Ephemera

Check out more from the collection below.

Fashion

The Good Kind of Endings

August 29, 2022

Endings, a hub for "slutwear, loungewear, swimwear, lingerie" launched this weekend. The site is the dark and twisty counterpart to any and all primary-colored spandex panties ads that pop up incessantly on Instagram. And, it's much more than that. It was born during a painful time for its founder Tori Duderstadt, a time when she needed an outlet, and hopes now to provide such an outlet for others in the same place...

"This shop came to me in the middle of a break up. Not that we were mid-argument, and I said ‘Hold on I have an idea for an online store.’ The relationship was over, but I was still neck deep in its passing– steeping in the sting of good memories, acclimating to the cold notion of the end, fully submerged in all that was gone..."

Text by Tori Duderstadt and Moira O'Neill
Photos by Sophia Schrank

It was something beyond masochism. I wasn’t holding on to the past so much as accepting that its passage would stay with me as long as it wanted to. Because the end comes with gifts you don’t get in the beginning. I wanted something I could keep. This is a collection for endings– the great unifier we all know well.

Whether you’re floating outside of your body and want to be brought back into it, or you are happily dissociating for a little and want to enjoy the person you’re watching (who is you?? Wow!)– this is lingerie to be romanced by. Handmade, lasting items to sustain you through the forever feeling. Objects beyond utility, to reroute you back to yourself.

I wore my silly* goofy* prosthetic boobs for the shoot. I've had them for years and I don't get to wear them often. I've put them on occasionally just to feel different from the way I usually feel, which is proportionate and regular, I guess. I've worn them to make the people around me feel uncomfortable or to make them laugh. In a way, that’s what Endings is.

A collection of clothing with the intention of arousing a feeling. Be it in someone you want to fuck, someone you want to impress, or simply to arouse a feeling in yourself. To bring yourself back to life for a moment if that's what you need. Or to celebrate your sexy aliveness if you're already feeling like an active participant in your existence- which, congratulations if you are! And if you aren't, I get that too. I'm not saying that wearing flirty clothing will fix your life. But I do know that we young adults living in 2022 are really good at being hot while the world is seemingly crumbling around us. I think it gives us a sense of control.

I personally have accepted that I'm powerless over almost everything. But I don’t consider looking good to be one of those things. A good fit to me lately is an oversized hoodie I acquired somewhere along the way, something special, like a hand sewn skirt, some second-hand designer heels or Super-Birki clogs with socks, depending on my mood. I like to have a Gel-X manicure and my make-up and hair done, Tik Tok tutorial style. Those details make me feel put together (that’s the control thing again.)

That is how I styled the shoot. It’s me. It’s Endings.

To check out the whole collection, head to shopendings.com

Fashion

A Shoe for Summer's End

The Stüssy & Converse collection is available worldwide at select chapter stores, select Dover Street Market locations and stussy.com on Friday, August 26th.

Fashion

Movement and Metamorphosis with Elizabeth Hooper Studio

Rather than creating industrial anomalies that draw the mind away from the natural order of nature, Gehry set out to create buildings that are in tune with their surroundings.

Much like Hooper’s vision, Gehry’s works are perpetually informed by their environments, assimilating with ease, while still bringing a sense of newness and innovation. This tension between nature and the urban world — or rather avoiding contributing to that tension — is something that Hooper set out to explore in her own creations after she found inspiration in the aftermath of a tornado that struck her hometown of Dallas.

Her pieces may be conversation starters, as they are highly textural and play to the senses, but they do not take away from the wearer — instead, they refine the wearer’s look.

This duality is a main tenet of Hooper’s work. She has perfected the balance between raw and polished with her pieces that are both elegant and edgy, fine-tuned yet serendipitous. Although each design takes after the unexpected essence of nature, they still find their rightful place in one’s wardrobe after meshing with the body itself, which is then also incorporated as a part of the design and story.

From natural freshwater pearl accents to melting golden shapes, Hooper’s work mimics the uninhibited forms of Gehry’s. Both artists possess the keen ability to create movement from very structured elements — whether that be, in Gehry’s case, brick, or stunning metals for Hooper, resulting in a work of art that is highly dynamic and transformative.