Last night, Rolling Stone celebrated “The New Classics” — 20 distinguished creatives from the entertainment industry and others – with a bash presented by Jeep and full of up-and-comers at the Highline Stages in New York.
Representing “The New Classics” at the event were writer Emma Cline, actress Cristin Milioti and recording artist Shamir, while sounds were provided by DJ Brendan Fallis as well as a live performance by Indie artist Mondo Cozmo.
“Chucks. They’re just my go-to,” Cozmo told FN on his shoe selection for the night. The artist explained that he can often be seen in Converse kicks, especially onstage, and model Hunter McGrady concurred when asked about her typical shoe style.
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“I’m going to probably sound so lame, but I love a pair of dirtied-up white Converse. It’s terrible. I wish I could be like, ‘I love a pair of Manolo Blahns,’ but I love a pair of Converse. Don’t get me wrong — I love a pair of heels, but those are, like, my go-to,” said the plus-size model.
Besides chatting about her favorite footwear, McGrady shared words of encouragement for anyone struggling with body image or insecurities.
“An evolution is happening right now, and curves are not going away. They are here to stay,” she said. “We plus-size women are here to stay, and we are worthy of everything that everyone else gets. We are worthy of being on the covers, of being in front of the screen. We’re worthy of all of that. It’s important to tell ourselves that, and I’m a big believer in positive affirmations and literally telling yourself in the mirror, ‘I am beautiful, I am worthy, I am important.'”
Alongside the models and musicians in attendance were actresses such as Aparna Brielle (who wore Ruthie Davis shoes), Harley Quinn Smith (who wore head-to-toe vegan pieces) and TV personality EJ Johnson (who wore Stuart Weitzman booties). In addition to mingling and detailing their chic looks, the celebrities took time to explain what “new classic” means to them.
Aparna Brielle: “It means embracing everything that’s unique and eccentric and different about you because I feel like we’re already in the culture that’s embracing the classics, but how do you make your own spin on that? A lot of my idols are like that — like Dita von Teese, just really eccentric — I love taking the classics and doing something of my own with it. For me, it’s about embracing the weird, quirky things about myself and just owning it.”
Mondo Cozmo: “From what I’ve learned this past year — I’ve had a whirlwind of a year — [it’s about] being able to connect with people in a lyrical way. There’s something classic about rock songs [for example] that just grabs people by the heart. I’m really honored to be thought of in the same breath as that.”
EJ Johnson: “It means the reinvention of something but bringing it into the new. We still need to pay homage to the classics, but we need to bring them into the new age.”
Harley Quinn Smith: “I feel like my generation and the generation surrounding me are such changemakers. Everyone is speaking up and standing their ground and demanding change, which I find incredible, and that’s not something that has been so popular in the past because society wouldn’t really allow for it. Now that it is happening, it’s this new generation of people that are going to make the world a better place. So I think that’s what the new classic is — people that are willing to speak up and put themselves out there for the purpose of making the world a better place.”
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