2020’s Five Best Dressed Celebrities

As 2020 winds down, we can only hope that with the turn of the clock from 11:59pm to 12:00am on January 1st, comes a fresh start for 2021. Although the beginning of next year will be far from perfect (we’ve still got a long way to go) we must do the best we can to start it on the right foot. Meanwhile, lets reminisce in celebrity styles in 2020 and acknowledge the years top fashion icons, garment gods and goddesses, wardrobe warriors, and outfit Olympians.

5. Normcore streetwear maven, Shia Labeouf

At first glance, Shia may appear to have a style that says, “I don’t give a sh*t.” And while that is partly true, Shia is the epitome of personal fashion—finding exactly what you like and sticking to it. In a 2020 interview with Sean Evans, he mentions that he’s “big into shapes” and is not concerned about trends. LaBeouf can be spotted wearing anything from oversized Patagonia fleece sweaters, skinny jeans, combat boots, Uggs, and even tights on some occasions. Although not evident to most, Shia is a streetwear maven. For an entire Instagram dedicated to archiving Shia’s looks, click here!

Photo courtesy of upscalehype.com / no copyright infringement intended

4. Preppy colour God, Tyler the Creator

Tyler has been heavily involved in fashion since the inception of his career more than a decade ago. Evolving from OFWGKTA branded tees and hoodies, to creating his own majorly successful label Golf (Wang/La Fleur), he’s become known for his prep-inspired street style. Usually seen donning cropped pants, vests, a cornucopia of different hats, cardigans, loafers, the list goes on. Tyler is always evolving, and it’s very interesting to watch and see what he comes up with next. Check out PopSugar’s slideshow of Tyler’s Best Style Moments.

Original image source unknown / no copyright infringement intended

3. Relatability queen, Emma Chamberlain

YouTube and Instagram personality Emma Chamberlain probably has the most relatable wardrobe of any of these celebs, and she kills it—every. Damn. Time. Her wardrobe is a welcome mix of luxury pieces, thrifted threads, and DIY items. Her looks are diverse enough that it’s difficult to label her style as anything concrete. Some of her past looks are inspired by workwear, streetwear, high-fashion, and lazy Sunday vibes. Emma often posts her outfits on her personal Instagram account—check it out here!

Photo courtesy of dressthenines.com / no copyright infringement intended

2. Mr. sophisticated and refined, Jeff Goldblum

When he isn’t Dr. Ian Malcolm, he’s Jeff Goldblum: master of sophisticated menswear. Goldblum is often cloaked in loud Prada camp collar shirts and Yves Saint Laurent two-piece suits. What Goldblum does better than almost any other celebrity (save maybe for Johnny Depp) is rock a nice pair of glasses…and he has many of them. The day that Jeff Goldblum isn’t looking dapper, is the day the world will end. Click here for a compilation of Goldblum’s best outfits curated by GQ Magazine.

Photo courtesy of GQ.com / no copyright infringement intended

1. Boundary breaking wardrobe warrior and 2020’s king of fashion, Harry Styles

Harry Styles. Harry Styles. Harry Styles. Say it once, then say it again. Styles is majorly responsible for the progress we’ve made thus far in tearing down gender norms in fashion. Just last week, he graced the cover of Vogue Magazine donning a blue and black ruffled Gucci ball-gown underneath an elegant black tailored blazer—and I’m here for it. Knits, animals prints, suits—Styles wears it all, regardless of gender labels or social norms—and he’s the most fashion forward celebrity because of that. He’s one of the few people that looks good in virtually everything he wears. For a comprehensive archive of Styles fits, click here!

Photo courtesy of whowhatwear.com / no copyright infringement intended

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Chad Hetherington

A fashion enthusiast and leisurely, self directed pupil of philosophy, Chad loves nothing more than love itself. In his free time, you’ll probably find him playing video games, spending time with his tight knit friends and family, or browsing for clothes.

Designer Showcase: Emily Bode, Bode NYC

Diane Helentjaris, Unsplash / Please note that images used in this Blog are not affiliated with Emily Bode or Bode, NYC in any way

This wouldn’t be a fashion blog (albeit an amateur, student run-one) if we didn’t showcase at least one extraordinary designer. And who more deserving than Emily Bode of Bode, NYC—one of my absolute favourite brands as of late. Bode—who put together her first runway show for Paris Fashion Week in June of 2019—started her brand on her own terms. She’s become known for crafting one-of-a-kind garments from the ground up using a variety of vintage textiles and fabrics. Whether she’s patching up new garments using those tired fabrics or creating entirely new pieces with them, she brings new life to both the textiles themselves, and the fashion industry. 

An instant inspiration and loved by many, Bode became the first female designer to show at New York Fashion Week (NYFW) in the men’s category—which came only three years after her brand's inauguration in 2016. The collection consisted of colour-blocked shirt/pants sets, corduroy work jackets with hand-drawn images, striped trousers, knit sweaters, a unique penny-lined transparent jacket, and much more. She describes Bode as follows: 

“Bode is a luxury menswear brand that expresses a sentimentality for the past through the study of personal narratives and historical techniques. Modern workwear silhouettes united with female-centric traditions of quilting, mending, and appliqué shape the collections. Each piece tells a story and is tailor-made.” bodenewyork.com

And Bode is certainly a luxury. With prices ranging anywhere from $86 (CAD) for a hand-crafted face mask to $2,000+ (CAD) for some of her hand-tailored, vintage quilt work jackets—it’s important to know why such a high price point is justified. 

The first and most obvious reason for Bode’s luxury price tags is the fabric itself. A vast majority of their pieces are crafted using actual vintage textiles, which are sourced and acquired from many different markets, attics, barns, and sweet grandmother’s across the globe. After the fabrics are acquired, they are cut, sewn, and tailored by hand in countries that have a rich heritage in garment fabrication. To boil it down, when you buy a piece from Bode, you’re buying a rare, hand made, high-quality garment that you most likely will not find anywhere else on the planet—unless you’re sourcing and sewing yourself!

You can find Bode’s one-of-a-kind pieces on their website (linked above). If you see something you like, you better scoop it up quick because they don’t sit for long. Rest assured, new unique pieces are added pretty regularly—so keep your eye out!

With a brand this young, the future can only look bright. I’m extremely excited about Bode’s future collections and to see how it evolves over time. Congratulations to Emily!

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Chad Hetherington

A fashion enthusiast and leisurely, self directed pupil of philosophy, Chad loves nothing more than love itself. In his free time, you’ll probably find him playing video games, spending time with his tight knit friends and family, or browsing for clothes.

What a Moth Eats: The Resurgence of Vintage Garments

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user: Mikoto.raw, Pexels

Within the last couple of years, fashion’s corner of the internet has seen a tremendous rise in the popularity of vintage fashion. Not just vintage-inspired looks, but the actual curation and sale of garments from as far back as the 40’s and 50’s, all the way through to the 1990s. The result of this growing interest in vintage apparel has contributed to a massive boom in vintage fashion resellers.

With so many of these retailers popping up, many specialize in specific garments, eras, brands, or cultures. In my time spent browsing many of these shops, and even buying some pieces for myself, it’s evident that a majority operate exclusively online—whether it be on their own website or through third party resale platforms like Depop, Grailed, or Etsy. In addition to these sites, you’ll find almost all of these outlets marketing and conducting business on Instagram as well. Scattered throughout the glut of shops are some that have garnered greater success, opening their own store-fronts or warehouses where vintage-inclined shoppers can examine the carefully curated wears in person.

While some curators have been successful in building a large customer base here in Canada (like Whitby, Ontario based shop Vintage 905), almost all the shops that I tend towards are based in the USA—specifically Los Angeles and Portland, OR. Both of these cities seem to have quite a large vintage fashion community of enthusiasts. Some of my favourites right now include Mothfood, Unsound Rags, and No Maintenance, all based in LA; and Hellmart and Suite Zero, based in Portland. All five of these shops sell things like: denim, graphic tees, trousers, hats, footwear, sweaters, etc. all ranging in era.

To develop a deeper understanding of the community and business of vintage fashion, I spoke with co-founder of LA-based vintage shop No Maintenance, Sebastian Moraga, to get their perspective:

When and how did you guys get started with No Maintenance?

No Maintenance began [as a] conversation back in March [2020] between the two of us (Sebastian and Roe). We had both been involved in the archival fashion market for the past two years. This brought us familiarity with e-commerce. We both had an interest in vintage clothing, we both wore it and had collected a few pieces, so it seemed like an easy start. But, No Maintenance didn’t really evolve into what it has become today until about July [of this year].

With the vintage fashion market booming in popularity over the past few years, how might you explain the continuous, rising demand for vintage garments? 

Like I mentioned before, we came from [a] background of designer goods, which was a very small niche that exploded. I believe the success of vintage clothing, to the point, that there are thousands of online shops, can be attributed to Instagram. [It’s] a combination of the right influencers and a rapidly changing menswear scene. Vintage has always been very popular. It has historically appealed to people in their 20’s and up. If you walked around San Francisco, New York, LA, etc. 5 years ago, the styles we see in vintage today are the same. In fact, I believe they are the same timeless looks that [trace] back to the 70’s when these garments were first being made. But, I believe when something catches [on] with the next generation, […] that’s when the trends explode in popularity. Pair that with [the] global phenomenon of social media, and you have kids all over the globe hungry for American vintage.

How much work goes into sourcing and acquiring garments for resale, and what does that work generally look like?

We work a ton. We have partnerships we have developed that help us with the workload. But generally speaking, work looks like this: source X amount of goods > wash/steam them > photograph/edit > measure > post on website > post on Instagram. That’s our workflow. There is a lot of work involved, but we can’t complain. It’s part of what we love.

How might you respond to criticism about inflating the price of garments that some people may argue can be found at thrift stores themselves?

Personally, I don’t feel that criticism necessarily concerns what we do. We want No Maintenance to be accessible and affordable. High prices are part of the game when you have a ton of demand. Thrifting can be quite difficult (especially during COVID-19). [Going] to a place and sorting through tons of used clothes to find one gem [is hard]. People are willing to pay a premium for the ease of having an item show up at their door. For me, it’s about finding the balance between accessibility and affordability while maintaining a certain standard. For example, we don’t do band tees too often, or many typical ‘vintage’ pieces you may see at upscale thrift stores. We try to shine a light on new styles, aesthetics, and general visual ideas.

What are some of your personal favourite eras or styles?

Personally, my interest in clothing and fashion goes beyond vintage. In terms of influence right now, it’s hard to ignore the 90’s. I think it’s just far enough away to feel distant, but an aesthetic that also fits into contemporary life. Some aspects of 80’s Japanese fashion appeal to me as well, and 70’s Americana. But generally speaking, it comes down to seasons (although LA is pretty warm year-round). I like to think we both incorporate elements of vintage Americana and vintage designer, and [when combined] they create their own distinct look.

October 28, 2020

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Chad Hetherington

A fashion enthusiast and leisurely, self directed pupil of philosophy, Chad loves nothing more than love itself. In his free time, you’ll probably find him playing video games, spending time with his tight knit friends and family, or browsing for clothes.

What is Fashion?

When we ask a question like '“what is fashion?” it’s important to understand the difference between the dictionary definition of the word itself, and an interpretation of the concept—which is not necessarily universal. What we can do, however, is define the word concept as: an abstract idea or general notion, and we learn that fashion definitely falls into that category.

Instead of dress and garments as individual objects, think of fashion as more of a tool for communication. Whether you’re concerned with aesthetics or not, your clothing says a lot about who you might be: where society may have placed you, your political ideas, your creative vision, etc. What fashion means to a haute couture designer is probably wildly different than what it means to Inuit communities of northern Canada; and as Shakespeare wrote in Hamlet, “The apparel oft proclaims the man [or woman].” One of my favourite things I’ve read about this question does an excellent job at speaking to both fashion’s practicality and creativity:

anna shvets, pexels

“Fashion is a combination of science and art - the clothes and accessories we need, and the way we express who we are individually and socially, how we feel, how we wish to communicate. Fashion communicates values and tastes, thoughts and ideas, form and function, how we work, how we play, joie de vivre...and sometimes, just fun.” Caroline Daniels, Professor, Entrepreneur, London.

Fashion is all of these things: industry, art, necessity, protection, expression, change, progress, reflection, the list goes on. It’s what people choose to do with it that makes it truly interesting.

To this end, I think it’s fair to say that a concrete definition of fashion as a concept is elusive. However, I think most people would agree that fashion—in addition to their definition—is an expression. To those who are fortunate, that expression could be artistic or philosophical. Designers and enthusiasts can play with silhouettes, colours, accessories, ideas, beliefs, etcetera. And for the unconcerned, or people who lack an alternative, what they wear is still an expression of who they might be nonetheless. For example, individuals that experience homelessness; live in areas with extreme weather; or have certain religious beliefs—a lot of times you can discern these things based on their appearance, and a majority of their appearance is their garb.

Whatever fashion means (or doesn’t mean) to you, there is something to be said about having confidence in this realm. And the reality is that as long as whatever you’re wearing makes you feel good; expresses who you are; and you’re happy with the message you’re sending, then by the nature of independence, it is a great outfit for you! Once you become comfortable with yourself and the idea of trying new things and being open to interpreting new ideas, your possibilities with clothes are limitless.

October 5th, 2020

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Chad Hetherington

A fashion enthusiast and leisurely, self directed pupil of philosophy, Chad loves nothing more than love itself. In his free time, you’ll probably find him playing video games, spending time with his tight knit friends and family, or browsing for clothes.

What can you expect from MASQUE?

At MASQUE, we are dedicated to publishing relevant stories and information from across the fashion and beauty industries, focusing on the contemporary, ethical, and cultural. In a time when everything seems to be fleeting, honest information remains our priority. We are enthusiastic about bringing you creative, fun, and interesting articles covering current and anterior trends—and are equally devoted to unmasking some of the industry's unethical practices. With virtues in mind, fashion is an amazing outlet for creatives and enthusiasts alike, and a great opportunity to express yourself in innovative ways. We look forward to sharing exciting and important information with you!

—MASQUE Team