THE SPRING ISSUE
Features
Lori Goldstein
Lori Goldstein is a master storyteller. Through the medium of fashion, this uber-stylist and industry insider spins unforgetta- ble tales of high society and everyday women, full of gorgeous fantasy and provocative scenarios. From Versace’s legendary Jacqueline Susann-inspired campaign with Steven Meisel, to her latest work with Annie Leibovitz on the Jones New York “Empowering […]
Christophe Lemaire
Christophe Lemaire, as it turns out, is not effusive about fashion. He’s measured, and thoughtful, and opinionated, and smart, and funny, and kind, and generous—but no, not effusive. And he’s not interested in fame or celebrity. He wants to design and produce the best, and he wants to like what he’s doing. Which—when you think […]
London’s Mixed Media
Thumbing through the pages of this issue, it’s clear that we’ve inadvertently chosen London as our current favorite design center. The sprawling metropolis is constantly thrumming with new artists and designers hoping to make a splash. SOMA had the chance to photograph a few of our favorite artists, putting the spotlight on them and leaving […]
Girl At The Bottom Of The Sea
The green movement has picked up steam in recent years, buoyed by the tragedy of natural catastrophes like hurricanes and earthquakes—as if to say, see? our industrialized human actions are truly upsetting the balance of planet earth. Ironically, it is industry itself—in the form of consumer culture—that has helped anchor the green movement into our […]
Conversations With 3 Designers
One very rewarding aspect of being a designer is connecting with other designers and being a part of a creative community. I love starting dialogues with the peers I admire most and learning about their inspirations, processes, projects and experiences. Nolen Niu, Patrick Norguet and Marc Thorpe are three unique and talented designers who I recently had […]
Jihae
Jihae’s own Vintage dress Raquel Allegra Lace bandeau Jihae’s own Jewelry worn throughout With her new album, Fire Burning Rain, South Korean born artist/musician/muse Jihae moves away from the more traditional, though no less compelling, musical concepts of her 2008 release, Elvis Is Still Alive, and embraces her surreal side. “This is more heavy beat […]
Britain’s Next Wave
England’s reputation as a crossroads of musical styles and ideas is personified by the fact that listeners on this small island have always greeted new sounds, be they wildly experimental or founded in classic technique, with open ears. Nothing is considered out of pocket, as long as the quality is there, creating one of the […]
Hurts
Elegant Look, Poignant Tunes, Heartfelt Emotion Theo wears :Grey suit Richard James, Roll neck Hugo Boss Adam wears : Roll neck Hugo Boss Hurts were being hailed as Britain’s next big thing before they’d played a single gig. The Manchester based duo—singer Theo Hutchcraft and guitarist/synthesizer wiz Adam Anderson—captured the public’s imagination last summer with […]
The Wonderful World
The Wonderful World @ 4th & Bleeker From Susie Bubble to Bryan Boy, the dub-dub-dub world has exploded with style queens eager to share their tips, trials and tribulations about fashion with an ever-growing virtual audience. Yet, among the millions on offer, few inject a sense of humor or intimacy alongside the latest snap of their […]
Charlotte Gainsbourg
A Portrait of an Ethereal Icon Dress, Rodarte. Charlotte Gainsbourg answers her phone with a breathy and distant hello, as if she were in the middle of packing for a flight or stepping out of the shower. The actress and musician has been running a very brief public relations circuit from Los Angeles to New […]
The Green Sensibility of Ross Mirkarimi
American politics with artistic merit What kind of person fights to get plastic bags banned from grocery stores? Having visited the Fresh Kills landfill in New York a few years ago, I was struck by the image of plastic bags swirling everywhere—like a million scenes of American Beauty projected onto a mass of human waste […]
Keeper of Secrets
Photography Jason Frank Rothenberg Behind the runways with Ruth Finley Ruth Finley is probably the most unlikely famous person in fashion that no one outside of fashion has ever known. And even though she knows everyone in fashion, it’s hard to even understand what she does or how she does it. For more than 60 […]
Michelle Monaghan
On the move: From mega blockbusters to the indie gem Trucker, Michelle Monaghan is navigating a new direction for her career on the silver screen Michelle Monaghan is not what one might consider a house-hold name. Yet, there is a good chance that if anyone has been out to the movies in the past five […]
Modern Day Romantic
Robert Geller sat next to his older sister on a flight from Germany, en route to London Fashion Week. It was 1989. He was 13-years-old, The Cure was in his Walkman, and he had no idea what he was about to experience. During the trip he saw a few runway shows and visited Yohji Yamamoto […]
Public and Private
J. Mayer H. Discusses The Relics And References That Inspire His Built Environments In its 13 years, J. Mayer H. Architects can already count among their creations a scallop-edged science museum, office buildings with arthropod windows, a house that seems bent on melting into its surroundings, heat-sensitive sheets and furniture, and even a tattoo. Jürgen Mayer […]
Sarah Morris
Structures of Control: Chasing cultural Connections with Sarah Morris minimum number (in lbs) of paper clips us manufacturers developed last year: 20 million, number of sheets of paper used while researching, editing, writing, and producing this feature: 53, number of paper clips needed to hold said pages together: 1. “I cannot live in this world without […]
Genius in the Glitter
ITEMS PURCHASED/CONSTRUCTED FOR THE OF MONTREAL, SKELETAL LAMPING FALL TOUR: One giant foam rock, four ready-made cowboy costumes, 100 cans “Great Stuff” insulating foam sealant, one fake upright piano, one Centaur costume, one custom-fabricated rotating steel riser, 24 breakaway bottles, one gilded roman litter, one 300 pound steel gallows on wheels, one human-sized pig costume, […]
Kid Cudi
Eclipsing the Record Industry’s Preconceptions Scott “Kid” Mescudi’s music doesn’t really fit the profile of rap, at least not in the most common sense of the word, and one should hesitate before simplifying his sound by calling it that. Then again trying to place it into some type of “post-genre genre” that doesn’t even really […]
Jarvis Cocker
Jarvis Cocker’s Un-Ironic, Post Post-modern Rock Moment A rock and roll band took over an art gallery in Paris this May, setting up camp for five days. They rehearsed, provided the background music for yoga classes, and played for a children’s event. In between downward-facing dog poses and puppet shows, they also performed for the gathering masses, […]
Sirens of Rock
Three pop singers get trapped in an elevator. This is fate’s way of creating a supergroup. Here at SOMA we drew names from a lotto at random. The following ladies are our lucky winners. The next Ronettes as dictated by probability… Allison Mosshart, started her first band in the eight grade. Unlike most teenage punk […]
Platinum Submarine Dreams
Guided by his own compass, Wyatt Cenac divines the humor in race, identity and ultra-wealthy jackasses There was a time when Wyatt Cenac worried that he might actually become a hobo. One might argue that he would have made a great (if not the greatest) hobo to walk the streets of Los Angeles. He’s gregarious, […]
On Grace of Graphite
Adam McEwen: Burning Bridges to the Mundane Were there a single thread interwoven through his past and current work, Adam McEwen would have no idea what it would look like. “I’m just trying to make the thread visible,” he says. “I don’t know what it is, but I know for me, an obituary of Kate […]
Wilde Kingdom
Rising starlet Olivia Wilde embraces adventure and ambiguity as the next evolution in style Text by Jasmine Pahl Photography by Matthew Welch Fashion editors: Kemal & Karla Like any storybook princess worth her salt, Olivia Wilde is both benevolent and beautiful. Wearing dark skinny jeans, Converse, a plaid shirt and a wide, warm smile, her teal-eyed extra-terrestrial […]
Translating Life’s Asymmetries
Concept couturier Jan Taminiau plays by the rules of romantic reverie Text by Michael Cohen Photography by Petrovski & Ramone A highly conceptual creator, Jan Taminiau designs each couture and ready-to-wear garment along well developed themes that have attracted worldwide attention for their intellectualism, romanticism and genuine craftsmanship. His collections beg to be examined closer inside and […]
