life & style // no. 16 Plaid to the bone » Criticizing the critiques of hipster fashion Natalie Serafini Editor-in-Chief © editor @theotherpress.ca Hes are the worst, am I right? The way they try to be oh so original—liking obscure bands that you probably haven't heard of, drinking fancy craft beer instead of a classic Caribou, and getting all their “vintage” clothing from outlet stores. Erm, well now ... this is rather awkward. As my glasses, plethora of plaid, and aesthetic construction would suggest, | like hipster fashion—and I get a little frustrated at its public denigration. Complaints seem to perpetually be about how contrived hipsters are; how they put so much effort into the selection of thick frames, vinyls, and ukuleles they don’t actually play. The problem with this line of criticism, though, is that all style is constructed—meaning, we make conscious choices when shopping, selecting items that suit our values and style. When we shop for clothing, we do so in an effort to represent ourselves, or at least our sense of style. Very few people walk around wearing a garbage bag, and even that would make a statement. (Google the ‘80s “punk” movement for that.) Whether youre choosing thick- rimmed glasses, Ugg boots, or basketball shorts, each item says something about yourself and the : image you want to present to the : world. Saying one sense of style is : “too constructed” makes nosense_ : : when all fashion is purposeful—in ! : other words, contrived. : Maybe the problem is that : hipsters appear to be inauthentic. : They shop at Urban Outfitters, : while overtly shirking the : mainstream. They put so much : effort into their appearances, : while heaving sighs over people : who exclusively frequent : high-end stores. These sorts : of contradictions would mean : hipsters are hypocritical at best, : and entirely fake at worst. But style is made up of : choices, which are sometimes : contradictory. Hell, life is made : up of choices that are sometimes : contradictory. I don’t eat meat, : but I will occasionally buy higher : quality leather shoes. Does that : mean I’m inauthentic? Or does : it mean that leather shoes tend : to last longer? So many choices : go into a person’s style, but : sometimes it’s a simple matter : of liking how something looks. : So what if a vintage-looking lace : dress is from Top Shop, rather : than the result of hours spent : hunting through bins of stained, : torn, second-hand clothing—who : : cares? How about that desire to : be unique—that can be pretty : annoying, when someone's : choices are predicated on being : alternative, indie, or out of the : ordinary. Yet, wanting to be : original isn’t particularly new : or noteworthy. If I showed up : wearing some hot little number, : only to be wearing the exact : same thing someone else is, I'd : be pretty frustrated. We all want : to be distinct, to stand out in : certain ways. That’s been the case : just about since the inception of : “mainstream.” Goth, grunge, punk, hippie, : beatnik—wait a second! All of : these styles have something : in common: they began as : alternative, then were co-opted by : the mainstream as they grew in : popularity. Hipster fashion began : asa way of subverting what’s : popular, doing quaint little things : like shopping at secondhand : stores and making DIYs. As : more people began wearing : increasingly big glasses, it made : sense for companies to take note : and begin selling those items. : And thus, vinyls became more : widely available outside of dusty : old record stores, and finding the : perfect plaid became a simple : matter of trudging down to TNA. I'm perfectly fine with : admitting that my style is : constructed. Town a ukulele : that I only pick up occasionally; : I like taking pictures of my food; : and when my bank account isn’t : hurting so much, I like stopping theotherpress.ca Illustration Ed Appleby : by Urban Outfitters and salivating : over stuff I shouldn't buy. The : choices I make in fashion are no : moreand no less contrived than : the choices other people make. : Even someone who purposely : buys no-name brand, or wears : clothing they inherited from an > ancestor makes a statement about : subverting consumerism. We're all : constructing our appearances, for : ourselves and our public image. The next time you want to laugh over silly hipsters, consider : what choices are behind your own : wardrobe. Delicious Cutlets » Sitting down at Dae-ji Cutlet House Jerrison Oracion Senior Columnist ne of the most famous dishes from Japan is Tonkatsu, a kind of cutlet. A lot of people eat it because it is crispy and tender, and its special sauce adds a lot of flavour. In Japan, there are Tonkatsu houses that specialize in just making the dish. Luckily, there is a restaurant that is like a Tonkatsu house in Coquitlam. The Dae-ji Cutlet House is a few minutes away from the David Lam Campus and is near Coquitlam Center. The restaurant has a variety of cutlets to choose from. They not only have pork cutlets, but they also have chicken cutlets, fish cutlets, and hamburger steaks. The cutlet can be eaten by itself, or served with a curry. Most cutlets include rice and a salad and some of them even include : miso soup. They also have special : cutlets including a cheese pork : cutlet, a pizza pork cutlet, anda : cheese kimchi pork cutlet. Tate : the pork cutlet under curry, with : rice, a salad, and miso soup—one : of the restaurant’s lunch specials. The pork cutlet was crunchy : and tender. The curry was good : and a bit spicy, and tasted great : when eaten with the pork cutlet : and rice. The flavours of the pork : cutlet and the salad complement : each other, like eating Tonkatsu : with lettuce. One of their famous dishes is Volcano Chicken, which is deep : fried chicken marinated in a spicy : sweet and sour sauce. Delicious! The cutlets at Dae-ji Cutlet : House are so good, that you will : surely come back for more! The : Dae-Ji Cutlet House is located : at 128-1153 The High Street in : Coquitlam. Photo via eatfullest.com