WHO AM I ? : Chloe Yu-Ling Breitman-Mendel

CHLOE YU-LING BREITMAN-MENDEL

Fall 2012
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1: Who am I?
Some people remain clueless forever in knowing who they are, but I will always be the big sister who loves to cook Thanksgiving dinner, read nutrition labels, and dance to The Cure in my underwear.

2: What do you do and what project are you currently working on?
I constantly study aesthetic. I enjoy counting the number of bricks on a building if I find the building compelling.  I have an obsession to understand beautiful things and to be surrounded by beauty. I optimize things aesthetically. At the moment I study at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and have co-launched a label called Animal Royalty. Besides Animal Royalty, I work with Reddymade Design, bake gluten-free vegan desserts, and visit my father for lunch as often as I can.

3: Where are you from and where are you going?
I was born in Los Angeles, raised in NYC, currently live in Chicago, and going where my heart takes me.

4: Who is your biggest hero?
I don’t think I have a hero. I try to compete with myself everyday.

5: What book is your bible?
The Myth of Sisyphus by Albert Camus. I feel like Sisyphus pushing that boulder up the hill everyday. I am in hope that this feeling will pass soon.

6: What are some things you love? And some things you hate?
I love chocolate and I hate unnecessary comments.

7: What is your raison d’être?
To help my loved ones be the best they can be.

8: What is your favorite color?
That changes all the time. Right now I am in a pastel mode. Bring on the light greys, pale blues, and orange hues.

9: Who is your favorite comic book superhero?
I’ll admit to being the geek girl who read comic books. I liked Spiderman more than one should but I can’t say he was my favorite superhero. I guess I’ll say Thor from Marvel. No wait, now I want to say TINTIN. Yes TINTIN is my favorite. Does he count as a superhero?

10: What is your favorite NYC hot spot?
My favorite spot is Neta. It is a superb Japanese small plate restaurant nestled in the West Village.

11: What turns you on?
I think it’s hot when someone points out something I would have never thought of. I get interested and want to hear more.

12: What would the last question of this questionnaire be if you were the one asking?
Tell me about your parents. Both my parents are very talented and I respect both of them as pioneers in their fields. I am so grateful to be apart of such a fruitful family and life. My mother runs a beautiful tattoo sportswear line called YMX by Yelloman. It super functional and fashionable sportswear that doesn’t fall into the boring stereotype of yoga clothes. It’s a really unique line. Might I also mention she is the mother of seven children in NYC. My father is designer for J.Mendel, a fifth generation couture house. He is a very dedicated artist and holds the warmest heart.

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Chloé Yu-Ling Breitman-Mendel is a family driven girl raised in the fashion world of NYC. Artistically motivated, she studies at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and approaches life with a renaissance attitude. This summer she co-launched the brand Animal Royalty and works with the design firm Reddymade Design in NYC. Sometimes known for her unique fashion style and love for baking you can find her at the farmers market, Society Library, or local coffee shop. Her motto is: “Do what you love, and do it right.”

LINKS:
Short film by Reddymade Design featuring Chloé
Reddy Made Design
Tumblr Page
Twitter: @chloeybm
Animal Royalty
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Questions by PMc Magazine

Edited by Ceara Maria Burns
Photography by Olivia Hall, Courtesy of xoJane.com
Design by Jillian Mercado
Contact Jillian Mercado if you’re interested in becoming a “Who Am I?”
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Caption:
Chloe Yu-Ling Breitman-Mendel, Winter 2012, Photography by Sacha Mendel

BRINGING IT ALL TOGETHER: A Glimpse Into the Mind of Designer ERIN BARR

BRINGING IT ALL TOGETHER

A Glimpse Into the Mind of Designer ERIN BARR
By Jonathan Metzelaar
Fall 2012
(As seen in PMc Magazine, September 2012)   
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There is a common misconception that fashion is confined strictly to clothing, that how fashionable a look is simply comes down to the pattern and the cut of the shirt, the pants, or the dress. In reality though, fashion is much broader. It incorporates hairstyles, makeup, and accessories, among other things. For something to truly stand out in the fashion world, there needs to be a synergistic relationship between the look of the clothing and the look of the person presenting the clothing.

With several years of experience as a hair and make-up artist, along with a degree from the renowned Aveda Institute, designer Erin Barr has the necessary background to craft more complete stylistic visions. Her collections feature styles that are both classic and innovative, sophisticated and practical, styles that merge a number of looks while also paring down the excess so that they aren’t overwhelming. Erin was kind enough to talk a bit about her style, her inspiration, and her creative process.

Jonathan Metzelaar: How do you come up with your designs? Do your ideas just kind of randomly come to you? Do you build off of looks you see people wearing on the street? Some combination thereof?
Erin Barr: I always start by collecting images that I am drawn to, usually the season before or directly after a season. Then, once I figure out what direction I’m going in, I spend about a week or two at the library getting more inspiration and ideas. I definitely pay attention to people on the street, but I wouldn’t say I am pulling directly from there. A lot of it is ‘how can I take this idea, and make it new and fresh?’ Then the ideas start to just flow out on paper.

JM: What other designers do you look to for inspiration?
EB: I really love looking at vintage Armani collections, especially from the 90’s. The clothes and the fabrics are really incredible.


JM: I’ve always been curious about this, and given your background as a hairstylist I’d imagine you’d be the perfect person to ask. It’s obviously in your best interest to design clothing that would look good on anybody, but I feel that some looks just work better when paired with certain hairstyles. Do you ever design an outfit with a particular hairstyle in mind?

EB: That’s a great question. I think a lot of designers get frustrated when it comes down to hair, because it really can make or break a runway show, look book, etc. It is so important to be thinking about your girl throughout the process. I don’t design based on a hairstyle, per se, but I always have something up on the mood board that draws a certain mood to the direction of hair and makeup.


JM: Looking over your newest collection, a lot of the outfits seem to have a classic, minimalist feel to them, yet they also all possess a modern twist that really makes them stand out. What kind of aesthetic were you going for when you thought up these designs?

EB: I feel like there’s a bit of minimalism in each collection, but I wouldn’t categorize myself there. I use the minimalist aspect in my clothes to cleanse anything that can quickly get too busy. But I also like adding that ‘twist’ to it with some utilitarian details, whether it be buckles, strapping, plackets, etc. This collection was based on the idea of an Angel who has fallen back to the Earth, and she is stuck in purgatory at the Boardwalk. There was a lot of contrasting the soft and hard, dark and angelic, the lace with the leather, and so on. It’s very angular, too, which I’m always really drawn to.

JM: What fashion trends have popped up recently that you really enjoy? And on the flip side, which trends aren’t you a very big fan of?
EB: I think it’s been refreshing to see the mix of prints and color that have come back recently. On the flip side, flared pants with a cuff; you always just end up with a dirty hem and crumbs in the cuff.

JM: What were some of the most difficult challenges you faced, and continue to face, as you try to make a name for yourself in the fashion industry, and what have you done to try and overcome them?
EB: I think the obvious and most difficult challenge has been the initial cost of having a line. You have to be ready to work very hard. I haven’t had a day off in three months. But it’s very rewarding when you see that hard work paying off.

—
Erin Barr is an American fashion designer currently based in New York. Her Spring 2012 Collection, “An American Tomboy in Paris,” was shown in presentation form during New York Fashion Week.


LINKS:
Erin Barr Official Website
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Written & Edited by Jonathan Metzelaar
Photography by Coco Alexander

Design by Marie Havens

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Captions:

Erin Barr, ArtSlant Studios, August 21, 2012, Photography by Coco Alexander

WHO AM I ? : David Greg Harth

DAVID GREG HARTH

Fall 2012
(As seen in PMc Magazine, September 2012)   
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1: Who am I?
I’m David Greg Harth. People call me Harth. I’m an artist. I’m a New Yorker. I am not terrorized. I’m an atheist. I’m a poet. I’m single. I’m a giver. I love eating apples and cucumbers. I often take photo booth portraits with strangers.

2: What do you do and what project are you currently working on?
I make art. I have a habit of making art that engages the viewer to participate. Without viewer participation, the art does not exist. I’m currently working on a time-based participatory project, called “Every Person I Know And Every Person I Don’t Know.” I’m taking photo booth portraits with every person I know and every person I don’t know. Friends and strangers alike. I’m also always working on “The Holy Bible Project.” In between those projects I make drawings that look like circulatory and neurological systems. I also collect human teeth, wishbones, and used female toothbrushes. I’m also always writing poetry.

3: Where are you from and where are you going?
I’m from New York and I’m staying in New York. I do plan on going to North Korea soon, however.

4: Who is your biggest hero?
My Opa.

5: What book is your bible?
My bible is my bible. 

6: What are some things you love? And some things you hate?
I love love. I love the concept of love. I love being in love. Hate is a strong word. I don’t hate too much. I suppose I hate stupid people though.

7: What is your raison d’être?
I’m here to make art that makes people think. I’m here to spread love. I’m here to prevent other people from committing suicide.

8: What is your favorite color?
Orange, although most people think my favorite color is black.

9: Who is your favorite comic book superhero?
I don’t have one. Although I was quite fond of Bugs Bunny growing up.

10: What is your favorite NYC hot spot?
Hot? What is a hot spot? I don’t have time for hot spots. My skin is hot. I’m always hot. Some favorite spots of mine: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Museum of Modern Art, a grassy hill with David Ippolito nearby (the guitar man from Central Park), Tom & Jerry’s, NoHo Star, and any place with a photo booth.

11: What turns you on?
I’ll answer this in terms of what turns me on as well was what inspires me. Black fishnet stockings, the lines of James Siena, Amy Culter, Marcel Dzama, and Mahmoud Hamadani, the vaseline of Matthew Barney, the whiteness of Robert Ryman, the concepts and drawings of Sol LeWitt, the parking lots of Ed Ruscha, the collages of Robert Rauschenberg, the blood of Marc Quinn and Hermann Nitsch, the fluidity of Brice Marden, the hotel room of Andrea Fraser, the breasts of Marina Abramović, the smell of Ursula von Rydingsvard’s sculptures, the beard of A. A. Bronson, the situations of Tino Sehgal, the photographs of John Coplans, and the cow wall paper of Andy Warhol. I am also turned on and inspired by the shit of Piero Manzoni, the silver hair of Klaus Biesenbach, the masturbation of Vito Acconci, the chocolate of Janine Antoni, the time of Tehching Hsieh, the walking and fucking neon of Bruce Nauman, the one minute sculptures of Erwin Wurm, the urine of Andres Serrano, the perception of Lucian Freud, the sculpture of Mark di Suvero, the situations of Tino Sehgal, the guns of Tom Sachs, the reality of Walton Ford, the large naked women paintings of Jenny Saville, the meat and flies of Zhang Huan, the light of Robert Irwin, the words of Leonard Cohen, Sara Teasdale, the music of U2, James, David Bowie, Pulp, Hans Zimmer, The Clash, and cold apple cider.

12: What would the last question of this questionnaire be if you were the one asking?
This question I’m struggling with. It is tough and I have no idea. I’m going to answer this question like this:

Please have your readers ask me something: question@davidgregharth.com
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David Greg Harth is a visual artist based in New York City. He works across a diverse spectrum of media art including performance, video, installation, drawing, photography, and poetry. His work is often time-based and frequently requires public participation. Harth creates unexpected juxtapositions, often employing elements of tension and ambiguous social situations to provoke dialogue on a contemporary issue. Harth explores culture, politics, religion, sexuality, celebrity, and consumerism in his work.

A major part of his work involves gathering information, then collecting, documenting, and producing records on subjects ranging from current events and political, social and, economic justice to personal experience. In most instances, the process of a piece of artwork is just as important as the final work itself.

In his performance work, Harth creates unusual tensions in a common environment. He often puts his own body through strenuous activities to explore fragility, struggle, and adversity in both social and personal situations. Harth infiltrates the public realm with live street actions and interactive projects, often transgressing and questioning social boundaries.

David Greg Harth was born in New York. He has a BFA from Parsons School of Design and a studio at The Elizabeth Foundation For The Arts. He has exhibited in various galleries and art spaces since the mid 90s. Harth enjoys eating apples and the candid conversations that occur inside a photo booth with a stranger.

LINKS:
David Greg Harth
The Holy Bible Project
Every Person Project
Every Person Project Facebook Page
The Holy Bible Project Facebook Page
Harth’s Facebook Page
Twitter: @DavidGregHarth
Youtube Page
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Questions by PMc Magazine

Edited by Ceara Maria Burns
Photography by David Greg Harth
Design by Jillian Mercado
Contact Jillian Mercado if you’re interested in becoming a “Who Am I?”
—

Caption:

David Greg Harth, Self-Portrait, 2012, Photography by David Greg Harth

ROCHAMBEAU: Portrait of Fashion Designers JOSHUA COOPER and LAURENCE CHANDLER

ROCHAMBEAU

Portrait of Fashion Designers JOSHUA COOPER and LAURENCE CHANDLER

By Hadar Pitchon

Fall 2012
(As seen in PMc Magazine, September 2012)  
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Longtime friends and business partners Joshua Cooper and Laurence Chandler created Rochambeau. The name comes from the French term for the game rock-paper-scissors. Rochambeau’s Fall/Winter 2012 collection has plenty of textures: furs, warm wools, weaves and knits. It is inspired by the mythology, folklore and dark imagery. We sent out photographer Hadar Pitchon to their New York City studio before their Spring 2013 presentation at New York Fashion Week.
—

Laurence Chandler and Joshua Cooper are the two designers of the men’s brand Rochambeau.

LINKS:
Official Website of Rochambeau
MAO PR
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Written & Edited by Jillian Mercado
Photography by Hadar Pitchon

Design by Jillian Mercado

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Captions:
Laurence Chandler and Joshua Cooper, Rochambeau’s Studio, New York City, August 2012, Photography by Hadar Pitchon

WHO AM I ? : Sandy Ambrose

SANDY AMBROSE

Fall 2012
(As seen in PMc Magazine, September 2012)   
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1: Who am I?
I am a doer and a go-getter, a never give up kind of girl, a fearless leader who is not afraid to step outside the box and stand out. I’m always thinking about what I’m going to do next. I am a dreamer who is constantly striving for bigger and better things. I am a fashion lover, and a down to earth playful person.

2: What do you do and what project are you currently working on?
I am a model, an actress, a singer, and a songwriter in NYC. I recently shot a big print campaign, but I have also been on national commercials as well as on network television shows.

3: Where are you from and where are you going?
I am from good old New York. I didn’t have the easiest childhood, but growing without having a lot of money taught me many things, and allows me to appreciate what I have and where I am in my life now. One of my biggest dreams is to be on the big screen. To me, it is what I was born to do.

4: Who is your biggest hero?
My biggest hero would be my father. He was a great role model and someone that I looked up to quite a bit. I could talk to him about anything and he would always listen and give me great advise. Unfortunately, he passed away suddenly, but he’s still my hero.

5: What book is your bible?
I can’t really say that I have a certain book that I consider to be my bible. What helps guide me in this crazy life of mine is staying grounded through good friends and family. They know me best and have a great way of humbling me.

6: What are some things you love? And some things you hate?
I love so many things: my pets, my family, my great friends, to travel, and to listen to my favorite  music. I also love random smiles or conversations with a complete strangers. Memorable and unplanned moments are the best. I hate dating in NYC because it’s so complicated and stressful sometimes. It is, however, like a nice shopping mall of hot people to choose from.

7: What is your raison d’être?
I would have to say it’s pretty simple: to be the best person that I can possibly be with everything in my life. I only have this one life to live and I want to make it count.

8: What is your favorite color?
My favorite color is blue, but for some reason I wear a lot of black.

9: Who is your favorite comic book superhero?
That would have to be Wolverine. I think he’s a total badass.

10: What is your favorite NYC hot spot?
Oh gosh, there are so many great places here to have fun. For me it would be Gansevoort.

11: What turns you on?
A really big turn on for me is beautiful people who don’t know that they’re beautiful. I also admire a woman who can go out wearing a t-shirt, jeans, and a killer pair of combat boots without makeup.

12: What would the last question of this questionnaire be if you were the one asking?
If you could have one superhero power what would it be?
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Sandy Ambrose is a model, actress, singer, and songwriter from New York.
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Questions by PMc Magazine

Edited by Ceara Maria Burns
Photography by Jammi York
Design by Jillian Mercado
Contact Jillian Mercado if you’re interested in becoming a “Who Am I?”
—

Caption:
Sandy Ambrose, NYC, 2012, Photography by Jammi York

POINT OF VIEW : Tommy Hilfiger

TOMMY HILFIGER

Fall 2012
(As seen in PMc Magazine, September 2012)   
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TOMMY HILFIGER’s Point of View on the Dangers of Success:
“I think it’s dangerous to think that you’re successful, because then you become complacent.”
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Tommy Hilfiger is an American fashion designer and founder of the premium lifestyle brand Tommy Hilfiger Corporation.

LINKS:
Tommy Hilfiger’s Official Website
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Photography by Amber De Vos for PatrickMcMullan.com
Design by Marie Havens
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Captions:
Tommy Hilfiger, TOMMY HILFIGER Men’s S/S 2013 Fashion Show, The Maritime Hotel, NYC, September 7, 2012, Photography by Amber De Vos for PatrickMcMullan.com

TOP LOOKS FROM THE 9TH ANNUAL STYLE AWARDS - PMc Celebrates All Things Style at the 9th Annual Style Awards

TOP LOOKS FROM THE 9TH ANNUAL STYLE AWARDS

PMc Celebrates All Things Style at the 9th Annual Style Awards
By Eden Herbstman

Fall 2012
(As seen in PMc Magazine, September 2012)  
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NYFW officially kicked off at the 9th Annual Style Awards where celebrities, designers, and iconic fashion figures gathered at Lincoln Center to honor and recognize achievements in style by designers, photographers, hair and make-up artists, models, and more. PMc had all the exclusive coverage, capturing everything from the glamorous arrivals to intimate backstage moments. Take a look at our round-up of some of the night’s top looks, and be sure to catch the show’s broadcast debut airing on the Style Network on Friday, September 14th at 8pm. To view more looks from the night visit: Patrick McMullan.com
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LINKS:
9th Annual Style Awards Arrivals
9th Annual Style Awards Inside
9th Annual Style Awards Backstage Studio
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Written by Eden Herbstman
Edited by Tyler Malone
Photography by Patrick McMullan and Owen Hoffman for Patrick McMullan.com
Design by Eden Herbstman
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Captions
Cover/ Page 1: Atmosphere, 9th Annual Style Awards, The Stage, Lincoln Center, NYC, September 5, 2012, Photography by OWEN HOFFMANN for PatrickMcMullan.com