Issuu

a. MINI MAG 3 FALL/WINTER 26

SZN 37 SHIRA PINKER

ART, STYLE, AND CULTURE. SINCE 2012.

ISSUE

3 WELCOME TO THE THIRD EDITION OF ARMOUR’S MINI MAG.

HERE WE CELEBRATE FASHION, ART, CULTURE AS A COMMUNITY.

Dear Reader, This mini mag is a collection of perspectives from the people around us. With contributions from friends, peers, Armourites, each section offers a look into different corners of the creative world we inhabit. Together, they reflect the diverse passions of our community. I’ve always loved working analog, so I was excited to direct a spotlight on designs by my good friend, Shira Pinker. I couldn’t think of a better way to capture the forms and bold colors of her work than through Polaroids. I love how unpredictable film can be, and I hope some of that comes through in the spreads. Shira’s work reminds me to be inspired by the world around us. Often, creativity is right in front of us. At the end of the day, this mini mag is about getting out there and making things. Try something new, make something just for fun, and don’t take it too seriously. Having fun is fundamental to the process and I look forward to seeing what you make.

— Yours, Violet Holah

CONTRIBUTORS

EDITOR IN CHIEF ART DIRECTOR CREATIVE DIRECTOR LAYOUT DESIGN VIOLET HOLAH

CONTRIBUTORS DEVIKA CLARK JARED GARELICK SOFIA HUITRON EDWARD KOMBE SHIRA PINKER AMANDA ROMAN ANASTASÍA RUSLANOVNA IVANOVA GAVIN STEVENSON-COMPTON GRACE WANG

CELINE SS27 MENSWEAR PHOTOGRAPHY BY SOFIA HUITRON

CONTENTS

FASHION NEWS

SHIRA PINKER

CULTURE NEWS

SOFIA HUITRON

EDITOR’S PICK

SHIRA PINKER BY VIOLET HOLAH

THE MANIPULATED MAN FASHION COMMENTARY Edward Kombe Exactly 500 years ago, Italian Renaissance humanist Mario Equicola published the divine work of Libro di natura d’amore. In one passage, he writes: “the visage of a woman is praised if it has the features of a man; the face of the man if it has the feminine features, hence the proverb: ‘the effeminate male and the manly female are graceful in almost every aspect.” Equicola’s reflection on beauty at the nexus of the masculine and feminine is compelling precisely because it refuses to treat perfection as singular or fixed. Beauty emerges through contradiction: the masculine made feminine, the feminine made masculine, each rendered more beautiful through the intrusion of its supposed opposite. Five centuries later, menswear finds itself enlarged in much the same exercise.

The male body has remained stuck in motion — continually broadened, cinched, exposed, flattened, and otherwise manipulated as designers grapple with what, exactly, a man should look like. What parts should be emphasized? What should be concealed? How much of womenswear can be borrowed before “borrowing” becomes an increasingly useless distinction? Whether he’s Big, Tied, Bare, or Low, today’s man is manipulated: physically by the clothes placed upon him and conceptually by an industry still negotiating what it means to show up as a man in our contemporary age. FALL/WINTER 26

SS26 Ferragamo, Look 11

HE’S TIED UP Once accompanied by its soulmates — a tuxedo, French cuffs, a live string quartet, and a sufficiently highfalutin attitude—the cummerbund is loosening up everywhere except the waist. Designers are pairing the traditionally restrictive accessory with cashmere sweaters, boxer shorts, and denim, removing it from the rigid ceremony that once justified its existence. Pleated trousers and over-the-calf socks still remind us of black tie’s obsession with controlling the male body, but the subverted styling makes that control feel considerably more playful. The waist remains restricted while the occasion does not — apparently, evening is now merely a suggestion.

Celine SS27 Look 9

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Conner Ives SS27 Look 24

@buletsarostik on Instagram

HE’S BIG Some things just never change — and big shoulders on men are a reminder of just that. Once the territory of poorly dressed Washington politicians, Main Street used-car salesmen, and Gregory Peck in The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit, the broad shoulder has received a rather fashionable rehabilitation. At EGONlab, striped ties, wide lapels, straight-point collars, and formidable shoulders make the familiar proportions of American tailoring feel strangely subversive; Thom Browne and Amiri similarly supersize the masculine frame. Seventy years after Peck, his shoulders live on — only now, the man beneath them is considerably less conventional.

Amiri SS27 Look 47

Thom Browne SS27 Look 47 EGONlab SS27 Look 47

FALL/WINTER 26

HE’S BARE Some things just never change — and big shoulders on men are a reminder of just that. Once the territory of poorly dressed Washington politicians, Main Street used-car salesmen, and Gregory Peck in The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit, the broad shoulder has received a rather fashionable rehabilitation. At EGONlab, striped ties, wide lapels, straight-point collars, and formidable shoulders make the familiar proportions of American tailoring feel strangely subversive; Thom Browne and Amiri similarly supersize the masculine frame. Seventy years after Peck, his shoulders live on — only now, the man beneath them is considerably less conventional.

Saint Laurent SS27 Menswear

FALL/WINTER 26

Dries Van Noten SS27 Menswear

HE’S LOW Once accompanied by its soulmates — a tuxedo, French cuffs, a live string quartet, and a sufficiently highfalutin attitude—the cummerbund is loosening up everywhere except the waist. Designers are pairing the traditionally restrictive accessory with cashmere sweaters, boxer shorts, and denim, removing it from the rigid ceremony that once justified its existence. Pleated trousers and over-the-calf socks still remind us of black tie’s obsession with controlling the male body, but the subverted styling makes that control feel considerably more playful. The waist remains restricted while the occasion does not — apparently, evening is now merely a suggestion.

Celine SS27 Menswear

Polaroids by Violet Holah Photography by Gavin Stevenson-Compton

SHIRA FW26 ART DIRECTOR: Violet Holah / MODELS: Devika Clark, Amanda Roman, Anastasía Ruslanovna Ivanova / MUA: Grace Wang

SHIRA PINKER

PINKER

BEFORE THE INDUSTRY COMES THE INSTINCT WITH FASHION DESIGNER SHIRA PINKER.

Where did you grow up and how did you end up getting into fashion? I grew up in Seattle, Washington and have been obsessed with fashion since I was a preschooler. I first got into sewing when I was 7 through a club at my elementary school, and fell in love with the ability to have a creative idea and then actually be able to create it. I got my own sewing machine for my 8th birthday, and the rest is history. The first top I ever made using some old curtains and forced my little sister to wear was so tight that it had to be cut off. Luckily, I’ve come a long way since then. I never stopped sewing and when it was time to apply to colleges, I realized that sewing was more than a hobby, but a passion.

Did going to WashU influence your style or design approach in any way? Coming to WashU has taught me the importance of being intentional in the creative process and putting just as much effort into the conceptual stage of design as the physical construction. Before starting my BFA, I always had a spontaneous “just go for it” attitude when approaching my projects, which sometimes worked out but other times did 16 not. It’s definitely good to find a balance somewhere in between underplanning and overthinking. I’ve been able to hone my style and find my design language more and more through each project here. Looking at all my pieces, it’s easy to see what elements, aesthetics, and relationships I’m naturally drawn to: silver hardware, vibrant colors, maximalism, exaggerated volume vs. fitted to the body, girly vs. edgy. I’m working on my capstone thesis collection now, and it’s very exciting to dig deeper into these themes to design a whole runway collection.

FALL/WINTER 26

How would you describe your design aesthetic? Vibrant. Expressive. Bold. Contemporary. Unexpected.

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Can you tell me about the design process behind this collection? And your color choice? These pieces are from several different projects, some for school and some personal. Fashion is a form of self expression and for me, bright colors feel like the truest representation of who I am. The chain mail skirt was originally part of my junior spring Met Gala project inspired by suits of armour displayed in the Met, exploring ideas of how clothing itself is used as a form of armor. The army green top is a personal project inspired by vintage military jackets. The yellow and grey look is an exploration of line and organic shapes made for my fiber manipulation class when I was abroad in Florence. The white and green look plays with the body as negative space.

What fashion designers inspire you the most? Azzedine Alaïa, Jean Paul Gaultier, Yves Saint Laurent, Camilla, Roberto Cavalli, Sandy Liang, Tom Ford for Gucci

If money is no object, where are you staging your first runway show? The Guggenheim.

CULTURE COMMENTARY BY: JARED GARELICK

Well, hello there! I’m Jared, and it is with immense pleasure and honor that I am able to bring you the best and brightest of our current cultural landscape here in column form. The hard thing about approaching this task, however, is that I’ve been feeling like culture is becoming more and more fragmented by the minute. Gone are the days where I could reference something and expect a majority of the people in the audience to recognize it; now if I even attempt to write the name “Stella Lefty,” I even begin to question whether or not this person who supposedly has the second-most popular song in the US is even real. To combat this, I have decided that instead of delving into any one subject in any deeper capacity I will instead attempt to cover basically everything in the most surface-level manner as to appeal to literally any person who might find themselves flipping through this magazine. Think of this less as an article but more so a rolodex of references you may employ at your leisure whenever a conversation takes a lull or you want to prove how cool and worldly you are. Proceed with caution and curiosity.

ELLA LANGLEY

FALL/WINTER 26

Has now the longest-running #1 song on the Billboard chart that I have still yet to hear in full. Despite this I still consider myself a fan just because of the way she looks (insert Ella Langley here).

ADÉLA

Up-and-coming young pop diva who got her start on that Katseye Netflix show. Has naturally pink hair (unconfirmed).

TROYE SIVAN

His new song samples Music by Madonna and has one of the most high-budget music videos I’ve seen in a hot minute (it is still no Rush).

CULTURE COMMENTARY BY: JARED GARELICK

LADY GAGA IS A MOM NOW

This is a really good one for you to discuss with any semi-close relatives or older coworkers that may not care about anything else included on this list. 26

SZILVESTER MAKÓ FALL/WINTER 26

Creative director and photographer who is seemingly the only person employed by every major publication right now.

THE PAUL BROTHERS VISIT THE PENTAGON

I don’t have anything specific to say about this besides confirming that it did indeed happen.

ICED COFFEE DISCOURSE™

Everyone on Twitter argued about whether or not bringing an iced coffee to an interview was disrespectful for like 12 hours, but its impact is still felt today.

CULTURE COMMENTARY BY: JARED GARELICK

WIDOW’S BAY 28

Just won like a billion Emmys. Go watch it.

IVY WOLK

She’s just kind of always there, so it’s better to be made aware now before you are caught unprepared the next time she says something mildly inflammatory on a podcast. FALL/WINTER 26

SNL

There are two new cast members (Saidah and Grace), both of whom have been long-standing members of my TikTok following list and are extremely hilarious. We all rejoiced.

SOFIA HUITRON

I’ve always been an observer.

At things that are beautiful, but also at things that probably weren’t meant to be. An arrangement of objects. A person in passing. A certain shadow. Something completely ordinary that, for whatever reason, suddenly feels like something else. Taking a photograph is instinctive. There isn’t always a reason for it, and sometimes the only explanation is that I felt like it. The moment is already there, I’m just responding to it. In that sense, photography feels less like creating an image and more like noticing one. What makes something worth photographing is difficult to explain, which is probably part of the appeal. Sometimes the photograph reveals something that was already there, and sometimes it turns into something different once it is removed from its original context. What I see in it might not be what someone else sees, and I think that’s okay. Art gets to belong to whoever is looking at it. Mostly, I’m interested in paying attention—to the mundane, the accidental, the overlooked, and the things that catch me before I have time to figure out why.

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EDITOR’S PICK A closer look at the magazines pushing print forward

In this new section of the mini mag, I wanted to highlight some of my favorite printed publications that inspire me every day, in hopes that you’ll pick up a magazine of your own and discover something new.

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sabukaru

I first learned about Sabukaru while interning at Chess Club in Portland, Oregon, this summer. Co-Founded by Andrew Simon and Christy Lai, Chess Club is a playground assembly of visual cultures, with a wide range of international print publications. It was an easy place to get inspired by print culture, and Sabukaru immediately caught my attention. Based in Tokyo with a global perspective, Sabukaru connects people with culture, products with context, subcultures with eras, and artists with the world. Its coverage moves between fashion, music, art, manga, anime, and Japanese subcultures. Originally launched as a personal blog in 2018 by German-born Adrian Bianco, Sabukaru has grown into a widely recognized online magazine focused on Japanese subcultures and their connection to the wider world. Bianco serves as Editor-in-Chief. What I admire most about Sabukaru is its point of view. I’m constantly discovering new creative subcultures I didn’t know I was looking for. Issue 2 featured 16 collectible covers, which expanded significantly from the 3 covers for Issue 1. The main cover variants spotlighted across global retailers include: Edison Chen, Aya Takano, PinkPantheress, POiSON GiRLFRiEND, and more. I had a hard time deciding which cover to pick up, and ultimately ended up with picking the cover starring Sion, a Korea-based digital and surrealist illustration artist.

THIS ISSUE OF THE MINI MAG WAS CREATED AT WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY IN ST. LOUIS BY ARMOUR MAGAZINE FALL / WINTER 2026 / SZN37