Fashion Magazine --- Cola 96540302

    Every time we walk in a bookstore for a fashion magazine, there are so many different choices stand on the shelves that we cannot easily set up our mind to pick one of them. To get all of them will be a way, of course, but with a limited budget, it is quite important for us to make a right selection by understanding every magazine’s main features.

    Here I select two of my favorite magazines to introduce:

Vogue

    Book critic Caroline Weber described Vogue as "the world's most influential fashion magazine" in The NewYork Times. Founded in America in 1892, Vogue is now widely published around the globe: over 15 edditions are published in different countries.

    Praised as “the bible”, Vogue includes clothing, cosmetic, beauty, health, entertaiment and art. Vogue is famous for its expensive high fasion and high society lifestyle, and its unique vision of the trend in different cultures is highly respected in the fashion field.

    Vogue’s founder is the pioneer of using artists as photographers of magazines, and it opens up a new page for fashion clothings by exibiting them in color photographes. Many of the world’s best photographers have been growing with Vogue and making their way to success.

    Over 18 million readers around the world subscribe Vogue monthly. It is shrined by designers, writters and artists as the authorty of style and fashion.

Cosmopolitan

    Also known as Cosmo, it stands in women’s perspective to look into relationships and sex, health, careers, self-improvement, celebrities, as well as fashion and beauty. Cosmopolitan has 58 international editions, is printed in 34 languages and is distributed in more than 100 countries.

   

    Its bold and avant-garde sex topics are its major selling point. However, Cosmo’s sexually explicition in tone as well as covers raises many critizices.

    To sum up, every magazine has its specialty. We should learn to be a smart reader as well as a wise buyer!

Final Paper-Cindy

Topic:

Do you have a particular person in your mind that can be acclaimed as our cultural hero?

        In this world, most of the countries have their own cultural heroes to represent their own countries.  Of course, we Taiwan should have some, too.  In fact, Taiwan has many cultural heroes, such as the great director Ang Lee, the marathon runner Kevin Lin, and the MLB baseball player Chien-Ming Wang…and so on.

        Among all the heroes, I want to talk about double J, Jay Chou and Jolin Tsai.  They are both well-known stars around the world.  What’s more, some media said that they were couple before, but they are apart now.  I don’t know if it is true, but I would be glad if this is true.  Handsome and talented man vs. beautiful and hard-working woman, how wonderful, doesn’t it?

            Jay Chou, you can say that he is a musician, a singer, an actor, a boss and a director.  He put his feet in many fields and all did well.  He is an index of Taiwan’s entertainment circle.  The reason why his music is so popular is because that Jay is good at combining Chinese and Western music styles to create songs that fuse R&B, rock and roll and pop genres, including some issues like domestic violence, war and urbanization.  Jay became famous not long after he released his first album and had won a lot of awards.  He was on the cover of Asian Times after he joined the entertainment circle for just three years.  His great influence had formed a phenomenon which was called”Jay phenomenon.”  These years he tried hard to work in the movie field.  He became a director and an actor; what’s more, he also made the music for the movies.  Of course, he won a lot of applauses.  His first movie “Secret” is a very creative masterpiece.  I saw it times, I like the way he tells the story, and I also like the songs in it.  Some say Jay is a genius, I think I can’t agree more.

                Jolin Tsai, another super star in my mind.  She was my idol since I was very young.  She is one of the top singers in Taiwan.  Like Jay, she is not only a singer; she is also a brand designer now.  She had a title which was called” young boys’ killer” after she released her first album.  However, unlike Jay, she was not so lucky on her entertainment career.  She had the contract entanglement with her company.  Therefore, she disappeared for a few years.  After solve the problem, she came back to the stage with a whole new Jolin.  With the album” watch me 72 change” she became the most popular singer in that time.  From then on, Jolin became the diva in Taiwan.  Years passed, she is still very popular now.  However, the reason why I like Jolin is not only because that she is beautiful or she sings well.  The real reason is because that she is very hard-working, and she never gives up easily.  She can redo a simple movement times only to make it perfect.  She said that she is not a genius, she is a “地才.”  Only put more efforts than other people, she can compare with those so called genius.  She always says “If yon think you can, you can!” to encourage herself.  Now, she is a successful super star that is well-known by the world.  She owns the world herself.  Jolin is a very good model for everyone, we should learn her spirits.  

Final Paper-Cherry

Cape No.7

This film is very popular in Taiwan after it released. The people no matter how old audiences are love this film because the story’s culture and life style are close to us. Hence, we can realize its background and culture. This film talks about the relationship between Taiwan and Japan, as well as the different races’ relationship in Taiwan such as Hoklo, Hakka, Mainlanders, and Taiwanese aborigines. The south Taiwan is a location which is full of different races. We can see those spots in this film. We can see that Taiwanese lived with Japanese when Japanese occupated Taiwan. First, I talk about the seven love letters which were written by the Japanese teacher missed for his Taiwanese lover. We can feel that the Japanese teacher written the love letters with the sad mood because he has no choice in those era. Their love could not be accepted by others because of relationship between races and nations. Thus, the Japanese teacher abandoned his Taiwanese lover and returned to his hometown that means their love have no result. I think that is way their love can touch audience’s heart. Besides, with the love of Japanese teacher and his Taiwanese lover had no result, it becomes a regret in their mind for their lifetime. I think love is not always perfect, which becomes a deep record and miss in those people’s heart. On the other hand, the actor and actress are the same love with the teacher and his lover.

The differences are the actor is Taiwanese and the actress is Japanese, and their time is different. However, the actor doesn’t give up the love with the actress in the end of story, which reflects the love of the actor and the actress have no regret because they doesn’t want to own the regret love just like the love of Japanese teacher and his Taiwanese lover. Therefore, the result of story becomes the highlight in this film. It is very special is that this film concludes seven different love stories, but the director abstracts the seven love by using simple and fun in plots. The major of this film is also want to talk about the concept conflict between the cultures of foreign and local.

Eventually, I also talk about the actor Van Fan; he is a real Taiwanese man for many women. Van Fan is also very handsome and chart for many girls. Besides, he own genius in music. He composed many famous songs in Cape No.7. Many people can crazy for them when they heard those famous songs. As far as I am concerned, I crush on Van Fan whenever I watched this film as same as Vinia. I love this film deeply because I love their love story and those different cultures.
Eventually, thanks for Vinia’s teach and passion which let me to learn many different popular cultures in this class. Wish you a happy new year!!!

Final Paper-Paula

Topic: What qualities in Coco Chanel do you think have helped to mark her out as an outstanding fashion designer for women's clothing and accessories in her times?

I am so glad that teacher that us saw the movie. Before watching the movie, in summer, I also watch a movie about Coco Chanel; the movie is ‘Coco before Chanel.’ After watching the movie ‘Coco before Chanel’ all I want is to know this brand more. How a homeless girl could became a famous designer and knows by us until now? Why Chanel can be the guide in every seasons of fashion world? What are special for this brand? Those question just what I wanted to know as our topic, so I want to know more about it.

Coco Chanel was born on August 19, 1883. At the age of twelve, her mother died and her father disappeared. So, she was forced into an orphanage with her sister. She learned dressmaking in the orphanage. At the age of 17, Coco found work in a dressmaker’s shop and began her life’s career. Coco Chanel said that “people make fun of what I wear, but this is my secret of success- it’s because I am different from others.” The forte of Chanel designs was finding inspiration in everyday life. Fluid lines and a unique logo show its special taste and different from others. The class black and white tones are all in elegance just like from old movies. Coco Chanel created the “little boy” collarless chemise with its open front, the bathing suit and women’s slacks. These are all still mainstream fashion today.

Good clothes need perfect designers. The premier designer, Karl Lagerfeld, he started to be the designer of Chanel since 1983. His personal trademarks include a fan, a long ponytail for his powdered-white hair, and sunglasses. Coco Chanel imparted the Chanel brand with a unique spirit, then there’s no doubt that Karl Lagerfeld has raised this spirit to top of the fashion world. His signature line, which is developed from sketches, features very structural and dramatic women's wear, mostly in black and white.

I found out some unique elements for Chanel. Those are ‘Double C’, ‘Diamond pattern’, ‘Camellia flower’.

As a unique logo, Coco Chanel; you can see double c put on every single item.

Coco Chanel drew inspiration from the diamond check pattern on the jackets that wore by the jockeys at the racetrack. She used this idea to achieve a special hard and soft quality.

Coco Chanel was fond of camellia, so she made the flower the classic logo for her brand. She was very well known for minimal accessories, but was often photographed wearing a white Camellia. It could be the most fashionable flower in the world.

When we talk about the brand of perfume, what will come to your mind? I think there’s no doubt the answer is Chanel. I am going to talk about the best sell perfume in the world, Chanel N°5. When the perfumer took lots of perfume to Coco Chanel and she chose the fifth one, the perfume were named perfume N°5. With so many coincidences, five became coco’s lucky number. She also likes to sit on the fifth stair to watch her fashion shows. When Coco was living in her suite at the Paris Ritz, she looked down over the Place Vendome. She discovered the beauty of the octagon, so she created the classic octagon-shaped bottle for Chanel number five; and it also rose to a legend lasting decades.

Some classic sentences had been talked to show the perfume is really awesome. Coco Chanel said that “A woman should wear fragrance wherever she expects to be kissed.” So she created fabulous perfume to make women more attractive. One famous star Marilyn Monroe once said that “I wear nothing, just a few of Chanel N°5！” This was said when she was shot for advertisement for Chanel. She use Chanel N°5 as her pajamas; we can see the importance of perfume and Chanel N°5 is the product that make yourself fresh and you will feel at ease.

With those unique concepts of design, I will love this brand for good. Although it costs a lot, I still love fervently with Chanel. Chanel make women not only be a good housewife but also be a female tycoon. Their simple and subtle designs will move you while the first glance. If you want to learn more, you could go to blockbuster and borrow the movie “Coco before Chanel” or wait for the new coming movie named “Coco Chanel & Igor Stravinsky.” You will love and know deeper about Chanel.

My favorite Miyazaki animation movie

by Vinia Huang