Beyond the Stitch

How helpful are Catholic influencers when it comes to evangelization? Are we simply shouting into an echo chamber? And are Catholic brands just profiting off of the name of Jesus? At what point does sharing your faith become a marketing tool? And what about Catholic influencer copycats? Join us for a reflective episode on this platform we exist in. 

Oh boy. This is a good one. We have the answers to questions you always wanted to ask a Catholic model! We interviewed the wonderful Colette Lanzon on everything from wearing lingerie, to refusing jobs, having her photo in Times Square, being a plus size role model, and her Catholic identity! Colette is also an author and disabilities advocate. It was truly so inspiring to hear how Colette's deep faith informs her all of decisions and pushes her to do what is good and beautiful.

If you want to go sustainable for your swimsuit this summer but don't know where to start, look no further than Siena and Co. Swimwear! Catherine Huss joins Veronica and Lilly again, this time to talk about her second swimwear collection, what goes into a sustainable swimsuit vs. a fast fashion one, and how she funds her collections!

We love having Catherine on- she studied apparel design with an emphasis on construction techniques and social justice within the garment industry, in which she’s worked as a fit technician! She's got tons of expertise, and like many women she always had to compromise on the swimwear she’s worn, whether it be style, quality, amount of coverage or where and how it was made. She is passionate about reminding women of their worth by creating dignifying jobs for those in the fashion industry, and designing swimsuits women can feel confident in.

Siena and Co. now offers sizes up to 3X! You can back the Retro Collection here:

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/catherinehuss/siena-and-co-swimwear-retro-collection?ref=bpe32q

Fashion week got crazy, and we need to talk about it. 

*Veronica mentions WWII in connection to St. JPII's life, from 34:00 to about 40:00 should you like to skip*

Some people to check out on Instagram this week:

@gabriellak_j, @luxurylaw, and @edward_enninful

TW: Discussion of Eating Disorders

The very narrow (badum tss) skinny version of femininity from the early 90s is "back in fashion," and we need to talk about it.

Veronica and Lillian are joined by Shelby Hirschman of Good Body Nutrition to discuss the trends of "body standards," why diets ain't it, how misinformation about the "obesity epidemic" perpetuates shame and keeps us from being healthy, and how to live free of fixation on how our bodies measure up to what we think they ought to.

Find Shelby at https://www.instagram.com/goodbody_nutrition/ or https://www.goodbodynutrition.com/.

Veronica chats with Udochi Ekwerike, a Catholic creative who works in fashion. Together they discuss what it looks like to work in a secular field while still growing in faith. Udochi explains that all beauty leads back to the source and that doing your job well is an act of love. Tune in for a great episode!

Remember when the Victoria's Secret runway shows reigned supreme? Unsurprisingly, the "revolutionary" lingerie brand has a sketchy past -- full of predators, scam artists, and power-hungry industry tycoons. Beyond The Stitch host, Veronica Marrinan, and co-host Lillian Fallon, dive into Hulu's most recent expose, "Victoria's Secret: Angels & Demons." Exploring the troubling history of this infamously iconic brand and it's global impact on women, Veronica and Lilly reflect on how Victoria's Secret formed the world's definition of "sexy" and "beautiful." 

Have you ever gone on a date with a guy who didn't dress for the occasion? Was it a turn off? Or did it not matter to you? Do you look to date guys who put lots of effort into how they dresses, or is it better that they don't care? Is it a no-no when guys have style preferences for their girlfriends or vice-versa? 

Veronica and Lilly dive into all things men's style when it comes to dating! Tune in for a fun episode on the style dynamics between men and women. 

This week, host Veronica Marinnan and co-host Lillian Fallon discuss all things Met Gala! From favorite red-carpet moments to pop-culture ponderings, join them as they dive into this year’s theme “Gilded Glamour”, the fashionable rise of the Kardashians, and the history of the gala itself.

Julia Wehner is a poet, Montessori teacher, and avid playlist creator who wrote poems to pair with each garment in the Verdant collection from last spring.  She and Veronica discuss creative processes, how the poems were structured, meeting ourselves in small children's wonder, how clothing shapes artistic life, and who different garments in the collection are named after.  

Follow along with Litany at www.litanynyc.com or on instagram at @litany.nyc

Find Julia and her work on instagram at @homegrowndreamer.

Veronica is joined by a new kind of guest - who wears the same thing constantly.  What's it like wearing a religious habit on the NYC subway?  What's the inspiration behind the Dominican habit?  And, most importantly, is it really as comfy as it looks?  Fr. Joseph spills his best thoughts - including why unnecessary beauty is, in fact, a dearly essential part of being human.  

Bonus: Fr. Joseph and Veronica fangirl over Jane Austen.  

Follow along with the Litany team on Instagram at @litany.nyc, or www.litanynyc.com.

Mary, Litany's blogger, joins Veronica to talk about how fasting is different from dieting and how we can live outside of the pain-causing approach to food that's so common in the fashion industry. 

Follow along on Instagram at @litany.nyc or visit the team at www.litanynyc.com.

Welcome back!!!  Lillian, Litany's new Customer Experience Manager, and Veronica dig into the role of mental health in the fashion industry, what it looks like now, what they want it to become, and practical tips that have helped them take care of themselves within different work environments.  How does stress inhibit our creativity?  How can you tell if someone will be healthy to work with?  And what does unhealthy an work environment do to our view of ourselves?  

Follow along over at @litany.nyc on Instagram or over at www.litanynyc.com to see the vision of healthy creativity Lillian and Veronica have for the fashion industry.

Lucy designed the Litany logo and now she's back to share her life as a Catholic visual artist in NY.  One of her most recent artwork involves clothing, paint, and St. Michael's breastplate prayer.  She and Veronica talk about funerals, Elmo, Parousia, and makeup.  Is death the end?  How does that question affect our clothing?  

Find Lucy's work at https://www.lucyrahner.com/ to follow along with her artistic process.  

Lauren joins Veronica to share her journey in starting a meaningful nail polish company with her family.  They talk about navigating the tension between wanting to look beautiful and not wanting to be vain, giving ourselves good things in good ways, and their favorite nail polish colors.  Find Lauren and Beecauses at www.beecauses.com or @bee_causes on Instagram!

Stories from fashion week's backstage?  Theology of the Body meets personal style? Booty shorts?!  It's all here.

We love Lillian over here at Litany, not only for her attentiveness to the humanity of each person through style but also for her no-punches-pulled approach to talking about big questions.  She's a writer dedicated to uniting the interior and exterior of the person through style.  This week only her audio saved so it's a bit of a spliced episode- but don't worry, we saved some of the giggles. 

You can find Lillian on Instagram @lillian_fallon to follow along with all her new articles and musings.

On Beyond the Stitch, we talk the human side of fashion. Today Veronica chats with Re-Fashioning Life aficionado and human being Rebecca Weef Smith, researcher and Instagram fashion icon. Not only is she familiar with the human side of fashion, but she wrote her dissertation on the link between clothing and happiness! Sit back and muse along with us. You can find Rebecca's findings at: https://www.fashionstudiesjournal.org/notes/2017/7/29/wearing-wellbeing-kdd7z or follow along on her Instagram: https://instagram.com/rebeccaweefsmith?utm_medium=copy_link