Author Archives: Julio Cortez

About Julio Cortez

San Francisco State University - B.A. Journalism Xpress magazine - Art and Design Editor Astonish magazine - Photographer, Writer, and Social Networking assistant http://juliocortez.com "Keep the wind at your back and the sun on your face."

PRETTY HIDEOUS DEBUT AT 2012 WINE COUNTRY FESTIVAL

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Last Sunday, Pretty Hideous made their stage debut at the Livermore Wine Country Festival – and you’ve probably never heard of either of them. Well, all you really need to know is that Guitarist Ryan Tapley, producer Christian Titus, and my homegirl Heather Zarate killed it under the influence of 85° sunshine (and a little something else – it was a wine festival, after all).

I’m beyond proud of this woman and what she does with her words. And all the support from friends and family at the show can only mean that this is truly the beginning of something wonderfully sick for the East Bay trio.

Stream and listen to Pretty Hideous’ Box Lunch mixtape here and view the rest of the photo set here. Video coming soon.

I also want to give a huge THANK YOU to Kristina for lending me her camera. Of course that – along with my MacBook and external harddrive – die right before the Spring semester ends.

MORE FROM THE AAU GRADUATE FASHION SHOW

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photos by Ryan Chua

I wrote a thing for ASTONISHWorld after last week’s AAU fashion show. Although I didn’t meet Ms. Burton, I admired her from acros the runway. Her eyes enjoyably read the graduate collections up and down, but I noticed that shy sense come about when the focus was on Sarah instead of the student’s work. I did approach Philip Treacy after the show while he mingled with a crowd full of iPhones. I learned that: 1. He’s friends with Salma Hayek and she’s a bad ass,  2. We’re both not very fond of Jennifer Lopez, and 3. We both love whiskey! Unfortunately, I never found my way to that after party.

photos by Ryan Chua

ACADEMY OF ART UNIVERSITY: GRADUATE FASHION SHOW 2012 + INSTAGRAM

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The Cannery
May 3, 2012

XPRESS MAGAZINE SUMMER 2012 PREVIEW: WHEN ART AND FASHION COLLIDE

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Prepping an interactive 360° shot - photo by Samantha Battles

We’re officially in production mode at Xpress, hard at work on our Summer 2012 iPad issue that lands in the iTunes store towards the end of May. I’m working on an interactive story focusing on conceptual pieces by Ilanio, his use of unconventional materials such as polyurethane and surgical tubing, and exploring the creative gap between the fashion and art worlds.

SUTRO BATHS RUINS: PHOTOGRAPHED BY OLIVIA JAFFE

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Olivia Jaffe and I went to high school together. We didn’t get friendly until fate brought us together on a trip to Japan our sophomore year. We did things like bleach our hair in the hotel room, hunt for Hello Kitty vibrators after midnight, and drink canned beer from vending machines. Eventually, we ended up in yearbook together and took road trips to the Bay Area without having a place to sleep or a care in the world.

Olivia hustles hard enough to pass through here when she’s not documenting musicians in L.A., so it’s nice to play catch up – especially with her camera. We met up a few weeks ago and hung out at the Sutro Baths ruins, one of the best spots in the city to just have a me moment.

SARAH BURTON AND PHILIP TREACY: ACADEMY OF ART UNIVERSITY 2012 HONORARY DOCTORATE RECIPIENTS

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The nation’s largest private art and design university is honoring three of today’s top pioneers in fashion with Honorary Doctorate degrees, even if these designers already hold a Guinness world record or list the Royal Wedding on their resumes.

Philip Treacy for Alexander McQueen, taken from the Met

The Academy of Art University is bringing Britain’s Philip Treacy, Milliner, and Sarah Burton, Creative Director of Alexander McQueen, as well as entrepreneur and breast cancer advocate H.R.H. Princess Reema Bandar Al-Saud, to San Francisco next week for a breathtaking whirlwind of events. They will be presented with the degrees just a few days before the 2012 Graduation Fashion Show and Awards Ceremony, which is open to the public and taking place on Saturday, May 5th.

The School of Fashion consists of over 2,600 students enrolled under the guidance of seasoned professionals sharing their industry experiences. Opportunities to interact with students during discussions, classroom visits, and portfolio reviews encourage the likes of previous guests – including Humberto Leon and Carol Lim of Opening Ceremony, Oscar de la Renta, Ian Hannula and Joe Haller of N.I.C.E. Collective, and Alexander McQueen – to recruit for internships and provide graduates with career opportunities.

portrait courtesy of the Academy of Art University

Long before Sarah Burton was named Creative Director of Alexander McQueen in May 2010, she was interning with the label during her third year at Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design in London. Having worked alongside McQueen for fifteen years, it’s no surprise that Burton recently made the Time 100 List, in which actress Sarah Jessica Parker described Burton as “a young woman who shouldered an enormous burden and privilege with dignity, heart and strength.”

For the last two years, Burton and the McQueen team have consistently brought dreams to life, captivating eyes all around the fashion world from the second those first runway photos hit Style.com, ensuing goosebumps.

portrait by Nick Knight taken from SHOWstudio

Philip Treacy’s wearable fantasies have become icons in fashion and pop culture, many of which stem from creative collaborations with other fashion houses and artists.

Treacy has worked with Alexander McQueen, first during his days at Givenchy, as well as with Giorgio Armani on Lady Gaga’s glittering origami headpiece from the 2009 Grammy Awards, Valentino on a collection of lace pumps in 2010, and Givenchy’s Riccardo Tisci on Madonna’s headpiece at this year’s Super Bowl. What’s next for Treacy?  He’s set to design for some of the guests at Queen Elizabeth’s Diamond Jubilee this year.

Continue reading on ASTONISHWorld.com!

Ps; I may not know what I’m wearing to the reception, but any of the following McQueen A/W 2012 looks will do. #DreamBig

Continue reading →

FOREST UNICORNS, TOMBOY BALLERINAS, AND STUDDED STINGRAY: MEET NEW YORK’S RADENRORO

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This one’s for the ladies who like a little bit of nostalgia in their wardrobe, with New York’s Radenroro reviving those childhood ballerina dreams and unicorn wishes in a completely wearable, sexy tomboy, non-Lisa Franks kind of way.

The glass door displaying the Radenroro logo, the namesake depiction of an Indonesian princess, leads into a square room with two long windows overlooking a string of fabric stores down below. Radenroro headquarters are located on the 9th floor of a high rise overlooking New York’s Garment District, a very short stroll away from Bryant Park. 

The building’s windows are a little muggy, but the warmth of the day’s 75 degree weather shines through into the quaint showroom. The Spring 2012 Collection is placed along the wall to the right as soon as you enter the space, which also celebrates its one year anniversary this month.

An abstract multicolor unicorn print stands out in the lineup of bright hues for this collection. Designer Liquica Anggraini created the signature print with her background in graphic design, one of multiple attempts – along with multimedia, programming , and animation – at figuring out what she wanted to do with herself after coming to New York around ten years ago from Indonesia.

Continue reading at ASTONISHWorld.com and view more photos on Flickr!

REVIVING THE INDUSTRY: MACY’S FASHION INCUBATOR SAN FRANCISCO

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Macy’s hosted a launch party last month for its Fashion Incubator San Francisco (FISF) project, raising the bar for a much needed industry rebirth in the Bay Area. The nonprofit is a business development organization that will mentor six promising designers and provide them the tools needed to establish and grow businesses of their own.

The Incubator project provides ambitious local and emerging fashion designers with a dream platform built of professional business and production instruction, as well as lessons in strengthening their design process, in a mid-century style space tucked away atop the Macy’s Men’s Store in Union Square.

“San Francisco used to be the mecca for the production industry,” says FISF womenswear designer Tony Sananikone, who applied after his partner told him to read about the opening in the SF Examiner. “This incubator is re-jumpstarting the fashion industry in this city.“ Fingers crossed for the return of a real San Francisco Fashion Week. “Where did it go!?,” exclaims Sananikone.

Macy’s provides the designers with the guidance and support they need to launch their Spring 2013 collections. The possibilities seem endless for the lucky six, but a jumpstarter like FISF could also lead to a local lucrative fashion job market.

Continue reading at ASTONISHWorld.com and view more photos on Flickr!