Racked: All Posts by Ilise CarterThe National Shopping, Stores, and Retail Scene Bloghttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/52809/32x32.0..png2018-02-12T09:32:01-05:00https://www.racked.com/authors/ilise-carter/rss2018-02-12T09:32:01-05:002018-02-12T09:32:01-05:00Everything You Ever Idly Wondered About Spa Music During a Massage
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Er-9ZharKuuBgiT2T7jxW_yDdh0=/406x0:6955x4912/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/58537903/GettyImages_684890450.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo: PeopleImage/Getty Images</figcaption>
</figure>
<p class="c-entry-disclaimer"><i>Racked is no longer publishing. Thank you to everyone who read our work over the years. The archives will remain available here; for new stories, head over to Vox.com, where our staff is covering consumer culture for <a href="https://www.vox.com/the-goods">The Goods by Vox</a>. You can also see what we’re up to by <a href="https://vox.com/goods-newsletter">signing up here</a>.</i></p>
<p>What’s going on with those pan flutes and whale sounds. </p> <p class="p--has-dropcap" id="dclIq5">During a recent trip to a spa, I observed that nothing throws you off your relaxation groove quite like environmental extremes: This room is too hot, this room is too cold, this pan-flute music is cranked to Metallica-worthy decibel levels. </p>
<p id="Ay0Q02">The last one was particularly puzzling. While not exactly my day-to-day jam, I’d always tolerated that specific combo of pan flutes and nature sounds as just a normal part of the overall spa experience, like those little tabletop pebble fountains or floppy paper slippers. I also figured that was sort of the point: It’s audio wallpaper, aural incense, something that’s there but not intrusive or demanding of your brain space. But faced with something that sounded like a seagull being beaten to death with a rain stick, it occurred to me that if I could no longer ignore it, maybe I should learn something about it.</p>
<div class="c-float-right c-float-hang"><aside id="IFni2v"><q>What is “new-age” music? Where does it come from and why do they keep making it, since it all sounds alike?</q></aside></div>
<p id="HiBh1l">First off, what is “new-age” music? Where does it come from and why do they keep making it, since it all sounds alike? Trying to keep a more open, more Zen mind about it, I turned to the experts. It turns out that there are several large labels that specialize in the type of instrumental/nature sounds/chanting recordings that populate spas and yoga studios. Two of the top houses are <a href="http://www.sequoiarecords.com/">Sequoia Records</a>, based out of California, and <a href="https://www.newearthrecords.com/">New Earth Records</a>, which has its creative offices in Colorado. Not unsurprisingly, the owners are calm, friendly, and open to answering my questions; no suggestion of East Coast/West Coast rivalries here, no drive-by “sage-ings,” beef tracks, or diva demands. </p>
<p id="pKO48O">Bhikkhu Schober, who runs New Earth Records, takes a wide-open approach to the genre, preferring to eschew the name “new age” as tired and limiting. “I wouldn’t call it ‘new age,’ because that term ‘new age’ has been overused and people don’t like it. For me, music, it’s sound,” he says. “I don’t like names on it anymore.” Rather, the company’s website lists music for specific uses, such as Music for Spa and Massage, Music for Yoga, and Music for Reiki.</p>
<p id="6DVrAR">For a music executive, he’s also uniquely invested in the practice of silence, since he founded the company after spending more than a decade on an ashram in India learning the practice of meditation. “We were looking for music [that] brings people into a state of inner silence and quietness and relaxation,” he says. “We thought that that was needed in these crazy times, and we found our niche there.” This puts their music in a pretty unusual category: Even if you love it, you’re not actually listening to it in an active sense — it’s a tool, a means to end, it’s what you put on when you don’t want to think about what you just put on. It’s music stripped of ego and decree; there’s no empowering message from “Mother Monster” or lighters-out stadium rockers here. Instead, your own silent practice or therapy is supposed to be the star attraction.</p>
<div class="c-float-left c-float-hang"><aside id="82X3VS"><q>“It’s almost like lighting some incense or something.” </q></aside></div>
<p id="V4rGxu">Sequoia co-founder David Gordon agrees. He gets that his catalog is probably not something you’d drop onto the turntable during a party or crank up on the jukebox, saying, “It’s not something where you put it on, and like turn it up really loud, and have it be the main focus of what you are doing.” Instead, “It’s almost like lighting some incense or something.” </p>
<p id="CTMfQU">A trained musician, Gordon developed his approach to the genre naturally. Literally. He began to record nature sounds on hikes with his brother in the early ’80s, which inspired them to take “that stuff into the studio,” where they “started sort of jamming with it, and that was the origin of our meditation music.” </p>
<p id="i9MChj">From there, the genre of new age music sort of grew up around them. “There wasn’t really a new age industry at the time,” he recalls. “It wasn’t even really called new-age music. When we first started it, we called it ‘environmental music.’” Over the next few years, the new age movement and its association with crystals, aura cleansing, and other assorted spiritual practices expanded nationwide, and their music for meditation grooved right in. But even some of the central figures of the genre are also on the fence about the label that’s become closely associated with sketchy sweat lodges and expensive kombucha drinks. “A lot of the new age musicians even hate it… They never wanted it to be metaphysical or spiritual, they just wanted it to be nice and peaceful,” he says. “There’s some new age musicians who love the spirituality and the metaphysics of it, and some can’t stand it and wish that they could just be thought of as ambient or something.” Even the term “ambient” puts this genre in another light and places the whole sound closer to the current, more mainstream EDM trend. One of Gordon and his cohort’s biggest influences when creating their early albums was <a href="http://www.brian-eno.net/">Brian Eno</a>, the electronic music pioneer, who’s worked with sonic powerhouses like David Bowie and Grace Jones — so, not exactly your average drum circle. </p>
<aside id="0ows5t"><div data-anthem-component="actionbox" data-anthem-component-data="{"title":"Like what you're reading?","description":"Get Racked's twice-weekly newsletter.","label":"SIGN UP","url":"https://confirmsubscription.com/h/d/59F5932428C4E6CD"}"></div></aside><p id="rjePVQ">Genres aside, Gordon also sees why the music has become intertwined with the beauty and relaxation experience. As he explains it, “Some people go to spas just to relax. But some people also go to them for sort of like healing, where they feel that there is a metaphysical connection. I think it’s a good overlap between spas and the music that they both have those different dimensions.” He does confirm my belief that volume level is a critical component: too loud and you’re jolted out of your happy place; too quiet and you can hear the paper on the table rustle. He advises aiming for the middle path. “It should be at a nice level, and it should be at a level where you can still comfortably talk with your worker.”</p>
<p id="Erw2BX">Okay, but what if you <em>are</em> the worker? I panicked thinking about the possibilities of working a 9-to-5 that was not only about touching strangers but also meant being surrounded by a soundtrack of what I took to be Celtic monks chanting about dolphins in a rainforest. (One of the many reasons to tip well, IMO.) Here too, the advice of professionals helps. </p>
<p id="Uye3Ga">Massage therapist <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Kim-Gentry-MT-1996970543906870/">Kim Gentry of Tallapoosa, Georgia</a>, gently reassures me that to her seasoned ear, “it’s just there” and says it’s occasionally even funny to them. She explains that some songs made her giggle thanks to sheer repetition. Others became hilarious thanks to her coworker. “There’s one guy in particular. He would bust a move trying to make you laugh, and was just difficult when you’re trying to perform a massage and be relaxing.” Now in private practice, she monitors the tunes she plays carefully, less for her own sanity than to make sure that clients can unplug and unwind. “I would say 80 percent of my clients, when we switched our music, would do ‘name that tune.’ It would crack me up.” </p>
<div class="c-float-right c-float-hang"><aside id="28DbXE"><q>“A few are kind of dark instrumentals and they almost sound like they could be in a horror movie. I say these came off the album <em>Music to Murder Your Clients To</em>.”</q></aside></div>
<p id="XpXesg">New York-based masseuse Nancy Richardson says while there are some songs she really likes, she also finds a certain black humor in some of the tracks her spa has selected. “A few are kind of dark instrumentals, and they almost sound like they could be in a horror movie. I say these came off the album <em>Music to Murder Your Clients To</em>.” She adds: “I obviously don’t joke like that to new clients.” Another problem she faces is a tendency to try and figure some of the more obscure choices of the composers.. “One ‘song’ is just waves crashing. Another has music in the background but the predominant sound you hear is what I joke sounds like orcas mating. I want the music at the forefront. If there are some crickets thrown in, I don’t mind. But when what you hear most are animal sounds, it’s not my thing.“ It’s a little annoying to her, but the clients seem relaxed and blissed out, so she’s happy to go along with it.</p>
<p id="f9HvrQ">She also points out that there may be some intense, but not overt, psychological elements to the music that play a role in why it’s such a natural match with spa settings. ”(T)he slow pacing of the melodies, which is believed to induce relaxation, makes it a common-sense, go-to choice.” She’s even explored the idea that there’s a physiological response to sound in her music choices, adding, “I even own a CD (that dates me) called <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Key-Healing-Steven-Halpern/dp/B000001OQF"><em>In the Key of Healing by Steve Halpern,</em></a><em> </em>which is supposed to lower both heart and respiration rate. It is just music, though.”</p>
<p id="2OjIRE">As it turns out, she shouldn’t be so quick to dismiss the power of music on the body, since science is actually on her side on this score. According to Dr. Brent Bauer, research director for the Integrative Medicine Program at Mayo Clinic and a medical advisor of industry group the International Spa Association, research is beginning to catch up with what fans of all genres already know — music is good medicine. According to his research, relaxing music and nature sounds, the main components of a lot of new age tunes, may actually have some tension- and pain-relieving properties. “We think broadly about the use of music,” he says. “We’ve done a number of studies with music; one wasn’t so much music as it was nature sounds.” Which means that the sounds of whales flirting might actually be just what the doctor ordered. Or, as he puts it, “just having those things available in the post-operative period led to a significant reduction in stress and anxiety, and even some impact on pain.” </p>
<div class="c-float-left c-float-hang"><aside id="pQttY1"><q>“Just having those things available in the post-operative period led to a significant reduction in stress and anxiety, and even some impact on pain.” </q></aside></div>
<p id="f8uJmS">The results of his studies really do seem to suggest that that peculiar combo of pan flutes and noisy birds, while maybe not at the top of your favorite mix, helps you relax and enjoy that pore-cleansing facial or hot-stone massage. Even stripped of the visual elements of spas — the mood-lit rooms, the silk flowers, those posters of fancy manicures or waterfalls — the music seems to win out in Bauer’s studies. So much so that the healing powers of the spa experience are being retrofitted to clinical hospital settings: Mayo now offers massage, nail, and other services to cancer patients and others in an attempt to integrate other forms of support into its treatments. </p>
<p id="2dp1zv">The practice of integrating the familiar (music) with the more clinical (i.e., medical treatments) seems to show tremendous possibilities. Bauer, however, is quick to relieve my own stress when he explains that I don’t have to face a future of training myself to like the new age stuff that I’d been railing against. ”So many studies, including some we’ve done here, allow patient choice,” he says. “(I)t seems like choosing your own type of music can often enhance the effect above and beyond just, here’s a music intervention.” Which means that it doesn’t have to be all wind chimes and bongos to get the full benefit. </p>
<p id="W5oAOJ">As with most things, it comes down to moderation and choice. Maybe it’s not the soundtrack to your life, maybe it’s not your fight song, but those strange nature/chanting/sacred/electronic music combos seem to be a real practical workhouse for the whole industry. For clients, they’re inoffensive, not distracting, and genuinely seem to have a calming effect on the mind and body, if used properly. (Hint: not Monsters of Rock/earplugs-required loud.) For spa professionals and other therapists, this music can be an actual tool in their practice to relieve everything from everyday tension to serious pain. So why not let go and chirp along?</p>
<p id="XYbBPT"></p>
https://www.racked.com/2018/2/12/16960674/spa-musicIlise Carter2017-04-12T10:32:01-04:002017-04-12T10:32:01-04:00Can Instagram Help Rebrand Pawn Shops?
<figure>
<img alt="Outside a Memphis pawn shop in 1943" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/VyICvkuj5IYhUMT_hEEe2Bjzgow=/64x0:1937x1405/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/54211571/Memphis_pawn_shop_1940s.1492007525.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo: Walter Sanders/Getty Images</figcaption>
</figure>
<p class="c-entry-disclaimer"><i>Racked is no longer publishing. Thank you to everyone who read our work over the years. The archives will remain available here; for new stories, head over to Vox.com, where our staff is covering consumer culture for <a href="https://www.vox.com/the-goods">The Goods by Vox</a>. You can also see what we’re up to by <a href="https://vox.com/goods-newsletter">signing up here</a>.</i></p>
<p>A new generation of brokers is using social media and luxury concierge services to shift public perception.</p> <p class="p--has-dropcap p-large-text" id="mpJbNu">If you ask the average American consumer what image the phrase “pawn shop” brings to mind, the response would probably be something out of a film noir: grim, sketchy storefronts haunted by grizzled, cigar-chomping old men. </p>
<p class="p-large-text" id="VmV2u8">But the current landscape is something entirely more wholesome and tech-savvy. In an effort to bridge this gap of perception and reality, a new generation (along with some old-timers) is working diligently to reshape and polish the industry’s public face in order to attract a new generation of clients.</p>
<p id="OwwcCa">So what <em>is</em> pawn, exactly? Simply put, pawnbrokers offer customers a loan based on collateral items, such as gold jewelry, and customers have a set period of time to pay off the loan and its interest. If the loan isn’t repaid in the allotted time period, there’s often a grace period where customers are contacted by certified mail, phone, and email, and then they have another grace period to pay off the balance. If the customer fails to meet payments after this period, then (and only then) the pawned item becomes property of the broker, who can melt it down for the precious metal value or sell it. </p>
<p id="Lvk1Wu">But because people are most familiar with the first and last steps of the process, or perhaps because of pawn’s presence as a plot point in old movies and crime procedural TV, a lot of consumers have a vague idea that pawn is limited to stealing your grandmother’s silver for some quick cash. While this may have often been the case decades ago, the current state of this highly regulated industry is much more transparent, widely used, and even upscale with select concierge services. </p>
<div class="c-float-right c-float-hang"><aside id="G3YbC9"><q>A lot of consumers have a vague idea that pawn is limited to stealing your grandmother’s silver for some quick cash.</q></aside></div>
<p id="l7q1ni">Its reputation endures, though. Third-generation broker <a href="http://pawnonthecobb.com/">Lauren Kaminsky</a> says she often receives flack about her work from people who don’t understand. “When I tell people that we make loans, a lot of them say, ‘Oh, that's so sad that [jewelry] gets put in the showcases.’ That's not the case. It gets put in a vault and belongs to the customer throughout the entire loan period.” She adds that even if the customer fails to pay off the loan, that’s not necessarily the end of the transaction. According to Kaminsky, “if the person doesn't come back or we don't hear from them, we actually give a two-month grace period; and then after those 60 days, that's when the item either gets sold or melted.”</p>
<p id="mogko5">While jewelry, electronics, and sports memorabilia are currently the most common items to offer up, they’re not necessarily the only things you can put down as collateral for a loan. You can technically pawn anything your pawnbroker is willing to accept, but they tend to stick with things that can be easily turned around in retail. According to veteran New Jersey broker Irwin Sablosky, who manages a family-owned chain of pawn shops that started over a century ago, you could literally pawn the shirt off your back. “Years ago, we used to take clothing — we had a full clothing department. We used to take suits, jackets, coats, hat, and shoes. That used to be a very big part of our business. That's obviously gone by the wayside.” </p>
<div class="c-wide-block"> <figure class="e-image">
<img alt="Outside a Memphis pawn shop in 1943" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/qE_caaHWwATA8X3b11v2VnSudWg=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/8315929/Memphis_pawn_shop_1940s.jpg">
<cite>Photo: Walter Sanders/Getty Images</cite>
<figcaption>Outside a Memphis pawn shop in 1943.</figcaption>
</figure>
</div>
<p id="vO3zDB">While that may seem adorably quaint now, it’s important to remember that the business itself is incredibly old. The pawn industry has existed in some form for no less than 3,000 years by some accounts, having started in China with small loans to peasants who had no other means of securing money. In fact, the symbol used outside most shops — a sign emblazoned with three gold balls suspended from a bar — is said to originate with the family crest of <a href="https://www.signs.com/blog/the-first-pawn-stars-the-medici-family-and-their-secret-sign/">House of Medici</a>, who founded their first brokerage in 1397. The powerful Italian banking family, which is perhaps most famous for using its vast wealth to fund the great artists and artisans of the Renaissance, built its fortunes by making loans and using the complicated collateral formulas of pawn as ploy to avoid running afoul of the Vatican’s laws against Catholic-owned businesses charging interest. </p>
<p id="sZpV1q">As popular myth would have it, even America as a nation owes its existence to pawn, since <a href="http://www.nobility.org/2013/06/20/isabel-pawns-jewels-for-baeza/">Queen Isabella of Spain</a> was thought to have pawned the crown jewels to finance Columbus’ exploration. Historians now debate the accuracy of this claim, although it does seem like she did hock some items to fight a war in Granada. And she was hardly the only European monarch looking for a quick cash loan against failing wars; even England’s Edward III pawned his crown to finance his campaigns against France. So, with this noble history, how did the industry fall so far in terms of public opinion?</p>
<div class="c-float-left c-float-hang"><aside id="OKalzN"><q>In many areas [during the Great Depression], pawn became the go-to source for money for the most financially distressed homes.</q></aside></div>
<p id="cQO4Wz">The answer probably has something to do with the hard times pawn has seen and seen people through. During the Depression, a great number of banks folded, leaving very few options for low-income consumers who needed cash in a hurry. In many areas, pawn became the go-to source for money for the most financially distressed homes. As the 20th century evolved and credit cards became available, those without access to lines of credit due to inconsistent income, lack of financial savvy, or just desperate circumstance continued to turn to pawn shops for needed cash, perhaps cementing its reputation, as Sablosky puts it, as “the poor man’s bank.” </p>
<p id="rtKBFC">It’s also in this period that pawn may have acquired its reputation as a sketchy, even criminal enterprise. While there may have been some truth to this in the past, as years went by, pawn became one of the more <a href="https://assets.nationalpawnbrokers.org/2010/10/FAQ_2016-1-2.jpg">heavily regulated lending industries </a>beholden to laws at the city, state, and federal levels, plus more than a half-dozen nationwide statutes. There are also laws on the books to protect both consumers and brokers against identity fraud, stolen property, and other issues that could arise from dealing with peoples’ valuables. </p>
<p id="81LJlI">Despite this, the industry remained largely under the radar, continuing to operate family-run stores in the same neighborhoods generation after generation. In the late aughts, pawn reemerged into public consciousness with the popularity of reality TV shows such as <em>Pawn Stars</em> (2009) and <em>Hardcore Pawn </em>(2010), which used family-owned pawn stores as a background to show off flimsy plot lines and strange collectibles. The format was simple and fun: People came in with various celebrity collectibles and pop culture oddities seeking cash, experts were consulted and deals were struck (or not, depending on the items’ values.) </p>
<div class="c-float-right c-float-hang"> <figure class="e-image">
<img alt="The Pawn Stars pawn shop in Las Vegas." data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/YdPAFWcuRUBWDUDEh-JMaKvW0_0=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/8316027/pawn_stars_pawn_shop.jpg">
<cite>Photo: Denise Truscello/Getty Images</cite>
<figcaption>The <em>Pawn Stars </em>pawn shop in Las Vegas.</figcaption>
</figure>
</div>
<p id="YbherG">Seldom, if ever, did a customer actually pawn an item in the sense that they took out a loan on it. The shows may have piqued peoples’ interest in the industry, but they seem to have done little in terms of public relations, with few stores besides the ones featured on the shows seeing any real uptick in visitors. </p>
<p id="mHHo2r">The industry did, however, see a huge boost during the recession of the past decade because <a href="http://onlygold.com/Info/Historical-Gold-Prices.asp">gold prices skyrocketed</a>, giving jewelry new value. According to <a href="https://www.nationalpawnbrokers.org">National Pawnbrokers Association</a> spokesperson, Emmett Murphy, “The actual business has changed as the economy has changed. As an example, during the downturn of the economy in 2008, people were laid off and did not have access to traditional forms of credit. Consumer reports were growing, and the industry was servicing customers that didn't have access to credit in other places.” </p>
<p id="iSgX9N">Though Murphy adds that there seems to be continuing growth in the pawn industry with more people using the stores and online outlets to get loans, the numbers of transactions in any given year are hard to track due to the fact that an estimated 85 percent of the 10,000 shops in the US are <a href="https://www.nationalpawnbrokers.org/about/pawn-industry-faqs/">“mom and pop” establishments</a> that don’t report sales to a central organization or agency. </p>
<p id="1aQOvY">The real game-changer for the industry at large, however, might not be the whims of the markets or reality TV, but social media. For Kaminsky, the future of the family business is on Instagram and other social outlets. Kaminsky, who’s been nicknamed “Gold Girl” by industry peers, is coupling her background in business management with millennial savvy to expand <a href="http://ezpawncorp.com">EZ Pawn Corp.’s</a> empire and refine pawn’s overall public perception through social media. What distinguishes her approach from other industry vets, according to Murphy, is that “she’s much more public relations-focused than other pawnbrokers.”</p>
<p id="qhMbVm">Kaminsky works out of a bustling, informal office in the Long Island City section of Queens, where she oversees appraisals and the expansion of EZ Pawn Corp.’s chain of pawn shops. She’s also active in industry organizations like the <a href="https://www.nationalpawnbrokers.org/about/">National Pawnbrokers Association</a>, and she curates the retail collection for the Tao Group’s <a href="http://beautyandessex.com/">Beauty & Essex</a>, pawn shop-inspired restaurants in Las Vegas and New York (a Los Angeles outpost is coming soon).</p>
<div class="c-wide-block"> <figure class="e-image">
<img alt="The Locket Room inside Beauty &amp; Essex in New York City" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/rK37tuKHZYePUCdna3l2_MsvfRc=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/8315967/beauty_essex.jpg">
<cite>Photo: <a href="http://beautyandessex.com/">Beauty & Essex</a></cite>
<figcaption>The Locket Room inside Beauty & Essex in New York City.</figcaption>
</figure>
</div>
<p id="0hEY2B">That is to say, being a licensed pawnbroker was not her initial career goal. Kaminsky’s grandfather, Martin, started the business that evolved into EZ Pawn Corp. in the Spanish Harlem neighborhood of New York City, and her dad, David, continued it. (His face is familiar to New York City commuters from his ubiquitous subway ads where he’s dressed as Uncle Sam, promising cash for gold.)</p>
<p id="wSKP8v">Even though being a pawnbroker ran in the family, Lauren Kaminsky admits to an initial distaste for the industry. “People would assume that I didn't have a choice, but I never understood the pawn business. I went to Boston University and I studied business management. I had no desire to work with my dad, and no desire to go into a business that seemed shady and sketchy and that I didn't really know anything about.” </p>
<p id="935m69">Her change of heart came in the summer of 2008, when she was helping her dad during a particularly busy period. “I’ll never forget how busy it was that summer. We opened up stores. I was learning how to pawn gold, and I was learning how to market the pawn industry. No one was really out there talking about this business. That's when I decided: You know what? People can say what they want about pawnbrokers.” After completing her degree, she returned to the business built by her father, and she has been a steadfast evangelist for pawn ever since. </p>
<p id="RGC5y2">Part of what attracted Kaminsky to her line of work to begin with was a genuine appreciation of jewelry design that she didn’t see in her dad, who tended to focus on net weight over trend or craftsmanship. She remembers spending time in her dad’s stores growing up and looking at all of the jewelry he had, pointing out which of the bracelets she liked from his collections. She recalls a time when she recognized a Cartier ring sitting in a box, but to her dad, “gold was just gold.”</p>
<div class="c-float-left c-float-hang"><div id="pOOH36">
<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-version="7" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:62.48665955176094% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div>
</div> <p style=" margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BStzsUOh36F/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank">A few of my favorite pretty little things & a nod of approval from our favorite guy - biggie! @beautyandessexpawn</a></p> <p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A post shared by bygoldgirl (@bygoldgirl) on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2017-04-10T18:58:52+00:00">Apr 10, 2017 at 11:58am PDT</time></p>
</div></blockquote>
<script async="" defer src="//platform.instagram.com/en_US/embeds.js"></script>
</div></div>
<p id="VxmaCK">Using her connections in both pawn and estate sales, Kaminsky started her own brand, <a href="https://bygoldgirl.com/">By GoldGirl</a>, where she deals in jewelry and redesigned vintage items in a range of price points, and the site itself houses a curated collection of high-end jewelry from those connections. This is where her understanding of social media outreach really pays off. “The social media presence is huge because everyone likes looking at pictures of pretty and interesting things,“ she says. </p>
<p id="G0l10X">Much like how upscale resale stores have raised the profile of used clothing, Kaminsky is reinventing the customer experience of pawn. For her online profile, she uses editorial-style photography and features <a href="http://shopbygoldgirl.com/">luxe pieces</a> that can range in price into the thousands of dollars. There’s also a smaller selection that doesn’t overwhelm shoppers. Her site’s motto is “Happy Treasure Hunting,” which she extends beyond her own business by still encouraging people to explore their local stores. “Pawn shops are really a great shopping destination because their inventory is constantly changing,” she says. </p>
<p id="o3G1yx">In 2010, Kaminsky had a meeting with the management of Beauty & Essex that resulted in her curating a “pawn-shop inspired” jewelry collection for its growing chain of locations. Though none of the Beauty & Essex locations are run by licensed and bonded pawnbrokers, there’s still a distinct pawn shop vibe, albeit a less intimidating and slightly more glamorous one, with vintage vitrines and eye-catching tchotchkes in the front and a cocktail-couture restaurant in the back.</p>
<p id="abqsnr">Kaminsky thinks this could be a gain for the industry. “It’s almost like we are taking [our stock] from a place someone might not feel comfortable walking into [and bringing it] to the totally approachable, comfortable Beauty & Essex,” she says. “I think it's bridged the gap and made people realize: Wait, I can actually find good stuff in a pawn shop. Next time I walk by one, I'm going to pop in.”</p>
<p id="bcjlrk">Though not an overnight change, Kaminsky does see young professionals in the industry making headway in changing their overall approach to the inner and outer workings of the business. She attributes this change to bringing together the experience of veterans with the upstart ideas of millennial brokers. </p>
<p id="XoTcZ6">“I’m on the board of the <a href="https://www.nationalpawnbrokers.org/">National Pawnbrokers Association</a> and I'm one of the youngest members, which is a huge change for them,” she says. “We now have a Young Professionals Committee; we’re merging with the old-timers, so the old-timers are still on the board, and our board meetings are really a learning experience on both sides. They know things, and they care. They're passionate about things that I would never look twice at. They say the same about me, and marketing, and Instagram, and how important that is. We're teaching each other at these board meetings, which I think is really rare in most industries.”</p>
<div class="c-float-right c-float-hang"><aside id="EntbfA"><q>Much like how upscale resale stores have raised the profile of used clothing, Kaminsky is reinventing the customer experience of pawn.</q></aside></div>
<p id="6nV59f">Even the old-timers seem to agree that the future of the pawn business is an adapt-or-die scenario. According to Sablosky, attracting customers was a much different game when he took over the family business three decades ago. “We've grown into the internet age, there's no question about it,” he says. “There used to be a time when we said to people, ‘How'd you find us?’ and they said, ‘We went to the yellow pages.’ Obviously those things don't exist anymore, so we've created a huge online presence with our website. We're on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/wmsrichandson/">Instagram</a>, we're on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/wmsrichandson/">Facebook</a>, we're doing all of those things.” </p>
<p id="uGMczU">His <a href="http://wmsrichandson.com/">WM. S. Rich & Son</a> stores are big on customer education and convenience. The site includes a blog on the ins and outs of buying and selling, and there’s even an online function where customers can get an initial appraisal via email. Sablosky is quick to add that there’s less stigma around pawn now than he’s seen in the past, partially because his shops (and others) are providing services in a more upscale way than they have historically. “We're reaching out to the higher economic levels and giving them a concierge service, where we'll come to them by appointment, we'll give bank references, we'll come to an office where they're comfortable. It allows us to reach all different people, whereas we were limited in the past.”</p>
<p id="V4voQy">One difference between pawn and other current luxury business models seems to be an absence of celebrity influencers from outside the industry, part of which probably has to do with the continuing stigma of pawning items for cash, but may be possible on the other side of business with custom jewelry, resale, and concierge-type services, which are options more pawn outlets are beginning to invest in. </p>
<p id="QPbvde">In the meantime, internal brand evangelists like Kaminsky and Sablosky will continue to try and convert the skeptical through social media, customer education, and evolving retail experiences. Only time will tell if this approach will bring in a new generation of customers, but until then, for a lot of people who need quick cash and can part with keepsakes temporarily, it remains a time-tested option. </p>
<p id="W2NHMG"></p>
https://www.racked.com/2017/4/12/14753600/pawn-shopsIlise Carter2016-10-14T11:02:02-04:002016-10-14T11:02:02-04:00Cool Women to Be This Halloween
<figure>
<img alt="Dolly Parton" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/M7hIDCRliElrUasTtrnoWlkUHy0=/36x0:3467x2573/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/51342587/GettyImages-152368483.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Dolly! Photo: The Estate of David Gahr/Getty Images</figcaption>
</figure>
<p class="c-entry-disclaimer"><i>Racked is no longer publishing. Thank you to everyone who read our work over the years. The archives will remain available here; for new stories, head over to Vox.com, where our staff is covering consumer culture for <a href="https://www.vox.com/the-goods">The Goods by Vox</a>. You can also see what we’re up to by <a href="https://vox.com/goods-newsletter">signing up here</a>.</i></p>
<p>Not all sheroes wear capes.</p> <p id="txKGnK">This Halloween, think outside the bag! With a woman within striking distance of the most powerful office in the world, it’s a good time to celebrate some bad-ass broads — real and imaginary — throughout the ages. Plus, with a little smart online shopping this October, you can easily avoid the usual pitfalls of “sexy” chain store costumes, <a href="http://bust.com/general/8749-were-a-culture-not-a-costume-campaign-reminds-us-dont-be-racist-on-halloween.html">culturally questionable stereotypes</a>, or just what everyone else is wearing. </p>
<hr class="p-entry-hr" id="Zr7rlw">
<h4 id="4XHp1D">Don’t: Generic Flapper</h4>
<p id="ykz0Ba">No one celebrated the passage of the 19<sup>th</sup> Amendment with sequin headbands and polyester tube dresses. </p>
<h4 id="LCOLXW">Do! Phryne Fisher</h4>
<p id="zvp2G7">The titular star of <em><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1988386/">Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries</a></em>, Phryne is one fast-driving, cocktail-drinking, crime-solving, modern Aussie gal. Her Jazz Age style is nothing to sneeze at either, with her penchant for silk dusters, flowing pants, smart hats, and beaded bags.</p>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/3R1eTlrdzR1_NgONoh2N4JtaUro=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/7273897/miss-fisher-murder-mysteries.jpg">
<cite>Photo: <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/tv/programs/miss-fishers-murder-mysteries/">ABC</a></cite>
</figure>
<p id="28UvSm">What to wear: Think elegance and decadence. Wide leg pants, layers of necklaces, and silk blouses, all tied together with something like this <a href="https://go.redirectingat.com?id=66960X1514733&xs=1&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.unique-vintage.com%2Fflapper%2Fflapper-coats.html&referrer=racked.com&sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.racked.com%2F2016%2F10%2F14%2F13274196%2Fhalloween-costume-ideas-real-women" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener" target="_blank">fringed coat</a> from Unique Vintage and a well-trimmed <a href="http://www.villagehatshop.com/category/129/1/cloche-flapper-hats.html">cloche hat</a>. Add the classic vamp makeup with a smoky eye and Cupid’s bow lip in a classic bright red. </p>
<hr class="p-entry-hr" id="eHQ895">
<h4 id="QbCnRC">Don’t: Plain Old Ballerina</h4>
<p id="L4W6PU">She is tutu tired this year.</p>
<h4 id="NoamIz">Do! Misty Copeland</h4>
<p id="8guYIw">Not only is <a href="http://mistycopeland.com/">Misty Copeland</a> breaking barriers in the ballet world by becoming the American Ballet Theater’s first lead dancer of color, but she’s also turning a whole new generation of little dancers on to the grace and strength of the art by picking up endorsement deals that were once only for (other) sports stars.</p>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="Misty Copeland" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/j8yiwXGEz6-E8cv5-nu3vl_1sag=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/7273965/Misty-Copeland.jpg">
<cite>Photo: <a href="http://mistycopeland.com/">Misty Copeland</a></cite>
</figure>
<p id="ZZeezO">What to wear: Copeland has worn everything from athleisure to haute couture, so why not mix it up a bit with an athletic piece from her <a href="https://go.redirectingat.com?id=66960X1514733&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.underarmour.com%2Fen-us%2Fmisty-copeland%3Fcid%3DPS%257cUS%257cBR%257cggl%257call%257cmisty%2Bcopeland%2Bunder%2Barmour%257call%257call%257call%257cexact%257cdg%257cp12695122835%26gclid%3DCj0KEQjwg8i_BRCT9dHt5ZSGi90BEiQAItdjpNN3DYEM7fOzylYP8uf_3_QnPX2rw5dR1-KocpQJwPAaAvV98P8HAQ%26gclsrc%3Daw.ds&referrer=racked.com&sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.racked.com%2F2016%2F10%2F14%2F13274196%2Fhalloween-costume-ideas-real-women" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Under Armour line</a> and a sugar plum tutu, like this one from the Etsy boutique <a href="https://go.redirectingat.com?id=66960X1514733&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.etsy.com%2Flisting%2F262844749%2Fivory-tulle-skirt-bridesmaid-flower-girl%3Fref%3Dshop_home_active_9&referrer=racked.com&sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.racked.com%2F2016%2F10%2F14%2F13274196%2Fhalloween-costume-ideas-real-women" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Cousins Clothing</a>? Throw on a pair of ballet-inspired flats (<a href="http://www.racked.com/2016/10/13/13192646/fall-shoes-not-boots">here are a few options</a>) and you’re ready to dance all night. </p>
<p id="rZniPn">Keep your makeup natural and polished with a glossy lip and neutral eye. Remember, as with all costumes, you can be whomever or whatever you want — but unless you’re going as a mime or an alien, there’s never any need to change your own complexion. </p>
<hr class="p-entry-hr" id="2dFGjG">
<h4 id="vgu9TI">Don’t: Sexy Cowgirl</h4>
<p id="B8GByC">The West wasn’t won in assless chaps. </p>
<h4 id="g6ytL3">Do! Dolly Parton</h4>
<p id="BKPONr">This <a href="http://dollyparton.com/">rhinestone cowgirl</a> is a savvy businesswoman, multi-instrumentalist, and the most awarded country singer of ALL TIME. She’s basically everything. </p>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="Dolly Parton" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/2Qy3aaY4wNSlPD8bDBvLmGY-ewA=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/7274095/Dolly-Parton.jpg">
<cite>Photo: Andrew Putler/Getty Images</cite>
</figure>
<p id="TylDIf">What to wear:<strong> </strong>You can start with the padded bra, but Dolly is so much more! From the mile-high hair (we love any of these <a href="http://www.dragwigs.com/blondedrag.html">big blond bouffants</a>) to the tips of her cowgirl boots, Dolly is all about glitz. Start with some Western flair (<a href="http://www.sheplers.com/">Sheplers</a> is a great place for deals) and add on all the rhinestones you can find. </p>
<p id="kgwQk2">Don’t skimp on the eye makeup, and don’t be shy about color. Also, be sure to paint on her big, beautiful signature pink smile, and dot with a beauty mark. </p>
<hr class="p-entry-hr" id="HGS6hI">
<h4 id="vTpO14">Don’t: Harley Quinn</h4>
<p id="nrOhmO">More boyfriend issues than <em>Seventeen </em>magazine! </p>
<h4 id="7Q2NDS">Do! Agent Carter</h4>
<p id="bnfGGS">Sure, we’re talking about two different universes (DC versus Marvel), but if you’re talking superhero GFs, <a href="http://marvel.com/tv/show/218/marvels_agent_carter">Agent Peggy Carter</a> holds her own with some serious martial arts skills and super spy street cred with or without Captain America. </p>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="Agent Carter" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/AjhW4gR_ovhIETqYlydBo0QDXHc=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/7274121/agent-carter.jpg">
<cite>Photo: <a href="http://marvel.com/">Marvel</a></cite>
</figure>
<p id="R7RZOM">What to wear: Peggy favors the femininity and glamour of post-World War II dresses and pants in bold colors. They go from the office to beating up bad guys and saving the world with ease. <a href="https://www.pinupgirlclothing.com/vintage-style-inspired-clothing/retro-dresses/haute-of-heart-manhattan-dress-teal.html">Pinup Girl Clothing</a> is a one-stop shop for retro looks. </p>
<p id="76x2oU">For makeup, you’ll definitely want a bold red lip and doe eyes. Start with the aptly-named <a href="https://www.pinupgirlclothing.com/vintage-style-inspired-clothing/retro-dresses/haute-of-heart-manhattan-dress-teal.html">Espionage Cosmetics Eye Spy Collection</a>, which contains colors named after real-life secret agents.</p>
<hr class="p-entry-hr" id="vp0WQM">
<h4 id="f0KqbU">Don’t: Day of the Dead</h4>
<p id="tqD6j1">It’s very beautiful, but this look falls into a sensitive area, since it takes from a culture’s religious iconography. </p>
<h4 id="G9J4YU">Do! Frida Kahlo</h4>
<p id="5WnAKa">One of the 20th century’s most enduring artists, <a href="http://www.frida-kahlo-foundation.org/">Frida</a> was and remains a legend. She was, of course, also known for an incredible sense of style.</p>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="Frida Kahlo" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/wplZx45GM1is76ezthzXdRCoF6A=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/7274427/frida-khalo.jpg">
<cite>Photo: <a href="http://www.frida-kahlo-foundation.org/">Frida Kahlo Foundation</a></cite>
</figure>
<p id="syyQLx">What to wear: Ever the artist, Kahlo considered fashion yet another way of expressing herself; she wore loads of jewelry, peasant blouses, and her signature floral crowns, like the ones available here from indie designer <a href="https://go.redirectingat.com?id=66960X1514733&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.etsy.com%2Fshop%2FDavoudCollective%3Fref%3Dl2-shopheader-name&referrer=racked.com&sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.racked.com%2F2016%2F10%2F14%2F13274196%2Fhalloween-costume-ideas-real-women" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Davoud Collective.</a></p>
<p id="RL3eRG">Her untamed eyebrow game is one of the most crucial parts of her look, so you’ll want to connect yours with really good eye makeup. Try this <a href="https://goto.target.com/c/482924/81938/2092?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.target.com%2Fp%2Fmaybelline-eye-studio-brow-drama-pomade-crayon%2F-%2FA-50452333&sharedid=racked.com" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Maybelline pomade brow crayon</a>, or <a href="https://www.amazon.com/WUNDERBROW-Perfect-Eyebrows-Mins-Brunette/dp/B00UYY2GSQ">Wunderbrow</a>.</p>
<hr class="p-entry-hr" id="WNdvnZ">
<h4 id="ZpSkbL">Don’t: Hillary Clinton</h4>
<p id="Dy0IZV">We’re with her, but there’s also a serious run on pants suits this season.</p>
<h4 id="bcQa2T">Do! Ruth Bader Ginsburg</h4>
<p id="N2zQAb"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruth_Bader_Ginsburg">Notorious R.B.G.</a> is an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court, legal mastermind, and whip-smart Washington player, all wrapped up in a delicately crocheted collar.</p>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="Ruth Bader Ginsburg" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/UsmbgH6FhnzkDU9ZtR8WD0KSL5Y=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/7274231/Ruth-Bader-Ginsburg.jpg">
<cite>Photo: Bill Clark/Getty Images</cite>
</figure>
<p id="TYcPtd">What to wear:<strong> </strong>In addition to being a learned scholar of jurisprudence, Ginsburg has made her mark by taking judicial robes way beyond the little black dress phase. Of course, there are the signature collars (vintage ones are available easily <a href="https://go.redirectingat.com?id=66960X1514733&xs=1&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.com%2Fbhp%2Fcrochet-collar&referrer=racked.com&sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.racked.com%2F2016%2F10%2F14%2F13274196%2Fhalloween-costume-ideas-real-women" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener" target="_blank">on eBay</a>) and the tastefully chosen accessories, but what’s under the robes is entirely up to your imagination — <a href="https://go.redirectingat.com?id=66960X1514733&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.etsy.com%2Flisting%2F234296575%2Fsugarpuss-superman-supergirl-custom%3Fref%3Dshop_home_active_23&referrer=racked.com&sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.racked.com%2F2016%2F10%2F14%2F13274196%2Fhalloween-costume-ideas-real-women" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener" target="_blank">maybe a little something like this</a>.</p>
<p id="zr5Cgg"> </p>
<p id="NohwTM"> </p>
https://www.racked.com/2016/10/14/13274196/halloween-costume-ideas-real-womenIlise Carter2016-07-15T10:02:03-04:002016-07-15T10:02:03-04:00AbFab Is Back, and as Outlandishly Dressed as Ever
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/p6UyD_KTx9pZOtdSzU4EOelpr7I=/406x0:6955x4912/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/49878501/image-7b337217-9968-4cde-b65e-e3b79e7e297f.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Fox Searchlight</figcaption>
</figure>
<p class="c-entry-disclaimer"><i>Racked is no longer publishing. Thank you to everyone who read our work over the years. The archives will remain available here; for new stories, head over to Vox.com, where our staff is covering consumer culture for <a href="https://www.vox.com/the-goods">The Goods by Vox</a>. You can also see what we’re up to by <a href="https://vox.com/goods-newsletter">signing up here</a>.</i></p>
<p>The little black dress, the classic blazer, the understated accessory — none of these things appeal to the characters of <a href="http://www.foxsearchlight.com/absolutelyfabulous/"><em>Absolutely Fabulous</em></a><a href="http://www.foxsearchlight.com/absolutelyfabulous/">. </a> Since it’s sitcom debut in 1992, the erstwhile PR flack, Edina "Eddie" Monsoon, and negligent fashion editor, Patsy Stone (played by Jennifer Saunders and Joanna Lumley, respectively) have consumed drugs, booze, and fashion in legendary and inadvisable quantities. So much so, that the show’s pilot, simply entitled "Fashion," has been named on of the top 50 best TV episodes of all time by <em>TV Guide. </em> Now making the jump from TV to the big screen this summer, these cult-favorite friends are taking what Eddie refers to as "labels, labels, labels" with them. Almost its own character within the <em>Ab Fab</em> universe<em>, </em>fashion is not only the way the characters reveal themselves, it’s practically their life force — driving the pair down through decades, inspiring them to pursue models, designers, and celebrities across continents and through madcap adventures in search of the latest, coolest thing.</p> <p id="BEXHNx">In a roundabout way, Patsy and Eddie may have been television’s first advocates of "body positivity." When choosing their looks notions like "age appropriate" or "flattering fit," do not even slow them down. For example, when informed by a snooty sales associate that a high-end boutique doesn’t carry her size, Eddie replies with a slightly hysterical "I don’t wear my size!" And indeed, she doesn’t. Still reeling from the psychedelic sixties and glamour of the disco era, Patsy and Eddie choose wardrobes for themselves based more on how they perceived themselves to be than where they actually might be in their lives.</p>
<div class="chorus-snippet wide-image-block"> <figure class="e-image">
<img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/M91atO1jtqjuBS_N_yd7Zi-kq1w=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/6663019/image-63a38b49-7fa7-4782-b183-1cc7774f4011.0.jpg">
</figure>
</div>
<p class="caption">Photo: Fox Searchlight</p>
<p>For Patsy, this meant decadently large Ivana Trump-inspired up-dos, Chanel suits and microscopically short skirts; for Eddie it was everything from earth mother caftans to hip-hop inspired athleisure to, well, anything labeled Lacroix. Trailed by Eddie’s insanely whimsical assistant, Bubble (Jane Horrocks), the pair pretty much splits time between shopping and trying to get in to the best parties. Even lack of style is a style in their world. For Edina’s long-suffering daughter, Saffron (Julia Sawalha), rebellion against her mother often comes in the form of pleated khakis and shapeless sweater vests.</p>
<p>According to long-time <em>Ab Fab</em> costume designer, <a href="http://www.rebeccahale.co.uk/">Rebecca Hale</a>, bringing this style circus to a feature film presented its own set of challenges and opportunities; not the least of which was the overall changes in the way people dress that have occurred since the show rolled out in the 90’s. Society evolves, characters evolve and as a result, wardrobes evolve. Eddie in particular got a surprising makeover, as she explains. "I thought that before the 90’s, Edina was really over the top in comparison to your average human being. I thought in order for her to have more impact, I wouldn't make the clothes so outrageous because virtually anything goes now. We're not so confined. It doesn't really matter so much now compared to how everybody looked in the 90’s. Then I thought, ‘Okay, I'm going to tone her down slightly, but her personality is going to shine through.’" The result is a wardrobe drawn from almost entirely British designer. It's a little more business-like, in Edina’s champagne-soaked power lunch way.</p>
<div class="chorus-snippet fullbleed-block"> <figure class="e-image">
<img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/4a9a9XQpV-VwtUjDXl23H2toVNg=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/6663027/image-bb6b75da-d1b5-4d48-aa54-3aae16e19558-2.0.jpg">
</figure>
</div>
<p class="caption">Photo: Fox Searchlight</p>
<p>In Hale’s imagination, Patsy’s update was as much about her total lack of morals and her position as an editor than it was about the latest fad. Quipping, "she's such an alley cat in the sense that she worked for the magazine. She nicked from the stylist’s rack."</p>
<p id="OkL4ID">She’s quick to explain that because of <em>Ab Fab’s</em> long history with clothing, costuming the characters is a collaborative process rather than one of simply design or assigning looks. "They've been with this character for 25 years," she explains. "so they absolutely know what's right. It's a total collaboration with everybody." With Lacroix’s couture line now defunct, it’s also a collaboration with fashion designers ranging from established names like Stella McCartney and Vivienne Westwood to college students, who designed brightly patterned fabrics specifically for the movie. While this might seem like a huge amount of effort for something that’s not a period piece, it’s necessary because wardrobe is so essential to the <em>Ab Fab </em>universe, because as Hale puts it, "as comical as it is, they really do have an incredible sense of what's going on in the fashion world and what's hot."</p>
<div class="chorus-snippet wide-image-block"> <figure class="e-image">
<img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/5h3lMk4cLWKWpkMPM92SBwZY0kc=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/6662941/image-ab0dbd03-dc54-457c-ab44-963c6106ae5c-2.jpg">
</figure>
</div>
<p class="caption">Photo: Fox Searchlight</p>
<p id="jH4hx2">Additionally, with the way the industry itself has changed, she says that even making fun of it is no small feat. Explaining, "It's very difficult to keep up with what's hot because the way the runway changes now, they have to do eight shows a year. It's absolutely crazy. In a funny kind of way because there's so much fashion, every day is a little bit more for them. There's so much choice." Until that day, however, she’s happy to ensure that the characters of <em>Absolutely Fabulous </em>will turn heads at every party, runway show, product launch, and orgy they saunter into.</p>
<p id="nD3EJn">Hale isn’t knocking the vast array of fast fashion, however. She sees recent changes in the industry as a democratization of fashion. "It allows people to be very themselves, which is very important. There's just something in there for everybody. Only the very, very lucky few can wear a bit of couture, but it's accessed lots of other people to be able to wear different version of it and if it helped them, great." As for Patsy and Eddie, who might be a little too driven by a sense of self (especially if that sense of self shifts with the latest issue of <em>Vogue</em>), she has some ideas on how they could "freshen up" their wardrobes. "I'd say to Patsy, ‘Don't be afraid to do rock and roll with classic chic.’" And for Edina? "I'd say to Edina ... Oh, God knows what I'd say to her. I don't know… I would just say, "Don't be defined by what other people say. Don't go for the obvious statement. Be a little bit more eclectic."</p>
https://www.racked.com/2016/7/15/11956424/abfab-fashion-patsy-edina-movieIlise Carter2015-10-28T11:00:01-04:002015-10-28T11:00:01-04:00Beneath the Frills at Ruffle Con
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/3XFX0UJBz0BsKuTOBL18oPCgfDI=/230x0:3839x2707/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/47530309/RuffleCon_Racked_Oct2015_jkratochvil_8450.0.0.jpg" />
</figure>
<p class="c-entry-disclaimer"><i>Racked is no longer publishing. Thank you to everyone who read our work over the years. The archives will remain available here; for new stories, head over to Vox.com, where our staff is covering consumer culture for <a href="https://www.vox.com/the-goods">The Goods by Vox</a>. You can also see what we’re up to by <a href="https://vox.com/goods-newsletter">signing up here</a>.</i></p>
<p>The Lolita movement finds community and empowerment in petticoats and corsets</p> <p>Both literally and figuratively, there are a lot of layers to any given Lolita outfit walking the halls at <a href="http://www.rufflecon.org/">Ruffle Con</a>. The ensembles themselves are put together from endless combinations of petticoats, dresses, skirts, corsets, blouses, stockings, bonnets, bows, gloves, wigs and jewelry. However, in the more abstract sense, every frill is imbued with elements of subculture, gender, ethnicity, identity, feminism, technology, community and consumerism. Once a year, in a pedestrian hotel in suburban Connecticut, a large number of American Lolitas gather at this "Alternative Fashion Conference" to meet, learn, shop, and define the edges of their princess kingdoms. Born in Japan in the late-'80s or early '90s, the Lolita movement is a global alternative fashion movement that’s both easy to identify and hard to define.</p>
<p>The basic silhouette is based on the bell-shaped skirt of Victorian children’s wear, but from there it fans out to include every incarnation of the idea, from the childlike-innocence of the "Sweet Lolita" to the dark menace of the "Gothic Lolita." Fabrics come printed with teddy bears eating cookies, the macabre Renaissance art of Hieronymous Bosch, and everything in between.</p>
<p>Unlike other DIY fashion movements, like cosplay enthusiasts or historical re-enactors, Lolitas are not particularly entrenched in recreating any one form of pop culture or history. This means that the parameters of dressing within the genre are left up entirely to the individual; thereby, creating a movement that is almost purely about individual style. This means that any one outfit may have nods to Japan’s Harajuku street style, raver culture, the proto-Goth New Romantic look, Victoriana, and Disney princesses without being considered overdone or out of bounds. It’s even been expanded to include such subsets as <em>goru</em> — from a corruption of the English word gore, which involves blood spatter and eye patches — and <em>oji</em>, which means prince and is a more gender-fluid, male-type style that includes knickers and newsboy caps. The possibilities, it seems, are unlimited.</p>
<div class="chorus-snippet wide-image-block"> <figure class="e-image">
<img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/fq9R8TuicQXz7u-ptyNXney1aQw=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/4204533/RuffleCon_Racked_Oct2015_jkratochvil_8190.0.jpg">
</figure>
</div>
<p>While there are a myriad of variation of the look, the basic ethos of Lolita style is fueled by the Japanese love of all things "<em>kawaii</em>" or cute, and the concept possesses a great power at Ruffle Con. It’s the highest praise, generously offered to everything appealing. A studded pink dog collar — which, in other contexts, might be viewed as a punk or fetish item — is met with cries of "that is so cute" from a group of excited shoppers stopping to admire it.</p>
<p>But it's not <em>just</em> cute; a closer look shows that more lurks underneath the girly exterior. For model, designer, and enthusiast <a href="http://www.itsstellarose.com/">Stella Rose</a>, choosing to look like a child’s toy actually feels like a power move in keeping with third-wave feminism. She explains that she's "always been attracted to the idea of hyper-femininity as kind of a response to social norms." While she also just plain likes looking a doll, she argues, that dressing in a more masculine fashion to maintain social standing is expected, saying, "I think it’s kind of interesting and punk rock to sort of throw that away and dress like a babydoll, and still be like, 'I’m still going to do all the shit you can do, but I look like an innocent little doll.'" In Japan, the modest necklines and hemlines have also been viewed as a reaction to over-sexualized low-cut clothing and a way of reclaiming "elegance" through dressing modestly.</p>
<p>The conference, now in its second year, features four days of classes, shopping, mixers, a fashion show, and a tea party, which take over the hotel's fluorescent-lit ballrooms, conference rooms, and restaurants, filling them with a rainbow of well-dressed attendees, who wander from event to event chatting, giggling, and posing for pictures.</p>
<div class="chorus-snippet fullbleed-block"> <figure class="e-image">
<img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Lu-HBWjiK7gs-53rUKvtOdkKbeM=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/4204551/RuffleCon_Racked_Oct2015_jkratochvil_7971.0.jpg">
</figure>
</div>
<p>While modeled after children’s wear, the prices aren’t kid stuff. One attendee named Nina explained that she couldn’t join in until she had an actual income. "When I was 16 in a bookstore I discovered the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Gothic-Lolita-Bible-Volume-1/dp/1427803471"><em>Gothic & Lolita Bible</em></a>, and I fell in love with it," she says adding, "but it wasn’t until I was older I could afford the fashion and the dresses." The investment is worth it she says, since it "It just kind of brings a brightness to my life."</p>
<p>Upstairs in the hotel, a consignment boutique is packed with women browsing the racks of gently-worn dresses and shoes, looking for new items to add to their own wardrobes. Plowing through piles of headgear, shoppers can choose tiny top hats or furry cat ears to complete a look. Most items are either imported from Asia or come from smaller independent brands, both expensive options, so recycling items in person and via the internet is a huge part of wardrobe turnover. Among the second-hand items, a simple starter bonnet (really more of a lace headband) can go for $20 and coveted dress can top $200.</p>
<p>Down the hall in the conference rooms, classes are being offered in everything from how to dress up headgear with crafting supplies to doll-inspired makeup tips to panels on gender identity in the Lolita world to "Beyond <a href="http://www.thecure.com/">the Cure</a>," a music appreciation workshop designed to increase participants’ knowledge of death rock. The crowd is mostly (but not entirely) young and female, ethnically diverse, and bustling with enthusiasm. Part of the excitement stems from the fact that this is one of the only events of its kind for North American enthusiasts, while Lolita has some overlap with steampunk, <em>manga</em>, and cosplay events, which offer a chance to dress up, but this weekend is truly their own.</p>
<div class="chorus-snippet wide-image-block"> <figure class="e-image">
<img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/zxgzuQWAEgXExWvQgU7sezO82Tk=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/4204561/RuffleCon_Racked_Oct2015_jkratochvil_8460.0.jpg">
</figure>
</div>
<p>Downstairs, near the vendors’ area, guests stop to have pictures taken of their outfits in front of the weekend’s official step-and-repeat backdrop, before and after shopping the latest imports and indie designers. Offerings include (among other things) rings made from tiny plastic desserts, shantung corsets, flower crowns with deer antlers, full recreations of Edwardian gowns, and photo-print tights. For those more interested in the DIY aspect of wardrobing, <a href="http://www.simplicity.com/default.aspx">Simplicity</a> has a booth with Lolita-inspired sewing patterns. The aisles are crowded, but cordial, and the crowd seems to be in a buying mood. So much so, that one vendor has posted a sign just prior to the fashion show reading, "Sold out! More bonnets tomorrow. Please come back tomorrow."</p>
<p>A woman, who goes by the alias Badia, has flown up from Miami for the occasion. Sporting a unicorn print dress and gold glitter jelly heels, explains the appeal of Ruffle Con. "I think this Con kind of filled a need that was kind of a void." She says that while Lolita fans may enjoy, say, an anime conference, other subcultures don't always understand that these dresses are fashion, not costuming. "You always get people who are like ‘what you dressed as?’" Badia says, and to those people she explains, "'I’m not dressed as anyone, I’m dressed as myself.'" At Ruffle Con, everyone gets it.</p>
<p>For fans like Virginia Hilton, Lolita feels more personal than traditional fashion. It combines her love of collecting and crafting with the joys of dressing well and being a part of a community. Today’s she wearing a lavender dress with a rose print from a company called <a href="http://www.angelicpretty.com/en/">Angelic Pretty</a> that she’s been tracking on the internet for years. "It was only sold at a tea party in Japan," she explains, saying it was a difficult get. She just purchased it from a previous owner in Germany a few weeks ago. "It’s my first time wearing it, I just want to cry," she told me, her voice swelling with genuine emotion. Since then she’d also spent hours adding crystals and pearls to personalize it and get it ready for Ruffle Con. More than the dressing itself — which she admits "takes a few hours" — she feels really at home here; especially important after moving from Germany to Los Angeles four years ago. "The community is super friendly. I’ve never met people that friendly, especially girls — when we get together we fight. But here there’s none of that."</p>
<div class="chorus-snippet wide-image-block"> <figure class="e-image">
<img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/AfVUHfsDJTp2x6wxwEPTWbB4V4g=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/4204563/RuffleCon_Racked_Oct2015_jkratochvil_8314.0.jpg">
</figure>
</div>
<p>And truly, the community does seem supportive its own. During the preamble to fashion show — the day’s most attended event — the MC warns people not to leave the ballroom, because they want all of the designers to feel as though their work is important to the crowd and, to their credit, the guests roll with the instructions. Packed crinoline-to-crinoline in their seats the room is pretty much filled. There's some shuffling to accommodate the more voluminous skirts and hats, so that everyone can sit and see comfortably.</p>
<p>Broken into three acts with intermissions in between, the fashion show wonderfully illustrates the diversity of looks available. Kicking it off is Japanese design house <a href="http://www.lacemarket.us/brand/triple-fortune/">Triple Fortune<em>,</em></a> whose models are next level Lolitas with their sad doll poses and swaying cupcake skirts. Their line even includes a male dandy, complete with leopard print pirate shirt and knickers for look that combines Lord Byron and a rock star. The overall look is classic <em>ama-loli </em>or sweet Lolita. The attention to detail is extreme; the pattern on the stockings exactly matches those on the dresses. From there it’s a turn to <em>gothloli —</em> Gothic Lolita — with <a href="http://mossbadger.com/">Mossbadger</a>, who calls their current collection "All of Them Witches," and has emblazoned their prints with occult symbols. <a href="http://www.morrigannyc.com/">Morrigan NY</a> also brings confident, dark sophistication to their feminine silhouettes. Travelling through the ages, <a href="http://fashionsbybelladonna.tumblr.com/">Belladonna</a> adds Elizabethan ruffs and <a href="http://ateliersucre.storenvy.com/">Atelier Sucre</a> draws their inspiration from Marie Antoinette, drawing actual gasps from the crowd. <a href="http://astheysewinfrance.wix.com/home">As They Sew in France</a> presents a number of complete Victorian and Edwardian recreations taken from patterns drawn up by a conservator at the British Museum.</p>
<p>The second act is charmingly, if oddly, MCed by a professional Severus Snape impersonator, plugging his band’s upcoming show at that night’s mixer. Even he mentions that he finds the vibe "warm and welcoming." There are more broken doll poses, broad skirts, and adorable prints, broken up occasionally by Miley Cyrus' candy-themed castoffs and at least one that looked like a high school craft project. It ends with a large showing from <a href="http://haenuli.storenvy.com/">Haenuli</a>, a popular Korean brand that takes its deer motif from horned headdresses to skirts. A huge hit with the crowd, the designer takes the mic to tell them in broken English that she loves them and that "we are having the fashion that is the truth of ourselves." This draws a collective "aw" from the excited crowd.</p>
<div class="chorus-snippet fullbleed-block"> <figure class="e-image">
<img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/G-Us1moMNDryVEKgIkcrVowJaZw=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/4204565/RuffleCon_Racked_Oct2015_jkratochvil_9834.0.jpg">
</figure>
</div>
<p>According to the event’s PR director, Nancy Ramos, this is just the beginning for Ruffle Con. "Within the last four to five years there’s definitely been an explosion in the community," she says, adding, "When I first joined in about ’07 or ’08, it was an online-mostly community, and that’s how people connected and bought the clothes." While this is still somewhat the case, she says that "the numbers have spiked tremendously, which is why we’re able to do an event like Ruffle Con." Not tied to one particular event or celebrity, the subculture spreads by word of mouth and media attention. As Ramos explains, "We’re so audacious and hyper-feminine, people are very interested in that." From the outside, it’s also hard to say whether Lolita, with it's impracticality and sexy baby style, will ever break in to the mainstream in the way that other subculture styles have.</p>
<p>Ramos does thinks, however, that they can expand to include even more forms of alternative fashion, covering everything from Ren Faire to pinup culture. "We definitely want to target any kind of alternative fashion we can, because we are a unique experience." According to Ramos, even huge events like Comic Con treat fashion as a non-event or a side form of entertainment. "Usually you find fashion shows at gaming conventions or anime conventions, you don’t really find fashion conventions. That’s really what we want to be. We want to be taken seriously as fashion week someday." Whether they’ll be able to expand to include even more looks remains to be seen, but in the mean time she's pleased just being able to bring the community together in one place for a weekend — and to have a place wear her own outfits. What's her style? She laughs, saying it falls under the sub-subcategory of "classic Lolita with goth tendencies."</p>
https://www.racked.com/2015/10/28/9623030/ruffle-con-lolita-dressesIlise Carter2015-07-15T10:00:02-04:002015-07-15T10:00:02-04:00The Complete Guide to Getting the Right Tattoo
<figure>
<img alt="Angelina Jolie's back tattoo." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/RhSo4cE9sTXoX9OJPkzDjwHhK58=/375x0:2625x1688/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/46742478/GettyImages-488815113.0.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Angelina Jolie's back tattoo. | Getty Images</figcaption>
</figure>
<p class="c-entry-disclaimer"><i>Racked is no longer publishing. Thank you to everyone who read our work over the years. The archives will remain available here; for new stories, head over to Vox.com, where our staff is covering consumer culture for <a href="https://www.vox.com/the-goods">The Goods by Vox</a>. You can also see what we’re up to by <a href="https://vox.com/goods-newsletter">signing up here</a>.</i></p>
<p>Diamonds may be forever, but tattoos really last. Since they’re one thing that will genuinely be with you "‘til death do you part," any artist or collector will tell you: it’s worth shopping for tattoos with the care, budgeting and sense of personal style that you’d put in to choosing a wedding gown. While good body art can be beautiful, sexy, and deeply meaningful to the wearer, bad tattoos can give people <a href="http://www.racked.com/2015/5/11/8573015/tramp-stamp-lower-back-tattoo-stigma" target="new">the wrong impression about you</a>—or turn your body into a perpetual #ThrowbackThursday. And, even worse, in the wrong hands they can be potentially dangerous to your health. If you decide to proceed with permanent art, below are some tips to ensure that you get something you’ll truly love forever.</p> <h3><span>Better by Design</span></h3>
<p><span></span><span>So you’ve decided to get a tattoo—congratulations! You’re joining a growing number of Americans (about 40% according to </span><a href="http://www.nbcnews.com/nightly-news/infographic-americas-love-tattoos-grows-n95486">one poll</a><span>.) Now seen on everyone from pop stars to bankers, tattoos have exploded in popularity over the last two decades. They've moved from being the mark of the underground to a mainstream trend… and that in and of itself can lead to problems.</span></p>
<p>Because they’re so readily available now, it can be tempting to just pop down to the closest shop and pick something off the wall. But remember, unlike a perm or harem pants, a tattoo is not something that you’ll grow out of or laugh off later. Instead you’ll want to pick out your statement piece carefully. This means avoiding getting your tattoo on impulse (e.g., they do not make great vacation souvenirs) or choosing something you saw in a celebrity magazine. According to New York-based artist, <a href="http://skelecore.com/">Sara Antoinette Martin,</a> "things that are trendy don’t necessarily make the best tattoos." Your best bet is to treat the process like getting permanent couture for your skin—custom, personal and built to last.</p>
<div class="float-left hang-left">
<p><q class="pullquote">Martin says she’s seen innumerable bird silhouettes, feathers and infinity symbols over the last couple of years.</q></p>
</div>
<p>Whether your idea for what you want is really specific or just a vague notion, choosing an artist is crucial. Your artist can walk you through the selection of a design or create a bespoke one for you based on your ideas. You can use some of the samples on the wall (commonly known as "flash") to guide you, but just be aware that they’re not originals so you might see them on others. One thing Martin specifically recommends against is coming in with designs pulled from Pinterest or Google. Artists don't like directly copying another artist’s work, and a designed grabbed offline may not be reproducible—or may be so trendy it becomes cliché. To wit, Martin says she’s seen innumerable bird silhouettes, feathers and infinity symbols over the last couple of years.</p>
<div class="float-right hang-right">
<p> <figure class="e-image">
<img alt="rihannaneck" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/O9ltt4KT-gY5jcXS0XtrxAWTnsI=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/3873242/GettyImages-114270508.0.jpg">
</figure>
</p>
<p class="caption">Rihanna's neck tattoo. Image: Getty Images.</p>
</div>
<p>It’s also important to listen to your artist if they recommend changes to your dream design. They want to make you happy for years to come, but a needle is not a magic wand: ink into skin is a very specific medium and it needs to be dealt with on its own terms. A good artist will help you adjust for the gap between what you have in your mind and what's physically possible. "People have come in with unrealistic expectations sometimes," Martin says, "A lot of the time I have to explain to them how to make the tattoo a tattoo that you’re happy with and that’s going to look good over time." For example, the size and location of a tattoo often calls for changes the client couldn't anticipate and in order to get good results "you have to compromise, so that the tattoos will have to be blacker or bolder or bigger than you were imagining."</p>
<p>Tattoo artists are also just that—artists—and as such have different concentrations, so they will not be offended if you consult with them and look through their portfolios before you book an appointment. You want to be sure their style matches the one you want: if you're looking for a photorealistic portrait, don’t schedule with someone who specializes in old school, <a href="https://sailorjerry.com/en/tattoos/">Sailor Jerry-type</a> designs, no matter how beautiful their work is. Ask friends (and strangers—politely and without touching, of course) for references if you see something you like. You can even check out a tattoo show, if you want to see a huge number of different books in one day.</p>
<div class="float-right hang-right">
<p><q class="pullquote"><span>"Places like your ribs, or the side of your feet, or the side of your fingers can be very difficult to tattoo and they can be a more painful spot, but it’s a trendy place for them to be right now."</span></q></p>
</div>
<h3>Location, Location, Location</h3>
<p>Once you’ve picked your masterpiece, there’s the issue of where to put it. As ever, the artist is the expert—listen to his or her counsel since he or she will know that the body itself varies widely in the way it takes ink. As Martin describes it, these requests can also come out of celebrity tattoo sightings. "Places like your ribs, or the side of your feet, or the side of your fingers can be very difficult to tattoo and they can be a more painful spot, but it’s a trendy place for them to be right now." This doesn’t mean work can’t be done in those areas, but that it might age quicker and become blurry. "The skin exfoliates at a faster rate there than on [the rest of] your body, so the tattoos break down and fall out of certain places." Joints in particular are hard to keep looking fresh and get a good line on, since "the skin is always moving." For a first piece, it’s perhaps better to choose more conventional or subtle location for your work. Also bear in mind the realities of time on the female body in particular; gravity, pregnancy and weight fluctuations can all take a toll on even the most expertly inked works.</p>
<p>Additionally, there is some controversy around artists tattooing anything above the collar or on the hands of new clients. It may seem like a good idea now, but lifestyles change. It might be an unfair stereotype, but Martin (who has them herself) says that having highly visible tattoos "changes the way you look and how people perceive you... It doesn’t matter how well done they are," also quipping, "You might have a good job now, but there’s a reason why they’re called ‘job killers.’" Ultimately, it’s important to reputable professionals that their clients are satisfied with the work and stay that way, so they will err on the side of caution with those requests. This is yet another skill artists need to have, Martin explains, insisting, "You’re putting a permanent mark on somebody. You have to be able judge whether they’re going to be happy with it down the road."</p>
<div class="chorus-snippet wide-image-block">
<span></span> <figure class="e-image">
<img alt="lenaback" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/qw3O31IT7DKss6bIspNmBjCQhd4=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/3873270/GettyImages-159220393.0.jpg">
</figure>
</div>
<p class="caption">Lena Dunham's back tattoo. Image: Getty Images.</p>
<h3>At Your Appointment</h3>
<p><span>Once you’ve done your research, then you can book your appointment. You may be asked to leave a deposit to hold your spot and cover the cost of the prep work. Don't be surprised when you see the price of your work: a good tattooist can command from $150 to $250 an hour—or more. Remember that this is an investment in quality and something you will literally wear everyday for your lifetime, so the cost is worth it. "Cheap tattoos are not good and good tattoos are not cheap," quotes Martin, parroting an old adage. Additionally, like a lot of service professionals, artists only charge for the time they’re actually working (which often doesn’t include drawing, prepping and consulting), so if you change your mind or need to reschedule, let them know ASAP, so they can have the time back to reschedule with other clients.</span></p>
<p><span></span>As for your own prep, make sure you’re in good shape going in to the chair. That means not showing up hungover (and especially not drunk or altered in anyway), and being rested, showered, and well fed. Martin regularly sees fainters—especially nervous first timers, those who have marathon sessions without having had breakfast, or people who come in dehydrated from being out the night before. "It’s important to feel good if you’re going to go through the long session of a tattoo" says Martin. "Basically your body goes through trauma," she explains, so be prepared for the experience.</p>
<p><q class="pullquote">Ultimately, choosing each element of your tattoo carefully is about getting exactly what you want.</q></p>
<p><span>Finally, you’re going to want to take it easy afterwards and pay careful attention to the after-care instructions for your new ink. Following the post-tattooing rules is vital to keeping your new art clean and protected from the sun as it heals. And of course, as with any professional service, always be polite, mindful and tip generously.</span></p>
<p><span></span></p>
<h3>Writing Her Own Love Story</h3>
<p>Ultimately, choosing each element of your tattoo carefully is about getting exactly what you want. For writer Liesa Goins, who is shopping for an artist to create her first visible tattoo (she has one design on her back that’s hidden by clothing), going through these steps has made her feel more confident about the prospect of venturing out in to the world with new ink. Before researching her upcoming art, she spent a bit of time deciding if she could even be "the sort of person who has a visible tattoo." Once she was sure that she was, and that she didn’t want to "pick something off the wall," and that she was "interested in working with someone who will help me figure out where it will look best", all of the pieces started to fall in to place. Goins says she's excited about the whole process, and not even worried about the pain. All of which will likely add up to an outcome that she can live with happily ever after.</p>
https://www.racked.com/2015/7/15/8962231/complete-guide-to-getting-the-right-tattooIlise Carter2015-06-22T10:00:02-04:002015-06-22T10:00:02-04:00A Waist Training Primer: How to Safely, Albeit Painfully, Get an Hourglass Figure
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/CnZusp9ab012oL_qw5QYWIizM00=/71x0:1713x1232/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/46569082/GettyImages-499296309.0.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Getty</figcaption>
</figure>
<p class="c-entry-disclaimer"><i>Racked is no longer publishing. Thank you to everyone who read our work over the years. The archives will remain available here; for new stories, head over to Vox.com, where our staff is covering consumer culture for <a href="https://www.vox.com/the-goods">The Goods by Vox</a>. You can also see what we’re up to by <a href="https://vox.com/goods-newsletter">signing up here</a>.</i></p>
<p>In what might be the most retro celebrity trend ever, women are rediscovering the allure of the corseted figure. While known examples of corseting date back to at least the 16th century, most women abandoned the lace-up, steel-boned variety after World War I. The traditional corset proved difficult to wear under modern garments; limited the movement of working women, and, at the dawn of the Jazz Era, seemed hopelessly old-fashioned. </p> <p>While never disappearing entirely, over the next 100 years their figure-molding duties were largely taken over by newer technologies, from the rubberized girdle and bullet bra contraptions that gave ‘50s beauties their curves to the current tech-savvy power duo of Spanx and the Wonderbra-type foundation garments. Corsets largely went underground; becoming fetish wear, impossibly priced couture pieces, and cosplay staples.</p>
<p>However, the hourglass is having a moment again, with figures like Nicki Minaj and Kim Kardashian’s making headlines. The search for a quick fix is on—re-enter waist training.</p>
<div class="float-right hang-right">
<p> <figure class="e-image">
<img alt="nickiwaist" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/LQyP7HaxG-eSe1e05OS9DJVBCtw=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/3805640/GettyImages-476065014.0.jpg">
</figure>
</p>
<p class="caption">Getty Images</p>
</div>
<p>Also known as tight lacing, the practice of gradually reducing the size of the waistline through tighter and tighter cinching is giving some adventurous bodies the curves they covet. So, is it safe? Short answer, yes. "A corset is not going to harm anything," says Manhattan-based gastroenterologist Dr. Burton Korelitz, "You have my reassurance that in almost sixty years of practice it has never come up as a problem." However, unlike yoga or eating more vegetables, it’s one regime that’s not exactly about improving one’s health. So while it's not the toxic nightmare that past critics—who claimed it caused everything from fainting to infertility—have alleged, there are still concerns; getting results from the practice takes a level of dedication that’s just not for everyone.</p>
<p>According to burlesque performer and waist-training coach Melissa Gentile, who has been cinching since 2008, "common complaints from newbies are really ranged." They can include back pain, itching, shortness of breath, and heartburn. However, if you decide to proceed from there, you can make the process more comfortable by following some basic rules.</p>
<h3>Corset-Buying Basics</h3>
<p>A good corset is going to cost you bit, but this is not the place to skimp—you are going to be wearing it for hours on end and, to get results, you’ll want it to last. Investing in quality will also prevent problems down the line, such as skin irritation and wear and tear on the garment. For the true hourglass, the elastic waist cinchers that are available on late-night TV aren’t going to do the trick. Corsetiere Jasmine Pagan of <a href="http://www.sinandsatin.com/">Sin and Satin</a> wouldn’t recommend a fashion corset, saying, "It's the equivalent of wearing a tube and expecting an hourglass figure." For maximum results, Gentile recommends that you "purchase a high quality, custom, organic cotton corset made with spiral steel bones and a flat steel busk." The goal here is function, not fashion, so avoid pieces in satin, latex, or synthetic fabrics, and any wild décor or boning designs. And if you’re really in it for the long haul, you might even consider investing in a custom piece that will make the most of your measurements and compensate for any idiosyncrasies in your shape (e.g., a short or long torso). Gentile bought her initial waist training corset as a made-to-measure, under-bust model from the retro lingerie line <a href="http://www.whatkatiedid.com/en_us/">What Katie Did</a>. She’s still wearing it seven years later in "decent…(very much loved) condition." Pagan also touts the transformative powers of the bespoke trainer, saying "It's tough for newbie corset wearers because the Internet is full of misinformation. I would advise a newbie to seek out the assistance of a demonstrated corset designer with a following."</p>
<p><q class="pullquote">"Listen to your body. Take care of it. If the corset is too tight, loosen it."</q></p>
<h3>The Big Squeeze</h3>
<p>Corset training works by gradually compressing your midsection through tighter and tighter lacing. The key word here is "gradually:" you’re not going to become Scarlett O’Hara with her legendary 17 inch waist overnight (or probably, at all, ever; setting realistic, long-term goals is key in achieving success with this process). Start slowly, according to Gentile, so that when cinched properly it feels "like a tight hug." In addition to the corset itself, Gentile recommends purchasing liners, which should be worn at all times with the trainer. The liner provides two-fold protection: it shields you from the corset chafing against your body and the corset from any oils in your skin that might break down the fabric. But don’t over-do it right away, she warns. Unlike squats or spin class, this is not a "no pain, no gain" situation—although it isn’t exactly loungewear either. "The corset shouldn't be painful," she explains "but restrictive." Most importantly she adds, "Listen to your body. Take care of it. If the corset is too tight, loosen it a bit."</p>
<p>Be aware that this is a time-consuming process. Pagan explains, "The process of waist training is one of disciple and requires a daily regimen to refine the silhouette." Gentile notes, "to reshape your body you need to be in the corset for a longer period of time. A minimum of eight hours a day was what seemed to be the consensus [in my] reading, and I aimed for 12." Gentile suggests that one way to get in the hours would be to wear your new corset during the eight you’re sleeping at night, but nodding off in such a restrictive garment doesn’t work for everybody. "Obviously at first this may not be possible," she says, "So just listen to your body, do what you can, and try for longer the next day.</p>
<div class="float-left hang-left">
<p> <figure class="e-image">
<img alt="kim k men's something awards" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/f3-rqZHjtcqBYKRpnrxeHphtA3g=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/3805712/GettyImages-454508736.0.jpg">
</figure>
</p>
<p class="caption">Getty Images</p>
</div>
<h3>Weighing the Results</h3>
<p>So, after all of this: does it work? Consensus seems to be that it does. Pagan estimates that with a disciplined application clients can change their waistlines up to 15 percent in the first two months. More than that, she warns, is pushing it. It is a body modification after all.</p>
<p>For newbie trainer and full-time nanny, Barbara Frudakis, who’s only two months into her first phase, it’s been an interesting process. "As someone who's naturally [of] a very athletic build, I've been curious about waist training for a long time," she says, adding, "Not that I'm not comfortable or happy in my own skin. But I've always felt I was thin and fit, but kind of ruler shaped." She wanted to know if it really worked. "If so," Frudakis says, "then I could [have] a little more shape in my midsection and certain clothes would be easier to wear." She admits to slacking a bit here and there, but is committing to the process. She reports that her experience has been pretty uneventful, although "it takes a bit to get used to it and you can't eat and drink like you normally do while wearing a corset." But, even with that drawback, she estimates she’s down about a half an inch.</p>
<p>Stylist Carmen A. Belcher has been training long, but she's already completely sold on the concept and really happy with the results she’s seen. After seeing a "waitress in a gentlemen’s club with a perfect hourglass," she asked her what her secret was. "She told me about the waist trainers and I purchased one from her that same day!" Belcher raves that it "totally refines your look under clothing, instantly. And it has given me an hourglass shape, where I was once more straight up and down in terms of my figure." She happily recommends it to others, although does get tired of holding the near-military posture once in a while.</p>
<p>The process of waist training is a little bit of everything: a serious body modification, an instant game changer, and something everyone can do (even if it’s not for everyone). If used carefully and judiciously, the corset is no more ridiculous or damaging than the stiletto heel—and just as classically feminine—so it’s small wonder it's finding it’s way back into mainstream wardrobes. Perhaps fashion plate and period piece veteran Cate Blanchett sums up the imperfect appeal of the cinch best when she says, "I'm one of those strange beasts who really likes a corset."</p>
https://www.racked.com/2015/6/22/8809335/guide-waist-training-corset-hourglass-figureIlise Carter2015-02-04T11:00:00-05:002015-02-04T11:00:00-05:00The Art of the Sexy Selfie, Explained by a Pinup Queen
<figure>
<img alt="Photo: Getty Images" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/z3oDCMIxu38mH0idEqpfAxNwLBc=/111x0:1888x1333/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/45646314/pinup-1.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo: Getty Images</figcaption>
</figure>
<p class="c-entry-disclaimer"><i>Racked is no longer publishing. Thank you to everyone who read our work over the years. The archives will remain available here; for new stories, head over to Vox.com, where our staff is covering consumer culture for <a href="https://www.vox.com/the-goods">The Goods by Vox</a>. You can also see what we’re up to by <a href="https://vox.com/goods-newsletter">signing up here</a>.</i></p> <p><br><a href="http://www.bettina.ca/">Bettina May</a> knows sexy selfies. A professional model, photographer, and the first-ever recipient of a <a href="http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/genius-burlesque-article-1.1186609">"genius" Green Card</a> for her work as a burlesque performer, she's dedicated her life to preserving the art of mid-century cheesecake. Based in Brooklyn, she spends much of her time traveling the world, spreading her message of vintage beauty. She even teaches <a href="http://pinupclass.com/">pinup classes</a> all over the U.S. and Canada, through DVDs, and via Skype.</p> <p>May recently took time out from her performance schedule to share wisdom from her latest book, <em><a href="http://www.magcloud.com/browse/issue/853899?__r=551343">Everyday Bombshell</a></em>, that will help you take pinup-worthy pics with nary a duck lip in sight.</p> <p><style>.site-rna .post .post-title { width: 1000px !important; padding-bottom: 8px; padding-top:6px } .site-rna .post h1.post-title a { font-size:48px !important} .site-rna #leadintro { width:1000px; font-size:16px } .site-rna .post .post-body .post-more {width:660px;} .site-rna .post .post-body img.bigpic {width:660px; max-width:660px !important; height:auto } .site-rna .post .post-body #leadphoto {width:1000px; max-width:1000px !important; height:auto } .site-rna .post .post-body .pullquote { float:right; width:250px; margin: 0 0 10px 14px !important; padding: 8px 4px; font-family:TradeGothicLTStdBoldCondensed; Helvetica, Arial; font-size:32px !important; line-height: 35px !important; border-top: 4px double #FF0000; border-bottom: 4px double #FF0000; } .post p { font-size: 17px; line-height:27px; margin-bottom:10px } .post h3 { font-family:TradeGothicLTStdBoldCondensed; Helvetica, Arial; font-weight:normal; font-size:38px; width: 660px; padding: 18px 0; } .post h4 { font-family:TradeGothicLTStdBoldCondensed; Helvetica, Arial; font-weight:normal; font-size:36px; width: 660px; padding-bottom:5px; padding-top:14px; } .site-rna .post .post-title { font-size:36px !important; width: 660px; padding-bottom: 8px; padding-top:6px; line-height:40px !important } .post-metadata {margin-top: 500px !important } #column-right { padding-top: 905px } </style></p> <p><br> <figure class="e-image">
<img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/FZx9VW5H0ZlO1fI2LBIFBTUkB0Q=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/3384728/pinup-2.0.jpg">
</figure>
<br><span class="credit">Photo: Getty Images</span></p> <p><br><strong>Before you even pull out your phone and start snapping, what are some good ways to prep for taking a sexy picture?</strong><br>Location is everything for a great selfie. Try to find a background that is simple and flattering—no messy counters or beds, and please no toilets in the shot! Shooting into a mirror is okay, but try taking it to the next level by having the mirror behind you. This is great for a saucier shot showing a little rear view.</p> <p><strong>What vintage makeup tips still do the trick today?</strong><br>Liquid liner and red lips are two classic styles that worked for grandma and still look fresh. I like a liquid liner with a brush tip to get a nice fine line; wing the ends up for a flirty cat eye. Red lipstick is like instant makeup, so even if the rest of your face is bare, you look put together. Don't be afraid of a bold red! Start with a classic blue-based shade, which flatters all skin tones and also makes your teeth look whiter, so you can hashtag that selfie with #nofilter. And stick to a matte finish! It looks more vintage, but also lasts way longer and doesn't end up all over your face and teeth like a gloss can.</p> <p><strong>What clothing looks best on camera?</strong><br>A great sweater: the fuzzier and tighter, the better. A high neckline can still be sexy, especially if the texture looks luxurious and touchable. A well-fitting bra ensures a flattering silhouette. If you've never had a proper size fitting, get one now at a nice lingerie store. Another great option is a high-waisted skirt, which really accentuates your curves. A thick elastic belt in black is another great staple to finish off the whole look, and reminds you to engage your core—that's photographer-speak for "suck it in!"</p> <p><strong>When it comes to striking a pose, what are some pro moves?</strong><br>Know how to work that angle. Instead of facing the camera straight on, I always put myself at a 45-degree angle to the lens, as it shows off all the right curves a bit better. It gives the appearance of slimming the waist by a few inches, and who doesn't want that? The same is true for your face. I like to angle my head to the side in photos as well, but only so far that both eyes are visible. Also, where you hold the camera really matters. We all know holding it way up high is great for showcasing cleavage, but it can look a bit obvious when all you see is your forehead, so bring it down a bit. And by all means, try to avoid the duck lips look. Don't be afraid to smile a bit! People actually enjoy a happy face, much more so than your best Kardashian pout.</p> <p><br> <figure class="e-image">
<img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/CRcV5SM2PeQB_C6eJ0LWgMxNB10=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/3384730/pinup-3.0.jpg">
</figure>
<br><span class="credit">Photo: Getty Images</span></p> <p><br><strong>It can be hard to get in front of a camera if you're not used to it. What are some ways to feel comfortable in pictures?</strong><br>I see this all the time in my classes with women who are stepping in front of the camera in a posed setting for the first time. Women often feel like unless you're a supermodel, you don't have permission to enjoy yourself in a photo. Untrue! If you are waiting for someone to say it's okay, then here I am saying it now: You are allowed to smile and be sexy and have fun in pictures. Turn off that voice in your head that's full of self-doubt and negativity, and pretend that no one is going to see these. Enjoy the moment, create a character for yourself during the shoot, and act out a story for the camera. Then it's not you doing all those funny, sexy, serious poses, it's super-you, sassy-librarian-you, stern-movie-star-you.</p> <p><strong>What are some common pinup pitfalls to be aware of?</strong><br>Not every look is for every girl! If you can't physically wink, don't try to fake it. You will look like you have a problem. One girl's sassy smirk is another girl's "just smelled a fart" face. Practice your faces in the mirror (every good model knows her Blue Steel), and stick with those that work best for you.</p> <p><strong>Any final words of wisdom?</strong><br>The most attractive thing about a pretty pinup is the self-confidence she exudes through her smile. Now I know in the world we live in, this is a tall order for many women, and your self-esteem can be harder to find than fully-fashioned Cuban heel stockings. The best way to start building your self-confidence is to love and accept yourself for who you are, curves and all. Let's leave warped self-image behind us, like the evil high school bully that it is. Now slap on that red lipstick, strike a pose, and go make me proud! </p>
https://www.racked.com/2015/2/4/7997145/pinup-selfieIlise Carter2015-01-06T11:00:00-05:002015-01-06T11:00:00-05:00The Women Who Collect Jewelry Made From Dead People's Hair
<figure>
<img alt="Photo: <a href="http://wellcomeimages.org/indexplus/image/L0036197.html">Wellcome Images</a>" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/pKArJZNNgx6Cb4dLHPc-SDjTYtE=/82x0:1415x1000/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/45235002/mourning_01_lead.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo: <a href="http://wellcomeimages.org/indexplus/image/L0036197.html">Wellcome Images</a></figcaption>
</figure>
<p class="c-entry-disclaimer"><i>Racked is no longer publishing. Thank you to everyone who read our work over the years. The archives will remain available here; for new stories, head over to Vox.com, where our staff is covering consumer culture for <a href="https://www.vox.com/the-goods">The Goods by Vox</a>. You can also see what we’re up to by <a href="https://vox.com/goods-newsletter">signing up here</a>.</i></p>
<p>Not immune to the charms of the season, <a href="http://www.obscuraantiques.com/">Obscura Antiques</a> has decked the halls in its own unique way—draping the freak taxidermy animals and old medical illustrations in tinsel and tiny Santa hats. It's a festive, if strange, shopping environment for Black Friday.</p> <p><br></p>
<p>Seeking a particularly dark treasure for herself, Jessica Stohlmann-Rainey is browsing the shop for antique hair jewelry. "I just think it's so strange and delicate," she explains. "It's weird that it even evolved that way, that people even made it."</p>
<p>For the uninitiated, hair jewelry (also known as mourning jewelry or hairwork) is not made <em>for</em> hair, but from it. Widely popular in Europe and the United States from the late-Georgian era (circa 1714-1830) through the Victorian period before World War I, these fragile, deeply personal pieces were created from elaborately woven human hair set in simple glass cases and gem-studded accessories. From earrings to men's watch fobs to religious items, they were intended to commemorate the passing of a loved one.</p>
<p>Given the weird feelings we have about strangers' hair, even when it's encased in gold and diamonds, why collect these strange objects of affection and memory? According to long-time collector and co-owner of Obscura Evan Michelson, the elements of attraction lay in the complicated emotions they evoke: "I think part of the reason people are fascinated by it is that it does repulse on a certain level. It's powerfully charged because hair really affects people on this visceral level."</p>
<p><br> <figure class="e-image">
<img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/AAzyfAImNrZ-ZJuFpsVihOS6MN4=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/2943972/mourning_interior_02.0.jpg">
</figure>
<br><span class="credit">Photo: <a href="http://wellcomeimages.org/indexplus/image/L0036158.html">Wellcome Images</a></span></p>
<p><br>Admittedly, this reverberation is also part of what keeps collector, <a href="http://www.karenbachmanndesigns.com/index.htm">jeweler</a>, and scholar Karen Bachmann hooked. For her, actually wearing the pieces is also a big part of the thrill. "When I wear hair jewelry, people that know the genre will appreciate it and admire it," she recalled recently, "but people that don't know it will look and wonder what it is. That also, in a perverse sort of way, is what interests me."</p>
<p>Bachmann recalls falling in love with the wearable art when she was getting her undergraduate degree from Pratt, studying both sculpture and jewelry-making. "I was interested in the esoteric and the odd, and I became aware of Victorian hairwork at that time," she explains. This was a discovery that prompted her to experiment with making her own modern versions out of an artificial fiber wig—with "terrible" results. But even with that failed first attempt and some harsh criticism from professors who called her work "grotesque," her career thrived and she spent several years working as a master jeweler for Tiffany & Co.</p>
<div class="float-right"><q class="pullquote">"It's like prison work."</q></div>
<p>The understanding of the craftsmanship that went into creating these largely homespun items is yet another facet that intrigues collectors. Michelson, who also trained as a jewelry restorer, marvels at the "obsessive" attention to detail in each piece: "It's like prison work." Braiding, weaving, and looping a material as demanding as human hair would've required hours upon hours of practice and instruction to master.</p>
<p>"Victorian hairwork is just so well done," says Michelson. "It takes years of dedication and practice—it was a real craft. The labor involved makes you appreciate the difficult aspect of working with it. I can imagine how working with hair would be an act of devotion, turning these precious relics of someone you love into something more precious."</p>
<p><br> <figure class="e-image">
<img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/WEeS-mcgaEhSeCm-maDb6uJOaCA=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/2943974/mourning_interior_03.0.jpg">
</figure>
<br><span class="credit">Photo: <a href="http://wellcomeimages.org/indexplus/image/L0036393.html">Wellcome Images</a></span></p>
<p><br>Both Michelson and Bachmann readily admit, however, that collecting isn't what it used to be, with soaring prices as opposed to decades ago when, as Michelson puts it, "you couldn't give hairwork away." In fact, when she first starting scouring antique shops and flea markets, she found that some dealers were disposing of the hair inside and selling the valuable period frames they came in.</p>
<p>While there's no clear watershed moment that made hairwork a hot collectible, Michelson jokes, "Some time in the mid-'90s someone must've written an article." Still, she and Bachmann press on with their searches, looking for not just quantity, but quality, always on the lookout for especially rare and beautiful pieces.</p>
<div class="float-right"><q class="pullquote">Each admit to having their own holy grails of rare hairwork they'd love to own.</q></div>
<p>Bachmann is particularly enamored with a hairwork rosary she searched far and wide for, while Michelson says a "perfect little dollhouse-sized graveyard scene" preserved under a glass dome has a special place in her heart. They love to hunt for these kinds of pieces, across cities, through flea markets, and via networks of other admirers. Each admit to having their own holy grails of rare hairwork they'd love to own, or at least see in person. For Michelson, it's a complete tea and coffee service; for Bachmann, a snake coil bracelet with gold fittings and a long-unseen embroidered portrait of Queen Victoria, both of which where created for display at the event that marked the height of the hairwork craze, the <a href="http://www.bl.uk/learning/histcitizen/victorians/exhibition/greatexhibition.html">Crystal Palace Exhibition</a> of 1851.</p>
<p>Short of those goals, the drive to explore the medium continues, and Bachmann and Michelson have made their collections part of their everyday lives by adorning the walls and tables of their homes with favorite pieces. "I just can't get enough of it," says Michelson. "It's so beautiful." Bachmann especially treasures her jewelry, marveling at the vast diversity of forms that practitioners of the art have created: "The more I collect it and the more I see the forms that can be made, the more interested I am."</p>
<p><br> <figure class="e-image">
<img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/dEz2LvKiNlH5PLebHpseY-KUh8U=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/2943976/mourning_interior_01.0.jpg">
</figure>
<br><span class="credit">Photo: <a href="http://wellcomeimages.org/indexplus/image/L0036167.html">Wellcome Images</a></span></p>
<p><br>For these women, collecting has long been a largely solitary pursuit. There are online groups—including one who threw an annual meeting known as the <a href="http://www.hairworksociety.org/">"Hair Ball"</a>—but Bachmann and Michelson never cared to join. They connect more with peers involved in scholarship and instruction, rather than simply collecting. In fact, their passion for the subject has come together at Brooklyn's <a href="http://morbidanatomymuseum.org/">Morbid Anatomy Museum</a>, where Bachmann is an artist and scholar-in-residence and Michelson is on the board of trustees.</p>
<p>Pieces from their collections are currently on display there for the exhibit "The Art of Mourning," an overview of Victorian death culture, which also includes examples of post-mortem photographs, death masks, and other memorial memorabilia. Discovering and developing the fledgling institute that shared their enthusiasm for these items was "like finding a family you never knew was out there, that understood you," says Bachmann. "It's given me a place to speak about my passion for hair jewelry."</p>
<div class="float-right"><q class="pullquote">"People carry a lot in their hair, a lot of energy and a lot of emotion."</q></div>
<p>It's also given her the chance to teach hair jewelry-making; Sue Palchak-Essenpreis has been waiting to take Bachmann's class for months. A hairstylist and a collector of these antiques, she has a special appreciation for the meaning people put into hair. Plus, as someone who works with hair every day, she understands that "people carry a lot in their hair, a lot of energy and a lot of emotion."</p>
<p>Bachmann and Michelson are doing their part to welcome the next era of collectors and creators. Because, in the end, what could honor these anonymous memorials more than creating a legacy that will endure long after this generation too has passed?</p>
<p><br><em>All photos come from Wellcome Images, a website operated by Wellcome Trust, a global charitable foundation based in the United Kingdom. You can find Wellcome Images photos <a href="http://wellcomeimages.org/">here</a>. All photos used have been cropped for editorial purposes.</em></p>
https://www.racked.com/2015/1/6/7562801/antique-victorian-mourning-hair-jewelryIlise Carter2014-11-20T11:00:00-05:002014-11-20T11:00:00-05:00Paleo Beauty: Would You Smear Animal Fat on Your Face?
<figure>
<img alt="Photo: Getty Images" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/KVJkzF72NGyoMSy0gj0Iub0Pgb0=/82x0:1415x1000/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/45240162/tallow-beauty.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo: Getty Images</figcaption>
</figure>
<p class="c-entry-disclaimer"><i>Racked is no longer publishing. Thank you to everyone who read our work over the years. The archives will remain available here; for new stories, head over to Vox.com, where our staff is covering consumer culture for <a href="https://www.vox.com/the-goods">The Goods by Vox</a>. You can also see what we’re up to by <a href="https://vox.com/goods-newsletter">signing up here</a>.</i></p>
<p>According to a growing number of DIY bloggers and cottage-industry brands, the next big wave in skincare comes straight from the past. More paleo than vegan, it's not for the faint of heart (or hardened of arteries): It's tallow, also known as animal fat.</p> <p> </p>
<p>In this newest phase of the beauty world's oil boom, tallow joins coconut, argan, and sweet almond oils in being added to all sorts of products, not to mention the daily routines of devoted fans. Its natural lipids are currently being touted as a vitamin-packed cure-all for everything from dry skin to dull hair.</p>
<p>Derived from the fat of grass-fed cows, mutton, and bison, tallow has traditionally been used for candles, cooking, and industrial lubricants. The inexpensive and readily available substance was probably even the secret ingredient in your grandma's homemade balms and ointments. But with the rise of the industrial revolution, farm-raised animal fat was replaced by more shelf-stable chemical and petroleum-based emollients and detergents.</p>
<div class="float-right"><q class="pullquote">In recent years, there has been a growing interest in a return to natural alternatives.</q></div>
<p>In recent years, there has been a growing interest in a return to natural alternatives that avoid preservatives, phthalates, sulfates, and other man-made bad guys; this is why you've seen an increased interest in the cleansing and moisturizing properties of plant-based materials. But as the <a href="http://racked.com/archives/2014/08/08/the-paleo-diet-paleo-myths.php">paleo diet</a> continues to rise in popularity, a number of do-it-yourself entrepreneurs are finding themselves a lot of animal fat on their soft, supple hands and have begun rediscovering uses for what had previously been trimmed away and discarded for so long. The result? A small (but growing) number of female-owned businesses exploring this particularly old-school ingredient.</p>
<p> <figure class="e-image">
<img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/woeatpX9YVJA-V2zMR-FkmuFvrc=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/2953052/cow.0.jpg">
</figure>
<br><span class="credit">Photo: Getty Images</span></p>
<p>Brittany Hogan, owner of Colorado-based <a href="http://www.soulsticesoaps.com/">Soulstice Soaps</a>, discovered the possibilities of tallow after a particularly large meat haul: "My family had purchased a quarter-cow from a family-run organic farm, and the wife asked how much suet we wanted. I responded to her with, 'Why in the world would someone want beef fat?' She explained its use in candle and soap-making. I had a few other signs pointing me in the soap-making direction, so I told her to give me 100 pounds."</p>
<p>Hogan melts down and filters the fat in a process known as rendering, and then mixes it with coconut oil and essential oil fragrances to create her soaps. The end product is a bar that's high in lipids and free from the potentially irritating chemicals commonly used in commercially-produced soaps, like sodium lauryl sulfate (a foaming agent), triclosan (an anti-bacterial), and titanium dioxide (a dye). Hogan also believes that the all-grass diet of the pasture-raised cows she gets her tallow from infuses her soaps with vitamins, antioxidants, and anti-inflammatory properties.</p>
<p>According to its adherents, this free-range sourcing is key for tallow-based brands. At <a href="http://primalcare.net/">Primal Care</a>, co-creator Lee Bentley uses buffalo fat she gets from a Native American-owned range in New Mexico to formulate her body balms.</p>
<div class="float-right"><q class="pullquote">"Why in the world would someone want beef fat?"</q></div>
<p>"There are quite a few tallows that have traditionally been used for skin products," she explains. "But at this point in time, they are suspect because they are laced with hormones, antibiotics, and adrenaline from the horrors of the slaughterhouse. We found tallow from grass-fed, free-range bison that's uniquely free of all those negative properties."</p>
<p>Bentley and her business partner, Skye Gibbins, also use essential oil blends to scent their compounds. The resulting face and body moisturizers are smooth, quickly absorbed, and, per their claims, similar in chemical composition to the oils found naturally in human skin. While they stand behind the benefits of their balms, Bentley says she's not planning for a huge boom in business any time soon: "The base that we use is just not available in large quantities, so high-volume production will never be our goal."</p>
<p>Besides limited materials, limited appeal is also something to consider. For most consumers, the idea of smoothing animal fat on your skin is something of a hard sell. Carrissa Pfest, who uses a tallow lotion that her friend Kenwyn Dapo whips up in her Manhattan kitchen, admits that when first offered a sample, she "was initially perturbed—it seemed like I would be rubbing the ends of a steak on my face."</p>
<p> <figure class="e-image">
<img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/6if-gKGGXAE83S0jWTblykHo_XQ=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/2953054/steak.0.jpg">
</figure>
<br><span class="credit">Photo: Getty Images</span></p>
<p>But after trying it for a period of the time, Pfest is a paleo beauty convert. Anouche Mardirossian, who also uses Dapo's homemade balms, was similarly shocked by the results: "They exceeded my expectations. There was no smell, and the balm was light, ultra-absorbent, and completely—I mean, completely—non-greasy. This was the biggest surprise." Mardirossian also likes the idea of using a product that's natural and cuts down on waste.</p>
<p>With all these glowing recommendations, why aren't more skincare brands looking into the miracle of tallow? The answer, according to LA-based dermatologist Karen Stolman, could lie in the fact that we may have already found ingredients that surpass its promised effects. "Tallow has some tough competition, and is not as strongly evidence-based," she explains. "There are a lot of other ingredients that carry more weight as far as efficacy goes."</p>
<div class="float-right"><q class="pullquote">"There are a lot of other ingredients that carry more weight as far as efficacy goes."</q></div>
<p>She adds that the moisturizing benefits of the fat in tallow are only one thing to consider when creating an ideal product. Effective moisturizers contain ingredients that inhibit moisture loss (occlusives), hold water in the skin cells (humectants), and replace lost oils (emollients). "Tallow," she says, "is made up of fatty acids, so it would only fit in the emollient category. If I were designing a good moisturizer, I would choose ceramides and cholesterol first, and then if tallow is there too, that would be a bonus." Further, she notes, because of its molecular structure, the antioxidants that exist in tallow sit on the surface of the skin, unable to penetrate to where they can do the most good.</p>
<p>While this means that tallow may not be the singular miracle-in-a-jar treatment consumers continually seek, all hope is not lost when it comes to animal-based ingredients. Stolman does point out that a <a href="http://www.mdlinx.com/dermatology/news-article.cfm/5644850/stability-of-emulsion-interesterification-synthesis-walnut">recent study</a> in the International Journal of Cosmetic Science demonstrated that, when combined with walnut oil, mutton tallow did provide very effective moisturization in a small sampling of users.</p>
<p>It's not conclusive by any means, but according to the researchers, the initial data does "indicate the possibility of application of fats [as a] base of emulsions in the cosmetic industries." Could this spur big brands to hop aboard the paleo train? Perhaps. After all, it wasn't so long ago that coconut oil seemed wildly alternative—who's to say a little bison fat couldn't follow suit?</p>
https://www.racked.com/2014/11/20/7568503/paleo-beauty-products-tallow-animal-fatIlise Carter