HOW TO WEAR BOYFRIEND JEANS
HOW TO WEAR THE HOT DENIM TREND THAT COULD BE WORN BY YOUR SWEETHEART
If you’re searching for a comfortable pair of casually chic denim, then boyfriend jeans are definitley for you! Before you run out to buy your first pair of boy-inspired jeans, read these simple stylish rules on how to wear your boyfriend jeans.
How to Wear Boyfriend Jeans
LEVI'S® SPRING/SUMMER 2009 CAMPAIGN
POWER FOR LEVI'S® WOMEN
American Singer Songwriter Cat Power, Photographer Katja Rahwles and stylist Sarah Richardson get together for Levi's®
When looking for a woman who could embody the timeless American cool which is characteristic of Levi's® jeans for its forthcoming Spring/Summer 2009 campaign, the Levi's® choice easily fell on Chan Marshall, a.k.a. Cat Power. Just a few weeks later, the American singer-songwriter was on set with German-born photographer Katja Rahwles and maverick London-based fashion stylist Sarah Richardson. As for the collaboration, the American artiste says: “ It seemed very natural to me, as I have worn Levi's® jeans all my life”.
Levi’s® Red Tab® Jeans draw inspiration from the free spirited mood of the 1970s, with a collection of beautifully sun-faded, jeans and casual clothing with a lived-in vintage flavor which perfectly catch the mood of a hazy summer. the newest Levi’s® Red Tab® Girls’ silhouettes are radical and liberated flare, boot cut and parallel leg styles that celebrate a carefree sensuality and complement the enduring success of the skinny rock‘n’roll aesthetic. The jeans are constructed with sophisticated materials and tailored with savvy to fit just right.
Legendary female rockers Patti Smith, Suzy Quatro and Chrissie Hynde served as the inspiration for the campaign : “ Like them, Cat Power has a unique and individual style. It is all about effortless cool with a rock ‘n’ roll edge – so close to Levi's®, in fact. It is consistent and timeless and has changed very little over the years, and yet still feels very edgy.”, says Sarah Richardson.
CAT POWER
Cat Power’s career started in 1995, and her fame as an indie icon has been growing steadily through collaborations with artists from Dave Grohl to Yoko Ono and Faithless. Known for her stripped down, intimistic music, gravelly voice, and individual style.
No stranger to the fashion world, in 2006 she performed a duet with model karen elson on an English cover of Serge Gainsbourg’s “Je t’aime…moi non plus”. In the same year, she was approached by Karl Lagerfeld outside the Mercer Hotel in NYC, becoming somewhat of a muse for the mercurial designer. He later famously proclaimed “J’adore Cat Power!”.
Cat Power’s music has served as a soundtrack to countless movies - indie cult hits Juno and V for Vendetta amongst others. In 2007, she made her own screen debut in Wong Kar Wai's ‘My Blueberry Nights’ starring as Jude Law’s girlfriend, opposite fellow chanteuse Norah Jones. Her latest record, Jukebox, released in January 2008, is a compilation of covers, while a new EP is expected for release in December 2008.
LEVI'S® SPRING/SUMMER 2009 CAMPAIGN
Q&A WITH CAT POWER
American recording artiste Chan Marshall, better known as Cat Power, started her career in 1995, and her fame as an indie icon has been growing steadily through collaborations with artists from Dave Grohl to Yoko Ono, to Faithless. She is no stranger to the fashion world. In 2006 she performed a duet with model Karen Elson on an English cover of Serge Gainsbourg’s “Je t’aime…moi non plus”. In the same year, she was tapped to become the face of Chanel Jewelry, after Karl Lagerfeld spotted her outside the Mercer Hotel in NYC – he later proclaimed “J’adore Cat Power!”. Her music has been the soundtrack to indie cult movies Juno and V for Vendetta. In 2007 she made her own screen debut in Wong Kar Wai's first movie in English, ‘My Blueberry Nights’ starring Jude Law and fellow chanteuse Norah Jones. Her latest record, Jukebox, released in January 2008, is a compilation of cover.
Why did you decide to appear in the S/S 2009 campaign for Levi's?
Levi's® jeans have been such a part of my life that it was a very easy choice. Levi's® jeans are so uncomplicated, so simple and timeless. They are at once the quintessential American garment and the base of every woman’s wardrobe, including mine. I can’t remember a time in my life when I didn’t wear Levi's® jeans. I even got obsessed about a particular style some years back - I loved so much and I was so worried about not finding again, that I walked into a store in Mulberry Street, in New York, and bought 9 pairs , which in fact was the entire stock!
What is the greatest influence on your music?
I grew up listening to my parents’ music collection – the Stones and Led Zeppelin of course, but also the seminal music of Buddy Holly, Otis Redding and Billie Holiday. My music inspiration really comes from my formative American roots – rock ‘n’roll and its jazz and blues influences.
Built on that are my experiences and learnings and those of the people I am lucky to collaborate with. In fact, I am always learning and trying to improve my music – be it learning a new instrument or refining my songwriting.
You are American but spent a long time on the road outside of your country, how does that affect you and your inspiration?
I love traveling and discovering the music of the places I visit, especially the primitive rhythms of traditional music. I am however quintessentially American and when I think about America I think about a mix of influences – I am part Native American, part Irish, part Jewish.
I was born in the South and lived long time in New York, so that defines me too. If I had been raised somewhere else, I think my character and my sound would be different.
Of course America is an ever changing entity. It used to be a refuge for people hoping for a better future for themselves and their families, and a melting pot of amazing cultural influences. Now it sometimes resembles a private business. I feel in this particular moment that we have a great potential to change for the best. There is great hope in my country and for my country, even if the world is going through such turmoil. .
You started your career over 10 years ago and are as popular with teens as you are with people from your generation. What is your secret?
When I look at the crowd that comes to my gigs, it’s very heterogeneous. I see my peers, who were of college age when I started and now have teenage sons and daughters who come along to my performances… and stand side-to-side with men and women who could easily be their grandparents.
I think that the simpler a thing is, the easier it is to understand it - and that applies to my music too. My songs seem to have universal appeal because they are simple, easy to understand. My music is by no means conceptual - it is emotional, human, stripped down and therefore immediate, so it can be filled with the listeners’ own intellectual responses.
How different are you as an artist and a woman today from when you began your career?
When I look at my life, I see it as a construction of different experiences – the sum of totally glorious moments, of frankly boring ones and mishaps. It’s just like anybody else’s, really.
What I perhaps have today that I didn’t have 10 years ago is a greater realization of myself and the world around me. I can see the conflict and complications in my past and present life like I never could when I was younger.
What has not changed much is my relationship to music – it has always been such a big part of my life. I have always felt responsibility and dedication to my public. I have tried to be honest, direct, and give my best to my public, night after night. When I perform, it’s still a very personal experience – if I can choose, I like to perform for a smaller group of people and give it my all.
You are known for your personal style, which is often imitated by young girls. What are its ‘pillars’?
Clothing define who you are and I am a fly-on-the-wall kind of person – a woman who loves the beauty of differences in people and soaks up their energies. I am also a gipsy, a nomad who does not cling to one aesthetic. Jeans are certainly the base of my wardrobe – they are also the ultimate tour garment as they are so tough and versatile. When it comes to colors, I am not big on prints - I love monochrome. I always seem to wear muted shades – whites, browns, grays – and I love all blues, from baby blue to indigo.
You don’t seem to have made many compromises in your career – does artistic integrity pay off?
More than one could ever imagine. In the end, it’s you who has to look at yourself in the mirror and feeling happy with who you are and what you have achieved is priceless.
Doing what you think is right builds self respect, and in turn self respect builds self confidence, which gives you the strength to have even more integrity… It’s a positive chain reaction for you as a person and for creativity.
What are your plans for the immediate future?
I have toured for 10 years straight, with the exception of a month after September 11th and this is the first time that I am free – there is no tour, there is no record and I actually have a cut of time all for myself. People don’t usually have this kind of freedom so I feel very fortunate, especially at such a point in my life.
As a woman, 10 years is a lot of time - from 26 to 36 that’s when you grow into a new person and now it is really the right time to figure out what the next step in my life will be. I feel like there is a huge window of opportunity, whether I will devote this time to leisure or work. I could shift my career, become a painter or a sculptor, spend more time doing humanitarian and civil rights work, write, or settle down and have a family or just create more music… It’s up to me!
What is your most vivid memory of being photographed?
I was lucky to meet the great Richard Avedon in 2003, just a year before he passed away, as he shot my portrait for the New Yorker magazine. He was already very ill then, in fact, I had to visit him in his NY hospital room. I arrived with a huge bunch of flowers and felt terribly intimidated – it was like visiting royalty. A few weeks later, we met in a studio and he gave me a Polaroid of the shoot, which was the only thing I managed to grab a few years later when my place in Florida was swept by the hurricane and I lost everything. Luckily I managed to get out of there alive…
STAR STUDDED
Limited edition Levi’s® vest goes on sale end February 2009
Denim and stars instantly conjure up images of America, so here’s a little something to wear while watching the next President of the U.S.A. swear his oath.
Inspired by an original worn by American singer songwriter Cat Power on the set of the new Levi’s® campaign for Spring 2009, this classic, lived-in Levi’s® jacket has been hand customised into a rock and roll, star spangled vest. Sleeves and waist band have been cut off and brass studs have been applied one by one, so each is truly unique.
2500 pieces will be available from Levi's® Stores and selected retail outlets around Europe at the end of February – just in time for the Presidential Inauguration...
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