Back after a four year hiatus, the new issue of Alice Goddard and Theo Sion’s Hot and Cool magazine takes a thoughtfully lo-fi, decidedly minimalist approach to fashion
After a four-year hiatus, stylist Alice Goddard and photographer Theo Sion have resurged with the 13th issue of their thoughtfully lo-fi, decidedly minimalist independent publication Hot and Cool. The latest issue continues the duo’s singular and fresh vision of the fashion editorial; the stories featured are soft yet dynamic in approach, and each is framed within an honest, real lustre. The line-up of talent doesn’t miss a beat either – stories from David Sims, Colin Dodgson, and Max Pearmain, amongst other stellar names, are seamed together by the magazine’s clean, pared-back aesthetic.
Such a pause is significant – four years can feel like a lifetime in the newness-crazed world of fashion. “We stopped in 2018 because it had stopped feeling exciting to make the magazine,” explains Goddard, who has styled runway shows for Molly Goddard – Alice’s sister – and Stefan Cooke. “Last year, Theo and I started thinking about putting one out again and it took a long time to work out our approach … I realised this time around that the process is much more exciting than the finished thing.” And perhaps herein lies the beauty of Hot and Cool; despite the turbulence of sartorial trend cycles, the magazine remains consistent and thorough in its vision, holding steadfast in its trust of images to convey process and meaning without the clutch of words. It’s a rare and reassuring pace amidst the general chaos of fashion.
The latest issue doesn’t have a specific theme but “most of the stories are based around collections of clothing from the recent past – Laura Ashley, Gareth Pugh, Pam Hogg, and Noki,” says Goddard. Of note is the opening story exploring Gareth Pugh’s complex designs as styled by Goddard and photographed by Alasdair Mclellan. “His [Pugh] work is so evocative of an exciting time in fashion when I’d just started assisting,” she explains. “I wanted to do something that stripped the clothes back and brought them down to earth.” Elsewhere in the issue, a story by Talia Chetrit and Goddard revisits the archives of legendary British designer Pam Hogg, as the story had been on Goddard’s mind for a while “after I saw an old dress of hers in Rellik [vintage store in London] and started looking at the graduate and early collections.”
Having resisted social media for 12 issues, the magazine has slipped quietly onto Instagram. “Everything ends up on Instagram, so you might as well have some control over what people are seeing,” says Goddard of her change of heart. But like everything else the magazine represents, its new digital presence doesn’t seem to search for an audience or grab for attention; it’s just a natural complement to the magazine’s firm creative influence.
Hot and Cool issue 13 is out now.
