Chicago World Fashion Festival, Brain Fuel Week, and Trump leads in five critical states
Plus, another B-Side episode
Welcome back to ‘In the Loop’! We’ve got a good one for you today. It's your newsletter team — Alexandra, Jana, Varun, Lauren, Isabella, Sam, Rebeca, Elizabeth and Audrey — back with a new and exciting edition of the Monday night newsletter!
Jumping things off, Assistant Multimedia Editor Jana Simovic and Photographer Varun Khushalani were in attendance of the Chicago World Fashion Festival and were able to speak to some of the designers and attendees at the event. Stay tuned for 14 East’s full coverage of the World Fashion Festival next week! Also, DePaul Brain Fuel Week is in full swing this week, offering a wide range of events for students as Fall Quarter comes to a close and finals approach. In other national news, President Biden is falling behind Donald Trump in five of the six battleground states, according to recent polls from the New York Times and Siena College.
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With that, let's get into tonight’s news!
The B-Side: The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill
By Monique “Mo” Petty-Ashmeade, Audrey Leib and Andrew Vucsko-Cameron
From 14 East Magazine’s Hip-Hop edition, Community Engagement editor Monique “Mo” Petty-Ashmeade shares their interactions with Lauryn Hill’s solo album “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill” and its impacts felt 25 years after its’ inception.
Narration by Monique “Mo” Petty-Ashmeade
Produced by Audrey Leib
Music by Andrew Vucsko-Cameron
Opulent Frivolity, Sustainable Materials and Multiculturalism Make an Appearance at the World Fashion Festival’s Reception
By Jana Simovic and Varun Khushalani
On the chilly evening of October 21, you find yourself entering the historic Marshall Fields Building, — which now houses a Macy’s. Ask a perfume concierge for directions to the World Fashion Festival, and you’re directed to the seventh floor of the grandiose building. While traveling in an elevator — possibly questioning how well you are going to fit in wearing an oversized utility jacket and clogs — you also don’t exactly know what to expect, since a quick Google search doesn’t yield as much information as one would hope.
After making your way to the festival, you find yourself in a large, grand white room in which the peripheries are lined with about 10 different vendors; most of which are offering free alcohol to all attendees. Suspicions immediately serve you well, as most of the attendees are well dressed; adorned with sparkling dresses, power suits and stunning stilettos.
Walking around the room, it’s hard not to notice the dozens of photo-ops taking place all around you, flashes blinding you everywhere you stand. Tables that aren’t occupied by carefree amounts of alcohol are littered with scraps of food items, amounting to a high enough volume that could feed attendees many times over.
One of the most eye-catching figures of the night is a model adorned with a billowing dress made of used potato chip bags, designed and created by Chicago-based sculptor Alan Emerson Hicks, whose focus is on working with many post-consumer products such as plastics and other materials.
“The statement really is about turning this trash into things that people would consider treasures, or valuable. So it’s kind of like a Midas Touch concept,” said Hicks, adding that these kinds of pieces can take months to plan and fully create.
Speaking of Midas touch, it ironically seems as if the myth manifested itself inside a single room of the large State Street building, as gold embellishments can be seen in front of the corner of your eye anywhere you stand; perfectly complimenting the superficial conversations within ear-shot.
According to the festival's website, “Our multi-sensory fashion experience platforms are typically utilized by local, national, and international fashion brands, designers, and other industry professionals to showcase their latest collections and products to a diverse audience.”
It lives up to its name; as it hosted over ten designers over three days from October 19 to 21, most of whom visited from various parts of the world.
Suzana Perić, a designer from Serbia, mentions that her experience in Chicago has been phenomenal as her brand of 25 years has been positively received by the festival's attendees. Perić herself is dressed in a stark white power suit adorned with strategic cut-outs and silver embellishments, furthering the festival's illusion of opulence.
While explaining that the Suzana Perić Brand is one of the most prestigious in the Balkans, she mentions that most of the materials and products used to make garments are hand-made, contributing to the familiar silhouette of the brand’s long dresses. “Our brand is characterized by what makes a woman her own; we have a feminine line which is emphasized by the female figure,” said Perić.
Eduardo Ocantos, a painter and designer from Argentina, echoes Peric’s sentiments regarding his positive experience in Chicago, mentioning that since Chicago doesn’t have a large annual fashion event, “this is a very nice way to start to create a big Fashion Week.”
Backstage, minutes before the runway show is set to begin, Ray Martinez, the backstage director, is occupied by addressing any and all concerns of designers and their models, explaining that three designers will run through a total of about 80 looks in just 14 minutes. The intense energy is best described by Sacha Slivinsky, one of the night's models.
“I like to think it’s controlled chaos, but it’s just straight-up chaos. We always end up making it work though,”said Slivinsky.
Keep an eye out for 14 East’s coverage and commentary of the whole festival, coming out next week!
DePaul News
By Lauren Sheperd
Work by photojournalists W. Eugene Smith and Aileen Mioko Smith displayed at the John T. Richardson Art Gallery
Photos of a century-old environmental disaster in Japan will be displayed next to photos by College of Communications students of environmental issues in Chicago at the Richardson Art Gallery until November 16. The gallery – which was curated by Assistant Professor of Journalism, Robin Hoecker – aims to bring photos to these issues and work to enact change. In the small fishing village of Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan, the effects of plastics company Chisso dumping wastewater into fishing water is still felt today. The disease named after the village – Minamata disease – ravaged the village, and people are still looking for legal justice. DePaul Newsline’s Jade Walker has more information on the gallery.
Anthropology students work with the Historic Pullman Foundation and the Pullman National Historic Park
DePaul students are working with historical organizations in the Pullman neighborhood to “attach names and stories” to the historic homes in the neighborhood. Through its 140 year history – Pullman has been known for different reasons, and families have come and gone. Now, it is recognized as Chicago's only National Park. The students working on this project are from Jane Baxter’s – associate professor and chair of anthropology – “Anthropology 390: Citizen Historians” course. They were paired with a Pullman resident who was interested in discovering the history of their home to research. DePaul Newsline’s Russell Dorn has more on the project.
Anti-Phishing policy to change November 9
DePaul’s anti-phishing policy regarding student outlooks is set to change on Thursday in an effort to “evaluate the most suitable anti-phishing controls protecting DePaul email users.” The changes will include a small increase in anti-phishing controls and minor changes to how phishing emails are handled. These emails will be labeled by Microsoft and can be found in the Junk folder. Ideally, important emails will not be accidentally moved to Junk folders. Information Services through DePaul Newsline has more.
Health Promotion and Wellness hosting Brain Fuel Week
As the Fall Quarter comes to a close and finals quickly approach, HPW is hosting a week of events to encourage students to focus on their mental wellbeing. Events will take place every day this week and include zumba classes, meditation and coloring. More information on events, times and locations can be found on DeHub, where students are also able to RSVP.
Chicago Headlines
By Isabella Salinas
Chicago’s Winter weather poses as another struggle for migrants - More than 2,800 migrants are living outside police stations across Chicago as temperatures begin to drop. During the day, migrants aren't allowed to go into police stations and they have had to endure the cold weather all across the city. The below freezing temperatures and snowfall has been a danger to those migrants that do not have the right clothing for the weather. The city currently shelters around 11,000 migrants and is asking for the help of churches to shelter more migrants until more base camps and shelters open. Diane Pathieu and Sarah Schulte at ABC 7 Chicago have more details.
Former President Barack Obama speaks at annual Democracy Forum in Chicago - On the anniversary of his 2008 presidential win, Obama returned to Chicago at McCormick Place where he spoke during the Obama Foundation Democracy Forum where he discussed the Israel-Hamas war, job protections amid the rise of artificial intelligence and the importance of economic growth. Obama puts the spotlight on youth in the United States as he states they could make the world a better place. For more information on the speech read Alex Degmans piece on WBEZ Chicago.
Chicago Bulls kickoff the inaugural In-Season tournament - The In-Season tournament is new to the NBA and it splits the 30 teams into six groups where they will play four group play games until eight teams advance to the knockout rounds. The NBA’s inaugural In-Season tournament kicked off on Friday , where the Bulls debuted their City edition jerseys, and the brand new all red court at the United Center, as they played against the Brooklyn Nets. The Bulls lost 109-107, with DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine tying with a game-high 24 points against the Nets. For more details on the tournament check out Sam Smith's story on the NBA website.
Chicago announces its Christmas tree for the year - The city of Chicago continues its tradition of tree lighting on Michigan Ave, with a 45-foot Colorado blue spruce donated by the De La Cruz family from Darien, Illinois. Daughter Abby De La Cruz wrote a letter to the city nominating it and sharing how her parents immigrated here from the Philippines. The tree-lighting ceremony will be held this upcoming Friday at 6 p.m. along with fireworks and musical performances. You can read the story on ABC7 news for more information about the De La Cruz family and the Christmas tree tradition.
National Headlines
By Sam Freeman
School board elections become the latest polarized battleground – Across the U.S. in local and state races, voters are casting ballots for school boards. Doug Durham is vying for a spot on the Southern Lehigh school board. His campaign has labeled themselves the “True Republicans,” and they’ve signed a pledge to keep “woke politics” out of classrooms. This had led to many concerns about potential book banning. "We're not book banners. I believe in free speech, but I don't believe that pornography should be available to children in the schools," Durham told local conservative talk show host Bobby Gunther Walsh. Durham also supports restricting students from using bathrooms that align with their gender identity and telling parents when students use a different name or pronouns. Sarah Mueller from NPR has the story.
Trump leads in five critical states as Biden loses support, according to a Times/Siena poll – President Biden is falling behind Donald Trump in five of the six battleground states, with just a year until the 2024 presidential election, according to recent polls from The New York Times and Siena College. The results found that Biden is currently losing to Trump by margins of 3% to 10% among registered voters in Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada and Pennsylvania. Biden is currently ahead of Trump in Wisconsin by two percentage points. Many voters are discontent with Biden, saying that his policies have personally hurt them, and that he has been a huge let down. “I actually had high hopes for Biden,” said Jahmerry Henry, a 25-year-old voter in Albany, Ga. “You can’t be worse than Trump. But then as the years go by, things happen with inflation, the war going on in Ukraine, recently Israel and I guess our borders are not secure at all.” Henry now plans to vote for Trump. Shane Goldmacher from The New York Times has more information.
Supreme Court will rule on gun bump stocks used in Las Vegas mass shooting – The Supreme Court agreed on Friday that it would evaluate whether a Trump-era ban on bump stocks violates federal law. Bump stocks are the gun attachments that allow semi-automatic weapons to be fired like machine guns. The regulation was initially put in place by the Justice Department after the mass shooting in Las Vegas in 2017, when a 64-year-old gunman used assault rifles to fire over 1,000 rounds in 11 minutes into a crowd of 22,000 people. Fifty-eight people were killed in the shooting, and two died later. The justices will hear arguments early next year about whether the Trump administration followed federal law in changing the bump stock regulation. A decision is expected by early summer in Garland v. Cargill, 22-976. Mark Sherman from the Associated Press has more information.
Museum criticized by Muslim and Jewish groups for delaying Islamic art exhibit – Staff at an art museum in Pittsburgh planned an exhibition that would showcase Islamic art across 10 countries. It would feature paintings, weaponry, ceramics and other pieces from the Middle East. The exhibit called “Treasured Ornament” – at Frick Pittsburgh – was set to open November 2023. But the exhibit has been postponed; emails from the staff obtained by the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review suggest that the Israel-Palestinian conflict played a role. Elizabeth Barker, the Frick’s executive director, told the Tribune-Review that the staff “realized that we were about to open an exhibition that a forgiving person would call insensitive, but for many people, especially in our community, would be traumatic.” Muslim and Jewish groups have come out and said that the postponing of the exhibit perpetuates stereotypes that Islamic art is synonymous with terrorism. The exhibit will now open in August 2024. Praveena Somasundaram from The Washington Post has the story.
14 East Pueblo: Representation in Music
By Rebeca Acosta
With Spotify Wrapped soon releasing at the end of the year, users get a deeper look at their listening habits and a recap of streamed genres.
Since 2016, Spotify also releases a list of the most-streamed music genres on its platform. In 2016, the top 10 most-streamed music genres were – starting at the top of the list – pop, dance pop, rap, pop rap, rock, pop rock, trap, neo mellow, post-teen pop, and hip-hop. This year, the top 10 most-streamed music genres are – starting at the top of the list – pop, rap, rock, urbano Latino, hip hop, trap Latino, reggaeton, filmi, dance pop, and Latin pop. Notably, urbano Latino, trap Latino, reggaeton, filmi, and Latin pop were not in the top 10 most-streamed music genres of 2016.
Instead of generalizing music performed in Spanish to Latin, the shift in popularity for music performed in Spanish, as suggestive in the data, can be attributed to the distinct genres of Spanish music that Spotify only recently classified. In late 2022, Spotify reclassified Latin into hyper-specific genres like Latin hip hop, Latin pop, urbano Latino, trap Latino, and musica mexicana. Without these genres to represent the differences of music in Spanish, the nuances of Latine experiences would be lost.
The shift from generalizing all Spanish music into one category, to the unique genres that actually reflect the type of song, models the importance of representation in music.
Hey, Check This Out!
With Featured Columnist Elizabeth Gregerson
This week’s column asks readers to go back in time and listen to the latest release from arguably the most famous band of all time. Filled with familiar nostalgia for generations of music fans, this week’s recommendation is the song "Now and Then” by The Beatles.
The song came to fruition with the help of the advancements in technology from Peter Jackson’s production company. Jackson, most recognized as the director of The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings films, directed and produced the 2021 docuseries The Beatles: Get Back. Jackson’s team was able to isolate vocals from a demo tape John Lennon made of “Now and Then” before his assassination in 1980.
Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr and George Harrison had attempted to work on the demo tape in the 1990s, but were never able to separate the piano sound from Lennon’s vocals. Their attempt, while unsuccessful, created recordings of Harrison playing guitar for “Now and Then” before his 2001 death from lung cancer.
Jackson’s state of the art technology paved the way for McCartney and Starr to add bass, drums and vocals to Harrison and Lennon’s recordings from their work on the track. The result is a moving and sentimental song that may bring the most stoic Beatles fan to tears.
The music video, also directed by Jackson, uses modern day technological magic to cleverly intertwine behind the scenes videos of the song’s production with real footage of the late Lennon and Harrison somehow superimposed into modern day moments. There is one particularly cheeky moment of Lennon “leading” an orchestra recording music for the track.
The emotional reunion is bittersweet. The song and video reflect the dream of four Liverpool boys that somehow turned into reality. The simple and impactful lyrics express the meaningful connection Lennon, McCartney, Harrison and Starr made along the way:
“I know it's true/It's all because of you/And if I make it through/It's all because of you.”
Resources
Need resources regarding warming centers, rental assistance, abortion access, COVID-19 testing and vaccines or mental health? Check out our complete list here.
That’s it for today! See you next Monday.
The 14 East Newsletter Team