Conference hosted by the Antipodean East European Study Group
Victoria University and the Russian Programme at the University of Canterbury
August 28-29, 2010
Wellington, New Zealand
Abstracts are due: June 1, 2010
We wish to explore the spread of nationalized thinking as it relates to the body. How did people in central Europe, Eastern Europe, and the Balkans classify each other in terms of national concepts? What characteristics supposedly distinguished the Czech from the German, the Jew from the Ukrainian, the Romanian from the Hungarian, the Turk from the Greek, and so forth?
How did these fantasies of the national body emerge, and how did they affect human interactions? Other topics of possible interest include: national bodily practices, literary concepts of national bodies, national sexuality or sexualities, national clothing or accoutrements, sporting nationalism, or eugenics. We welcome scholars working in history, anthropology, sociology, literary studies, film studies, and other related disciplines.
The conference organizers then intend to publish selected papers either as an edited volume, or a special edition of a relevant journal. Final word lengths are flexible at this stage, but we suggest contributors aim for 6,000 words.
Contact:
Alexander Maxwell
History Department
Victoria University
PO Box 600
Wellington 6140
New Zealand Email
Visit the website
As most of you know, in the United States, today, the day after American Thanksgiving Day, is the traditional kick-off for winter holiday shopping. Black Friday, as it is known, is the day that stores open early and offer big discounts and promotions, called doorbusters. Cyber Monday is the following Monday, the day when online retailers see a huge spike in sales, also related to holiday gift-giving.
For the intrepid bargain shoppers, the doorbusters to be had started early this morning. This week, I informally polled my students on their Black Friday shopping plans and a number of them planned to start before midnight. At least one planned to camp out in front of a big box retailer to be in line for a doorbuster special, and others planned to shop at the closest outlet center (about an hour’s drive from campus), which opened at midnight.
Other students of mine work in retail and have their day devoted to working the sales at their employers. One student, who works at a large value apparel chain store planned to shop at the outlet center at midnight and then go to work at 2:00 a.m. to prepare for her store’s 3:00 a.m. opening. I am looking forward to a full report from each of them next week (especially since we just covered our textbook’s chapter on fashion retail merchandising this week in my Introduction to Fashion course).
For those shoppers who are disinclined to pre-dawn shopping, there is Cyber Monday, when there are discounts and promotions to be found online. If you plan to shop that day, drop by The Budget Fashionista‘s page of Cyber Monday Deals to find out what kinds of discounts major online retailers have to offer.
This coming Wednesday, my department and I will be taking students on our annual field trip to San Francisco, where we will attend the King Tutankhamun exhibition at the De Young Museum, and shop at Union Square (the photo at the top of today’s post is of the Neiman Marcus in the former City of Paris department store building, on Union Square). Photography is not allowed in the King Tut exhibit, but I know I will find plenty of other things to show you when I report on our trip in my post next Friday.
As promised, over the next month or so I intend to review many of the new fashion related books that have been published recently (and not so recently). Call it an extended holiday round-up, if you will.
First up is what equates to an autobiography by former Rudi Gernrich model (and now writer), Mary Léon Bing. The book, Swans and Pistols: Modeling, Motherhood, and Making It in the Me Generation is a wonderful read, and is – I daresay – something of a guilty treat for me. In fashion history, Bing is primarily known as a model for designer Rudi Gernreich (though Peggy Moffit is more often remembered). Both women can be seen in this video, titled Basic Black. Bings’ experience in the making of this short film is mentioned, but no great insights provided, on pgs 99-100.
Those doing research on the 1960s and 1970s world of fashion will find Swans and Pistols helpful in setting the scene and providing a cultural snapshot. Though fashion is not the focus of the book, there are some insightful sections. (Though maddeningly, and often true of autobiographies, dates are not regularly included). True to its name, the book is very clearly written by someone of the “me” generation. It’s introspective, personal and feels real – while at the same time reminiscent of fiction. Bing is a wonderful story teller.
Photograph by Dennis Hopper, Gernreich design modeled by Mary Léon Bing.
The Great Event was (and remains) the annual Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute’s Spring Gala, in which costumes from the museum’s archives are shown by popular models to an audience. . . . This was usually a one-change-only show because the antique clothes were so fragile they had to be handled with extraordinary care. The dressers, who worked in the archives, wore white cotton gloves to extract eac article from its nest of tissue and the models knew they must stand as still as mannequins and allow themselves to be dressed entirely by others, like sixteenth-century royalty. No smoking, no food, no drinks in the dressing area. . . . My single change, for which I had fittings at the museum the week before the show, was a floor-sweeping dress from the period following the American Civil War. . . . One of the girls from my agency, a tall, blade-thin blond with whom I’d worked several shows, was wearing a bias-cut slither designed by Vionnet in the twenties. She gave me a fast once-over and told me I looked like Scarlett O’Hara at the end of the movie. Then she leaned in as close as she could get to all those furbelow’s and whispered something that would change the course of my modeling career: ‘Rudi Gernreich wants a model who looks like a spy.’ (79)
While an intern I the Met, I saw photographs of live models at their ‘fittings’ in historic clothes from the 1960s and remember being appalled by the idea of people wearing the clothes. Reading this passage made me no less concerned about the state of the clothes after they had been worn.
In another instance, Bing describes wearing a dress for the cover of Time Magazine. “Now years later, disparate memories pop up like spikes on a fever chart: . . . Getting into the same hot-pink knit dress with its clear vinyl inset from throat to bikini line I’d worn on the cover of Time (at the newsstands that week) and going with Rudi to a performance of Hair, where we were invited to come up onstage during curtain calls.” (99)
Time magazine, December 1967 with Bing, Gernreich and Moffit; Image from the Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute of two dresses donated by Bing and Gernreich’s longtime companion Oreste Pucciani.
Equal time is given in Bing’s descriptions of her celebrity friends, lovers, family members, as well as the role drugs played in her life (the amount of cocaine, pot and other drugs should come as a surprise to no one, given the time period). It is the story of her life – told from the inside out. I would highly recommend it, not just to those whose interests lie in the world of fashion and fame, but to anyone interested in a good story. For some other ideas about the book, venture over to this article bySheila Lennon, which summarizes a number of reviews that have thus far appeared for Swans and Pistols: Modeling, Motherhood, and Making It in the Me Generation. .
Over the summer I watched about half an hour of Silk Stockings (1957), a cheesy musical remake of the Greta Garbo classic Ninotchka (1939) where the cool, efficient, and distinctly anti-fashion Soviet agent Cyd Charisse falls in love with (capitalist) Fred Astaire’s flamboyant American producer character while on a government mission in couture capital Paris. Even with my passion for cheesy musicals I could not wade through the entire film, so bad was the dialogue and music, but the on-screen mingling of economic systems and fashion appealed to me greatly. Before turning it off, I did have the pleasure of seeing the namesake silk stocking dance solo performed by Ms. Charisse, a signal of her having fallen in love with Astaire and — not coincidentally — (capitalist) high fashion:
You can see she’s hidden various luxurious items — most of which are silky intimates — around her room, so ashamed is she of having been seduced by luxury goods. It’s a wistful number reminiscent of other more famous musical movies scenes like frumpy Audrey Hepburn singing “How Long Has This Been Going On?” while dreamily dancing around in an ostentatious hat left over by the fashion photo shoot in which she’d been forced to participate in Funny Face (from 1957 as well):
Or Anne Margaret’s “How Lovely to be a Woman” in Bye Bye Birdie (1963):
Or Natalie Wood in West Side Story (1961) singing “I Feel Pretty” and dancing in the dress shop where she works:
You’ll notice that all these were filmed in the late 1950s — the decade of hyper femininity in silhouettes — and early 1960s — the decade when sexuality and gender roles were being questioned more openly. What differentiates Silk Stockings from the other scenes I’ve grouped here (perhaps excepting Funny Face) is the heavy political overtones emphasized over a simple coming-of-age-as-a-woman, though all involve dress-up as experimentation. Though a love story, it’s also about a Commie Russian woman resisting capitalistic inclinations who is ultimately seduced by the capitalist-produced clothes (the relationship with Fred Astaire is curiously tepid, further shifting the emphasis away from the human relationship). What the clip unfortunately omitted was Cyd Charisse seated next to a framed Lenin photo which she puts down to slowly discard her drab green dress (it’s supposed to be drab, though I think it’s quite lovely in its simplicity), black tights and sensible shoes for silk stockings, lace negligee and white sparkly mules.
I too struggle with my collector’s urges to accumulate (not the least of my obsessions is clothes), and my political / social ideology, which is opposed the stockpiling and hoarding tendencies Americans are told is our right — and more than that, a measure of success in obtaining the capitalist dream. Following this train of thought leads to even larger questions concerning labor rights and ethical practices within the fashion industry which has, as Silk Stockings exemplifies, been a symbol of tremendous creative and technological achievements as well as a hideous exploitative industry ever since the Industrial Revolution and the concurrent birth of Marxism.
I have an article examining the relationship of Communism, capitalism, fashion and film in far more depth in an upcoming edition of Worn Fashion Journal.
(1. Tenure-track Professor position at Iowa State, Apparel, Educational Studies, and Hospitality Management department
The Noma Scott Lloyd Chair in Textiles and Clothing is a senior level position within the Department of Apparel, Educational Studies, and Hospitality Management. The holder of this position is expected to lead research efforts in technology as it relates to the field of textiles and clothing. This effort will include faculty and graduate students from textiles and clothing as well as collaborative departments and programs. It is expected that the individual holding the Chair will lead a significant program in funded research projects.
Qualifications: PhD in Textiles and Clothing or related field. Demonstrated expertise in study of apparel and textile design with technology. Established reputation and a strong record of research and teaching and a record that merits appointment at professor level. Evidence of integrative perspective on emerging technology applications to the field of apparel and textiles. Proven record of working with graduate students and a record of successful undergraduate teaching.
To apply for this position, please click on “Apply for this Vacancy” and complete the Employment Application at www.iastatejobs.com/applicants/Central?quickFind=77958. Please be prepared to enter or attach the following:
1) letter of application
2) curriculum vita
3) name, address, phone number and e-mail for 3 references.
Mail copy of transcripts to:
Mrs. Chloris Williams
Department of Apparel, Educational Studies, and Hospitality Management
31 MacKay Hall
Ames IA 50011-1121
If you have questions regarding this position, please contact Dr. Robert Bosselman at [email protected].
(2. Assistant Professor of Fashion, Lasell College
The Fashion Department at Lasell College in Newton, MA seeks an Assistant Professor of Fashion for a Fall 2010 appointment.
Responsibilities: Teaching could include undergraduate courses in a range of areas including Product Development, Global Sourcing, Retail Management, Buying, e-commerce and Textiles. Ability to teach fashion journalism-related courses is a plus. The successful candidate must be able to work cooperatively and productively with faculty, staff, and students; show evidence of excellent teaching and student advocacy as well as professional development and productivity; and a commitment to department and college service.
Qualifications: A Masters Degree with at least 5 years of industry experience, Ph.D. preferred. Prior college teaching preferred.
Screening of applicants will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled. Candidates should send a cover letter, a philosophy of teaching, curriculum vitae, and names of three (3) references to: [email protected]
Requirements: Ph.D. in Fashion Merchandising or a closely-related field. Collegiate teaching experience and fashion merchandising or apparel experience. A collegiate teaching experience from a student-centered perspective is highly desirable. The candidate should have demonstrated ability to teach courses in the history of apparel, textiles and apparel production and merchandise buying at the undergraduate level. Preference will be given to candidates who have collegiate teaching experience from a student-centered perspective, are actively engaged in research, able to teach FMM courses at the graduate level and have experience in curriculum development, especially at the graduate level.
If you are interested in a employment at Cheyney University, please fill out the Employee Application available for download on our web site. All Applications must be completed and submitted for all positions. Also available for download is our new EEO supplemental form that we are asking candidates to voluntarily submit for EEO tracking purposes. Please submit completed application by mail or directly to the Office of Human Resources.
International Conference-”Embroidery and Storytelling”
Rouen, France
December 10 and 11, 2009
Registration: Free
This conference features many international speakers and a trip to Bayeux, guided tour of the Bayeux Tapestry with commentaries by Madame Lemagnen, Curator of the Bayeux Museum. Session themes include From Female Achievement to Female Expression, The Embroidered Stitch of History, and Embroidery as a Narrative.
Using the Bayeux tapestry as a reference, considering its influence on the Overlord Embroidery exhibited in Portsmouth, Britain or the Ros Tapestry in Ireland, we address the question of the choice of textile as a medium adapted to writing or rewriting history. We will see that the appropriation of a feminine or popular form of art can give birth to a new form of propaganda but can also open official channels to new voices.
The purpose of this conference is to bring together curators, artists and academics who specialise in history, sociology, arts, cultural studies or literature.
What are fashion students like today? What does it take to be a successful fashion student? Who are the future fashion professionals of the world? The answers to these questions are our topic for my post for this week.
First off, let’s talk appearance. We are fashionistas, after all. Here is a phenomenon you may have noticed yourself: my most well-put-together students tend to be those who earn the highest grades in my classes. Not because I grade based on creativity in attire, but because the quality of their coursework genuinely merits the high marks they receive. I have simply come to notice that my more academically successful students tend to have a more refined, mature, and polished appearance than my students who are closer to the class average. This is not to say that my students who appear to take less care in their appearance do less well academically, but to me it is no mystery why someone who is engaged and doing well in a fashion course might also have an interest in managing the details of their personal appearance with a mature visual vocabulary. Has anyone else found this to be the case in their own experiences?
Some of the traits and study habits that I notice in my top students are a natural interest in the fashion industry. You would think this would go without saying, but it doesn’t. When I have students who arrive for their first semester of college, for their first college-level fashion course, and they already have favorite fashion magazines, web sites, and blogs and Project Runway is not their sole source of fashion industry information, I know I have some natural fashionistas on my hands. Students arriving with that natural interest, an insatiable curiosity and a love of learning, those are all good signs. Those who do not arrive in that state can pick up the excitement from the others, and believe me, the top students do possess the ability to gain a following within their class, either because of their appearance, their high grads, or their personalities.
Speaking of personalities, I notice that my more successful students already have intact an understanding that teamwork is an essential part of success in the industry, in school, and life in general. They operate well in group projects and team assignments, and show up fully aware of this from Day One. While reality TV may have its prima donnas, copping an attitude in the real fashion workplace does not get you anywhere, and this is not news to my classroom fashionistas. You have seen me quoteTina Seelig before, and her wisdom bears repeating:
When you are a team, the key is making everybody else successful. The more you make other people around you successful, the more it comes back to you, many many many fold.
In terms of future fashion professionals, I can tell you about my top students of the past few years. Those that score high are the ones willing to work all day and all night on a project, and go above and beyond the assignment guidelines, and all not because they are trying to suck up to the teacher, but because they have a personal commitment to excellence and high standards of quality in their work. They want to know everything, every designer, every trend, every style, and they work hard to learn everything they can, not because they have to, but because they can’t get enough. It’s a passion for fashion, what can I tell you?
To those of you working in industry, what do you see as some of the common traits of the successful fashionista? What qualities do you look for in an intern or new graduate? Let me know if my observations above agree with your own experiences.
1.) “SIMPLY QUAKER: WOMEN IN PLAIN DRESS”
Through December 31
Clinton County History Center [Wilmington, OH]
This exhibit attempts to address some of the mysteries of historic Quaker dress: how the wearing of the gown, fichu or neckerchief, shawl, day cap and bonnet were influenced by world events, reigning kings, Paris fashion, social culture, migration, and separation. In 1656, many members of the Society of Friends immigrated to America in search of religious freedom. Friends, also known as Quakers, dressed in traditional mainstream fashion. Then, about 1790 fashion stopped. Quakers were to wear the same style garments for the next 110 years. 41 articles of clothing worn by Quaker women between 1840 and 1900 will be on display.
Halston, American Beauty Rose gown in red silk organza, 1980. Gift of Ms. Chris Royer. Photograph: William Palmer.
2.) “AMERICAN BEAUTY: AESTHETICS AND INNOVATION IN FASHION”
Through January 9
The Fashion Institute of Technology [New York City]
This exhibit explores how the “philosophy of beauty” is allied to the craft of dressmaking. Each of the 75 looks on display was chosen to exemplify the relationship between technical ingenuity and artistic excellence. It includes about 25 American fashion designers, ranging from the obscure to rising stars of the present day. American Beauty includes such dressmaking disciplines as draping, geometric forms, tailoring, and rigid construction from a broad spectrum of clothing styles, including daywear, suits, evening gowns, and active wear.
Photo: Christina Johnson (Collection Manager, FIDM Museum); Shelly Foote (Programs Chair WR-CSA); Kevin Jones (Curator, FIDM Museum); JoAnn Staab (President, WR-CSA)
This was a unique opportunity to see a lecture by Christina Johnson on the behind the scenes aspects of putting the exhibition together and the research involved. Carolyn Jamerson, the FIDM Museum Study Collection Manger gave a wonderfully insightful presentation (one could almost call it a workshop) on invisible mounts and mannequins. Her lecture included a supply list handout, as well as what amounted to a small booklet on the step-by-step process she used. Carolyn also included example materials, that were passed around. Attendees were left clamoring for more after her presentation.
Photo: Carolyn Jamerson, FIDM Museum Study Collection Manager and program attendees looking at an invisible mount in process
One of the very best parts of the CSA program, was getting to watch the world premiere of the documentary that the Museum created especially for the exhibition. It plays in the galleries, but is not available for sale (many in attendance were anxious to purchase it). Just this week, FIDM Museums blog posted a small sample of the documentary. It is about 10 minutes long and features oritinal interviews with Betsy Bloomingdale, Marc Bohan (of Dior), Hubert de Givenchy, James Galanos, and Oscar de la Renta (among others).
Following the documentary, attendees went down to the galleries for a tour of the exhibition led by Curator Kevin Jones. This was a phenomenal experience, whereby, we got stories associated with many of the dresses. Of one dress, Kevin noted, that it arrived from Ms. Bloomingdale with a small packet of Air Force One cigarettes (Ms. Bloomingdale was a close friend of Nancy Reagan and attended the inauguration).
Photo: Christina Johnson, Betsy Bloomingdale, Barbara Bundy, and Kevin Jones showing Ms. Bloomingdale the catalog of the show for the first time.
Some exciting news that came out of this program, was the fact that FIDM Museum has begun to produce catalogs for many of their fashion exhibits, and plan to continue to do this under the FIDM Museum Press umbrella. Unfortunately, the distribution of the catalog is limited and is only available online through the Museum Shop at FIDM. It is not available at Amazon, or other online retailers.
For more on the exhibition, including more photographs (I was not able to take pictures in the galleries), See the FIDM Museum blog’s post on the exhibition opening. The Wall Street Journal also has some good coverage, and a slide show.
Those interested in attending future programs from the Western Region of CSA, watch for information on their programs website. Upcoming programs involving showgirl costumes in Las Vegas, NV; Amish quilts in San Francisco; and historical patternmaking in Seattle Washington, among many others throughout the western region (details are available here). To receive regular updates on CSA programs, please consider joining.
*If you’re looking for more video of Ms. Bloomingdale and her collection, she was also featured in a BBC documentary on the Secret World of Haute Couture.
Initiatives in Art and Culture
New York, NY
Heirloom: Style, Material, and Sustainability
December 3 – December 5, 2009
Fee: The conference fee is $350; an early registration discount of $250 is available through November 17, 2009. A discounted rate of $125 is available for
full-time students with ID.
The 11th Annual New York Fashion and Design Conference considers the link between sustainability and stewardship as embodied in the broad concept of “Heirloom,” the process whereby one generation’s creations become the valued patrimony of those that follow. Our examination will be inclusive, focusing not only on objects that are traditionally conceived of as heirlooms such as watches, wedding gowns, and jewelry, but also on the materials used to create them (fibers, for example) and on other, less obvious heirlooms (fragrance, for example). Eco-consciousness, differing approaches to the transmission of craft, and fair trade are considered, as is the notion that enduring design and craft are a form of preservation.
Linking all are rituals that transform materials and objects into heirlooms. The ultimate heirloom is the Earth itself, and attention to eco-friendly principles and practices is important to the custodianship that heirloom status implies and requires. We consider a central question for the 21st century: How do we carry on the traditions of the past while meeting contemporary challenges such as the need for conservation of the earth’s resources?
A distinguished group of insiders and mavericks from the worlds of fashion and jewelry consider melding the best of the past and our obligations to the future. Evening events complement formal sessions.
To register by e-mail fill in the registration form and send here
To register by fax fill in the registration form, including credit card information, and fax to
(212) 935-6911.
To register by mail return form at least 10 days before the conference start date with a check or money order payable to Initiatives in Art and Culture or complete the credit card information on the form, and mail to Initiatives in Art and Culture, 333 East 57th Street, Suite 13B, New York, NY 10022
is a wonderful read, and is – I daresay – something of a guilty treat for me. In fashion history, Bing is primarily known as a model for designer Rudi Gernreich (though Peggy Moffit is more often remembered). Both women can be seen in this video, titled Basic Black. Bings’ experience in the making of this short film is mentioned, but no great insights provided, on pgs 99-100.
before, and her wisdom bears repeating:
