Photog

They can be paired with absolutely any shirt or blouse, they can be dressed up or down, and they are very often quiet slimming. Not only this, but black skinny jeans usually don’t show any spills or stains unlike lighter clothing would. This ensures that you can eat or drink just about anything without worrying about what might happen to your ensemble. They range within a variety of prices, starting from $15 at stores like H&M, and potentially going up to hundreds (possibly thousands, depending on where they’re purchased) at places like True Religion. One shortfall about skinny jeans in general is that there is a sensory nerve that comes from your pelvis that provides sensation to parts of your thigh. People who wear skinny jeans sometimes say they feel a numbness going down their leg because of the constriction. This is known as meralgia paresthetica (Warning: Tight pants, skinny jeans and Spanx may be hazardous to your health, 2012). With that, remember to wear them only on occasion, and to make sure that they are a good fit for you!

Love always,

Sofia BergerEditor-In-Chief

Hello Icon readers and welcome! With every season comes a new trend, but there’s always one trend that remains a classic for more than one occasion! That’s right, I’m talking about the black skinny jeans.

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Photographer:Amanda Kung

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60’s EXPLAIN

The 60’s were responsible for many of the trends that we see in today’s fashion industry. From the comeback of the mini skirt and knee-high boots, to the high-waisted dresses, and military-style garments, the 1960’s always remains a fashion icon to us. Not only this, but the high fashion industry is noticing printed bell-bottoms are arriving as well, initially inspired by the bell-bottomed jeans. Plaid bags and bold jewelry makes the best 60’s statements.

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Milan to work for Gucci. After several years, he went from a Womenswear Designer (1992), to Design Director (1994). He put Gucci on the map by increasing sales by billions of dollars during his time there, prior to resigning and going to work at Yves Saint Laurent. For some time, he became the Creative Director at YSL (About Tom Ford, 2014). “Since [2004], however, Ford has built his own namesake fashion empire, growing from perfume, makeup, and eyewear (negotiated in a series of lucrative licensing contracts with Estée Lauder and Marcolin) to both women's and men's wear” (Only One Man Belongs at Gucci, and His Name is Tom Ford, 2015). As if that’s not enough, Tom Ford decided to direct A Single Man, a movie following a college professor who recently lost his lover. The film received multiple awards and nominations (Academy Award Nominations, Independent Spirit Award Nominations, as well as Golden Globe Nominations (A Single Man, IMDb). Ford continues to develop his women’s and men’s fashion lines, including the production of perfumes, makeup, and accessories. He is a reminder to all that hard work and talent results in success.

A Texan native, Tom moved around before deciding to attend NYU for Art History. Shortly afterwards, he changed his career path and finished his Architecture degree at Parsons School of Design. In 1990, Ford packed his belongings and headed to

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From Ready-To-Wear, to Avant Garde, Ford designs it. With luxury coats, to colourful shoes and chic makeup, he creates products to the highest degree. 12

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Men’S SLIDE

Here’s an inside look at the designs Tom Ford released for his Spring 2014 line. His designs are

classy, fitting, and contemporary.

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The violence and war that has been been displayed in the media through recent years is at an all-time high. In particular, the portrayal that American’s have built for themselves is glamorizing; a peacekeeping nation with nothing but the interest of those currently in conflict when in truth, they play a major role in the destruction and conflict themselves. With this piece, I hoped to display weaponry- in particular, the ammunition belt (alike a Miss United State’s sash) and a grenade-like shape below the hips. I chose joyous pastel colours to depict how America displays itself to its own country, and to others as well. They want to be seen as individuals who are doing the morally correct thing, when in fact they’ve killed millions of innocent civilians, attempted to get hold of oil rigs, and have killed men of African- American descent without a viable cause.

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Fashion Trend Forecast

This summer, classy is in! Emerald, gold, and pink are the go-to colours. Match any boathouse tank top with a high-waisted skirt, pointed flats, and black Raybans for the most stylish results. You can never go wrong with voluminous hair, black sunhats, and art-inspired totes. Black dangling earrings and offwhite purls are the perfect accessories to go with that summer tan.

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“In developing countries, an estimated 250 million children ages 5 to 14 are forced to work” (Economic action to end sweatshop and forced child labor, 2014 ). These socially acceptable working conditionsdebatably began in England; spreading to New York, Australia, and predominantly to Asian countries within the past decades. Workers tend to be victims of extreme exploitation, the absence of a living wage/ benefits, poor working conditions, and abuse (both verbal and physical0 (Sweatshops and Child Labor, 2015).

Many children and teens are forced to work in order to support their families, usually resulting in a lack of or no education whatsoever. The money they earn is barely enough to sustain a family, let alone a single person. Adolescents are abducted from their families, forced to work, and are intensely beaten if they speak/ act up (Sweatshops and Child Labor, 2015).Companies like Nike are widely recognized for the child labor they have implemented in Indonesian and Vietnamese countries over the past few decades. “Our only choice is to stay and suffer, or speak out and be fired”, said one Nike worker when interviewed (Nike workers 'kicked, slapped and verbally abused' at factories making Converse, 2011).

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Nike became the first major apparel company to publically state the locations and names of hundreds of plants that make its sneakers, clothes and other products (Nike workers 'kicked, slapped and verbally abused' at factories making Converse, 2011).

They become a leader instead of denying every allegation set against them, and can now be seen as role models for all companies continuing their use of sweatshops for economic gain.

America has stronger labor laws than most undeveloped countries, but it is not free of sweatshops. Many slip under the radar of the US Department of Labor. Student activism in the States has resulted in rallies and sit-in over University athletic gear made in third world countries through illegal terms (Ethics Vs. Money, 2000).

Just as the students at American University’s have done, organizing protests and shedding light on the issue is a simple thing we can all do in order to diminish sweatshops. Buying clothes ethically (from companies that treat their workers with respect and provide them with fair wages. Although the price of ethically-fair products may have a higher cost, they benefit those who cannot afford a better life. On a larger scale, we can donate to anti- sweatshop campaigns or join their movements. Global Exchange www.globalexchange.org 800-497-1994 Campaign for Labor Rights www.campaignforlaborrights.org 202-544-9355 International Labor Rights Fund www.laborrights.org 202-347-4100

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Citations About Tom Ford. (2014, January 1). Retrieved January 16, 2015, from

http://www.tomford.com/on/demandware.store/Sites-tomford-Site/default/Page-AboutTomFord

A Single Man. (n.d.). Retrieved January 16, 2015, from http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1315981/

Biography. (n.d.). Retrieved January 16, 2015, from http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1053530/bio?ref_=nm_ov_bio_sm

Ethics Vs. Money. (2000, May 9). Retrieved January 16, 2015, from http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2000-05-09/sports/0005090248_1_sweatshop-workers-rights-consortium-nike

Nike workers 'kicked, slapped and verbally abused' at factories making Converse. (2011, January 1). Retrieved January 16, 2015, from http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2014325/Nike-workers-kicked-slapped-verbally-abused-factories-making-Converse-line-Indonesia.html

Nisen, M. (2013, May 9). How Nike Solved Its Sweatshop Problem. Retrieved January 16, 2015, from http://www.businessinsider.com/how-nike-solved-its-sweatshop-problem-2013-5

Schreyer, N. (2015, January 15). Only One Man Belongs at Gucci, and His Name is Tom Ford. Retrieved January 16, 2015, from http://racked.com/archives/2015/01/15/tom-ford-gucci.php

Sweatshops. (2014, March 2). Retrieved January 16, 2015, from http://www.greenamerica.org/programs/sweatshops/

Sweatshops and Child Labor. (2015, January 1). Retrieved January 16, 2015, from http://www.veganpeace.com/sweatshops/sweatshops_and_child_labor.htm

Warning: Tight pants, skinny jeans and Spanx may be hazardous to your health. (n.d.). (2012). Retrieved January 16, 2015, from http://www.cbsnews.com/news/warning-tight-pants-skinny-jeans-and-spanx-may-be-hazardous-to-your-health/