Wear: Navy Blue Wear it head to toe, or fit one blazer into your almost-entirely black & white wardrobe like I plan to! Listen to: Sky Ferreira I once read somewhere that Sky only models when she needs money, hah. There's something really fucking cool and I don't know...normal about her. She seems like someone who is at once wildly famous and also someone who grew up down the street from me. My favorite song off her new album: Buy: Dramatic Eyeglasses Bonus points if you start lamenting the fact that you aren't studying abroad in Paris or Tokyo. Read: Franny & Zooey | | "Franny, a young college girl, arrives in New Haven (Yale) to be with her preppy and also intellectualizing boyfriend for a football weekend. They go to a cafe to have some food (and drinks and cigarettes). The story is simply the account of their talk. Salinger is one of the greatest masters of frenzied and fast dialogue, and it shows here. Franny is telling her boyfriend about all the phoniness of campus life, about the lunacy and presumptuousness of teachers and classmates. She tells him how she has read a book about a Russian monk who discovers a special Jesus prayer. If you repeat this prayer incessantly, it will become a part of you and repeat itself automatically, bringing you closer to grace and peace." | Create: Hanging vases There are about one million variations on this phenomenon; if you don't believe me just ask Pinterest. Right around this time of year I start to get straight up angry about how cold and ugly it is outside, so keeping fresh flowers in the house becomes mandatory. Welcome to 2014.
STAY UGLY//
xoJamee
As much of a fashion history buff as I purport myself to be, I am ashamed to say I didn't know anything about Diana Vreeland (other than her name) before I watched the documentary about her life, The Eye Has to Travel. I happened upon it while scanning Netflix. And yeah, it IS on Netflix, so you have no excuse not to watch it! I know your old roommate or your mom will let you log into their account if you don't have one yourself... Diana was a French ex-pat plucked out of New York society by Carmel Snow to write a fashion column in Harper's Bazaar, and before long she became the fashion editor. She did some of her best work there, I mean absolutely incredible stuff. (Follow the link for evidence!) Eventually she made the move to American Vogue in 1962, and she discovered Edie Sedgwick while there. So top that, Anna!  Diana represents everything I love about the fashion industry; the pure magic of it. The way you can create images that make your heart beat fast, because it just jumpstarted a new idea. Whether it's an idea about a painting you'd like to do, a color of lipstick you'd like to own, or a specific shape of skirt you now have to search every thrift store for until you find it. She understood that fashion was a subtext of culture and art, not just a commercial system of fabric.
Above all, Diana is my kind of woman because she was never afraid to assert herself. She believed in her vision, and she didn't care if other people agreed or disagreed with her. No matter what facet of the fashion industry you find yourself involved in, that sense of confidence and direction is so imperative. It's what separates an assistant designer from someone who helms a heritage brand. It separates Taylor Tomasi Hill from the all of the accessory editors you've never heard of.
“I think part of my success as an editor came from never worrying about a fact, a cause, an atmosphere. It was me—projecting to the public. That was my job. I think I always had a perfectly clear view of what was possible for the public. Give ‘em what they never knew they wanted.” Your homework for the week is to watch the documentary, and then tell me what your favorite quote from it is, because there are loads of perfect ones.
STAY UGLY//
xoJamee
I honestly can’t remember a time when I didn’t have any plaid in my closet. Yes, even in elementary school…I wore it under my overalls #proud. Clearly, plaid has always been a favorite of mine, especially in the fall and winter. What I am drooling over so much lately is that it is going beyond the typical shirt or scarf. I am seeing it everywhere. People are wearing plaid pants, skirts, blazers, suits, tights, even shoes! Hell, you can even mix different plaids in a single outfit and it can look awesome.
Since I look at plaid and immediately think of the holidays I stick with dark reds, greens and blues. You can't go wrong with the always classic black and white either. Here are some of my favorite looks Ive stumbled upon recently.
 This is how I would sport some plaid pants -> Pick up some plaid pieces for your own closet: ZARANasty GalTop ShopStay UGLY my friends, Brooke
Well, it finally happened. Snow is on the roof of my car, turning into rock solid ice as we speak. I've lived in Salt Lake City (or close by) my whole life, so you'd think I'd be used to it by now. Or at least to the point where I'm not totally crippled by anger when I see a fresh layer of powder on the ground. Spoiler alert: I'm not at that point!
There's only one reason I'm able to make it to any of my classes on time in the winter, and that is my collection of beanies. Sorry, but I can't be bothered to put dry shampoo and tousle my hair in that perfect way that looks like "I didn't do anything, but in reality I actually spent 45 minutes with no less than three styling tools" when it's 30 degrees outside and I can choose to stay underneath my blankets for proportionately longer. So, "collection" might be a bit of an overstatement; I only have three beanies. BUT STILL. I wear the shit out of those three beanies. If you're looking to add to your collection like I am, here's a list of the ones you should strongly consider. And by consider, I obviously mean purchase immediately. 
These are my current favorites, and it's taking all of my will power to not add that "MEOW" beanie to my shopping cart. Considering its absurdly reasonable price point, I predict that beauty will appear on my Instagram feed in the not so distant future... The internet is a gigantic place, so I am bound to have missed a few gems. Link to possibly even BETTER beanies in the comments, please. STAY UGLY// xoJamee
 Do you know the name of the cobbler who made your shoes? Was it an Italian artisan contracted by one of your favorite labels? Or was it a young girl from Uzbekistan who's being forced into child labor?
We've all been there before. You want new shoes. No, you need new shoes. But you have absolutely no more than $50 to spend on them. I've been a full-time college student for almost five years now. Trust me, I know the struggle. Just because I know a lot about expensive clothing and can spot a Celine bag from forty yards away doesn't mean I can afford one.
I'd be lying to you if I said half my closet wasn't made possible by the outsourced jobs of Forever 21 factories. It's definitely not something I'm advertising, and expensive brands certainly aren't exempt from questionable labor practices.
 The fashion industry is a business after all. It's littered with some of the most artistic and creative people who have ever lived, but it's also helmed by CEOs with business degrees who make decisions about how the product you want to buy from them is made.
I am deeply committed to the idea that personal style and clothing choices are an integral part of the way we communicate to people around us. It's the physical manifestation of what we tell ourselves we are. It's so important, and anyone who discounts "fashion" as simply a shallow clique for rich white girls isn't taking even one second to think critically about it.
Luxury is a big part of fashion, and the stereotypical definition of the word "luxury" evokes images of exotic handbags made out of crocodile, or floor-length fur coats. Aesthetically and theoretically, I admire and understand these things. But I'm not shy about the fact that I make every effort to avoid animal exploitation when I purchase things. (I do still have some leather boots and wool coats that I am praying last forever, or at least almost ever.) But I'd be a hypocrite if I didn't make an equal effort to avoid human cruelty as well. Humans are animals too, after all!
 Enter shoemaker Stephanie Nicora, founder of the Nicora Johns brand. She used Kickstarter to fund her dream of making stylish shoes that are cruelty-free to both animals and humans while remaining eco-friendly and keeping the labor here in America instead of outsourcing. Pictured on the left it Giisha, one of the master shoemakers working for Nicora Johns and actually being paid a fair wage for his craft. The company runs an Instagram and Tumblr where they post photos of new products, as well as photos of their shoemakers working. They have everything from dainty brogues to platform boots, and the best part is, since every pair is handcrafted, you can customize EVERYTHING. Davey Havok ordered a pair of custom, black lace-up boots and they are fucking cool.
The idea for starting the company began with both nostalgia for an old American craft lost, and a genuine empathy for all the unemployed American artisans, who could be benefiting from having full-time fulfilling work as craftspeople making shoes. Currently only 1% of the shoes Americans buy are made in America, and this number decreases by 7% every year.
Today, the shoe industry is one of the highest polluting industries in the world. Between the chemicals required to treat leather or make synthetic materials, the agricultural destruction caused by overgrazing livestock, shoe materials make the top ten list of world’s most polluting industry every year.
| | The number one thing on my Christmas wish list this year is a pair of black on black Priscilla wedges. Priced at an absurdly reasonable $198, I'm sure my parents will be stoked to tuck these under the tree for me. (Right, parents?!) When you consider that no humans, animals, or planets were harmed in the production, and that you can email their customer service department for special sizing at no charge, less than $200 for a pair starts to sound cheap!
Bonus: They won't fall apart after two months like the cheap, factory-made shoes you're used to!
STAY UGLY (AND ETHICAL!)//
xoJamee
 The time has come. It’s getting colder and while people are pulling out their scarves, beanies and boots I’ve noticed something a little different than before…people are pulling out BIG coats. The style “oversized” is here, and I am a fan.
Lets get one thing straight, this doesn’t mean you can go out and buy just any coat two sizes larger than your true size. It really comes down to getting the right proportion and how you plan to wear it. For those who decide to give the trend a try, pair your oversized coat with a dress, some leggings, or add a belt and it just might all come together.
Keep in mind that depending on your shape, you might be better off trying something longer than usual or wider than usual. You can still achieve the oversized look with either!
Check out my favorite oversized inspirations below as well as my own creation!
Stay UGLY, everyone :)
Brooke
If you see photos of Nadia Aboulhosn, one thing will become very clear: this pretty lady gives no fucks. There's something specific about the way she poses her face and her ass that demands attention. So you'll look...and then you'll keep looking. Between her personality and her sense of style, I think it's a pretty safe bet to say the fashion world will continue looking at her for quite a while. I first discovered Nadia via Nicolette Mason's Instagram account, where she posted about the Mynt 1792 coat collaboration that both women designed for. Not to take anything away from any of the other ladies in the promotional group photo, but my eyes immediately went to Nadia! She had on a black and white striped crop top, black skinny jeans, strappy sandals, and dark red lipstick. Also known as The Best Outfit Ever ™ as far as I'm concerned. So obviously, after seeing her I set about following her in all of her various online outlets ( Instagram, Tumblr, and website!) So, yeah. Nadia isn't a size 0/2 like most of the models working in the industry today. But to cast her as simply a "plus-size blogger and model" would be to put her into a narrow box that she doesn't deserve. If we want to get real, Nadia is smaller in size than the average American woman. So is calling her plus-size even accurate? I don't know, and honestly I don't care. I'm following her because her outfit choices inspire the hell out of me, and that would be true whether she lost or gained fifty pounds. I can't even deal with her sunglass game. It's too good. And I never thought I'd look at pair of athletic shorts and think they looked stylish, but she's proved me wrong about that! Apparently you just need a long sleeve white T-shirt, gold jewelry, and heels. (It probably helps that her waist to hip ratio is an 11 on a scale of 1-10. Scientifically attractive!) And Karla Deras circa 2012-inspired hair is ALWAYS a good idea. This is totally a promotional photo for a swimsuit line, but I liked it so much I had to include it, and i don't care that it's late October. (I promise to do a more seasonally appropriate post soon. There's no such thing as too many wide-brimmed hat and boot posts, am I right?) Special thanks to Nadia for letting me use photos from her website for this story. She's a doll. STAY UGLY// xoJamee
| | It doesn’t take an experienced model to know that the modeling industry is a tough place to be. As glamorous as it may seem, the life of a model is not always so beautiful underneath the surface. Jamie Lynn Crandall has seen and done it all, and she sat down with Ugly during this season’s cover shoot to tell us about her experience in the industry and what she has learned.
UM: You’ve lived in various major cities throughout your modeling career. What brought you back to Utah?
JC: This industry is not an easy industry. You get criticized every day, so you have to be tough about it, or else it breaks you and you just don’t do it anymore. I was recently living in Chicago, and I think that’s when it was wearing on me worse than ever before. I realized that I just needed to come home and recharge.
| UM: How were you able to keep your cool under all that pressure?
JC: Well, it was tough. When I was modeling in LA and Miami, I was around some of the most beautiful women in the world. I couldn’t help but compare myself to them, and it was really difficult to keep a positive self image. However, I think for the most part I’ve been pretty strong about it. For example, if I don’t book a job, I just get over it and move on to the next one, but I got to a point where I was being extremely critical of myself and feeling inadequate for not booking certain jobs or not looking a certain way. After realizing how bad it had gotten, I had to pull my head out of my ass and remind myself, “This is just not normal, I can’t talk to myself like this. This is not how anyone should be feeling about themselves.”
UM: Do you wish you had started your career differently?
JC: I kind of wish that I would have just finished school before I moved to LA. I know school isn’t for everyone but I wish I would have. My younger sister manages JMR Chalk Garden here in Salt Lake, and she does a great job at it. I would love to own a store with her. I think it’s something we would do well together.
UM: Would you want to do that here?
JC: Yeah, I would love to. I’ve lived in LA, I’ve lived in Miami, I’ve traveled to New York, and it’s all made me love Salt Lake so much more. I love being home. Salt Lake is really growing as far as fashion goes, so I want to stay and be a part of that. I think running a boutique would be a great way to stay involved.
UM: What kind of store would you like to run? JC: I love how they buy for their store. It’s not like other stores here in Salt Lake. It’s more in tune with trends that are going in the rest of the country. I trust my sister with fashion. I always have to ask her if what I’m wearing is cute, so she would be great at buying for a store with a more unique and edgy style. UM: What have been the most positive experiences from modeling? JC: I think it has made me a very independent and diligent woman. I was thrown into situations that I don’t think many people are. The first time moving out of my parents’ house in Utah was when I moved to LA on my own. I had to take care of myself while I was out there, and at the age of 21, it definitely toughened me up and forced me to become more independent. UM: Where do you see your modeling career going in the future? JC: I don’t necessarily want to be done with modeling anytime soon, I think I’ll always model because I love it, but I have to evolve. I just want to make something else out of it. I was Miss Utah in 2011, and although it’s been a few years, I want to utilize that platform to influence young girls in a positive way. UM: What advice do you have for young girls looking to model? JC: I strive to be as honest and helpful as I can when girls ask me for advice. I always want to put them in the direction of a really good agency if that’s what they’re looking for. If they’re wondering about tips on diet or exercise, I always tell them, “You have to know your size and your body, because you cannot try to be what you’re seeing in magazines. You just have to be you, and then you’ll book the best work you can. UM: What is your favorite thing about the fashion scene in SLC? JC: There are so many up-and-coming, talented people here, and they haven’t necessarily been given the opportunity to feature that talent, But it’s happening. Slowly but surely. I just like to see local people do well. I love collaborating with so many different people who I probably would never have met if it weren’t for fashion or modeling. I’m not a writer or anything, but I want to be involved and stay involved. I feel like I’m in that transition stage of figuring out what I’m doing next, and it’s a little overwhelming, but also incredibly exciting.
-KT
If there were a bridge between Louis Vuitton and H&M, it would be lined with fashionable boys and girls wearing Marc by Marc Jacobs. To me, there’s no brand quite like it. There’s quirky luxury, and there are affordable graphic prints, but no brand does the mix of the two as well as the design team behind Marc by Marc. The S/S 2014 collection walked in New York last week, and reaffirmed all my beliefs in the brand!
I’d recognize a Celine bag from 100 yards away, but the only time I’ve seen one in Utah was on the arm of an unbelievably stylish Asian exchange student. They’re a rarity here, to be sure. But Marc by Marc Jacobs bags are everywhere in downtown Salt Lake. With the opening of the Nordstrom at City Creek, they became available for anyone who could save up or spare roughly $500 (or less!) for a bag. That might sound like a lot to some people, but for those of us who have gaped open-mouthed at the Valentino collection, $500 seems downright reasonable. I’ll never forget the experience of walking into Nordstrom in 2009 and paying for my own Marc by Marc Jacobs bag with money I had saved up. I felt like I finally belonged to the community I had grown so attached to over the internet. I was in tune with the fashion world, and that was my proof. I’m not into buying leather anymore (especially when there are such amazing cruelty-free options), but I will always value the way that bag made me feel like I was part of something bigger than the small town in Utah I came from. Fast forward to 2013 and people everywhere are still flocking to the brand for the same reasons I did when I was 17. It’s wearable as hell, but it’s bold. It’s at the perfect price point where it remains exclusive, while staying attainable. If Marc Jacobs is for your museum curator aunt, Marc by Marc is for the cousin who lives in Brooklyn that you’re insanely jealous of.
Every collection always showcases a perfect set of basics that anyone could incorporate into their closet, regardless of their style preferences. In addition, they always throw out a few wild-card themes. This year? Sequins and scarfs! Which admittedly sounds pretty awful when taken out of context, but check this shit out.
What was your favorite look from the show? Hands down, my favorite was the brown coat ( Look #19) because I’m a SUCKER for any kind of oversized outerwear. [All runway photos via style.com] STAY UGLY// xoJamee
Let us all take a moment to acknowledge the glory that is Miranda Kerr. Not only is she possibly one of the most breathtaking models to ever walk the face of the earth, but she's got style and grace and she's workin' it all over the place. Her street style is on a level entirely separate from the rest of the world, and I think that often goes unnoticed in some corridors of the fashion industry. So take a moment, if you will, and admire the glamourous Miranda Kerr with me. Maybe she will inspire your wardrobe as she has mine! *All photos have been credited.
-JR
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