Miles, Author at 1115

How The Resurgence of Vintage Clothing Is Engaging A New Generation

by MilesDecember 10, 2019July 6, 2020Fashion

Right now, the fashion community is coming out of a significant period of time in which newness and futurism were key selling points and design inspirations; from new trends like designer sneakers and celebrity collaborations with established watchmakers to the monster of fast fashion, it’s safe to say that we have been conditioned to expect new designs and trends from the fashion sphere on a near daily basis. And, while one could argue that this constant release of new products has its merits, I want to focus on the fact that this way of life has led an entire generation of fashion admirers to unflinchingly look forward, rarely pulling from fashion’s long and illustrious history to find style inspiration. In my opinion, and one which is held in common with many of my peers, this phenomenon of constantly looking forward for design inspiration has led to a proliferation of unimaginative, drab, and forgettable movements and collections in fashion. However, thanks to recent international interest in vintage fashion, young people immersed in the world of clothing design are beginning to rediscover fashion’s most iconic moments through dedicated vintage instagram accounts, physical vintage stores, and resale apps, and this has led to renewed interest in creating collections which are been unabashedly inspired by the past. In this piece, we will honor the social media accounts and stores which have made this revolution possible in part to give credit where credit is due, and in larger part, to inspire our readers to look back in addition to looking forward.

SuperModel Claudia Schiffer holds bag from Chanel Spring/Summer 1995. Image Via

Before listing the vintage accounts which offer items for sale, I thought it more appropriate to point readers in the direction of several accounts which exist for the purpose of reminding us just how great the last 20-30 years in fashion were. Though I’m sure many accounts of this sort exist, I will highlight my favorite three, starting with @diorbyjohngalliano. Being partial to Dior when it was under the creative direction of John Galliano from 1996-2011, I am definitely biased in saying that this account is the best of them all; with campaign ads, runway clips, runway photos, and highly detailed captions, this account which boasts over 61 thousand followers is truly exemplary. In a very similar vein, the next account worthy of your follow is @diorinthe2000s. Because Dior was under the creative control of Galliano throughout the 2000s, many of the images on this account have a similar look to those found at @diorbyjohngalliano and have very detailed captions as well. One large difference between the two accounts, the difference which I think makes them both worth following, is that @diorinthe2000s focuses much more on Galliano’s ready-to-wear contributions than @diorbyjohngalliano does. The final archival account that I am enthralled with is @datewithversace, an account I credit with engendering my love for the house of Versace; this account mainly posts ad campaign photos, though it also sprinkles in action shots from the runway, and it does a great job highlighting the golden age of Versace beginning in the 1990s. Perhaps what’s even more exciting about this revival of love for vintage fashion is the rise of physical and online shops which deal exclusively in rare, historic pieces.

Gianni Versace 1994 modeled by Christy Turlington, Nadja Auermann, Cyndy Crawford, Stephanie Seymour, and Claudia Schiffer. Shot by Richard Avedon. Image Via

Even before Kylie Jenner and her friends began posting photos of themselves wearing vintage Chanel and Dior pieces on yachts in exotic locales, instagram accounts like @pechuga_vintage and @whatgoesaroundnyc (whose Senior Vice President is @ambriany and whose Head Luxury Buyer is @paigerubin) had been revisiting, collecting, and selling iconic and rare pieces from fashion’s past. Through detailed photos, descriptions, and captions, these instagram accounts and many more use the profession of vintage luxury resale to introduce younger generations, and remind older ones, of the daring, provocative, and extravagant clothes and accessories of the 1990s and 2000s. For those of us who like to interact even more intimately with vintage pieces, there are rare shops like @treasuresofnyc in New York’s NoHo, which has a small physical space in which to look at, touch, and buy unique pieces from brands like Chanel and Dior, also boasting a fashion themed coffee shop on the ground floor of the building (@coffeenclothes).

Paige Rubin (@paigerubin) holds a stack of clothes (left) and a Galliano era Dior top (right). Image Via — Paige Rubin (@paigerubin) holds a stack of clothes (left) and a Galliano era Dior top (right). Image via

It would be easy for a person to spend hours getting lost in the feeds of these instagram accounts as I often have, and it is my honor to share them with you. Now that the fashion world has once again recognized the value of its past, we can all look forward to more engaging collections which succeed in uniting the past, the present, and the future.

Dior Couture Spring/Summer 2007. Image Via — Dior Couture Spring/Summer 2007. Image via

Feature image via

Bringing Mexican Mid-century Modernism to the Fore

by MilesNovember 18, 2019May 28, 2020Fashion / Travel

Ruth Asawa's famous looped-wire sculptures, currently on display at the Art Institute of Chicago. — **Ruth Asawa’s famous looped-wire sculptures, currently on display at the Art Institute of Chicago.**

For those not well-versed in the history of design, midcentury modernism carries associations with places like Germany, Sweden, and Southern California, but the link between modernism and Mexico is less obvious. The Art Institute of Chicago’s exhibition In a Cloud, in a Wall, in a Chair: Six Modernists in Mexico at Midcenturyseeks to change that. By showcasing the works of six artists (Clara Porset, Ruth Asawa, Cynthia Sargent, Sheila Hicks, Anni Albers, and Lola Álvarez Bravo) who lived or worked in Mexico between 1940 and 1970, this exhibition encourages conversation around Mexico’s contributions to modernism by locating the commonalities between these artists.

The exhibition takes its name from a quote by Clara Porset, who immigrated to Mexico in 1935 as an exile from Cuba. During her 1952 exhibition, Art In Daily Life, Porset declared, “There is design in everything…in a cloud, in a wall, in a chair, in the sea, in the sand, in a pot.” Along with the other artists on display, Porset was working at a crucial time in Mexico’s design history, a time when the Mexican government was working to establish a recognizable and cohesive design identity.

Combining traditional Mexican craft methods with newer, technologically driven techniques, Porset took her vision to the public, using furniture to express the daily lives of Mexicans. Porset’s Lounge Chair, for example, was conceived in the 1950s and was used for decades at Acapulco’s famed Pierre Mundo Imperial hotel. One of Porset’s most famous works, the Butaque Chair, infused new life into a traditional Latin American design by incorporating materials such as plant fibers and leather which made the chair suited to Mexico’s different climates. In line with the modernist ideals of the time, Porset also worked to ensure that her versions of the Butaque Chair were mass-producible and affordable.

**Clara Porset’s Butaque chair, on display at the Art Institute of Chicago.**

In contrast to Porset, the works of Ruth Asawa were not primarily functional, but rather overtly sculptural. Like several of the other artists exhibited at the Art Institute, Asawa spent her formative years at Black Mountain College in North Carolina, where she initially began exploring looped wire as a means of creating minimalistic, organic forms. It was only after her move to Mexico that Asawa learned her defining crochet loop technique, initially employed for the creation of egg baskets, but later used to produce wire sculptures. Reminiscent of the movement of water or even a spider’s web, these looped-wire sculptures can be seen hanging from the ceilings of many museums and public spaces, notably the new Whitney Museum in New York.

Moving on, Cynthia Sargent came into Mexico’s art and design scene in the 1960s after moving away from New York with her husband and artistic collaborator Wendell Riggs. Creating rugs with colorful, flowing, asymmetrical motifs, Sargent aimed to elevate tried and tested Mexican design practices, even contributing some pieces to Porset’s Art In Daily Life. Known also for her business savvy, Sargent founded the Bazaar Sábado in 1960, a weekend place of commerce still in operation, showcasing the works of artists of many places of origin. Sargent and Riggs also worked together to form the eponymous Riggs-Sargent, a company that created scalable lines of fabrics favored among the Mexican elite. As may be obvious in her work, Sargent’s asymmetrical motifs often evoke musical rhythms and were even given titles which referenced the names of famous European composers, a move that helped her gain favor with clients who considered themselves to be worldly.

**Colorful and asymmetrical motifs on Cynthia Sargent’s rugs, on display at the Art Institute of Chicago.**

The show also featured the works of Sheila Hicks, another notable name in Mexico’s mid-century scene. Feeling a connection to Mexico’s strong lineage of weaving, Hicks sought to deconstruct her own pieces to reveal the many parts and individual threads, often pulling apart the threads at the center of each work to allow light to pass through. “Any good weaver would look at this and say, I don’t think this lady knows how to weave,” she said. In Hicks’s works then, it is the means rather than the end—the act of weaving rather than the product woven—that is central to the work.

Anni Albers, meanwhile, was a student of the revered Bauhaus, now synonymous with functional modernism, visual restraint, and abstraction. Having fled to the United States in 1933, Anni and her husband Josef Albers began teaching at Black Mountain College in North Carolina where she met Porset. Having grown fond of Mexico through Porset, the Alberses visited Mexico several times throughout the 1960s, contributing much to its abstract modern design scene. Notably, Albers realized that the abstract forms and patterns that she adored and created had existed well before her time in Indigenous Mexican and American weaving. Inspired by this history, Albers sought to combine the modern with the ancient in her designs, which were eventually mass produced and sold by Knoll throughout the 1970s.

Last but surely not least is Lola Álvarez Bravo, whose work stands out even among this distinguished group for both its medium and its message. Álvarez was a modernist in every conceivable meaning of the word: Working in photography throughout the 1950s, Álvarez sought to capture the energy and potential for modernization through photographs depicting Mexico’s industrialization. By collaging separate photographs into photomontages, Álvarez projected her socialist ideals while celebrating both the practical need for industrial modernization and the cultural need to retain Mexico’s longstanding and rich traditional modes of production.

Alvarez’s work is not only interesting in its expression of socialist and modernist Mexican thought, but also in its placement within the exhibition as a whole. The first thing one sees upon entering the double doors of the gallery is a floor-to-ceiling photomontage in landscape format, depicting industrialists hard at work in the 1950s. These photomontages permeate the entire gallery, constantly contextualizing the work of each artist within the practical concerns of the time of their production, beautifully and thoughtfully synthesizing the idea of industry and production as art.

It is frankly remarkable to find that only one of the six artists on display was actually born in Mexico. The fact that five modernists between 1940 and 1970 fell so deeply in love with Mexico, its traditions, and their potential for modernist applications serves to highlight the injustice of marginalizing Mexico’s indelible impact on design during this period. Though long overdue, it is a step in the right direction to highlight the culturally and geographically specific contributions of these artists to the greater conversation of what it meant to be modern in 20th-century Mexico.

In a Cloud, in a Wall, in a Chair: Six Modernists in Mexico at Midcentury is on view until January 12, 2020 in the Modern Wing.

Tagged : architecture / Chicago / design / exhibit / history / travel

A Painful Goodbye To Barneys

by MilesNovember 15, 2019July 6, 2020Architecture / Fashion

At a cursory glance, it’s easy to dismiss the fate of Barneys New York as just another department store lost to the ruthless and unstoppable advance of online shopping and overnight shipping. Though many shoppers might liken Barneys to a number of other high end department stores like Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus, or Bloomingdale’s, Barneys carried a heftier cultural importance, acting as a hub to connect celebrities, aspiring designers, and creative minds alike. It is with the golden era of Barneys New York in mind that we honor it with this swan song.

Barney Pressman in front of his first store, Image Via — Barney Pressman in front of his first store. Image via

Opened in 1923 as a designer label discount store for men at the intersection of 7th Avenue and 17 Street in Manhattan, Barneys, named after its founder Barney Pressman, grew rapidly and eventually opened a women’s department in the 1970s. In 1993, Barneys once again created waves in the high-end department store scene with the opening of their then-new 230,000 square foot flagship location on Madison Avenue in Manhattan, but the news wasn’t all good. Just after the opening of the new flagship store, customers and window shoppers began complaining about an atmosphere of prideful exclusion and unattainability which was reflective of Barneys tone deaf approach to luxurious living at this time. Unsurprisingly, Barneys’ inability to reflect the values and desires of its customers led the brand into its first bankruptcy filing in 1995, resulting in significant downsizing and the closure of two stores in Texas and one in Michigan. Though Barneys began to rebuild itself in its former image after coming back from the brink of extinction for the first time, the store was placed under new management in 2010, management which amplified the commercial aspects of the business without also elevating Barneys defining quirky qualities. After 9 more years of alienating themselves from consumers and those who loved Barneys as one of New York’s most important cultural icons, Barneys New York filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy for the final time, in August of this year, citing, amongst other causes, unreasonable rent and low foot traffic. But despite the unfortunate ending of Barneys New York, there is much to celebrate about the storied luxury titan.

Perhaps its greatest contribution to fashion, Barneys New York consistently gave a voice and a platform to unique, emerging young designers and had a pivotal role in launching the careers of people like Giorgio Armani and Rick Owens. In fact, throughout most of its glorious history, Barneys defined New York fashion more than any other department store. After all, it was Simon Doonan, brought onboard in 1986, who designed Barneys’ now iconic window displays, elevating the craft to the art sphere, and injected the store’s spaces with whimsical, and sometimes outright comical, displays and curated items. Barneys, and Neiman Marcus to a lesser degree, has always been a place where one could shop from storied and established fashion houses whilst at the same time discovering new and daring brands. It was, in part, this atmosphere of the unexpected and perpetually exciting that made Barneys a social hub for celebrities and socialites the world over. Barneys was as much a destination for shopping as it was a destination for making new friends and meeting old ones, and this simply doesn’t ring true with the other noteworthy players in this space such as Neiman Marcus, Bloomingdales, and Saks Fifth Avenue. All of these stores, which have succeeded in fulfilling the basic functions of selling luxury clothing on a large scale, have failed to create a brand identity as strong as Barneys.

Simon Doonan, Creative Director to Barneys New York with monogrammed Goyard trunk. Image Via — Simon Doonan, Creative Director to Barneys New York with monogrammed Goyard trunk. Image via

A window display at Barneys New York. Image Via — A window display at Barneys New York. Image via

So, having been bought by Authentic Brands Group and B. Riley at a cost of over $271 million, Barneys inventory is currently being liquidated at all of its open locations. In recent weeks, people have inundated store in droves to take it all in one last time, doing everything in their power to remember the sights, sounds, and smells of one of the most culturally impactful stores in New York. The spirit of Barneys will always live on, especially as so many now established brands have the store to thank in part for their success, but also because of the many passionate fans who refuse to let the memory of Barneys fade. If you find this news painful as I do, I suggest following @thespiritofbarneys on instagram, or visiting Saks Fifth Avenue who apparently secured the rights to the Barneys name and may have plans to open mini-Barneys’ inside several locations. One thing is certain—Chicago’s Oak Street, home to our local Barneys location, will never be the same.

Paris Hilton arriving at Barneys Los Angeles location. Image Via — Paris Hilton arriving at Barneys Los Angeles location. Image via

Featured image via

Tagged : business / Chicago / fashion / history / New York

Top 10 Fashion Collabs of the Last Ten Years

by MilesNovember 8, 2019July 6, 2020Fashion

With 2020 approaching, MODA Blog rounds up the best, worst, and most iconic phenoms of the 2010s.

In recent years, it seems that fashion houses have begun to realize the potential to create objects of unparalleled beauty with the help of creatives in other fields. Though the link between fashion and art may be apparent to millennials and those even younger, the idea of collaboration across the fields of fashion and art were relatively rare before the 21st century. Beginning in the 2000’s, however, collaborations in creative industries became commonplace thanks to a combination of the artistic potential and the generally positive reaction from consumers. It is with this potential for greatness in mind that we present the top ten fashion collabs of the last decade.

Number 1: Louis Vuitton x Takashi Murakami:

Though it is true that the relationship between Murakami and Louis Vuitton began back in 2003 with the introduction of the Murakami Multicolor Monogram collection, the close relationship between Murakami and Louis Vuitton lasted for over 13 years, extending into 2015. Chances are, even if you didn’t know Takashi Murakami collaborated with Louis Vuittion, you are familiar with the now iconic and always lusted after Multicolor Monogram bags. These bags not only defined a decade and a half of style, being worn by the likes of Paris Hilton, Jennifer Lopez, and Kim Kardashian, but they also legitimized future collaborations between artists and household name fashion giants such as Louis Vuitton.

Number 2: Louis Vuitton x Supreme:

Having essentially created the evergreen trend of designer collaborations, it only makes sense that Louis Vuittion should appear on this list multiple times, and the Louis Vuitton x Supreme collaboration was just as earth-shattering as the Murakami collaboration, if not as enduring. First debuted at Paris Fashion Week in 2017, the Supreme x Louis Vuitton capsule came at the height of Supreme’s mainstream relevance, and undoubtedly widened the brand’s audience. Notably, this collaboration was launched first at pop-up locations across the world rather than in stores, demonstrating Louis Vuitton & Supreme’s willingness to adapt to the ways in which young people now shop.

Number 3: Moschino x H&M:

Under Jeremy Scott, Creative Director of the brand since the end of 2013, Moschino has become a go-to brand for aesthetically conscious youth who identify with Moschino’s bear motif and phone cases that elevate daily household objects to forms of art. For this collaboration, both H&M and Moschino had to pull out all the stops, with H&M dramatically raising their quality standards and Scott stretching the limits of his diverse but always recognizable style. The resulting pieces were a pleasing blend of grunge and high fashion glamour, with strong undertones of youthful rebellion. The relatively low prices for the collection were a plus, too.

Number 4: Gucci x Dapper Dan:

This particular story is an interesting one. Dapper Dan is and has been an iconic African American streetwear designer based in Harlem, New York since the 1970s, counting celebrities and drug lords among his clientele. Dapper Dan was known largely for incorporating popular design houses logos into his clothes, and the iconic Gucci double G was among his favorites. This led Alessandro Michele, creative director at Gucci since 2015, to create a jacket that paid homage to a particularly famous Dapper Dan design without crediting him. Perhaps ironically, Dapper Dan and his followers were angry about what seemed like a stolen idea rather than an homage, and later in 2017, Gucci formally partnered with Dapper Dan on a line of clothes and eventually even opened a store with him in his native Harlem.

Number 5: Chanel x Pharrell:

The Chanel Pharrell collection, which debuted for Spring/Summer 2019, is the quintessential example of a daring and successful collaboration. With Chanel moving away from its decidedly haute couture and formal focus, and Pharrell channeling his propensity for beautiful music into beautiful clothes, this collaboration was a risky but ultimately successful move on the part of both parties. Replete with bright colors, bedazzled logos, and a range of tactile materials, the Chanel Pharrell collection was a comprehensive take on luxe streetwear and has accordingly been worn by the likes of Lil Uzi Vert and Young Thug.

Number 6: Dior x Hajime Sorayama:

Under the creative direction of Kim Jones since 2018, Dior Homme has arguably been the fashion label most open to collaborations with intriguing artists, counting Daniel Arsham and Hajime Sorayama among them. The Fall/Winter 2019 collaboration between Dior Homme and Hajime Soroyama, though not expected, seemed rather natural; pairing Soroyama’s retro-futuristic aesthetics with Dior’s legendary oblique print on shoes, shirts, and accessories, this collaboration brought a rugged and utopian vision to the house of Dior rendered in plastic and highly polished metal. Standouts from this collaboration included an industrial and futuristic revisit of the iconic Saddle Bag, originally the work of John Galliano, as well as a fantastic take on the B23 shoe.

Number 7: Chanel x Audemars Piguet:

Perhaps the unlikeliest collaboration on this entire list, the Chanel x Audemars Piguet collaboration is also arguably one of the most exciting. Ever since being launched in 1999, the Chanel J12 has been a must-have watch for celebrities and the fashionably conscious. Rendered in shiny ceramic, a shiny and surprisingly resilient material, the J12 was legendary in almost every way, lacking only a horologically sophisticated movement to match the sophisticated design. Luckily, in 2008, the famed watchmaker which needs no introduction, Audemars Piguet, stepped up and fit their well known mechanical Calibre 3125 movement to the J12, finally satisfying all of the requirements for a truly special watch. To distinguish the Calibre 3125 J12 from the standard J12 which comes in only black and white ceramic, the Caliber 3125 was cast in shiny black ceramic with 18k rose gold accents, and later editions of the watch were made in matte black ceramic.

Number 8: Burberry x Vivienne Westwood:

Uniting the historic English fashion house Burberry with the iconic English club-kid/punk rock oriented aesthetic of Vivienne Westwood was a move that fans of each brand will look upon fondly for years to come. Having risen to fame in the 1970s with the English punk rock movement, it is surprising that a collaboration between Vivenne Westwood and Burberry did not come about until late 2018. Featuring Burberry’s check motif overlaid with environmentally focused words written by Westwood, the collection carried a high-fashion political message while supporting the U.K. nonprofit Cool Earth. The full range of campaign photos and videos released for this collaboration are well worth a look.

Number 9: Jean Paul Gaultier x Hermès:

As the Creative Director of Hermès from 2003 to 2011, the daring Jean Paul Gaultier injected excitement into one of the world’s most respected and sought after leather goods brands. Though it is a stretch to call the Shadow Birkin a collaboration since Gaultier was the Creative Director of Hermès when he created it, I like to think of it as a collaboration because it unites the quirky aesthetic of Gaultier while modifying Hermès’ most famous item, the Birkin. Keeping the shape of the traditional Birkin, Gaultier removed the functionality of the flap and left the imprint of the sangles (the locking arms) on the front of the bag, without allowing them any functional purpose, hence the name Shadow Birkin. Perhaps more than any other of Gaultier’s contributions during his 8 year tenure at Hermès, the Shadow Birkin left an indelible mark on the brand.

Number 10: Louis Vuitton x Memphis Group:

Rounding out the list is another collection that isn’t a collaboration in the strictest sense. For the Spring 2019 women’s ready to wear collection, Nicolas Ghesquière drew inspiration from the work of Memphis Group, a now largely dissolved postmodernist design collective established in the 1980’s and led by the fabulously creative Ettore Sottsass. This collaboration is very dear to my heart, as the products of Memphis Group have been an obsession of mine for several years. Ghesquière employed the use of bright colors, geometric 80s patterns, and bulky architecture to pay homage to the Group and the late Sotsass, and the final product was exceptional not only for the beauty of the clothes in themselves, but also for the fact that Ghesquière intentionally brought the legacy of Memphis Group to a younger audience.

So there’s our list. Which collab is your favorite and which did we leave out?

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Tagged : fashion / jewelry / list

Drink to Health

by MilesOctober 21, 2019May 28, 2020Uncategorized

The Pret A Manger Green Good Stuff juice, despite its uneven balance between fruits and vegetables, is a convenient grab when in a rush.

A few weeks ago, I began posting rather subjective “juice reviews” on my Instagram Stories, where I would rather briefly elucidate the qualities of the juice I drank that day and compare it to other juices from Hyde Park. I was rather surprised to find that people actually cared about these reviews and wanted to hear more, so naturally I jumped at the chance to expound upon my thoughts in The Maroon.

To begin, I’ll run through the criteria by which I judged each of the five juices on this list, and then I’ll rank each juice from worst to best. For me, the criterion of utmost importance when ranking a juice is the ratio of vegetables to fruit. Juices which favor vegetables to fruit are not only healthier, since they contain less sugar, but are also a better value proposition if you consider the nutrients, rather than its flavor. My second metric is price, and the final one for ranking these juices is taste. Because “good tasting” juices often have a lot of apples or bananas, I choose to take aspects which make a juice more nutritious into more serious consideration.

Fifth Place: Naked Boosted Green Machine Juice Smoothie

Astoundingly sugary, overpriced, and falsely marketed, NakedBoosted Green Machine Juice Smoothie sits rightfully at the bottom of this tier list.

Let the record show that this juice is being reviewed only as a point of comparison for the four other juices in this piece. Contrary to common belief, this drink is not healthy. With an ingredient list that favors fruit and fruit derivatives, this juice mainly satisfies flavor requirements instead of nutritional ones. For instance, this juice contains 28 grams of sugar—more sugar than many doctors recommend should be consumed daily. Additionally, the ingredient list includes “natural flavors,” a vague term companies use to disguise the inclusion of preservatives and other unnecessary ingredients. This juice receives a 3/10 because it satisfies the desire for a good-tasting juice, but fails to be nutritious and costs $7.30.

Fourth Place: B’Gabs Goodies Mighty Green Smoothie

Though this option isn’t technically a juice, I chose to include it because B’Gabs is close to campus, and the smoothie itself is a great value proposition. B’Gabs does have pressed juices, though not any which contain the ingredients I often look for in a juice. The Mighty Green smoothie constitutes of greens, avocado, zucchini, parsley, green apple, and banana. Though I don’t know what exactly constitutes the “greens,” the smoothie does have a faint taste of dark green vegetables. Additionally, because this option is a smoothie and not a juice, one can add ingredients like avocado and banana. Thirty-two ounces of Mighty Green costs $10, which makes this juice the best value proposition out of any on this list. It’s also worth mentioning that B’Gabs Goodies is a fully vegan restaurant, so you can treat yourself to a snack while waiting on your smoothie. Because of the value of this juice and its fairly robust ingredient list, it receives a 6/10.

Third Place: Pret A Manger Green Good Stuff

For University of Chicago students, this juice is already preferable to others on this list because it can be bought in Reynolds Club with Maroon Dollars when you’re in a rush to get to class. Green Good Stuff has a small and relatively clean ingredient list, with apple, cucumber, spinach, celery, and lime, although there is a large imbalance between vegetables and fruits. Because of this, Green Good Stuff has a startling 33 grams of natural sugar, which is five grams more sugar than the Naked Juice which landed at the bottom of the list because of its sugar content. So why does this juice make it to third place? Because of the convenience of this juice (located in Reynolds Club), its fair price of $6.49, and its transparent ingredient list, this juice outshines Naked’s offering and scores a 7/10.

Second Place: Bonne Sante Health Foods Get It Green Juice

If I had the time in my schedule to go to Bonne Sante Health Foods on 53rd Street every single afternoon to procure this juice, I would. The ingredients include kale, apple, cucumber, celery, parsley, lemon, spinach, and ginger, and the juice is offered in two sizes, though you may as well go with the larger 16-ounce bottle to save trips to the store. The ingredient list has a healthy balance between vegetables and fruits, and I especially love to see that both kale and spinach are included. Before tax, the 16-ounce bottle costs $11, which is certainly not a good deal compared to the Mighty Green smoothie. However, the fact that the former is a pressed juice and the latter a smoothie explains much of the cost difference. To sum it up, I place this juice near the top of the list at 8/10 because it has the most robust ingredient list, comes in a good portion, and is competitively priced amongst similar pressed juices of the same size.

First Place: Joe & The Juice Green Tonic

Standing proudly at the top of the list, Joe & The Juice Green Tonic has a flavor that matches its ingredients, and its healthy blend proves to be a stellar option. Featuring a painting by Nik Chapleski.

This juice easily wins first place. Though it’s true that most Joe & The Juice locations are in the Loop and therefore terribly inconvenient for UChicago students to buy, the offerings contain really short ingredient lists (between three and 10 ingredients) and are reasonably priced between $5 and $12. The location I frequent is located at 980 North Michigan Avenue at the end of the Magnificent Mile, and my drink of choice is a menu item only offered at certain locations known as the Green Tonic. The Green Tonic consists of kale, celery, and cucumber, and this juice ranks the highest out of all those reviewed because it has two vegetable ingredients and only one fruit—and a particularly healthy one at that. It should be said, however, that the flavor of the juice accurately reflects the ingredient makeup, so if you value the sweetness of your green juices, this will probably not be a good option for you. Considering the price and ingredient list, the Green Tonic is the clear winner, and is accordingly ranked a 9/10.

None of the juices on this list ultimately received a 10/10 because all of them are packaged in single-use plastic. My local juicery in New Jersey uses glass mason jars and takes a dollar off the price of a juice purchase for every glass bottle a customer returns. Considering that sustainability, specifically the ubiquity of single-use plastics, is a major issue here, the failure of these juices to be green in this sense of the word means no 10s were given today.

Tagged : Chicago / health / lifestyle / trend

Quad Style: Miles Harrison

by MilesOctober 21, 2019May 28, 2020Uncategorized

Interview by Andrew Chang

Hey, my name is Miles I am a second year in the college and I am currently undecided as to what major I wish to pursue. I do a lot of work with UChicago Student Action and The Environmental Justice Task Force. Perhaps unsurprisingly,many of my hobbies revolve around design; I am an avid lover of architecture, landscape design, jewelry design, haute horology, automotive design, and of course fashion.

I absolutely adore this pink sweater I happened upon in a thrift shop in Pilsen. It perfectly embodies my 2000s it girl dreams and I feel like Paris Hilton when i’m wearing it. I tend to pair this top either with a cute pair of shorts, or light wash jeans like the ones you see me wearing.

How would you describe your personal style?

I always aim to bring my fantasy world into being through my style: I want people to want to be glamorous but also unique in everything they do, whether that’s going to the grocery store, hopping on a flight, going to dinner, or even doing laundry. So my personal style is all about bringing hallmarks of bygone eras of elegance back into the spotlight while also incorporating the best elements and ideas of modern fashion.

Where do you find style inspiration?

My style inspiration comes from all parts of my life. I appreciate the architectural form of clothing items thanks to my interest in home and garden design, I am inspired to create well put-together looks by the seemingly effortless blend of low and high style embodied in the late Lady Diana, and for the past several years I have been deeply touched by the androgynous, carefree, and multi-faceted approach to dressing promoted by Alessandro Michele at Gucci.

I am wearing a Vintage Escada Pea Coat in the most fantastic shade of yellow. I love to wear this piece with tiny shorts because passersby often think I’m not wearing pants and its hilarious. This piece is an important part of my wardrobe because its one of the only pieces I own that covers my entire body therefore creating a bright, happy monotone look, even though for the shoot I added a black belt .

Where do you like to shop?

I shop almost exclusively at vintage consignment shops and second-hand stores for my more unique pieces because it not only means I often get to wear clothes that nobody else is wearing, but also because it means beautiful garments get a second life. I get basics from places like Ralph Lauren, EverLane, and Patagonia.

Do you have any fashion regrets?

I wouldn’t say I have any regrets, but certainly as I look back at the many evolutions of my style over the years, there are certain moments and looks that I would’ve modified knowing what I know now.

I am wearing these colorful shorts I got from Dolls Kill, I love this piece because the seemingly random assortment of pastel colors which reflect my glam-girl hot mess aesthetic. The top is vintage Emilio Pucci, its the only tank top that I own and I love it because before I found it I would never have considered buying a sleeveless piece of clothing. In terms of accessories, I am wearing my Chanel J12, a pink bracelet, a Cartier Love bracelet in white gold, and most importantly my arsenal of chains which I play with nervously in all of life’s awkward moments. I also have this absolutely delightful early 2000s phone that was a collab between Motorola and Kimora Lee Simmon’s Baby Phat label, can you tell pink is my favorite color?

I often dress for how I see the world in my mind and not in its reality. I think without fashion, life would be very hopeless in a sense.

What is your relationship to fashion? Has it changed over time?

I can say without hesitation and without exaggeration that fashion, and more broadly design, is everything to me and is central to my life. The ability to change my identity and my perception of myself every day (and perhaps even change how other people see me), or even twice in a day is so freeing, especially in the sense that I often dress for how I see the world in my mind and not in its reality. I think without fashion, life would be very hopeless in a sense. I think I have had this relationship with fashion since I was a small child, but only in the past 5 years have I actually been deeply aware of this connection and dependence.

Why is fashion important to you?

Fashion is important to me because in a world that is often restrictive, prescriptive, assumptive, and accidental, I get to make the very conscious wardrobe decisions I make every day and rebel against society’s assumptions about me or its restrictive ideas about what I should do and how I should act. Fashion is a small but essential form of rebellion for many people including myself.

Fashion is a small but essential form of rebellion for many people including myself.

Images courtesy of Jaire Byers, to see more of his work, check out his portfolio here.