The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
the b-side
Thursday, September 24, 2015 — 3B
By CAROLINE FILIPS
Daily Arts Writer
From a distance, the world of
high fashion seems an insular
realm separate from reality. It
appears an esoteric bubble, often
associated
with
pretentious
overtones — a universe inhabited
by
inflated
personalities
and
embellished
veneers
floating
within a sea of fabrics.
But a visit to Main Street’s Ayla
& Co. eschews any preconceived
notions
of
fashion’s
surreal
associations. In the theme of
Ann Arbor’s inviting allure, the
boutique
sustains
a
genuine,
unique vibe that the Ayla herself
established in 1980.
The dynamic Ayla emigrated
from Turkey with a pioneering
vision to introduce fashion to Ann
Arbor. She created her eponymous
retailer as a space for tree town’s
fashionably inclined women to
shop, sip fresh-brewed coffee
or tea and intermingle among
exquisite textiles.
“She was a wonderful woman
with incredible style and an
incredible
vision,”
current
co-owner Narmeen Gaeta said.
“She was kind of fearless and always
ready to try something new.”
Ayla
transmitted
that
captivating
bravado
into
her
inventory’s signature aesthetic —
clean and classic, yet distinctive
— one Gaeta defines as good design
and high style, but not fashion
victim-y.
Unfortunately, Ayla succumbed
to breast cancer just four years
into her small-business venture.
Luckily, she left the store in good
hands with her husband, a former
shoemaker, and Gaeta, a prior sales
associate during her time at the
University. Gaeta’s sister, Nadia
Sesi joined her on the retail team
until the duo decided to oversee
operations
as
co-owners
and
buyers. The sisters opened as “Ayla
& Company” in 1989, rebranding
from the former storefront of
“Ayla.” Gaeta and Sesi continue to
preserve Ayla’s magnetic essence,
but have refashioned as necessary
through the years.
“We kept the spirit of it, but
over the years we’ve elevated the
quality as the customer base grows
older,” Gaeta said. “We’ve taken
the seedling of the idea and made
it grow and blossom. We’ve put our
own stamp on it.”
With longevity to boot, the sister
act has proved successful in Ann
Arbor’s ever-changing retail scene.
The secret seems to be an emphasis
on
building
genuine
rapport
with their clientele and resisting
commercialization. Though the
owners stray from the promotional
virtues of social media, the shop
promotes a real, live space for
likeminded
connectedness.
A
visit to Ayla & Co. feels more like
a personal shopping appointment
than a rote retail experience of
scripted customer service. Regular
shoppers gossip while poring over
their specific style selections per
recommendation of either Gaeta
or Sesi, with one of the two always
working the floor.
“We’re service intensive here,”
Gaeta said. “The customer base
likes to see us here, and they trust
our opinions. We’re definitely
active owners.”
Their collection encompasses
lifestyle pieces of eveningwear and
work wear, a majority of which
are European-designed. The most
popular sellers range from the
contemporary designs of Cacharel,
to the colorful, whimsical Italian
line
Maliparmi;
Michigan-
designed
b.may
handbags
have been a customer-coveted
item, along with an accessory
assortment of ornate statement
jewelry, scarves, shoes and various
handbags. Though they don’t carry
big-name designer labels such as
Lanvin or Chloé; quality remains a
top priority for Gaeta and Sesi.
“Every season we try to bring in
new designers,” Gaeta said. “The
hallmark of our store is that we
showcase lesser known designers
that are really, really good. The
look and the style sensibility is
similar.”
Keeping up with the fashion
industry’s rapidity, Gaeta and
Sesi curate prospective seasonal
collections
approximately
six
months in advance. Just last week
Gaeta met with countless retailers
in New York to assemble the store’s
spring selection.
“We go and buy the clothing
and visit showrooms,” Gaeta said.
“We do attend some trade shows
because that’s where a lot of new
designers get their name out.”
It’s clear to see Ayla’s mentality
resonates with the sisters, as
they always make a point to seek
out up-and-coming designers in
efforts to continually present a
fresh sartorial assortment.
“You kind of have to risk a
little bit and try something new,”
Gaeta said. “That’s how you have
to be in fashion. It’s very easy to
stay on a certain track and never
deviate. Sometimes you have to
try something new because you
never know when it will be well-
received.”
It’s a fearless philosophy that’s
panned out well for the duo. With
distinguishable sophistication in
design, Ayla & Co.’s collections
are multi-generational — Gaeta
even admitted to selling the
ombré shift dress seen in this
issue to both teenage and senior
patrons. Though far from dated,
the standout of Ann Arbor’s retail
landscape endures as a destination
of accessible high fashion.
AYLA
IN PROFILE
ANN ARBOR FASHION
VIRGINIA LOZANO/Daily
Ayla owners Narmeen Gaeta and Nadia Sesi took over the Main Street store four years ago.
Ranking the fall
fashion editorials
A breakdown of
seven hundred
pages of style
By MARA MACLEAN
Daily Arts Writer
As fall approaches, the fashion
world is abuzz with excitement for
the coming fashion month and Sep-
tember issues. Each magazine pro-
duces its thickest issue of the year,
stuffed with advertisements from
every luxury brand and retailer.
The product is overwhelming — 700
pages of gorgeous images and top
editors all trying to say that jackets
are important for fall — so we got
Daily Style Writer Mara Maclean to
rank them.
5. VANITY FAIR: Though
Taylor Swift’s cover story was not
the most jaw-dropping or influ-
ential, her shoot with Mario Tes-
tino captured a different layer of
strength and beauty that can get
lost amid the constant #squad ins-
tagrams and red carpet moments.
The writing was more of a stand-
out in Vanity Fair than in the other
September issues (as it should be
for this magazine), which leads
to its lower ranking. Our rank-
ings are focusing on the quality
of editorial shoots, and many of
this issue’s insights weren’t worth
mentioning. Still a powerful voice
in fashion, VF was essential to
include in the top five. There was a
nice story about Gigi Hadid’s social
media power, but again, nothing
truly ground-breaking.
4. ELLE: Similar to Vogue, Elle
released The Elle Look, a defini-
tive listing of fashion’s brightest
stars with their muses. It was fas-
cinating to see who inspires some
of the greatest talents in the fash-
ion universe. Alexa Chung jumped
around with Erdem Moralioglu
and Diane von Furstenberg posed
with actress Allison Williams
— it was an interesting take on
Vogue’s who’s who. Cover star
Keira Knightley looks out from
the pages in eye-popping colors in
her “Everything is Illuminated”
spread. Paola Kudacki and Holly
Millea show us just how beautiful,
talented, well-read, opinionated
and fashion-forward the actress
is. Next, Elle walks us through
fall’s crazy textures — fur, brocade,
chiffon, lamé (yes!) — in “Road
to Marrakech.” Like many other
issues, Elle touched on the bright
colors and wild prints to come in
“Mad Max,” highlighting fashions
turn towards maximalism. Their
pastel editorial, “Beyond the Pale,”
just couldn’t compare to the simi-
lar spread seen in Porter. Finally,
to end on the dopest of notes, Elle
spotlights the modern woman at
age 30 for their 30th anniversary.
Basically a catalogue of every
power woman, Elle lists every out-
standing comedian, musician, nov-
elist, athlete, actor and politician
who portray the strength of 30.
3. VOGUE UK: Vogue UK set
the tone for their September issue
with another powerful choice in
cover star — Emma Watson. In
“Voice of a Generation,” Violet
Henderson and Josh Olins try to
capture everything that is Emma
Watson. The images are soft and
feminine, while the clothes show
the strength and powerful voice
that is synonymous with the UN
ambassador; the images were just
as intriguing as the story. Vogue
UK’s strongest editorial, “Fade
to Black,” showed the color of fall
in sculptural silhouettes, crazy
wools and graphic hardware. The
stark shots emphasized the inter-
esting shapes and lines that can
be created with the classic color.
Immediately following, in “No
Debutante,” primary colors and
splashy prints popped off the page
in an ‘80s shoot. In “The Witching
Hour,” Vogue UK showed their
greatest strengths in the portrayal
of delicate lace and wisps of chif-
fon in dark, eerie shots — a look not
mentioned by fashion’s other play-
ers. Overall, this issue was solid,
as always, but not at the editorial
level of Porter and U.S. Vogue.
2. PORTER: The only reason
Porter holds the number two spot
is Vogue’s ability to reach a wider
audience. Overall, the editorials
and fashion insights reached an
entirely new level in Porter’s Fall
2015 issue. The excellence begins
with the cover star, Daria Wer-
bowy. Fashion’s favorite rebel,
known for her incredibly closed
off personal life and modern femi-
ninity, poses in the most striking
editorials to date. Mikael Jans-
son captures the supermodel in
two very different stories — “True
Grit” and “Soft Focus.” Porter,
known for its innovation and com-
mitment to the finest production,
shows Werbowy among the dirt
and grease, in powerful shapes
and colors; then, transitions into a
world of pastels and delicate linge-
rie. The contrast is overwhelming
and insightful, and Porter claims
its rightful place as one of the lead-
ing voices in the fashion industry.
Read on for more glamorous shots
and sensational editorials, all
thrown together with incredibly
well-written cultural and human-
interest pieces.
1. VOGUE U.S.: For anyone
who has seen “The September
Issue,” it is clear the Vogue team
sets an incredibly high standard
for this particular month’s edi-
tion. September 2015 was the
greatest example of this constant
pursuit of excellence. To begin,
the fashion bible spelled out
who’s who in the fashion industry
with “Forces of Fashion.” Over
a 37-page spread, fashion’s top
influencers were spelled out from
Phoebe Philo of Céline, to Uniq-
lo and Novak Djokovic. Vogue
decreed Victorian influence was
a fall essential — embroidered flo-
rals and old lace — in a gorgeous
editorial Hustle & Bustle. The
standout among the 700+ pages
was the season’s coat feature,
“Into the Woods.” One of the most
stunning editorials ever to be
published, folkish models roamed
through a fairy-tale forest. The
patchwork and bright red coats
popped against the brilliant blue
and green mossy background. The
only small disappointment of the
entire issue was Beyoncé’s cover
story. B’s shots were as gorgeous
as ever, but Margo Jefferson’s
letter dictating the definition of
Beyoncé was slightly lackluster.
Redemption was found, however,
in the form of exclusive insights
into lake life with Cindy Crawford
and her equally beautiful chil-
dren. And to finish on the stron-
gest of notes, the cast of “Empire”
was shot sporting the most spec-
tacular clothing — reds, silvers,
sequins and sparkles.
New season
of ‘Empire’
strikes back
By HAILEY MIDDLEBROOK
Daily Arts Writer
In case you haven’t heard, the
Lyons are back on the prowl.
And they’re hungrier than ever.
In its own
right,
FOX’s
“Empire”
hasn’t so much
changed the TV
world as it has
epitomized it —
soapy glamour,
sex,
violence,
family
drama,
banging
style
and an on-point
soundtrack — it’s all there, bold
and unabashed. At its core, the
storyline follows Shakespeare’s
“King Lear:” an aging king,
Lucious Lyon (Terrence Howard,
“Iron Man”), must decide which of
his three sons will inherit his hip-
hop recording kingdom, Empire
Entertainment. But unlike Lear,
Lucious is lucid and ruthless — and
he’ll stop at nothing to preserve his
Lyon pride. That is, as long as the
rest of the Lyons agree with him.
Lucious and his family not
only own Empire, they run the
damn show. Oldest brother
Andre (Trai Byers, “Selma”) is
a Wharton-educated business-
man who is intent on raising
Empire stock and promoting
himself to CEO; but his savvy
is tampered by mental health
issues and dark secrets, like his
father’s murder of their cousin,
Bunkie. Light-hearted Jamal
(Jussie Smollett, “North”), the
middle Lyon, was the R&B sen-
sation that put Empire on the
map; after a season of coming
in terms with his homophobic
father, he’s now the CEO of the
company. Jamal’s good nature
is often tested by his youngest
brother, Hakeem (newcomer
Bryshere Y. Gray), an up-and-
coming rapper and ladies’ man
with an appetite for cougars —
including Lucious’s ex-fiance,
Anika “Boo Boo Kitty” Calhoun
(newcomer Grace Gealey).
But as in the animal kingdom,
the real work isn’t done by the
alpha male, but rather his leading
lady. And she knows it. Infamous
Cookie Lyon (Taraji P. Henson,
“Person of Interest”), hardened by
a 17-year prison sentence for drug
dealing, is back to claim her throne
in the Empire, with or without her
FOX
“I am your father.”
A
Empire
Season 2
Premiere
Wednesdays
at 9 p.m.
FOX
‘Empire’ didn’t
change TV
so much as
epitomize it.
ex-husband.
For season two, Cookie and
Lucious’s
roles
are
flipped:
Lucious is in jail for murder, while
Cookie is orchestrating a “Free
Lucious” concert that’s really
geared toward winning back
Empire investors. She’s bank-
ing on Mimi Whiteman (Marisa
Tomei, “Crazy, Stupid, Love”), a
rich business mogul who’s smit-
ten with Anika, to sign a $250,000
check to rocket Empire again —
but this time, with Cookie right-
fully on top. To her credit, Cookie
insists that she’s “doing it for fami-
ly,” but her equally power-hungry
sons see ulterior motives.
Without Lucious in the lead,
the younger Lyons must grow up
on their own. Andre and control-
ling wife Rhonda (Kaitlin Dou-
bleday, “Catch Me if You Can”)
have big news ahead; Jamal is
accepting his responsibilities as
a boyfriend and gay rights advo-
cate. Even wild child Hakeem
is finding his way, ready to drop
his first album. Conversely, the
head Lyons — Cookie and Lucious
— are floundering, as Cookie’s
power missions fail and Lucious
is stripped of entitlement behind
cell walls.
But let’s be real. This is
“Empire” we’re talking about,
where a character’s pitfall always
has a springboard at its base, ready
for a full-throttle rebound. The
show’s careful balance of its ele-
ments — of failures and successes,
horrible violence and heartfelt
reunion,
disillusionment
and
humor — are what make it pal-
atable. Where season two could
have faltered with the solved
case of inheritance, it pushes for-
ward with the multidimensional
growth of the Lyons.
But as Cookie says: we’re not
out of the jungle yet.
The Lyons are
on the prowl.
The Vogue team
sets an incredibly
high standard.
TV REVIEW