draumer edition

December 2011

Editor Samantha-Louise Hedley

Contributors Victoria & Marie Hender, Alec Morrisroe, Blake Hopkins, Ray Mcmath, Rachel Stephenson & Leslie Cotton

www.riverisland.com

December Issue.

Editors letter

Dear River Island readers,

Welcome to the busiest month of the year, a month of parties and festive cheer! This month we want to celebrate not only for Christmas but also because it’s our 20 edition! We’ve named this issue ‘draumer’ German for dream, a little nod to our over sea investors. 20th edition is a big achievement for a magazine that started out as only 10 pages long so we’re happy you could join us! This month we want to show you our diverse range of mens, women’s and children’s clothes, and show you some great styles

for that all important day!

River Island also wants to introduce you to some fantastic crea-tive talents in the form of Andrej Pejic and Johnny Ridley, we show you great holiday style and some New Year party ideas.

We hope you enjoy this issue, it’s full of stylists pages and some festive photo shoots, something for everyone!

Make sure to flick to the middle section of this magazine, and tear out our style pages to take in store with you on your next trip. There you can hand it to one of our friendly staff who will

be happy to help you find the style and sizes you need.

Can’t find what you’re looking for in-store? Make sure to check online, we get deliveries every week so there will be something

for you on there!

If you do purchase online please remember our last order date for Christmas delivery is December 21st.

We’re satisfied this issue will offer you inspiration for the festive season...enjoy yourself!

Samantha- Louise Hedley

Contents

December’s holiday retreat(holiday in Greece)

page 10

Chelsea Girl & Boy Autumn/Winterpage 18

Sleigh Ride to Christmas(women’s photo shoot)

page 26

Model talent: Andrej Pejicpage 44

Christmas gift ideas for the familypage 52

Santa’s Little Helpers (kids photo shoot)

page 58

New Year, New Youpage 82

Style pages (foot wear)

page 85

Photographer talent: Johnny Ridleypage 90

Style pages(kids wear)

page 99

Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night(mens photo shoot)

page 102

Men’s denim spring preview 2012

Get some Greek culture this Christmas..

Crochet Dress £44.99Leather sandals £39.99Straw hat £14.99

Thinking of escaping those w

inter blues?

Christmas jo

y just not quite

enough for you?

May we suggest

a week or tw

o in Greece..

The avera

ge tempera

ture on the is

land in December i

s 14’C -

which compared

to our near fr

eezing cli

mate is a sauna (ju

st

remember t

o pack a cardi)

Try Athens or Rhodes f

or New Year ce

lebrations with huge fi

re

work displays at the A

cropolis &

Grand Master palace.

Polka dot bikini £34.99

Bracelet set £14.99

Dip-dye jeans £49.99

Earrings £12.99

Maxi dress £49.99

Leather Sling-backs £44.99

Paisley scarf £16.99

Sequin kaftan £39.99

Floral tro

users £39.

99

Crochet hat £19.99

Set of bangles £9.99

Leather heels

in blue £49.99

Blue jew

elled co

ver up £

39.99

Floral c

over up

£34.99

Sequin limited edition body suit £49.99

Paisley trousers £34.99

Striped bikini £24.99

Python bikini £32.99

Heavy metal floral nec

klace £24.99

Floral cover up £34.99matching bikini £34.99

Aztec top £14.99

Aztec shorts £18.99

Straw hat £14.99

Frill bikini £24.99

Slip on’

s £14.99

Chelsea Girl leather bag £44.99

Beaded skirt £24.99

Feather sandals £34.99

Playsuit £29.99

Grecian Princess

Chelsea Girl campaign

Autumn/Winter 2011

2011

£69.99

£24.99

£34.99

£29.99

£7.99

£14.99

£17.99

£44.99

£39.99

Get the look by visitingwww.riverisland.com/chelseagirl

£34.99

£12.99

£14.99

£29.99

£12.99

£34.99

£44.99

Get the look by visitingwww.riverisland.com/chelseaboy

Street Culture

Sleigh Ride to Christmas

Knitted beanie £14.99Leopard print scarf £16.99 Peacock earrings £12.99

Rosebud head band £8.99faux fut jacket £39.99

Aztec dress £29.99

Lace oversized shirt £24.99Sequin hotpants in silver £29.99

Bling detailed belt £19.99Bow hair clip in blonde £6.99

Faux fur fox jacket £119.99Leopard print love t-shirt £14.99Mint green sequin wiggle dress £49.99Leopard print open toe heels £44.99

Chunky dip dye jumper £39.99Sequin leggings £34.99Suede and faux fur wedges £64.99Ostrich feather bag £24.99Reindeer print oversized scarf £16.99Leopard fun ear hat £14.99

Sequin snowflake jumper £44.99Ruffled skirt in cream £29.99Knee high striped socks £9.99Leather tan boots £79.99Love birds oversized scarf£19.99Sequin clutch bag £24.99Flower and beads headband £12.99Bow hair clip in brunette £6.99

Opaque tights in musk £6.99Open toe glitter heels £44.99

Ribbon and wool beret £16.99Faux fur bomber jacket £69.99

Opaque tights in blue horizon £6.99

Ballet ankle strap pumps £24.99

Gold trim belt £18.99

Purple print cowl neck shirt £29.99Lace trim skirt in black £34.99Leopard print tights £9.99Faux fur Russian hat £19.99Leather biker boots £99.99

Leopard print dress £39.99Leopard print head scarf £9.99

Suede flat boots £ 49.99

With Love this ChristmasFrom all the River Island team..

From all the River Island team..

Lodge Wear

Serbian born male model Andrej Pejic welcomed this festive season with yet another magazine cover, dressed as a woman wearing a stunning Val-entino ruffled dress for Canada’s Fashion magazine. He has already had many magazine covers this year including I.D, Dossier, Carbon, Instyle and New York Times, but he is still classed as fairly new to the fashion scene. He has however, began to make his bread and butter walking the catwalk in women’s wear for Marc Jacobs, Jean Paul Gaultier and Karl

Lagerfeld collecting more big names as he conquers every show. Speaking of Andrej Marc Jacobs told Elle UK magazine ‘When I hired him there was just this feeling, that this boy is so beautiful. We live in a modern

world, and I really hate labels I hate how something is either masculine or feminine, pretty or ugly because to me everything is interesting as long

as you’re interested in it.’

One thing that can be said of Andrej is that he has certainly caused a bit of a stir in the fashion industry, accused of stealing real women’s jobs and confusing consumers by modelling a push-up bra for Dutch brand Hema,

turns out he’s not everybody’s cup of tea. But Andrej doesn’t see what the big deal is, if he can to the job justice he is willing to give it a try

and recently he told CNBC news ‘For me when I see a person it doesn’t matter if they are a man or a woman. You’re supposed to treat a person equally regardless of whether they are black or white, so why should I be any different? Why is it so important I’m one thing or the other? Person-

ally I think it’s because it is so unusual, my situation. You can usually tell someone’s gender by just looking at them but with me it’s sometimes more difficult. We’re all meant to have equality so really I shouldn’t be

this big a deal.’ It would seem that even the biggest of non believers have been captured by Andrej’s charm, his mysterious upbringing and non-

chalant attitude towards his sexuality certainly seems to be an endearing quality.

The male model of the moment.......or is he?

The story of a boy living every

girl’s dream...

The buzz that surrounds Andrej appears to have also drawn in the public, you type his name into Google and you are inundated with forums and dedication pages from adoring fans. It would seem however that everyone has the same questions regarding his personal life, his on off relationships, childhood and family but most of all his body. It’s clear that

he has a physique most women would die for, long legs and sultry lips with gorgeous blonde hair - but he insists that he hasn’t had ‘the chop’ nor does he intend to anytime

soon. He prefers to refer to himself as the ‘perfect balance’ between a man and a woman and assures his adoring fans that he doesn’t intend to change himself in any permanent

ways to secure his place in the fashion industry. When asked about his semi detached rela-tionship with his girlfriend back in Australia, Andrej doesn’t like to give too much away. We can’t help but wonder if this is to further ignite the illusion of this unfathomable per-sona he carries, or perhaps simply he’d prefer it if people just minded their own business.Back in September of this year ABC’s Judy Cheng caught up with Frederic Banfield, the founder of New Madison modelling agency that represent Andrej in Paris. With the per-mission of the man himself, Andrej allowed Frederic to show Judy a back catalogue of the work they had done together dating back to early 2007, the days when Andrej first

approached the company for representation. As Judy carefully exhibited every page it was clear she too was becoming a part of a fast growing fan club. ‘Isn’t he fantastic’ she gasps

‘Oh wow, look at those cheek bones you know he might not be areal girl but I’ll tell you he is the next best thing. I think he might even be better than a real girl’. As Judy and Frederic sift through book after book of Andrej’s face, Frederic

informs her that she too will get to meet him that afternoon, fresh from the Gaultier cat-walk Andrej is on his way to New Madison offices.

There waiting for him is photographer Robert Nethery, who has worked with Andrej on several photo shoots in the past. He compares him to wild exhibitors of the Andy Warhol era and laughs over his similarities to Warhol’s’ transvestite muse Candy Darling. Robert tells the camera crew ‘Oh he does look like her, Candy Darling but far more refined. He is an extremist but nobody looks like him, no man no woman he is definitely one of a kind’. As the camera crew eagerly wait for Andrej to arrive Frederic tells Judy ‘He is a real star. He is one of our top five female models. He also has the same success in our male model category, he has started to do all the big shows he’s a huge success and so down to earth

too’.

‘I still catch t

he train to plac

es so I’m not co

mpletely

separated from s

ociety’

‘The fashion business loves anything novelty..

so they can’t get enough of me’

‘The fashion business loves anything novelty..

so they can’t get enough of me’

The big hustle and bustle that surrounds Andrej is only emphasized once he walks through the doors, there are people falling over sideways to bring him his water and sig-nature pack of Marlboro Lights. The photo shoot is over and done with within and hour and thankfully Judy gets five minutes to ask Andrej a few questions which have been puz-zling her since her arrival. Somewhat coyly Judy asks Andrej questions that most people

would be keen to know the answer to. - does he have trouble with five ‘clock shadow and does he class him self as a male or female? ‘Firstly, I don’t shave. Thankfully I never have I hate facial hair, when I was young I would pray to god to not give me facial hair, looks

like my prayers were answered. And as for my gender I class myself as a man, I’m all man after all. I just look good in a dress. When I look in the mirror I see myself not a gender,

it’s so unimportant to me. I much prefer to concentrate on art and society’.Probing his gender scenario further she asks him if he would like to get married, and does

he see that happening with a man or woman? Andrej explains ‘Well I had a girlfriend for a long time, we grew up together and protected each other from the outside world

but now I’m not at home anymore we aren’t officially lovers. For me as long as someone respects me and they are compassionate gender is irrelevant. Love is the key, whether it’s

in a skirt or trousers I’m not sure of yet.’

Not much is known of Andrej’s childhood, except he lived in Serbia until he was nine years old and then emigrated to Australia to escape war with his mother and older broth-er. Brought up in a middle class background he has always assured others of his humble upbringing and how he could never become an ‘unrealistic’ diva. When interviewed by Martin King for ACA News Australia he told him his upbringing was perfectly normal and that his mother supports his career decisions. When asked if his life was suddenly

something from a fairytale Andrej replied ‘I’m not at the point yet where I get limousines everywhere,

I still catch the train to places so I’m not completely separated from society. I like to keep my mum happy, she’d hate me to be a diva so I still make sure I run my own errands, no

personal assistants as of yet.’Whether or not the fashion industry will have a place for him as he matures is yet to be seen, it’s bizarre to think a nineteen year old can have so much success at a young age playing dress up as a career. But as the male gender matures so do its looks, and once Andrej reaches the cut off age for most female models what can we expect from him

being a male? Perhaps his longevity will surpass his peers, but it could also be a burden. When Nylon magazine asked Andrej about his plans for the future he told them ‘The fashion business loves anything novelty so they can’t get enough of me, and without

sounding vain it’s really nice. When people ask me about my future they tend to ask me whether I’ll stick at women’s wear or go for more menswear work as I get older, I always say ask me in ten years time. Right now I’m young fresh and unisex and who know what the future holds, maybe I’ll move to some eastern European country and run a chicken

farm? You just never know.’Chicken farmer or unisex model Andrej knows what he wants out of life and seems com-fortable pursuing it in his own unique way. In a world where we become bored quickly of the norm it would seem we have embraced Andrej for all that he is and with all the Lady Gaga’s and Madonna’s of the world surely the fashion industry will continue to embrace

Andrej for whomever he decides to become.

The same way we embrace all that is eccentric we embrace the celebrities that make the entertainment industry so vibrant, and of course nobody could put it better than Andrej himself. When asked by a fan on his website how he would describe himself he replies

‘I’m a gender bender supernova, a supernova that is here to stay.’

Dreaming Tribal

Stuck for a gift for your lady this Christmas?

then why not try some of our in-store/online gift ideas, made to share , and made to be loved.

Pale pink printed purse £17.99Gold owl encrusted bangle £12.99

Black heart key chain £9.99Vintage bluetit trinket box £12.99Multi bauble Christmas tree £19.99

Chunky knit Polar bear jumper £39.99Red Fox hat £17.99

Silver sequin heels £69.99Leopard print phone cover £9.99

Baby moon pin £12.99Couture Chic perfume £14.99multi-stud earrings £7.99Silver star handbag £29.99Little Doe door stop £14.99

Bagpuss microwave cuddler £17.99Tartan slippers £14.99

Gifts for her

Gifts for him

Men, complicated things aren’t they!

so come try our gift ideas for an uncomplicated holiday

Fish cuff links £12.99Black wolf hat £17.99Leather Cuban’s £44.99

Microwave cuddler monkey £14.99Fairisle jumper £39.99Tan leather watch £24.99Navy canvas bag £34.99

Pink tie £9.99Luxury wash bag £14.99

Old glory leather wallet £24.99Fur snood £17.99

Crocodile socks £7.99Navy leather Cuban’s £39.99Recyclable shopper bag £5.99Faux leather gloves £12.99

If those little people in your life need some extra joy this season

then perhaps they’d like some River Island cheer to open on the big day!

Black canvas boots £24.99Cupcake knit beanie £12.99

Glow in the dark ‘bones’ jumper £24.99‘Baby bread’ porcelain cup £9.99

Stars & stripes romper suit £19.99Teddy knit beanie £9.99Play room neon sign £4.99Fluffy’singing robin £8.99

Twit-twoo purse £14.99Dalmatian print hat £9.99

Christmas tree beanie £14.99Hunters jacket £34.99

Gifts for them

Santa’s Little Helpers..

Gold knit cardigan £19.99Rolling Stones t-shirt £12.99

Faux-fur jacket £34.99

Leopard print jacket £19.99White wash jeans £19.99

Beige knit cardigan £16.99Striped t-shirt £7.99

Butterfly leggings £9.99Faux leather bag £14.99

Zebra beanie £12.99Pink party shoes £14.99

Black furry jumper £19.99Red mesh skirt £17.99Leopard print trapper hat £14.99Tartan scarf £9.99Faux leather boots £29.99

Hooded t-shirt £9.99Floral cami £12.99Barn yard leggings £9.99Bunny rabbit slippers £12.99Panda beanie £8.99

Harlequin cardigan £14.99Striped t-shirt £7.99Tartan flat cap £9.99

Leopard print jacket £19.99Faux fur gillet £16.99

Hot air balloon scarf £12.99

Plain white tee £4.99Suede & sheep gillet £16.99

Suede & sheep trapper hat £8.99

Dirty denim jeans £19.99Faux leather boots £24.99

Fairisle jumper £17.99Baby blue jeans £19.99Happy fish scarf £9.99

Tartan bag £14,99Suede boots £29.99

Polka dot rain jacket £29.99Polka dot fur jumper £19.99Tartan shorts £14.99Twit-twoo tights £5.99

Fairisle cardigan £24.99Leopard print jeans £16.99

Leopard print ear muffs £5.99

Faux fur trapper hat £9.99

Cream knit cardigan £14.99Pretty rabbit t-shirt £9.99Stone wash jeans £19.99Quilted pumps £14.99

Brace print t-shirt and trouser set £19.99Striped beanie £5.99

2012 is almost upon us, it’s a new year, time to throw out the old and buy in the new (see what we

did there?)

It’s 00:00am, the music is playing, people are

cheering, and everyone is looking their best..or the best they can after putting on a few season-al lbs. Our question is, what will you be wearing? We know you probably al-ready have an outfit idea for the big night, actu-ally we’re going to assume you’ve got your whole fes-tive wardrobe planned..but have you got the location

planned?

Maybe you’re thinking the local pub, maybe you’re

thinking scrabble with the parents and Jools Hol-

land on in the background, ..but for those of you who have been thinking ‘let’s try something new!’ we are here to give you three

cheers and shout ‘hoorah’ for change and diversity.

So, let us provide you with some exciting loca-tions to see the year in. Obviously we have consid-ered outfits. Outfits that will surely get noticed, and make the last night of the year all the more

fabulous!

Four Locations, four out-fits..now all you need to do is check flight times and luggage allowance..

New and exciti

ng, Dubai is a

city full of

op-

portunity and

adventure. See

the bells in

at the

Burj al Arab h

otel, where a

fantastic disp

lay of

fireworks are

set off simult

aneously every

hour

from 8pm onwar

ds, and feasts

take part aro

und

street stalls

offering the f

inest Arabian

cui-

sine.

Flights availa

ble via fly em

irates.

Visit www.emir

ates.com for m

ore info.

£24.99

£24.99

£24.99

£49.99

Dubai London

£24.99

£29.99

£44.99

£12.99

£39.99

£34.99

Stylists tip: Al

l of these desti

na-

tions vary in te

mperature, some

warm,

some cool, some

near freezing. S

o why not

check out our be

autiful range of

coats

and jackets, a l

ayer for every c

limate at

www.riverisland.

con/outerwear

Monaco is a beautiful city every sea-son, a popular tourist spot in the summer that tends to quiet down in the winter months. This being said you can still expect a New Year you’ll never forget. Head over to the palace ground for a midnight lights display, and folk bands playing all along the palace bridge.

You can visit www.skyscanner.net for reasonably priced first class flight and hotel packages

Monaco Tokyo

Our furthest choice of destinations, but well worth the time difference. Tokyo is famous for throwing one of the biggest New Year events across the world. A huge firework display takes place over the Sumida river at midnight, where popular Japanese singers per-form on the river boats sailing past. We rec-ommend purchasing a paper lantern and become one of the thousands of people who set them off when the bells ring.

We found some amazingly priced flights to To-kyo airport via Stansted at www.cheapflights.co.uk

Pretty close to

home and not ver

y exotic, but we

Brit’s know how

to throw a party

! One of the mos

t televised fire

work displays

on tv, with thou

sands of spectat

ors lining the T

hames. Expect

street parties,

hot food from th

e market, and wa

rm apple cider.

Make sure you br

ing your lose ch

ange so you can

take part in the

carnival (we don

’t recommend the

waltzers after

consuming the

above).

For cheap flight

s check out www.

easyjet.com

£14.99 £17.99

£34.99

£12.99

£29.99

£44.99

£69.99

£69.99

£39.99

£39.99

£9.99

£34.99

£12.99

Gypsy Queen

!. £39.992. £44.993. £30.004. £69.995. £54.996. £34.997. £59.998. £49.999. £69.9910. £49.9911. £54.9912. £49.9913. £79.9914. £39.9915. £39.9916. £69.99

!. £39.992. £34.993. £30.004. £39.995. £34.996. £34.997. £59.998. £49.999. £69.9910. £29.9911. £34.9912. £23.9913. £29.9914. £19.9915. £29.9916.£19.99

16.

!. £49.992. £64.993. £70.004. £59.995. £54.996. £80.007. £59.998. £49.999. £69.9910. £49.99

!. £49.992. £44.993. £40.004. £69.995. £54.996. £34.997. £59.998. £49.999. £69.9910. £44.99

10.

Fairisle

December 21st 2011, Newark

Introducing the North East’s finest scenic Photographer Johnny Ridley.

24 year old Johnny is currently living in an old apartment block just off of Central Park in New York city. Graduate of Northumbria University, Johnny received a BA Honours degree in

graphic design.

Working for the advertisement company ‘Big Spaceship’ Johnny moved to Boston to work as a company intern. Once he secured his living out there he was transferred to the companies

sister office ‘Little Spaceship’ in downtown NY.

A native of Gateshead Johnny spent his entire childhood living in the suburban neighbourhood of Springwell. Since then he has spread his wings across shores, with hopes of eventually

becoming a freelance photographer.

As a friend and fan of the company, Johnny agreed to provide this months readers with some ‘seasons greetings’ all the way from the Big Apple.

A photo montage of a week living life through the lens.

December 22nd 2011, Riding the tube

“The girl with the headphones was listening to NWA. I thought that was odd, she doesn’t look the type. The lady in the red wellies, she was reading some story about a headless chicken living on a farm in Kansas. I thought that was

odd too, New York’s transportation is full of characters”

December 23rd 2011, the lift in my apartment block

“Very rustic isn’t it, antique. Pointless photo, in fact I only took it to show my Mam back at home how old the lift was. I’m

convinced it’s going to collapse one day soon. Turned out to be a pretty sweet picture in the end”

December 24th 2011, the view from my apartment window on 46th avenue

“That’s not snow, it’s ice. It hasn’t snowed for days now but the weath-er is so cold the whole street is frozen over. People wear chains on

their boots here, like they do for their car wheels. I thought me being a tough Northerner I’d be tough and just go out in my Keds. By the time I got to work my feet were frozen and my jeans were soaking. Turns out

American’s don’t really understand angry Geordie’s”

December 25th 2011, broken watches on a coffee shop bench

“A lot of shops stay open on Christmas day here, which is good for me ‘cause nobody wants to spend the happiest day of the year alone. So I spent it mainly with a lot of people I don’t know, not saying a word to each other drinking cof-

fee and eating ham salad. Happy Christmas everyone”

December 26th 2011, spare change and home alone

‘I had some spare change from yesterday, I took $30 out with me. As you can see, four cups of coffee are expensive out here. See my glove poking out in the corner. I bought those at River Island. But that was about three years

ago so I wouldn’t try to find them now”

December 27th 2011, back to work today

“Glad to be back to work, I think more people would have invited me to their house for Christmas if they could understand what I was saying. Some customer keeps asking me to repeat things like ‘good morrow’ and ‘splendid’..I don’t

think they quite realise I’m not from the cast of Mary Poppins..’

Chelsea Girl

Kid’s wear.

£12.99

£19.99

£9.99

Christmas party dilemma sortedWondering what to dress the little one’s in for the festive season? We’ve got it sorted!

Folk love

£12.99

£5.99£14.99

£16.99

£4.99

£19.99

£24.99 £24.99

£16.99

£9.99£17.99

£12.99

£19.99

Sails up

£9.99

£12.99

£17.99

£14.99

£19.99

£14.99 £19.99

£19.99

£9.99

£12.99

£9.99

£12.99

£22.99

Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good-night.

Leather Jacket £79.99Zombie t-shirt £24.99

Leather flat cap £19.99Check shirt £29.99

Harrington style jacket in red £49.99Khaki shopper bag £24.99

Cord jeans £34.99(trainers models own)

Grey hoodie £29.99Brave bear t-shirt £19.99

Flapper hat £19.99Body Warmer in wine £39.99

Distressed jeans £44.99Builder boots £59.99

Grey knit jumper £34.99Trilby £14.99

Leather trillby £29.99Knitted jumper in grey£34.99

Dirty blue denim jeans £49.99Knitted Fairilse jumper £59.99

Knitted pom-pom hat £14.99Leather belt £19.99

Black and gold chain detail watch£39.99

Knitted jumper in green £34.99Checked shirt £29.99

Silk bow tie £19.99Leather messenger bag £39.99

Blue/Black drainpipe jeans £49.99Leather Cubans £69.99

That’s all folks!Well that’s it for another issue, another year! We hope you’ve enjoyed this

edition of the River Island magazine, we’ve had a blast as usual!

A big thank you to all of our loyal customers, look out for all the new styles in January, and don’t forget to enjoy our Boxing day sale!

A big thank you to all our contributors - let’s make 2012 the best year yet! It just goes to show you what hard work can achieve!

Speaking of hard work, I think I’m going to reward myself with a mince pie and snuggle up in my waist expanding trousers! Wherever you spend Christ-mas this year be sure to have an amazing time, stick on some Nat King Cole and party hard. But whatever you get up to stay safe and join us in the new

year.

From all of us here at River Island we wish you good tidings.

And have yourself a merry little Christmas time.

The River Island team

Make sure to check back in store 02/01/11for our January edition. Take care in the New Year, from all the River Island team.