Close-Up: Fashion Photographer Angelo Pennetta's "Outtakes"

We find it impressive that in the mere two years that Angelo Pennetta has worked as a fashion photographer he's photographed some of the world's most famous stars, musicians and just plain "beautiful" people. Of course, those photographers are a dime-a-dozen, though Pennetta manages to avoid the typical glossy magazine style--those "perfect," airbrushed moments--and succeeds in capturing faces we know in a raw (but still flattering) light. Recent shots include Dree Hemingway for the poster of her new film, "Starlet," Katy Perry for her spot in V Magazine, Raquel Zimmerman for The New York Times Style Magazine and Lindsey Wixson and Claudia Schiffer for Self Service. In the span of a few months, Pennetta's shot campaigns for Chloe, Givenchy and Pollini. Not bad, Mr. Pennetta.

But for every shot that makes it into a magazine editorial or becomes the identifying image of an ad campaign there are hundreds of photographs that never see the light of day. Thing is: A large number of those images can still be amazing, often times better than the photo a client eventually selects. So with the just-released series"Outtakes," Pennetta wanted to give those types of images a second life. 

There's some wonderfully candid moments; one of our favorites being model Linsday Wixson dropping the deadly-serious runway act and becoming real with a giant, goofy grin.

Meanwhile, see more of Pennetta's work, or sign up for one of 3rd Ward's Photography classes and capture some great outtakes of your own.

 

Future Fashion Stars: Project Runway Holding An NYC Open Call This Monday

Back in February we told you that Project Runway was looking for the best new fashion designers to star in its 10th season. If you didn't get your application together by the March 15 deadline, don't worry—you still have a chance to earn your spot as Tim Gunn's next protege.

Next Monday, April 9 Project Runway will be holding an open casting call right here in NYC. They'll be setting up shop at the Hilton New York at 6th Avenue and 54th Street from 10am to 4pm, so gather together your best creations and show them what you've got. Tim and Heidi probably won't be there, but you never know! Both of them do live here, after all.

Here are the details:

Please bring 5 or 6 of your garments that demonstrate your sewing skills and your fashion point of view. Please do NOT bring bridal, costumes or garments designed by you but sewn by someone else. Be prepared for only two of your garments to be looked at so choose accordingly. No models please. Also, bring a portfolio if you have one.

Whether you're an aspiring star or just discovering your love of fashion, there's always more to learn. Our many fashion classes can teach you everything from sewing and patternmaking to hatmaking and shoemaking.

-- John Ruscher

XEX Magazine Expands Its Platform With Help From 3rd Ward Talent

Fashion and culture lovers take note: XEX Magazine has a new issue on the way tomorrow, March 29. The bold, cutting-edge mag (which is pronounced "X") was co-founded by 3rd Ward member and fashion extraordinaire Sailey Williams back in 2009. "I had recently come from being an associate editor for another publication and felt it was time to start my own path," he says. "We wanted to create a platform where we could showcase some of the top and rising creatives in the fashion industry."

And they've created quite a platform indeed. Starting off as a webzine, XEX now produces three print issues a year—two that coincide with the fall and spring fashion seasons and New York's corresponding fashion weeks, as well as an annual men's issue, "XEX-Y," which will debut this June. Many top-notch talents have contributed to XEX, including 3rd Ward members like Dallas Logan (who we featured last year), Adolphous Amissah, Shae Fontaine and Darryl Calmese, just to name a few. "3rd Ward has been a great source when it comes to finding amazing creative talent," Williams says.

Hit the jump for more on XEX, including the scoop on what's in store for their new issue, how to submit your own material as well as images of some of the magazine's sweet covers and spreads.

"As with every issue we focus on the best in fashion, art, photography, and bizarre topics," Williams says. "But this issue we have added some great entertainment features. This issue is celebrity filled, featuring 'XEXclusive' editorials & interviews with Nickelodeon’s own Victoria Justice, Steven Yeun of AMC’s The Walking Dead, Boo Boo Stewart of The Twilight Saga, Dillon Casey of The CW’s Nikita, Ryan Serhant of Bravo’s Million Dollar Listings: New York, Williamsburg’s own Justiin Davis of HBO’s Boardwalk Empire and several other actors of television and film. We also have some great designer features with LARUICCI and Sammy B, and an extravagant art story with Sasha Meret."

In addition to upcoming issues, XEX is also the official media sponsor for Brooklyn Fashion Weekend, which takes place at Industry City from March 29 to April 1 and will benefit the MTV Staying Alive Foundation. They also helped keep New Yorkers warm this winter through the New York Cares Coat Drive.

Interested in submitting to (or being featured in) XEX? Hit up submissions@xexmag.com.

-- John Ruscher

Trunk Show Preview: Jessica Polzin's Quilted, Hand-Dyed And Silk-Screened Fiber Art

 

With the 3rd Ward Member Trunk Show happening this Thursday, we'll be giving you sneak peeks of some excellent, member-made work that will be on display. So without further ado, let's take a look at some fantastic fiber art from Jessica Polzin, who just joined 3rd Ward in January.

"Everything I make I prefer to create from the ground up, meaning, I make everything by hand and prefer materials to be in a more 'raw' state before I begin work on them," Polzin says. She'll be presenting a line of amazing hand-dyed, screen-printed and embroidered quilts, like the ones above, as well as hand-wozen and quilted bracelets, screen-printed table runners and a line of knit and woven box-top dipped hem t-shirts and pull-over boxey sweaters. Check out images of some of those after the jump.

Head over the Polzin's website to see more of her work, and remember to give her a warm 3rd Ward welcome when you stop by the trunk show on Thursday.

-- John Ruscher

Project Runway Seeks The Best New Fashion Designers For Its 10th Season

Fashion designers, are you ready for Tim Gunn to take you under his wing? Think you've got what it takes to really wow Heidi Klum? If so, get ready. Project Runway is currently casting for its 10th season, and you've got until March 15 to throw your name in the hat.

While we're usually wary of reality television, we've weirdly always loved Project Runway, as its not just a random group of people "getting real" or facing off in ridiculous competitions. It's an up-close look at aspiring fashion designers as they receive guidance from one of the industry's best (Gunn, a former chair of fashion design at Parsons), refine and realize their creative visions and vie for a chance to show their work during New York Fashion Week. Oh, and the $100,000 that the winner receives to launch their own fashion line doesn't hurt either.

For your application (which you can download here) you'll need to whip up the following:

Two recent photos of yourself: one full-length shot and one close-up of your face

A "virtual portfolio" of your work with photos of 3-10 of completed designs, images of detail work that you have produced, images of patterns if you work from them and images of your sketches

A 3-5 minute personal video featuring a personal introduction, a summary of your design goals and achievements, why you need Project Runway to achieve your goals and anything else you think they need to know

Hit the jump to check out the casting flyer and a video mashup of what your Project Runway experience might be like. And if you think you need to brush up on some skills, feel free to peruse our wide variety of fashion classes.

All right designers, you've got two weeks. As Gunn would say, "Make it work!"

-- John Ruscher

HANDMADE HOLIDAY GIFT IDEA #81 // Kids In Love Collective: Where Avant-Garde Design And Organic Hand Craft Collide

The Handmade Holiday Craft Fair is getting closer and closer but we can't stand to keep all of the goodness to ourselves. That's why we're previewing some of the amazing gifts that you'll be able to pick up this Saturday.

Founder Cathy Hsiao describes the aim of the Kids In Love Collective as "the marriage of avant-garde and graphic design with organic hand craft techniques...Avant-Craft!" Combining dye and print techniques, she's created an array of unique and vibrant apparel and accessories. "I love aesthetic dualities, nature's forms and textures contrasted with the abstractions of design, things that are unkempt and raw but still very natural and soft for my super sensitive skin," she says.

The philosophical perspective that Hsaio takes with her work is natural, as she was a philosophy teacher before starting the Kids In Love Collective. "I left my PhD program to be an artist and designer, to be able to work with my whole body, eye, hand and mind," she says. Her experiences with learning music and art in a DIY community inspired that decision. "The idea of a collective is important to me," she says. "I want to think 'invert the corporation, join the collective.'"

This will be the Kids In Love Collective's first craft fair, and they're debuting with a bang! Stop by their booth for hand-dyed and hand-painted scarves made with organic cotton, modal tops, printed canvas clutches and a hand-printed and hand-died calendar. They've also collaborated with Tom Tom Magazine on hand-painted drumsticks and will be offering a $10 discount when you buy two Kids In Love items.

Hit the jump for another look at Kids In Love's Avant-Craft goodness.

-- John Ruscher

INSIDE PHILLY // The History Of One Of The World's Most Iconic Hats

John B. Stetson Company's Philadelphia Factory

Last month we kicked off our Inside Philly series, which takes a look at the creative traditions of the city that'll soon be 3rd Ward's second home. We explored the long manufacturing tradition of the Northern Liberties/Old Kensington neighborhood, which earned it the nickname "Workshop of the World." Now we return there to look at a specific operation that sprang up in that neighborhood.

Back in the 19th century pretty much everyone wore a hat, and one of the most famous hats of all time was born in 1865 just a few blocks north of 3rd Ward's future location. The history's actually pretty fascinating, so hit the jump now to hear the tale.

The "Boss of the Plains" hat.The story actually begins in New Jersey, where John Batterson Stetson was born in 1830 and grew up working with his father, a local hatter. When he was diagnosed with tuberculosis, however, Stetson was advised to move to a climate that might improve his health. At 24 he headed west and ended up panning for gold in Colorado. While he was there he began experimenting with a hat made out of beaver pelts. He incorporated a tall crown that allowed room for a buffer of air to keep his head warm (and was also handy for hauling water) and a wide brim for extra protection from the elements. As the tale goes, he decided to start manufacturing his hat after a mule driver bought it right off his head for a five-dollar gold piece.

Buffalo Bill Cody.Stetson headed back east to Philadelphia, using the little money that he had to rent a room and set to work as the sole employee of the John B. Stetson Company. He named his first hat "Boss of the Plains" and marketed it to the western settlers that he had encountered. Bearing the "Stetson" stamp in 14-karat gold leaf on the inside hatband, these hats were an immediate hit. By 1886 Stetson was the largest hat manufacturer in the world, and when he died in 1906, his factory was producing around 2 million hats a year.

Those who donned Stetsons included Buffalo Bill Cody, Calamity Jane, Will Rogers and Annie Oakley, and it's even said that George Custer wore a Stetson during the Battle of Little Big Horn. Ever since, the "Bostt of the Plains" has become an iconic symbol of the American West and the cowboy. Stetson also produced many other models, though, from top hats and bowlers to derbys and straw hats.

Stetson's Philadelphia factory kept running strong until after World War II, when regular hat-wearing began to decline. In 1971 the factory closed down and began licensing its hats with other manufacturers, and in 1980 the Stetson clock tower, the last remnant of the once booming operation, burned down.

-- John Ruscher

FASHION SPOTLIGHT // Brooklyn's Outlier Synthesizes Comfort, Performance And Style

Outlier's OG Pants in action

Abe Burmeister spent a year looking for a good pair of pants for biking in the city. "I wanted a pair of pants that I could ride in, work in and go out in without having to worry whether it was going to rain," he says. "After a year of looking I gave up. They weren't on the market, and I figured if no one was making them then it was up to me to figure out how. I went to the garment district, started asking questions and eventually wound up with a pair of pants."

After a friend connected him with Tyler Clemens, who had been working on similar ideas, Brooklyn's Outlier and the OG Pants were born. Three years later, Outlier's products have expanded from those first pants, which were designed to repel the weather and dirt of any bike commute and still look good in the office, to an entire line of functional, durable and fashionable clothing. Their latest collection is called In A Technical Nature and features everything from a Merino henley and wool peacoat to chinos, a scarf and button-down shirts.

Hit the jump for more on Outlier, including a photo gallery of their new collection.

Other than its expanded line of products, how has Outlier changed in three years? "Well, we're not working out of Tyler's living room anymore for one!" says Burmeister. "Insanely enough, we actually have employees and an office. And more importantly we know enough to make much better garments than we used to."

Just as they did with the OG Pants, Outlier has always aimed to create clothing that is truly innovative and unprecedented. "We like to make garments that do not exist yet on the market and fulfill a real need," Burmeister says. "We're always thinking about ways to make things better, making clothes that are more comfortable, more durable and better looking. Designing for us is an iterative process, we makes tests, experiment, produce samples, test them, tear them apart, build them back, test some more and repeat until we get to the point where we are happy. Sometimes it takes a day, sometimes it takes years, we just keep pushing until we find the solution."

For Outlier its also been about rejecting corner-cutting and disposable products:

"People need to start realizing that if they are buying the cheapest stuff, they are actually getting ripped off," Burmeister says. "The discount driven culture we live and shop in right now is toxic."

And it's not just about the quality of goods, but also the broader implications of our throw-away culture. "It's a downward cycle that leads to labor abuse, environmental damage and a world filled with shitty products," he says. "If we keep demanding disposable products we can't be surprised if suddenly our jobs are also disposable. The only way to break this cycle is to wake up and start looking for quality and buying meaningful goods that both work well and last a long time."

That driving philosophy has transformed Outlier from a single pair of pants into a full-fledged fashion brand. Burmeister acknowledges that starting up a clothing company isn't easy, but Outlier has proven that all of the hard work can pay off nicely. "It'll suck up all your free time and all your savings, but in the end it's amazing to make real products that people can relate to in the physical world," he says. "Plus, you get exactly the clothes you want."

Storm King Parka, Autumnweight 60/30 Chinos, North East Pivot Shirt and Merino Henley - photo by Emiliano Granado

Autumnweight 60/30 Chinos, Soft Core Wool Vest, Merino Henley and North East Pivot Shirt - photo by Emiliano Granado

Liberated Wool Peacoat and Autumnweight 60/30 Chinos - photo by Emiliano Granado

Liberated Wool Peacoat, Autumnweight 60/30 Chinos and North East Pivot Shirt - photo by Emiliano Granado

Merino Henley, North East Pivot Shirt and Autumnweight 60/30 Chinos - photo by Emiliano Granado

-- John Ruscher

FASHION WEEK PROFILE // Hats Off to Cha Cha's House of Ill Repute

Dina Pisani -- Courtesy: Cha Cha's House of Ill Repute

When asked what her favorite kind of hat is, milliner Cha Cha--AKA Dina Pisani--doesn't hesitate: "Top." The lady likes a top hat. "But I don't make mine the conventional way. I distress it a little, so people don't feel like it stands out quite so much. Of course, it still stands out."

Pisani's DUMBO-based shop Cha Cha's House of Ill Repute is busily churning out top hats, fedoras, porkpies, and cloches for fashion week and the fall season, but Cha Cha--who also teaches a hat making workshop at 3rd Ward--took a few minutes to chat with us about how she got her start.

"I studied design at Marist, and I had a good design sense, but my construction was poor," she tells us. So she went into retail and turned to millinery as a side project; a way to keep her creativity alive. Pisani studied at FIT and made hats to order before actually setting up shop.

"Sewing is so precise and mathematical, but blocking a hat is really more like sculpture," she explains.

So how does one make a hat?

Pisani orders her material and steams it until it can be molded. She then uses a wooden "block," or mold to shape the hat, then she shapes the brim and adds a ribbon insided called a sweatband. But what sets Cha Cha apart is the details she imparts: the distressing, the trims, the finishes. 

While the Cha Cha moniker stemmed from a nickname her grandmother once gave her, we asked where the whole "House Of Ill Repute" thing came in.

"I was in New Orleans when I was getting ready to open my business, just wandering around the Quarter, and we walked through Storeyville, the district when prostitution was legal. New Orleans is a big inspiration to me, so it just kind of fit." According to Pisani, it also inspired her to one day go into the lingerie business. In the meantime though, we think a distressed porkpie is sexy all on its own.

--Layla Schlack

FASHION WEEK PROFILE // Ignacio Quiles, Urban Dandy and Vintage Lifestyle Guru

Photo: Franzi Charen.

With Fashion Week here in full force, we were eager to catch up with Ignacio Quiles, one of 3rd Ward's most stylish members. For a quick taste of his sartorial prowess, check out this photo feature on BackyardBill.com.

Quiles kicked off Fashion Week last Thursday with a Fashion's Night Out event at Artists & Fleas, the indoor market in Williambsurg that hosts QP & Monty, his vintage lifestyle emporium. "The FNO event is a first for A&F and really set the tone for the week," he says "While I would love to attend a ton of shows, this is actually one of the busiest sales weeks for me. Some of our most special pieces sell to designers and buyers for design inspiration, so I have to be available for private appointments throughout the week." 

Even with a busy schedule, Quiles hopes to get out and see what's new. "While QP & Monty is a vintage lifestyle emporium, I especially take pride in my men’s haberdashery section, so I like to keep an eye on what’s trending in the media. However, I must say what I see at 3rd Ward and among our customers at the market is generally way ahead of the curve."

In Williamsburg. Photo: Joel Henderson.Cinema is at the root of Quiles' interest in fashion. "As a kid I tagged along with my mother when she visited flea markets and I was obsessed with old movies," he says. "Through the movies I was exposed to a world of great style that I certainly couldn't afford, but at the flea market I could put together unique looks influenced by that celluloid world. Talk about street fashion—flea markets truly unleashed my sartorial creativity."

His collecting obsessions also extend beyond just sharp outfits. "I love cowboy memorabilia and religious artifacts—this clearly came from my misspent youth sneaking into the cinema," he says. "But I also collect graffiti and stickers of all kinds. On most days you’ll find a sticker I picked off some obscure lamppost stuck to the lining of my jacket for safekeeping. In fact I have so many stickers that I am working on a long-term project where I resurface found furniture with stickers."

His sartorial choices also cover a wide range. "It’s always evolving though I view it more like layering rather than shedding," Quiles says of his style. "While I generally put together an old school look where I pair patterns and stripes, vests and suits, and top it all off with a great old hat; sometimes I can be found in head-to-toe hip hop gear or full on Western. It just depends on my mood and what I’m doing that day. Needless to say I rarely get rid of anything in my wardrobe. I just add more and more each year—I admit it I’m sartorially greedy."

Right now QP & Monty is Quiles' main focus, though he is also at work on "a secret food-related project." Before he began selling and consulting, he was a professional chef for 30 years. He's also putting together a men's accessory line which he hopes to launch next year.

"The bottom line is I am an urban dandy who earned his sartorial and decorating prowess by watching old movies and trolling flea markets," Quiles tells us. "I live in New York City and, when not at the flea or my studio above 3rd Ward, I can be found either walking my two dogs, Monty and Saki or riding around the city on my bike dressed like an English gentleman. However I always, always, always have my eyes open for the next great find!"

-- John Ruscher