LTEC_markn_640.jpg" width="640" height="424" width_o="1378" height_o="914" src_o="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/2/83432/1145587/LTEC_markn_o.jpg" data-mid="5510523" border="0" align="left"/> Photographer: Markn Fashion Director: Cheryl Leung Hair: Tomihiro Kono Make up: Yumiko Manicure: Chisato Yamamoto Model: Dodo @ Models 1 Photographer: Markn Fashion Director: Cheryl Leung Hair: Tomihiro Kono Make up: Yumiko Manicure: Chisato Yamamoto Model: Dodo @ Models 1 http://cakeit.net/RICHES-TO-ROCHA http://cakeit.net/following/cakeit.net/RICHES-TO-ROCHA Fri, 17 May 2013 13:58:39 +0000 www.cakeit.net 1032923 <img src="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/2/83432/1032923/100906_srocha 0169_F1_640.jpg" width="640" height="960" width_o="699" height_o="1049" src_o="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/2/83432/1032923/100906_srocha 0169_F1_o.jpg" data-mid="6015210" border="0" align="left"/><img src="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/2/83432/1032923/100906_srocha 0097_F1_640.jpg" width="640" height="960" width_o="699" height_o="1049" src_o="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/2/83432/1032923/100906_srocha 0097_F1_o.jpg" data-mid="6015215" border="0" align="left"/>WORDS: ALEXA HALL It's been little over a year since she graduated but Simone Rocha is already on the cusp of greatness. Her second full collection headed up the Fashion East show last Fashion Week, and she was recently chosen as one of Selfridge's 'Bright Young Things' for 2011. "The ultimate was to have my own label, but I didn’t realise how quickly it would all happen. Since February it hasn’t really stopped. I'm excited, knackered, nervous and stressed, all at the same time.” Frankly, who wouldn’t be? Her memorable gauze headdresses - postmodern mantillas in black and electric pink that had everybody discussing her degree show - are inspired, she says, by ceremonial papal hats and the widows of the Isle of Arran, who wear petticoats over their heads as a sign of mourning. For inspiration, she always returns to “art, nudity, religion, tailoring” – an explosive combination. “I think it’s important for research to personally pull something from you. I feel am very much my work; my personal style always integrates itself into the collection.” Equally dazzling, in a quieter way, are the tailored pieces that dominated her degree show and collections since, toying with masculine shapes without falling into girl-in-a-man’s-suit cliché. Lightening the monochrome pallet and austere silhouettes were flashes of ultra-sheer chiffon and open panels. It’s no shock that the celebrities she’d most like to dress are Patti Smith, Chloe Sevigny, PJ Harvey and Romy from the XX – all powerful women who tend to eschew traditional notions of femininity. The overall aesthetic is stripped back and, with references to the Arran widows lurking at the back of the mind, almost melancholy. It is, of course, difficult to fashion a rags-to-riches narrative from Simone's rise to fame. Whilst the Gareth's, Christopher's and Lee's of British style have clambered up from provincial two-up two-down normality, she is, in fashion terms, to the manor born. Her father, John Rocha, is an Irish fashion stalwart and, latterly, a Designers at Debenhams luminary – not that Central Saint Martins Fashion MA course director Louise Wilson ever set any stock by a celebrity surname. Simone still has ‘big respect’ for Louise: “although she can be as tough as everyone says, it’s only because she wants the best for her students.” She has this in common with many of Wilson’s ex-students who, despite her rigorous regime, seem a remarkably loyal bunch. Besides, “she can be funny sometimes,” she reassures me. Nor was Simone's inclusion in the Fashion East roster a foregone conclusion. London’s coolest non-profit organization is “wonderful... their support is amazing. I'm so happy to be a part of it,” she says. “After the show in February, a few weeks later, I got a call saying Lulu would like to meet me. I was delighted and a bit surprised so I went in and met her in the Fashion East headquarters, and a few more meetings followed and, finally, she offered me a place in the line-up’. When asked whether she’d be the designer she is now had her father been, say, an accountant, Simone says, “I think I would still be creative. Of course, growing up in such a creative household has exposed me to art and fashion since I was a kid, which can't help but influence you. I have always been given the freedom to do what I want to do.” Although an exile from her home country, Simone is “very happy in London at the moment”. In fact, she has found that “Ireland inspires me so much more than it did before I moved”. Although a city kid who grew up in Dublin, it’s the island's folk traditions that capture her imagination the most, demonstrating a poetic sensibility that provides the clearest link to her father’s work. Her S/S '11 collection, which mixed masculine tailoring, perspex clutches and romantic swathes of tulle ruffles, was based on “Irish Pony Kids and the death-mourning traditions”. Enviable artistic heritage apart, there's no doubt that Simone’s entirely capable of making it on her own. Her tip for young designers is simply this: “work hard”. We asked Simone for her all time greats... Designers: Maison Martin Margiela, Rei Kawakubo, John Rocha. Artists: Francis Bacon, Louise Bourgeois, Lucian Freud, Sarah Moon , Juergen Teller. Musicians: Joy Division, Patti Smith, Hank Williams , Billie Holiday, Bob Dylan, Talking Heads. Photographer: Kim Jakobsen Stylist: Sarah Michelle Hair: Teiji Utsumi Make up: Thomas de Kluyver Models: Karljin and Alina @ FM, Tijana @ Select Special thanks to Ten Gales gallery All clothes by Simone Rocha A/W 2010 collection; rings, Macha jewellery; shoes (from left to right), LD Tuttle from Browns Focus, Simone Rocha, Rupert Sanderson; socks from mytights.co.uk WORDS: ALEXA HALL It's been little over a year since she graduated but Simone Rocha is already on the cusp of greatness. Her second full collection headed up the... http://cakeit.net/HIDDEN http://cakeit.net/following/cakeit.net/HIDDEN Fri, 17 May 2013 13:58:38 +0000 www.cakeit.net 1032588 PHOTOGRAPHER: AMARPUAL KALIRAI FASHION DIRECTOR: CHERYL LEUNG <img src="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/2/83432/1032588/LTEC_K_640.jpg" width="640" height="853" width_o="699" height_o="932" src_o="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/2/83432/1032588/LTEC_K_o.jpg" data-mid="5964019" border="0" align="left"/><img src="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/2/83432/1032588/LTEC_640.jpg" width="640" height="853" width_o="1104" height_o="1472" src_o="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/2/83432/1032588/LTEC_o.jpg" data-mid="5510737" border="0" align="left"/><img src="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/2/83432/1032588/LTEC_C_640.jpg" width="640" height="853" width_o="699" height_o="932" src_o="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/2/83432/1032588/LTEC_C_o.jpg" data-mid="5965356" border="0" align="left"/><img src="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/2/83432/1032588/LTEC_H_640.jpg" width="640" height="853" width_o="699" height_o="932" src_o="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/2/83432/1032588/LTEC_H_o.jpg" data-mid="5964002" border="0" align="left"/><img src="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/2/83432/1032588/LTEC_B_640.jpg" width="640" height="853" width_o="699" height_o="932" src_o="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/2/83432/1032588/LTEC_B_o.jpg" data-mid="5963994" border="0" align="left"/><img src="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/2/83432/1032588/LTEC_D_8_640.jpg" width="640" height="853" width_o="699" height_o="932" src_o="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/2/83432/1032588/LTEC_D_8_o.jpg" data-mid="5964000" border="0" align="left"/>{image 3}<img src="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/2/83432/1032588/LTEC_I_640.jpg" width="640" height="853" width_o="699" height_o="932" src_o="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/2/83432/1032588/LTEC_I_o.jpg" data-mid="5964005" border="0" align="left"/><img src="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/2/83432/1032588/LTEC_F_640.jpg" width="640" height="480" width_o="699" height_o="524" src_o="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/2/83432/1032588/LTEC_F_o.jpg" data-mid="5964066" border="0" align="left"/><img src="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/2/83432/1032588/LTEC_O_640.jpg" width="640" height="853" width_o="699" height_o="932" src_o="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/2/83432/1032588/LTEC_O_o.jpg" data-mid="5964081" border="0" align="left"/><img src="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/2/83432/1032588/LTEC_J_640.jpg" width="640" height="853" width_o="699" height_o="932" src_o="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/2/83432/1032588/LTEC_J_o.jpg" data-mid="5964011" border="0" align="left"/><img src="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/2/83432/1032588/LTEC_E_640.jpg" width="640" height="853" width_o="699" height_o="932" src_o="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/2/83432/1032588/LTEC_E_o.jpg" data-mid="5966007" border="0" align="left"/><img src="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/2/83432/1032588/LTEC_G_640.jpg" width="640" height="853" width_o="699" height_o="932" src_o="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/2/83432/1032588/LTEC_G_o.jpg" data-mid="5964016" border="0" align="left"/><img src="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/2/83432/1032588/LTEC_L_640.jpg" width="640" height="853" width_o="699" height_o="932" src_o="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/2/83432/1032588/LTEC_L_o.jpg" data-mid="5965229" border="0" align="left"/> Hair: Tomihiro Kono using Kiehl's Make up: Suzy Rycroft using MAC Fashion assistants: Sarah Michelle and Maki Model: Hildie @ Premier Image 1 Lingerie, Nichole de Carle; head piece, Erickson Beamon; earrings, Chanel; boots, Christian Louboutin Image 2 Leotard and bandeau, Miu Miu; veil, Meadham Kirchhoff; necklace, Mawi; bracelet, Freedom at Topshop; gloves, Cornelia James; stockings, Emilio Cavallini Image 3 Dress, Christopher Kane; briefs, Elle MacPherson Intimates; suspender belt and stockings, Wolford; necklace and bracelets, Mawi; net gloves, Cornelia James Image 4 Dress, Chanel; necklace, Erickson Beamon; briefs, Myla; suspender belt, Lascivious; stockings, Wolford; earrings and coin bracelet, Chanel; shoes, Alexander McQueen Image 5 Veil, Meadham Kirchhoff; bra and bodysuit, Nichole de Carle Image 6 Veil, Meadham Kirchhoff; red and gold tassle necklaces, Chanel; choker and bracelets, Mawi; boots, Chanel Image 7 Gown, Vivienne Westwood Anglomania; scarf, Alexander McQueen; earrings, Freedom at Topshop; bra and briefs, Eres; hosiery, Emilio Cavallini; shoes and gold pendant, Yves Saint Laurent; bag, Gucci Image 8 Dress, Gareth Pugh; mask created by Tomihiro Kono; bondage tights, Wolford; earrings, Mawi Image 9 Navy top, Hakaan; sequinned scarf, Roarke, Harvey Nichols; ring, Mawi; latex hat, Stephen Jones Millinery; suspender belt and stockings, Wolford; frilled briefs, Myla Image 10 Lace blouse, Christopher Kane, Matches; zipper body suit, Lascivious; sunglasses, Alexander Wang for Linda Farrow; evening bag, Bulgari; hosiery, stylist's own; shoes, Christian Louboutin Image 11 Veil, Meadham Kirchhoff; head jewellery and brooch, Chanel; tusk necklace, Mawi; green bra and briefs, Stella McCartney; lace suspender corset, Strumpet and Pink; black suspender corset, Lascivious; stockings, Agent Provocateur; clutch, Jimmy Choo Image 12 Limited Edition bodysuit, Swarvoski; stockings, Wolford; earrings, Mawi; bracelet, Liberty Image 13 Lingerie, Nichole de Carle; head piece, Erickson Beamon; earrings, Chanel; boots, Christian Louboutin Stockists Alexander McQueen www.alexandermcqueen.com Alexander Wang for Linda Farrow www.lindafarrow.co.uk Agent Provocateur www.agentprovocateur.com Bulgari www.bulgari.com Chanel www.chanel.com Christian Louboutin www.net-a-porter.com Christopher Kane www.matches.com Cornelia James www.corneliajames.com Elle MacPherson Intimates www.figleaves.com Emilio Cavallini www.mytights.com Eres www.eres.com Erickson Beamon www.ericksonbeamon.com Freedom at Topshop www.topshop.com Gareth Pugh www.garethpugh.net Gucci www.gucci.com Hakaan www.harveynichols.com Jimmy Choo www.jimmychoo.com Lascivious www.lascivious.co.uk Liberty www.liberty.co.uk Manolo Blahnik www.manoloblahnik.com Mawi www.mawi.co.uk Meadham Kirchhoff www.brownsfashion.com Miu Miu www.net-a-porter.com Myla www.myla.com Nichole de Carle www.nicholedecarle.com Roarke www.harveynichols.com Stella McCartney www.stellamccartney.com Stephen Jones www.stephenjonesmillinery.com Strumpet and Pink www.strumpetandpink.com Vivienne Westwood www.viviennewestwood.co.uk Wolford www.wolford.com Yves Saint Laurent www.ysl.com PHOTOGRAPHER: AMARPUAL KALIRAI FASHION DIRECTOR: CHERYL LEUNG Hair: Tomihiro Kono using Kiehl's Make up: Suzy Rycroft using MAC Fashion assistants: Sarah... http://cakeit.net/WARDROBE-DYSFUNCTION http://cakeit.net/following/cakeit.net/WARDROBE-DYSFUNCTION Fri, 17 May 2013 13:58:37 +0000 www.cakeit.net 1140756 <img src="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/2/83432/1140756/baddressing.jpg" width="452" height="257" width_o="452" height_o="257" src_o="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/2/83432/1140756/baddressing_o.jpg" data-mid="5488779" border="0" align="left"/>WORDS: ELLIOTT JAMES SAINSBURY Every time him and his bastarding camera appear, my fate is sealed. He knows it, I know it - the party-slash-street style photographer will never take my photo because I’m not well-dressed enough. I like to think he can smell the stylist in me from fifty paces. On the scale of global problems, the question of why so many stylists are so badly-dressed is hardly a biggie. Or is it? After all, these are the people holding the puppet strings, that guide us into Zara or Prada on a weekend and persuade us to part with our hard-earned cash. It’s a conundrum: just why are there so many people whose job it is to make others look good that insist on wearing decades-old tracksuits, or head to toe last season’s Primark? There are four different types of stylist. And if this seems a bit nebulous then, well, I promise you now that it holds the key to the mysteries that lie at the heart of fashion itself. Maybe. Type A: The Deliberates For a certain breed of stylist, dressing badly is a conscious, if seemingly kamikaze, decision: like Britney or LiLo deciding to go commando when exiting a limousine. Being badly-dressed is actually the ultimate fashion statement - a display of effortlessness that says you’re way above it. Type B: The Desperates Then there’s the poor stylist organising the shoot: producing and working out budgets; guarding thousands of pound’s worth of clothes; and trying to iron the kink out of that leather Celine skirt. They don’t really have the time to get gussied up at six in the morning: they're too busy staring down the barrel of a fresh call sheet with nothing but several broken garment hangers and a bulldog clip to keep them company. Call it fashionable surrender - especially when the intern is only going to upstage you anyway. Type C: The Deluded When you’re knee-deep in furry neon jumpsuits or coats spun from authentic WW2 knapsacks, it can be easy to lose track of what actually fits, flatters and looks good: another excuse for the unfortunate stylist’s wardrobe. Type D: The Disappearing And the last type? What a lot of stylists won’t tell you is that they dress down precisely to avoid those pesky street photographers. They don’t want to end up as a low-res JPEG on some strange blog or, good heavens, a national newspaper site in an article criticizing men in leggings (as I once was). I am, of course, divining all this from my own brief styling career, where I was always in the same Uniqlo shirt and jeans, whilst models, assistants and interns swirled around in some ludicrously inventive mum’s vintage/eBay/90s Helmut Lang combo. During my life in fashion, I’ve come to embody the wardrobe malfunction: there’s been ripped trouser accidents, hot-pink hoodies with shiny blue trousers, and even a hand-painted ‘Elliott Sainsbury: Fashion Icon’ t-shirt that I wore to English lectures at university. (It eases the pain slightly to put that in writing). There’s a more serious aspect to the bad proportions, dodgy choices and try-hard outfits though, and it’s this: many high-end clothes are just not that great. The people with the most money aren’t always the best dressed. The rules and conventions of the fashion world, with brands matching advertisers and nothing from a car-boot sale or charity shop ever making the pages, often create a warped and unreal vision of what we should wear. It’s telling that its main exponents, the stylists (the ones who should, in an ideal world, uphold some kind of positive image) often seem disconnected from the way their intended subjects dress: whether that’s through borrowing, lending, thrifting, buying off Etsy or finding gems in the street. WORDS: ELLIOTT JAMES SAINSBURY Every time him and his bastarding camera appear, my fate is sealed. He knows it, I know it - the party-slash-street style... http://cakeit.net/A-PIECE-OF-CAKE http://cakeit.net/following/cakeit.net/A-PIECE-OF-CAKE Fri, 17 May 2013 13:58:36 +0000 www.cakeit.net 1117787 http://cakeit.net/PET-YOURSELF http://cakeit.net/following/cakeit.net/PET-YOURSELF Fri, 17 May 2013 13:58:33 +0000 www.cakeit.net 1033659 <img src="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/2/83432/1033659/chanel feature Rosa Rendl.png" width="640" height="439" width_o="640" height_o="439" src_o="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/2/83432/1033659/chanel feature Rosa Rendl_o.png" data-mid="6644914" border="0" align="left"/><img src="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/2/83432/1033659/chaneladore1_thumb.jpg" width="240" height="200" width_o="240" height_o="200" src_o="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/2/83432/1033659/chaneladore1_thumb_o.jpg" data-mid="5882629" border="0" align="left"/> WORDS: LAURA CLAYTON From betwixt the camel coats, aviator jackets and full skirts stealing the limelight on the A/W catwalks this year, emerged an altogether more perplexing trend. Fashion’s major players, it seems, have revisited the touchy and, literally, very feely topic of fur. Be it the real deal or unfathomably convincing fakes, the pelt is back; and if global warming is half as imminent as Chanel would have us believe, we’d better get used to it. Lagerfeld’s chilly pixies spent the A/W ready-to-wear show trotting through the slush of a melting iceberg. To do so, they donned more than just your cursory faux-fur trim: full-body yeti suits were complemented by furry boots, bags and long-haired trousers. And they weren’t the only ones: Lanvin’s models sported distinctly ape-like hairy sleeves, and Margiela sent its girls down the catwalk in furry hats so gargantuan that waist-length earflaps spoke more of a polar bear embrace than sensible winter headgear. What Lagerfeld and co. didn’t announce in their programmes, however, is that a lesser-known, and far less favourably covered, subculture beat the fashionistas to it. Yep, you guessed it: the Furries. Loosely defined as those who take more than a passing interest in anthropomorphic animals (that’ll be animals with human traits - like speaking or, er, enjoying porn), Furries inhabit an online world of virtual 'fursonas', 'fursuits' and, even, 'furverts'. From the innocent appreciator of Disney critter kitsch, to full-time animal alter-ego fursuiter, furry fandom is as varied as it is bizarre. But could it really have influenced the upper echelons of Parisian chic? Perhaps that’s a question only Karl himself can answer. Who can deny, though, that the thought of a bear hug from a friendly grizzly on a crisp January morning doesn't have its appeal? After all, the vaguest mention of Spike Jonze’s cinematic rendition of Where the Wild Things Are sent last year's hipsters into a frenzy. Opening Ceremony’s adult sized one-piece 'Max' playsuit, complete with furry ears and wolf tail, sold out before anyone sensible could bat an eyelid. So perhaps it’s all just a bit of harmless fun. In fact, what better way to escape the dreariness of winter - not to mention the recession - than acting like an overgrown child or, even, creature? The Furries might have a point. Oh, and did I mention? Lagerfeld sent the final model of his AW 10/11 couture show down the runway in an oversized lion's head. Fashion has spoken. Photographer: Rosa Rendl Fashion Director: Cheryl Leung Hair: Teiji Utsumi using Bumble and bumble Make up: Nami Yoshida using MAC Models: Jonas @ Elite London and Samuel @ D1 Faux fur suit and jacket, Chanel; rollneck jumpers, Uniqlo and Canali; necklace, Naomi McIntosh; Animal head piece, Topshop WORDS: LAURA CLAYTON From betwixt the camel coats, aviator jackets and full skirts stealing the limelight on the A/W catwalks this year, emerged an altogether... http://cakeit.net/new-faces-NEV-S-BOYS http://cakeit.net/following/cakeit.net/new-faces-NEV-S-BOYS Fri, 17 May 2013 13:58:32 +0000 www.cakeit.net 1235403 PHOTOGRAPHER: BENJAMIN LENNOX STYLIST: MARK McMAHON HAIR: BEN JONES <img src="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/2/83432/1235403/NewFaces.jpg" width="450" height="480" width_o="450" height_o="480" src_o="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/2/83432/1235403/NewFaces_o.jpg" data-mid="5966611" border="0" align="left"/><img src="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/2/83432/1235403/boysnewfaces.jpg" width="447" height="481" width_o="447" height_o="481" src_o="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/2/83432/1235403/boysnewfaces_o.jpg" data-mid="5966597" border="0" align="left"/><img src="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/2/83432/1235403/boysnewfaces2.jpg" width="449" height="482" width_o="449" height_o="482" src_o="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/2/83432/1235403/boysnewfaces2_o.jpg" data-mid="5966603" border="0" align="left"/><img src="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/2/83432/1235403/boysnewfaces1.jpg" width="452" height="480" width_o="452" height_o="480" src_o="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/2/83432/1235403/boysnewfaces1_o.jpg" data-mid="5966607" border="0" align="left"/> PHOTOGRAPHER: BENJAMIN LENNOX STYLIST: MARK McMAHON HAIR: BEN JONES http://cakeit.net/READ-MY-EYEBROWS http://cakeit.net/following/cakeit.net/READ-MY-EYEBROWS Fri, 17 May 2013 13:58:30 +0000 www.cakeit.net 1131150 <img src="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/2/83432/1131150/shot-03-028-shot-02-007pompom_640.jpg" width="640" height="427" width_o="1404" height_o="936" src_o="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/2/83432/1131150/shot-03-028-shot-02-007pompom_o.jpg" data-mid="5508558" border="0" align="left"/>WORDS: MARGO FORTUNY What do prominent eyebrows bring to mind? Cultural tradition? Werewolf folklore? Brooke Shields? In 2007, Iranian police banned barbers from plucking the eyebrows of male customers. Such an act was deemed a violation of Islamic values. On the other hand, there are countless examples in Iranian art of beautiful women with abundant or joined brows: these are associated with purity and virginity. Mexican painter Frida Kahlo challenged the Western ideal of groomed femininity by sporting an unruly unibrow. Her little forest did not detract from her beauty. Rather, it added to it. It was an unexpected display of confidence. During the sixteenth century, werewolf legends spread across Europe. Many believed that werewolves, in human form, could be identified by their hairy palms, swinging stride, long, curved fingernails and thick eyebrows joined at the bridge of the nose. This could be the origin of the European Eyebrow Equation: bushy brows = animalistic tendencies. Brows protect your eyes, add expression and go through phases. Consider these Western aesthetic ideals: in the 1960s, Elizabeth Taylor flaunted a natural, thick brow; in the 70s, sparse, arched brows – a nod back to Greta Garbo - ruled discos and magazine covers. Madonna popularized the bold, sauvage mega-brow during the 'power decade' 80s: brows were brushed up, out and darkened for maximum drama. 90s minimalism saw the ascendency of clean, plucked hairs, which matched the understated fashions. Now we are in the era of the statement brow. In the year 2011, there are two paths to take: emphasize the full, natural look – think youthful appearance and not untended shrubbery outside an abandoned country house - or, if you’ve got the right genes, bleach them, Lara Stone-style. You'll appear Swedish, childlike, unconventional or extraterrestrial, depending on what you’re working with. Thick brows are mysterious and alluring; they suggest character and strength. They frame the eyes and highlight the dimensions of the face. On women, they are interesting. On men, they suggest virility and/or eccentricity. According to face readers, thick brows suggest personalities drawn to adventure and risk; thin eyebrows indicate sensitivity and caution. My sister has brows to rival the Gallagher brothers'. She proudly darkens them for emphasis; instead of being embarrassed she exalts them. They dominate her lovely face, add wild contrast to her soft features and draw attention to her green pupils and heavy lashes. My mother’s set lies at the opposite end of the spectrum. After tweezing them to Marlene Dietrich obscurity, they are barely present. The thin threads are a delicate afterthought pausing over her eyes. My father’s brows are white, giving him the appearance of a sage. All are distinctive and memorable. The eyebrows are messengers. Let them tell stories of artists, virgins and werewolves. Photographer: Irene Scioti Fashion Director: Cheryl Leung Make up: Thomas de Kluyver using Chanel A/W 2010 Hair: Tomihiro Kono Model: Maddy Foord @ Storm Maddy wears dress, earrings and pom pom necklace by Miu Miu Cruise 2010 collection WORDS: MARGO FORTUNY What do prominent eyebrows bring to mind? Cultural tradition? Werewolf folklore? Brooke Shields? In 2007, Iranian police banned barbers from...