The Beauty of Black and White

In matters of style, we’re all for seeing things in black and white—it’s a color (or rather, uncolor) combination we never, ever grow tired of. But lest you think we just favor a black-meets-white approach to dressing, here are six more of our very favorite black-and-white things (and check out the Madewell Pinterest board for even more inspiration!).

1) Zebras and penguins
When it comes to animals in black and white, it’s a tie. We love the innate elegance of the zebra and the fact that their stripes, which they use as a camouflage device, are unique to each creature. But then penguins are so darn cute…

2) Silent films
The 1920s weren’t so roaring after all: Before the advent of so-called “talkies,” cinema was devoid of color and sound but still managed to be totally remarkable. Our three favorites for silent film novices: Charlie Chaplin’s finest, The Gold Rush; the movie that cemented Clara Bow’s starlet status, It; and Fritz Lang’s German expressionist masterpiece, Metropolis.

3) Michael Jackson’s “Black or White” video
The 1991 song about racial harmony hit number one in 19 countries (in the UK it was the first single since Elvis Presley’s “It’s Now or Never” to enter the charts at number one) and the epic and controversial video featured some seriously amazing cameos (Macaulay Culkin, Norm from Cheers and Tyra Banks).

4) Picasso’s monochromatic paintings
Picasso was such a fan of the monochromatic palette that New York’s  Guggenheim Museum recently devoted a show solely to his black-and-white work (with plenty of grey). As the artist himself once said, “If you don’t know what color to take, take black.”

5) Houndstooth
The cool graphic pattern originally from the Scottish lowlands is a true style classic. We particularly like it in coat form.

Madewell Makes: Dim Sum Dumplings

by Marcy Roberts

I love eating Chinese-style dumplings this time of year, but at most traditional restaurants you can really only get two kinds: veggie or meat. So I thought, why not combine them? Here’s my favorite (healthier) way to do it:

Serve these as an appetizer or make them a meal by adding steamed spinach and carrots to your plate—and don’t forget the chopsticks.

TURKEY AND PORK DUMPLINGS WITH BOK CHOY
Makes 24–30 dumplings

Ingredients:
1 cup chopped bok choy stalks
2 cups chopped bok choy leaves
1 lb. ground turkey and/or pork
1/2 cup minced scallions
2-3 Tbsp. peeled and grated ginger
1 Tbsp. minced garlic
2 Tbsp. white rice wine or mirin
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 Tbsp. peanut or vegetable oil
1 Tbsp. sesame oil
1 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 Tbsp. cornstarch
2 tsp. sugar
1 Tbsp. sriracha (optional)
1 package of wonton wrappers (you can find these in the frozen aisle in most grocery stores or Asian specialty markets)

SOY DIPPING SAUCE
1/2 cup soy sauce
1 scallion, very thinly sliced
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1 tsp. sugar
2 tsp. sesame oil

Preparation:
Bring a pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the bok choy stalks and allow the water to return to a boil. Add the bok choy leaves and blanch for 1 minute or until the leaves turn bright green. Immediately remove bok choy and place into a bowl of ice water. Once the leaves/stems have cooled, squeeze out all excess water.

Heat the oil in a small saute pan over medium heat and add the scallions, ginger and garlic. Cook until fragrant, about 2 to 3 minutes, then remove from heat.

In a large bowl, place the bok choy, scallion mixture and all of the remaining filling ingredients. Mix together until thoroughly combined. Cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours or overnight. The longer it rests, the easier it will be to work with.

Arrange 4 wrappers on a work surface (keep remaining wrappers covered with plastic wrap or a paper towel) and mound a tablespoon of filling in center of each. Lightly moisten edge of wrappers with a finger dipped in water. Working with one at a time, gather opposite corners of the wrapper around filling, pressing together to seal, then fold up remaining 2 corners into the point and seal all edges. You’ll make a square dumpling that looks a bit like an envelope. Continue with the remaining wrappers and filling and you’ll end up making between 24 and 30 dumplings.

Generously oil bottom of colander-steamer insert and bring a few inches of water to a boil in pot so that bottom of insert sits above water. Arrange dumplings, about 1/2 inch apart, in insert and steam over moderate heat, covered, until dough is translucent and filling is just cooked through, about 12-15 minutes.  Enjoy with soy dipping sauce.

An LA Treasure: Book Stand

We count ourselves big fans of the print medium here at Madewell, so when we discovered the wonder that is Book Stand, an online shop devoted to offering a thoughtful curation of the most exquisite, and often very hard-to-find, books and magazines, we were immediately smitten. The curator responsible for all this amazingness? LA-based art and film director Claire Cottrell. Read all about her:

Claire Cottrell in her LA home. Photo by Jessica Comingore.

Can you tell us a little about your background?
I studied architecture but was seduced by advertising when I was finishing up grad school. I worked my way up as a producer and then, after feeling like I’d lost my way creatively, switched gears and started working as an art director, and then as a film director. I’ve always been obsessed with art books.

What inspired you to start Book Stand?
In between jobs I was making a living creating mood boards for ad campaigns, film and television. It was kind of crazy, but big production companies would pay me to research and present inspiring images to help clients visualize a project. The more I thought about it, the more I fell in love with the idea of a place where you can literally shop for inspiration.

How do you find the books and magazines you feature?
I start with a subject that’s of interest to me (plants, a specific color, a philosophy) and then start looking around, which involves everything from poking around the internet to scouring second-hand stores, friends’ personal libraries, etc. And lately, I’ve had some really interesting submissions.

What are your top five favorite titles you are currently carrying?
Are Plants People, by Mark Borthwick
Blossom, by Hermine Van Dijck and Eefje Coninck
Plants and Mammals, by Carol Bove
Natural History, by Jordan Sullivan
Important Artifacts and Personal Property from the Collection of Lenore Doolan and Harold Morris, Including Books, Street Fashion and Jewelry, by Leanne Shapton

Do you have any favorite bookstores or literary landmarks that you’ve visited?
0fr. in Paris and Louisa May Alcott’s Orchard House in Concord, Massachusetts.

What are the first books you remember falling in love with?
Swallows and Amazons, by Arthur Ransome
The Faraway Tree, by Enid Blyton
Take Care of Yourself, by Sophie Calle

What are your thoughts on the Kindle culture?
I think it’s great if you’re an avid reader, but personally, I can’t do it. I spend enough time looking at a screen; the printed page is my escape from digital everything. Add to that, I think tablets work for literature, but the art book is (and always will be) best as a beautiful object that you can hold and cherish.

An LA Closet We’d Love to Raid

We love Karla’s Closet blogger Karla Deras’s style so much—think an always-feminine mix of luxe and vintage finds, plus an array of Madewell jeans—that we decided to team up with her for an event. Swing by from 5pm to 8pm on January 22nd for our grand-opening day in Santa Monica and Karla will work her styling magic on you!

Karla looking effortlessly stylish, as usual. Check out her Pinterest boards to see what inspires her.

P.S. You’ll get a free limited-edition California tote bag with your first purchase!

A Band Tour of Williamsburg, Brooklyn

Photos by Olivia Malone.

From the Go-Go’s to Bikini Kill, The Pointer Sisters to Sleater-Kinney (and, in turn, Wild Flag), we love us an all-girl band. Add to our already healthy roster of women-only bands who rock the Brooklyn-based group Bad Girlfriend. Besides their name, which we think, it should be said, is pretty awesome, we can also get behind the cheery garage-punk tunes they are churning out. Not to mention they happen to be big fans of, well, us—check out how killer they all look on stage in our Veda x Madewell leather jackets.

Yup, these are Veda x Madewell denim and leather jackets—they drop Jan. 29, so keep a lookout. 

Since the girls spend the majority of their time working (and playing) in their Williamsburg neighborhood, we asked them to share some of their favorite local haunts.

Favorite Tattoo Parlor: 
Flyrite Tattoo
492 Metropolitan Ave.

Favorite Music Venue:
Glasslands
289 Kent Ave.

Favorite Vintage Store:
Stella Dallas
285 N. 6th St.
 
Favorite Diner:
Champs (vegan diner)
176 Ainslie St.
 
Favorite Record Store:
Academy Record Annex
96 N. 6th St.
 
Favorite Bookstore:
Spoonbill & Sugartown
218 Bedford Ave.

Favorite Juice Bar:
Lodge General Store
318 Grand St.
 
Favorite Sweet Treat Spot:
Momofuku Milk Bar
382 Metropolitan Ave.

Favorite Restaurant:
La Superior
295 Berry St.
 
Favorite Brunch Spot:
Cafe Mogador
133 Wythe Ave.

Playing Favorites with Sessùn designer Emma François

Emma François, the designer behind free-spirited French-born label Sessùn™, was headed for a career in economic anthropology when she sidelined into fashion. Since then, she has been dreaming up footwear and clothing with an artful ease and a cool-girl Parisian vibe that we can’t get enough of.

The country she calls home certainly influences her designs, so with that in mind, we asked Emma to share her top five favorite French things ever.

Serge Gainsbourg
His album L’homme à tête de chou is my favorite—I can listen to it over and over again.

Paris in May
I love to take a walk at sunset, when the days get longer and the temperatures softer.

La Tropezienne
This famous creamy cake from Saint-Tropez is DELICIOUS.  

François Truffaut
I love his movies and La Nouvelle Vague in general. La Nuit Américaine (Day for Night), for example, is one of my favorites; Jacqueline Bisset’s clothes are so inspiring!

French kissing
I’m totally in love! 

An example of her genius: these diamond-patterned cropped pants.