By Monica Sklar,
September 15th, 2007 at 9:02 pm
(Uncategorized)
For some reason I find it sort of hysterical that the LA Times is declaring it time for the hoodie, as if it’s some sort of new fashion innovation. See the link to the brief story.
I will say a hoodie I found on the floor of a Knights of Columbus hall after a punk festival, back in 1997, is my favorite garment of all time, and that is partially due to the fact it’s previous owner had the genius idea of splitting the side seams and sewing them back, in order to create comfortable vents that let it hang straight, rather than getting that ugly sweatshirt balloon stomach look. However, no matter how much that person’s inginuity improved the cut, I still am having a hard time swallowing the hooded sweatshirt as the epitome of high fashion. No matter how much trendy graffiti imagery is on it. It’s not that they’re not one of the world’s most perfect garments-because they are-it’s more how mundane it is to rework something so ordinary with a few trimmings and call it a landmark in new styling. Some find redoing the average to be a rewarding and practical challenge, hence, the blowing up of premium denim, but that too I sometimes shake my head at, as the cuts and styles do become more flattering, but in the end I’m hard pressed to say any of it is visionary or memorable.
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By Monica Sklar,
September 12th, 2007 at 2:11 pm
(Conferences and Calls for Papers, Uncategorized)
In October there is going to be a huge mass customization conference merging academics and business professionals at MIT. It’s called the 2007 World Conference on Mass Customization and Personalization. It sounds like a pretty fascinating and forward thinking event as their site says the conference “proposes a shift in the mass customization debate from a physical product perspective to total life cycle experience.” Pretty hot stuff, although for some reason their website is horribly designed and practically illegible. Regardless, it sounds incredibly on target and worthwhile for the future of design professionals. It is too rare that academics and industry merge to share ideas, mingle, and be inspired by one another.
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By Monica Sklar,
September 10th, 2007 at 7:45 pm
(Uncategorized)
It is so surprising to me how much it comes up in casual and classroom conversation how regionally throughout the Midwest there are some distinctions between the various communities alt-styles.
I hadn’t put much thought into the specifics until about a year ago, when I moved to Minneapolis, but other people keep bringing it up to me and I’ve been noticing it more and more on my own. One of the main routes that drives the initial conversation is the ever present dreadlock look throughout the Twin Cities; not seen nearly as much in the Motor or Windy cities. I had thought subcultural looks might be more national, based on musical or social groupings, but it’s just as logical, and somewhat more practical, that I’m finding they are at least somewhat rooted regionally.
Where Minneapolis has it’s dreadlocked look seemingly stemming from a traditional, and even crusty or anarchist punk aesthetic (as well as possible a granola thing as it is super green here), my friend who was in from Chicago this weekend was saying their vibe is much softer, even granola (there’s that word again), eclectic, or a tiny bit collegiate when infused into their alt-cultures. She said that eclecticism therefore leaves no overall look or distinguishing characteristics, but an overriding factor is a softer-gentler punker. I think I have noticed this sort of less stylized NYC thing happening their-like Brooklyn with Midwest friendliness.
Now Detroit is on a different wavelength (which again, I didn’t realize so much until moving away). I see it myself and multiple others have mentioned to me the infusion of retro, soul, and guitar rock all merging together to create the same subcultures as its nearby regional friends, yet slightly more edgy, tougher, and stylized than the other two. And those are frequently words coming out of mouths other than or in addition to my own. Shaggy hair and rock-a-billy hair are quite common for men, and in all my years in the scene I’ve probably had less than a handful of dreadlocked pals. The crustys are a very specific crowd, it’s not very integrated into the general visual vibe, and neither is a soft granola thing all that much. Jean jackets are mandatory once you set foot within city limits. That and 60s swing/shift dresses.
Maybe it’s all cultural, situational, economics, and history all rolled into one, but for some reason I’m finding the minutia of this to be pretty interesting at this moment. Especially because it doesn’t seem to be in only in my head, but instead, many are bringing it up to me as something they have noticed as well and want my comments or want to engage in discussion about it.
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By Monica Sklar,
September 5th, 2007 at 10:17 am
(Uncategorized)
I’m actively preparing for a talk I’m giving in October at the Midwest Pop Culture Association/American Culture Associaton entitled “Modern Craft and its Homespun Revolution.” It’s a presentation based on a research project I did this past semester on the indie craft movement, specifically the cultural and social components, although I did dabble in marketing, technology, and history as it’s all so intertwined.
Anyway, I’ve been refreshing on what’s happening in the craft world lately as part of my prep, and I’ve been enjoying a blog on the development of a documentary on the subject which you can find at http://indiecraftdocumentary.blogspot.com/. As such a doc fan, and would-be producer myself (as time goes on and I get more skilled on my new camera and my editing software), I think this craft doc has the potential to be quite good.
I’ll also note that tomorrow night in Minneapolis there’s the event sponsored by local craft store Crafty Planet, called A Stitch In Time Saves Craft Sale, which benefits some of the families effected by the I-35W bridge collapse. It’s at Grumpy’s Downtown from 6-10. Not sure if I’ll make it, but it sounds like a solid activity for a good cause.
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By Monica Sklar,
September 4th, 2007 at 7:48 pm
(Jobs, Uncategorized)
There’s a whole bunch of costume and textiles jobs out there right now in the museum world. This is somewhat surprising as it has seemed for a while that getting a museum job in this field meant someone had to retire, die, or hate their boss and quite-all of which are not ideal situations. Anyway, you can go to the American Association of Museums website to their job section and many are listed there (including the two at the University of Minnesota’s Goldstein Museum of Design-where I work).
A few of the highlights I haven’t previously mentioned or posted about are:
The Baltimore Museum of Art-Textiles Curatorial Assistant
The Saint Louis Art Museum-Curator of Decorative Arts & Design
The Bead Museum (Phoenix, AZ)-Curator
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