Few cities in the world can claim an influence on fashion design like Milan. A hub for all things couture, SOMA traveled to this northern Italian Cittá to discover what inspires Milanese designers during their day-to-day travels. 1 Why is design important? 2 What is your favorite trend in design today? 3 If you could […]
We turn the spotlight to local homegrown faves. With Mom on their side, these up-and-comers share their favorite music, thoughts on touring and stage style. The stage is a sanctuary for harnessing energy, and contemplating weighty issues like pandemic viruses. 1 What do you think about when you’re onstage? 2 What does your mom think […]
Could Anita Blay inherit the crown of U.K. pop? As is often the case with superheroes, there is a tendency to preface the hero’s birth by a natural occurrence, such as a bolt of lightning, earthquake, or, of course, a meteor. The scenario goes something like this: a meteor crashes to Earth; around the fiery […]
Third World Sound to First World Ears Akwaaba Music founder Benjamin Lebrave doesn’t feel comfortable with the term “fair trade,” nor with the category known as “world music.” Yet for the uninitiated, it’s the easiest way to describe the fledgling, unorthodox music label that splits net profits 50/50 with its African music licensees and distributes […]
They say that you can walk down any Portland street, on any given day, throw a rock, and hit a musician. Here at SOMA we don’t encourage throwing rocks at the rock stars, but we did send local resident and contributing photographer, Anthony Georgis, to toss a few questions to some of best and […]
Queen of Darkness For the last few years, London fashion has been all about extreme creativity and innovation—the crazier the better. And while this helped shape the style of the city, making it the young fashion capital of the world, it left contemporary fashion aficionados pining for a more sophisticated and refined option. Luckily, the […]
In times when the most sought after fashions seem vacuous and unnecessary, we start to feel the need for a revolution. Gone are the times of excess, glamour and stylistic indulgences—modern style should be all about authentic simplicity and clever minimalism. British rising star Sophie Hulme seems to have an answer for this. Having just […]
Over the rolling hills of San Francisco, the streets are teeming with young artists and style innovators. Forget those images of gangling long hair and oversized tie-dye tees the city once conjured. San Francisco is vibrant with original style. Strolling past Victorian-inspired architecture, soma explores the districts that are sf’s whimsically unique hubs of street […]
Mille Monferin’s cosmopolitan cross-pollination of jeans culture. Sweden has produced some of the most sought after brands of the last few years, from inexpensive lines to cutting-edge, avant-garde and innovative collections, falling just shy of fashion’s radars as the country on which to always keep a watchful eye. Denim is no exception, and the Scandinavians […]
Braille bombing street aesthete Andy Uprock radically reconceives city canvassing. Sydney-based former graffiti artist Andy Uprock has swapped spray paint and walls for cups and fences, spawning a revolutionary new street aesthetic he’s coined as “cuprocking.” His massive non-permanent street installations are arresting, provocative works of art that beautify urban landscapes, recite poetry and can […]
Dada Punkist Ted Willoughby colors the world of fashion in hues of conceptual perversion and pantomime For lack of a better descriptor, we’ll call Bland a “clothing line”— though that hardly encapsulates the cleverly subversive efforts of Theodoric Bland Willoughby and his co-conspirator Meghan Coleman that have included, among other things, hooded hats, cigarette broaches, armless […]
Text by Hillary Latos Photography by Matt McAlpin Twice a year New York City kicks off the Fashion Week circuit with the old and new guard unveiling their new collections. In the spirit of the Fashion Issue, SOMA catches up with attendees in and around the Bryant Park tents, the epicenter of the Fall 2009 […]
In the spirit of our Oscar month film issue, SOMA asked several up-and-coming auteurs about their relationships with cinema. 1 What’s your favorite recent film? 2 What’s the last film you saw? 3 Who’s your favorite director? 4 What’s your favorite film genre? 5 What do you love about movies? Photography by Laura Hollabaugh Caveh […]
Photography by Matthew Welch Fashion editors: Kemal & Karla dress Erik Hart; bra Calvin Klein, nylons H+M; neckalces and bracelets Pyhrra This season’s crop of jeune Hollywood up-and-comers includes a surprising number of heirs to fame and fortune. Rumer Willis is the scion of he-man actor, Bruce Willis and controversial Vanity Fair cover girl, Demi […]
Text by Isis Ebony Copeland Photography by Miguel Starcevich The best things in life come from Los Angeles—Movies, Music and Fashion. SOMA sought out some of LA’s most creative to discuss the economy, president elect Barack Obama and new years resolutions. 1 How do you feel about the state of the economy? 2 How is […]
Text by Rosa Maria Bertoli Photography by Natalia Cazzola Dolce In a search for some festive chill, SOMA flew to Milan, Italy’s capital of cool—and of extremely cold temperatures. We were able to catch up with a bunch of local fashion insiders who didn’t only express their ideas on current economy and politics, but were […]
Dior’s Diamond Effect Powder Text by Mengly Taing It used to be that nearly every woman carried a compact in her purse. Given as gifts by their husbands and admirers, these charming cases were cherished and collected by women who shared a renewed interest in social appearances after the Second World War. They were made […]
INKED: Clever, Odd and Outrageous Tattoos teNeues / 160 pages / $20 Tattoos have become so commonplace that they no longer hold the panache or shock-value as in the days when they were only found on sailors or ex-cons. Nowadays, a simple “MOM” scrolled across one’s bicep isn’t going to get a second look. And […]
Tony D’Souza gets more out of his travels than snapshots and souvenirs Text by Kiira Mancasola Tony D’Souza is not going to let the old writer’s adage, “Write what you know,” keep him from writing about what he’s passionate about—regardless of how far-flung or obscure the topic. With an ardor for re-search that could be […]
The last days of pleasant fall weather brought San Franciscians (and their canine best friends) out on the streets to show off their personal styles and pedigrees. SOMA caught up with the dogs in order to find out what they think about their pet-obsessed owners. Photography by Rhiannon Nicole Anderson 1 What fashion accessory does […]
Mistresses of the night shed light on fashion’s latest beauty trend Text by Mengly Taing Something wicked this way comes in lip colors so dark they’re to die for. It used to be that black lipstick could only be found once a year, but now the elusive hue is coming out of the dark and […]
Pamela Love turns out designs that aren’t all nice Text by Kiira Mancasola At a first glance, 26-year-old jewelry designer, Pamela Love, is a bit of a paradox. You don’t expect a pretty fashion up-and-comer who closes her emails “XO” to play drums in a psychedelic-rock garage band. Similarly, you don’t expect bone-and claw-inspired bangles […]
Josh Spear’s digital crystal ball. In a recent episode of amc’s deliciously compelling 1960s-advertising-executives-gone-wild drama, Mad Men, two 20-something creative consultants at the Sterling Cooper agency are brought into a meeting to advise a coffee client on how to best reach the newly empowered younger generation. “We don’t want to be told how to act, […]
Jill Bradshaw mixes business with pleasure and charity. All work and no play makes anyone a dull boy. Failure to balance the two has been the downfall of many a Wall Street banker or socialite party girl. If you’re Jill Bradshaw, cooly juggling the two means you can support your art obsessions by owning a […]