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MARCH INSPIRATIONS

a note from the editor It’s opposite day.

Well, opposite month.

March is a month bearing the true promise of change. Spring is

coming (on the 20th, to be exact) and so everyone is breaking out their

warm-weather clothes. But as far as I can tell, March is playing tricks on

us. We entered the month with a memory of sixty degree weather in Febru-

ary and a groundhog’s promise for early spring, but so far we’ve been suf-

fering below freezing temperatures. However, there have been a few days

of beautiful weather thrown in, which is why I’ve come to believe March is

the month of polar opposite everything.

On that note, this issue’s editorial is all about opposites. We’ve

mixed super glam jewel tones and fabrics such as velvet and silk with

tough accessories like Doc Marten’s for a perfect mix of girly and grungy.

We shot our beautiful model, Sarah, in the light of a perfect March sunset

(another glorious thing about March? I’m starting to notice shorter days!).

Also in this issue is a poem by a talented young woman who DJs,

makes her own clothes, and writes, photography by Kaitlin Abrams and

Mary Rippe, and an interview with Gilda Su. Gilda is an upcoming de-

signer whose debut collection is being produced in Singapore this May.

For more information about our contributors and how to submit your work,

please visit our website at www.tapmagazine.weebly.com. We eagerly wel-

come feedback and submissions, so please email us!

Enjoy this issue, and keep March-ing forward!

Love always,

Geneva Gleason

Editor-in-Chief

Credits

Cover by Georgia Gleason

“March Inspirations”

Photo by Kaitlin Abrams

“Glamorough”

Photos by Georgia Gleason

Styled by Geneva Gleason

Modeled by Sarah Morasso

Special thanks to the Antonelli family for location.

“Sweeping 7:70”

Poem by Rachel Opatowski

Photo by Mary Rippe

“Dreams by Design”

Interview by Geneva Gleason

“Thoughts”

Photo by Mary Rippe

GENEVA GLEASON

Editor-in-Chief

Georgia Gleason

Photography Director

TAP Magazine

Publisher

TAP is currently accepting photography, poetry, and article submissions for publication.

Please send submissions to tapzine@gmail.com

For advertising information, subscription information, and other inquiries email tapzine@gmail.com.

© TAP Magazine 2011. All rights reserved.

www.tapmagazine.weebly.com

Sweeping 7:70

White blood

Flows like rhythmic fans

Wasping air

Dimmed by tinted glass

To restriction

The beating of drums

In the dark school

An exit sign flickers

While the schizophrenic concludes her nightly prayers

Marriage

She begs

Marriage

Matrimony clenched thy opulence

Beard distinguished

Hat on

Below ground level he teeters

- Rachel Opatowski

TAP: How did you get started in the industry?

Gilda Su: I've always been interested in art and did all

sorts of crafting when I was little. I wouldn't say I was par-

ticularly talented in anything though, but I enjoyed it tre-

mendously. I think I was probably in my mid-teens when I

started getting really into fashion magazines, and I would

make scrapbooks of all sorts of clothes that interested me.

Then looking at these scrapbooks and wanting what I saw, I

started getting into DIY, remade a lot of my t-shirts and

jeans, and I suppose that's how it all started. I wanted to

make my own clothes from scratch.

TAP: You studied fashion design at Parson’s. What was

that like? How did you decide between design school and a

more academic university?

GS: Deciding between design school and a regular univer-

sity was not a difficult decision for me to make. Whilst at-

tending junior college in Singapore (probably the equiva-

lent of high school), I decided that there was no way I could

walk the beaten path. A lot of my friends decided to go into

accounting, economics and so on... but office work was

really just not for me. Many people were going with the

flow, choosing courses for no particular reason other than

"it'll lead to a secure future with good money", but I had a

dream and I knew what I wanted to do for the rest of my

life, so I took that leap.

I went to school in Japan at Bunka Fashion College before I

went to parsons. Both are world-famous design schools, but

there was also a world of difference between the two.

Bunka was very much about creativity and pushing the

boundaries, while making sure that things are technically

very well made. Everything technical with regards to pat-

tern making and draping that I know now comes from my

education at Bunka.

Parsons was very different. I think many of us had to un-

dergo a lot of unnecessary stress with university classes,

some of which were very interesting and added a "plus al-

pha" towards our fashion classes, but some classes com-

pletely killed our creativity and took up way too much

time. Parsons was a lot more about American fashion, be-

ing sellable, merchandising and so on. What I did learn at

parsons was invaluable though, especially digital printmak-

ing and how to design a collection instead of one-off

pieces.

TAP: What are common misconceptions about the design

industry?

GS: That it's all glitz and glamour. When blogs started get-

ting really big a few years ago, I don't think anyone pre-

dicted that it would get catapulted to the stage where it is at

today. Bloggers are becoming designers, models, photogra-

phers... some of these people are really talented and I take

my hat off to them. But the down side to all this hype is

that you have people from all corners of the earth claiming

to be designers now, and it annoys the hell out of me. A lot

of people learn how to design and sew on their own, and a

lot of people go to school for a proper education. Then out

of the blue, millions of bloggers dress up and make them-

selves pretty and attend all sorts of fashion events, and their

readers assume that the entire industry is just that – glitter

and fame. It isn't. Even worse are those reality stars. So

many of them come up with a fashion line of their own,

that completely lacks a point of view and reeks of tasteless-

ness. It makes me sick.

TAP: What does RÊVASSEUR mean and how did you

come up with it? How does it relate to your designs?

GS: RÊVASSEUR is French for 'daydreamer'. That’s what

I am – I spend a lot of time daydreaming and a lot of times

these daydreams lead to ideas for designs. I knew from a

long time ago that I wanted to name my line 'daydreamer',

but I thought about it a little realistically and realized that if

people searched for "daydreamer" online, my website

would be impossible to locate. Also, I wanted a name that

would sound almost the same in several different lan-

guages, and 'daydreamer' would not work. My French-

speaking roommate told me that the world translated to

"RÊVASSEUR", which sounds almost the same in French,

English and Japanese, so I went with it!

RÊVASSEUR is a mix of whimsical and avant-garde de-

signs, with strong silhouettes, a play on textures and prints,

and some downright outrageous OTT novel-

ties. RÊVASSEUR aims to bring "fun" back into fashion,

to encourage its wearers to experiment and to make a state-

ment with a personal style that is uniquely theirs.

TAP: What is your next step in taking RÊVASSEUR from

studio to runway?

GS: It’s taken a lot of thinking, planning and praying... in

may, I will be having a fashion show in Singapore, and also

take part in a major trade show there. The Singapore Audi

Fashion Fest happens mid may, so from now till may, I’ve

got a few months left to plan and execute my collection!

There’s not enough time!

TAP: Who are your major influences and inspirations?

GS: Just people? Family and friends are big. Nothing else

really matters. I think I’ve come this far and have been able

to do what I love because I know they've got my back.

TAP: Describe your personal style.

GS: What I wear changes day-to-day depending on my

mood. I love my Comme Des Garcons and Junya Watanabe

and Vivienne Westwood – half my closet is filled with

rather edgy stuff. The other half is filled with wild color

and crazy, whimsical things. What I love doing is mixing

these two different worlds together, throwing on one (or

two or three) really crazy items to finish the look. It’s not

really something I do on purpose and I don't plan my out-

fits. I dress myself pretty fast each morning, and for many

years I lived without a full-length mirror. I just wear what I

like, and apparently sometimes, it looks a little OTT.

TAP: In addition to designing, you also blog; what are

some of your favorite daily reads?

GS: Oh my god, I don't know if I deserve to call myself a

blogger. It’s been a long time since I’ve updated regularly.

I enjoy it sometimes but it's not my main focus and also

takes up a lot of time. Also, nowadays blogs are a lot more

about outfit posts, DIY and pretty girls who can double as

models. My blog was never centered around this. I wrote

about things that happened in my life, more like a journal,

and I don't know if people bother about things like that any-

more. With a gazillion new blogs popping up every day,

I’ve only remained faithful to several – Style Bubble, Fash-

ion Pirates, Kingdom of Style and A Shaded View of Fash-

ion. I think they haven't changed no matter how famous

they now are, there isn't any mindless banter about how

fabulous they've become, and they are still extremely origi-

nal.

TAP: Do you have any advice for aspiring designers?

GS: Believe in yourself and create something that is

uniquely you.

For more information on Gilda and her line, RÊVASSEUR,

visit www.revasseur.com.

“I think all art is about control–

the encounter between control

and the uncontrollable.

-Richard Avedon

thoughts