Jobs: FIT, camp instructor, and costumer

By Lucy Collins, April 20th, 2010 at 5:00 am (Uncategorized)

(1. FIT, Draper/Flat Pattern Maker Instructor

Individuals appointed will teach a fundamental Flat Pattern Apparel Design course, from basic patterns to more advanced designs as well as managing and assessing student performance and submission of grades in a timely manner.

Requirements:
Candidates must have earned at least an Associate Degree, and must have a minimum of 6 years working experience in the Fashion Industry as a designer with hands on experience in draping and flat pattern making. Candidates must also have excellent communication and organizational skills; a commitment to quality education and student-centeredness; and the ability to work with a diverse student population and be part of a collaborative team.

(2. Blackrocket TV – summer camp instructors in fashion

Instructors and Assistant Instructors needed for our children’s summer programs in the areas of Digital Arts, Fashion, and STEM. Applicants must hold a degree, or be currently enrolled in an undergraduate program, in any of the following areas: elementary/secondary/ special education OR fashion, graphic design, game design, music, film, television, animation, robotics, science, & law. Evening and weekend training begins in April.

The position will run from June 20th to August 20th.

B.A., or currently enrolled in an undergraduate program; Prior experience instructing/teaching children a huge plus. Compensation based on experience. Must be able to commit to working a minimum of 4 weeks

To apply:
Contact rich@blackrocket.tv

3. Faculty Fine and Applied Arts, Theatre and Dance, Marietta College, Ohio

Marietta College seeks an Assistant Professor/Costumer to fill a position in the Theatre Department. Embracing a philosophy of teaching and learning grounded in the liberal arts, Marietta College encourages applications from theatre generalists interested in teaching and creating theatre in a collaborative atmosphere.

Position responsibilities include: 1) teaching two courses each semester, typically including costume construction and design, makeup, and other courses assigned on the basis of the candidate’s qualifications and interest; 2) designing and executing costumes and makeup for 3 mainstage productions annually, advising on costumes and makeup for studio productions and festivals, as well as mentoring students in design, construction, and run crew; 3) managing the costume shop.

Qualifications: MFA (preferred) or MA degree in theatre. Applicants must have significant skills in costuming and makeup, but the department encourages applications from candidates who also have skills in other areas of theatre production and/or teaching.

Professional production experience is highly desired, as well as an interest in continuing professional involvement.

To apply send a cover letter; resume; one-page statement of teaching philosophy; a portfolio illustrating work in costuming and makeup; and contact information for three professional references. Please send application package electronically or by mail to:

Dr. Douglas Anderson
Marietta College
215 Fifth Street
Marietta, OH 45750-4031
Email Address: doug.anderson@marietta.edu

2 Comments

CFP: Consumer Culture Conference, October 2010, Palacký University, Czech Republic

By Lauren Michel, April 19th, 2010 at 5:00 am (Conferences and Calls for Papers)

Writes the Art Center:

The conference program will consist of five main topics:

Invited are short CVs and abstracts up to 300 words on relevant topics (in English). Abstracts for papers or poster session are welcomed. Speakers will receive 30 minutes for presentation. Selected papers will be published in the conference proceedings. Confirmation of submission of the paper to the program will be sent by the end of June to all accepted participants. Please send abstracts to <pavel.zahradka@upmedia.cz> or <renata.sedlakova@upmedia.cz> by June 5 th 2010. For more information please visit the conference website: http://oltk.upol.cz/consumerculture

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Fashion and Flowers

By Lucy Collins, April 15th, 2010 at 11:07 am (Uncategorized)

As several artists like Nicole Dextras have recently demonstrated, there is something so tremendously appealing and naturally spectacular about garments made of plants and flowers. While clearly impractical for everyday wear, clothing constructed from a colorful array of flora and fauna is not strictly the stuff of art shows and novelty runway performances.

a design from the BioFashion runway show in Columbia

Aside from our constant fixation with the floral motif in clothing – after all, isn’t the fragrant slowly opening flower the perfect symbol of femininity? – actual leaves and flowers have always been used to adorn and accessorize the body. What young girl isn’t familiar with the exquisite and unadulterated pleasure of placing a freshly picked flower strategically behind one ear?

Yep, the simplicity of real, naturally growing flowers has always been an easy place to turn for immediate bodily adornment. I can certainly remember the satisfaction I felt as a child after weaving, and wearing, my first necklace made of flowers. I felt pretty and creative, but in a way that directly complemented my natural environment.

Similar to the simplest flower behind the ear or the flower necklace is the corsage. Surprisingly, the term corsage – which to most people describes a smallish bouquet of flowers to be pinned to a woman’s chest or worn on the wrist as a bracelet – is also used to reference a woman’s body, particularly the breasts.

The Polynesian world is famous for embracing floral decoration. Images of hula girls swishing in grass skirts and laden with bright floral leis are familiar to everyone. But I wonder: why do we think of cultures where women wear coconut bras and leafy skirts as “primitive”? Is there something inherently less sophisticated about taking plants and wearing them just as they are naturally?

In Hegel’s Lectures on Fine Art he stated that the importance and intrigue of art lies precisely in the fact that what was once raw, natural material has been transformed or modified by the human mind and imagination. For this reason, he preferred to investigate “beauty” only as it appears in art rather than as manifest in nature.

But what qualifies transformation? Isn’t simply plucking a flower from a bush or tree in some senses transforming it? Or is a flower transformed – and ultimately approved by our sophisticated human palate – only when it is sketched and imitated and reproduced in a thousand different colors on a variety of different fabrics and then finally shaped into a dress?

Donning a wreath of flowers is historically reserved for the most special of occasions. A laurel wreath was placed on the head of a nation’s most revered leaders and victors. A floral wreath evokes both eternity and purity and is often seen in depictions of deities or mythical creatures from another place. A floral wreath is particularly regal.

Despite their easy accessibility, flowers remain sacred. Naturally ephemeral, they are metaphors not just for women, but for human beings in general — poignantly beautiful, but destined to fade and wither.

As the essence of what is transitory, flowers remind us that all organic materials have very narrow margins of survival. As such a closely related symbol of human fragility and fertility, flowers remain both primitive and sacred. Easy to come by, but forever alluring, we are enchanted by the buds of spring.

3 Comments

Recent Journal Articles in Fashion Studies

By Heather Vaughan, April 14th, 2010 at 5:00 am (Academic Research & Related, Uncategorized)

There are a number of venues for scholars of fashion, costume and dress to publish their work (besides those devoted to the field, such as Dress, Fashion Theory, and others). The study of clothing history is inherently interdisciplinary, often branching into cultural and physical anthropology, the social sciences, business and technology as well as local, regional and global history. So too are articles published by scholars in other fields that cross over into the study of dress.

I did a brief survey of articles recently published as a sort of litmus test, to see who and where clothing is being studied. It offers an interesting insight into what is happening in the field right now. Some are available as PDFs, others require access via subscription.

I’d love to hear what articles readers might have seen in non-traditional or surprising places, or if your work has recently been published in such a publication. Feel free to leave comments below.

• “From Commodity to Costume: Productive Consumption in the Making of Bollywood Film Looks” by Clare M. Wilkinson-Weber, Journal of Material Culture,  Vol. 15, No. 1, 3-29 (2010).

• “See the Sound, Hear the Style: Collaborative Linkages between Indie Musicians and Fashion Designers in Local Scenes,” by Atle Hauge ;Brian J. Hracs, Industry & Innovation, Volume 17, Issue 1 February 2010 , pages 113 – 129.

• “Fashion as Methodology: Rewriting the time of women’s modernity, “ Ilya Parkins, Time & Society, Vol. 19, No. 1, 98-119 (2010).

• “Symptoms of desire: Colour, costume, and commodities in fashion newsreels of the 1910s and 1920s” by Eirik Frisvold Hanssen, Film History: An International Journal, 21, no. 2 (2009): 107-121

5 Comments

Women, Pants, & Politics

By Tove Hermanson, April 13th, 2010 at 1:58 pm (History of Dress, Videos)

As I alluded in previous posts, adopting aspects of menswear had a direct relationship with the Women’s Movement, socially and politically. For hundreds of years wealthy and impoverished women alike had worn heavy floor length dresses, even as unsanitary street filth dragged in the long skirts, even as the simple negotiation of stairs became arduous (and potentially dangerous), and even as a woman’s ability to move freely and comfortably was hampered. Despite widespread discussion of the physical harm caused by corseting, women of society and women of the streets tightly laced their bodies into undergarments that constricted their waists to produce the exaggerated silhouette au currant. Women were even killed and disfigured by voluminous skirts catching aflame without their notice. Dress reformers in the 19th century tackled this issue of female oppression by fashion by promoting social improvement in practicality over trends, for health and comfort over convention, and rationality over conformity.

18th century society was highly influenced by the popular writings of Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712 – 1778) who used the “State of Nature” as a normative guide in dress, child rearing, and more. Though female dress reform was not specifically addressed at this time (children’s dress was), this Age of Enlightenment planted the seeds for the women’s suffrage movement of the 19th century. The work of Elizabeth Cady Stanton (1815 – 1902) and Lucretia Mott (1793 – 1880) who produced the Seneca Falls Declaration of Sentiments in 1848 which demanded equal citizenship and equal political rights for women. A few short years afterwards in 1851, abolitionist and social reformer Amelia Bloomer (1818 – 1894) appeared in oriental trousers with a short skirt. This radical bloomer costume provided an obvious source of activewear for women by covering their legs while allowing them the freedom of a bifurcated garment:

Bloomer costume, 1851

However it had only ever been adopted by fringe Victorian dress reformers who were ridiculed by the press as radical feminists with silly, indecent (still!) sartorial selections, and it never achieved widespread acceptance in this form — a woman would commit social suicide by marring her reputation in such suggestive garments. The bloomer costume was ridiculed for looking silly, even as men enjoyed the daring short skirts with distinguishable legs, discouraging even politically minded women from adopting dress reform. The associations of pants with Calamity Jane (1852 – 1903) did not help: though she was a strong, fierce, accomplished woman, her behavior was distinctly manly and she prostituted herself to boot: embodying all the fears of dress reform detractors (except perhaps lesbianism).

Calamity Jane, by H. R. Locke in 1895

Interestingly, the bicycle fad of the 1890s broke the social stigma of women wearing bifurcated garments and “bicycle costumes” were actually lauded as preserving modesty while preserving health (see this post for more on athleticism’s influence on fashion). These outfits bore suspicious (and unacknowledged) resemblance to the disparaged bloomer costume by alleviating some of the major fashion impediments with narrower skirts, fewer under-layers, and (minimally) raised hemlines. A description of an acceptable female riding outfit from 1895:

“A combination garment was worn next [to] the skin – all wool in cold weather and cotton in warm. Over this she wore no corset, but a patent waist without bones, to which were buttoned the circular bands of drawers and petticoats. It will be seen that the waist escaped much of the pressure and dragging incident to the old style of dressing, as the only bands were of the least trying shape. Her dress skirts and waists were hooked to each other all around, thus insuring their staying together, while they were loose enough for comfort.”

woman cycling costume, 1895

By the early 20th century, the female bicycling outfit had become more risqué, with visible legs. (Note that corsets are worn):

detail of "The Cycle Hut in the Bois de Boulogne" by Jean Beraud, c. 1901-10

In preparation for the World’s Columbian Exposition of 1893, a federation of several women’s societies organized the National Council of Women who wanted to improve the political and social climate of the country and to overthrow the “ignorance and injustice” of women’s clothing; that is, to tackle dress form once again. They attempted to outfit prominent women reformers (Clara Barton, Harriet Beecher Stowe, etc.) and ordinary businesswomen and college girls in the reformed outfits, but the clothes could not gain traction when explicitly paired with a women’s movement.

Fabulously influential designer Paul Poiret (1879 – 1944) discarded corsets and successfully disseminated an exotic Middle Eastern look including Turkish harem pants (that again, resembled the Bloomer costume silhouette) in 1911. This was purely an aesthetic choice and not a political statement on his part (he was also the inventor of the distinctly impractical hobble skirt), but it was threatening to social and religious conservatives nonetheless and that same year the Vatican campaigned against the “harem trousers” as morally objectionable, even while women’s legs were still completely obscured. While popular in wealthy fashionable society, Poiret’s exotic styles were not worn by lower or middle class women or dress reformers — but I believe the Parisian interpretation of oriental styles hastened the ultimate acceptance of trousers for women, since it removed the politically radical (and implied lesbian) stigma.

Paul Poiret harem pants, 1911

I cannot overemphasize how wars affect fashion and this was especially true of bending gender codes in clothes, as men allow women to take on “male” work and also functional dress out of pure necessity. Aptly named “slack girls” of WWI operated machinery for war plants in full knickers, a variation on the bloomers, to avoid factory accidents:

Women working in a factory producing airplane engine parts for the WWI effort, 1918

However, this kind of outfit was purely occupation-driven and women would absolutely not wear it outside the work environment.

The Women’s Suffrage movement gained its greatest victory in 1920 when the 19th Amendment prohibited gender discrimination in the voting polls. This political gain opened a decade of many radical changes in the perception and presentation of women. While this progressive step was taken, the repressive prohibition of alcohol entered legislation in the 18th Amendment. Ironically (or not?) these Amendments hearkened a particularly hedonistic decade, and the new American jazz music invited a radically new, athletic dance style to accompany the illegal but widespread speakeasies. Many modern young women bobbed their hair in variations of gender-bending pageboy styles, the corset-less look that Poiret popularized and increasing female recreational athletic activity hastened a fad for flat chested, hipless, boyish female figures, and the garçonne became synonymous with the stylish flappers. Many of the ’20s fashions were made with the explicit intention of allowing easy movement and looking good in motion to cater to exuberant dance crazes like the Charleston, with ropes of fringe, tassels, asymmetrical and much shorter hemlines that made visible the actual leg in transparent stockings.

The clip below is from the awesomely hilarious (that is, kind of bad) Julie Andrews / Mary Tyler Moore musical Thoroughly Modern Millie (1967). In the opening credits you see Millie (Andrews) transforming herself from a nineteen-teens woman to the radically modern 1920s flapper:

Even while women had short androgynous haircuts and manipulated their figures to be flat and boyish as well (though the corset was abandoned, stretchy tubular shapers were adopted to minimize feminine curves — used as a sight gag in the video above), increased use of makeup counteracted the masculine look. This was the first time since the flamboyant 18th century when makeup was applied so un-subtly so as to leave no doubt a woman wore it. Black kohl eyeshadow, spidery mascara and bright red lipstick would have been reserved for women of the theater or women of the streets in previous eras. This change was documented in magazines like Photoplay:

Photoplay cover flapper applying lipstick, 1920s

But to return to women in pants.

After WWI women returned to their kitchens, children, and dresses, but there were a few notable dissenters. While flying, the boyish pilot extraordinaire Amelia Earhart (1897 – 1937) “favored old, high-laced shoes, well-worn trousers, an ancient leather coat with deep pockets, a soft leather helmet and goggles. On land, she wore pretty much the same thing, without the headgear.” After her 1931 solo flight across the Atlantic, Earhart started her own fashion line (to subsidize her next flight) which favored similarly masculine, practical styles, but they were never adopted by the general public in her own time.

Amelia Earhart c. 1930

Similarly freckled and slender Katharine Hepburn (1907 – 2003) flouted feminine styles in favor of pants, but hers was more leisure-based than professional. Known for her athleticism, Hepburn was an avid tennis player, swimmer, and golfer, and she chose to adopt menswear (that is, pants) to enjoy these activities. She carried this casual, cross-dressing style to the RKO studio lot where her pants were once stolen… until she threatened to walk around in her underwear if the slacks were not returned.

Open bisexual Marlene Dietrich wore pants and full men’s style suits (in direct defiance of Paramount executives). As an eccentric European, she was perhaps given a smidge more leeway than Amelia and Katharine, but the fact that her manly ensembles were in no way related to a specific athletic activity made them that much more radical and liberating. She balanced the masculine tailoring with highly stylized, feminine makeup, appealing to men and women alike.

Marlene Dietrich

Another war was necessary to push pants from movie star aberration to clothes of the common woman. WWII saw record numbers of women in factories and men’s denim overalls became typical work wear for them. Again, it’s important to remember this was only appropriate during work hours; women would change into more feminine clothes to perform their feminine duties.

Women welders on the way to their job at the Todd Erie Basin drydock, c. 1943

However, even feminine styles started showing (masculine) military influence with sharply squared shoulders and slim, suit-like tailored (skirt) suits, as can be seen in this still from Casablanca (1942). If you squint, Ingrid Bergman is hardly distinguishable from the men in her jaunty brimmed hat and tailored jacket with large, practical cargo pockets:

In England during WWII, many women actually wore their husbands’ civilian clothes to work in and to save money. As the clothes wore out, pants made to fit women became increasingly popular so that by 1944 it was reported that five times more women’s trousers were sold than in 1943.

Unfortunately, the return of the “boys” after the war heralded the ’50s as the age of Dior’s “New Look:” hyperfeminine with its wasp waist, “bullet bras” (a sneaky connection to war) and voluminous skirts. Stars like Mary Tyler Moore in the Dick Van Dyke Show and Lucille Ball in I Love Lucy sneaked pants into their wardrobes even while they performed traditional familial obligations in the home (they would always change into dresses and skirts to go out). Incidentally, it was extremely difficult to find an image of Lucy wearing pants, I assume because the studio did not want to use them in publicity shots.

Jacqueline Onasis Kennedy (1929 – 1994), as a woman of accepted impeccable style and also in the political eye, did wonders for popularizing casual clothes. Though she was occasionally criticized for dressing down in pants, the Kennedy’s chic outdoorsy lifestyle, their political clout, and Jackie’s undeniable femininity ultimately contributed to the dissemination and adoption of just that style:

The Sexual Revolution of the 1970s embraced the deliberate confusion of gender codes and sexual mores, and it had become so acceptable for women to wear pants by this time that Diane Keaton’s mannish style — complete with tie!! — in Annie Hall (1977) was actually lauded and imitated (to this day, if I have anything to do with it):

The 1980s saw the advent of the “power suit” by designers like Donna Karan who tapped into the female Baby Boomers who stormed the corporate work force. Coincidentally (or not), Diane Keaton was featured in a film — Baby Boom (1987) — that addressed the aspirations and difficulties of women who want to work and have families. She sports the hugely padded suit shoulders to achieve a masculine broadness that was popular in the middle aged female workforce:

Women’s Movement progress has gradually plateaued in recent decades, with only a few battles fought and won, such as women in the U.S. Senate being allowed to wear pants in the 1990s (can you believe it?). This example highlights once again that women (and especially those in politics) must still ride the impossible line of being feminine (i.e. non-threatening) without being too sexy (i.e. distracting); this was brought to the forefront when Hillary Clinton was lambasted for showing too much cleavage on the Senate floor in 2007, even as she had many detractors for her unflattering pantsuits as well:

Clinton's supposed cleavage

My last picture is on the silly side: Saturday Night Live’s androgynous Pat character befuddles and uneases those s/he come into contact with as they try to figure out his/her sex. I think these sketches are so funny because they speak to a true and pervasive anxiety around indeterminate sex and sexuality. We seem to need to compartmentalize gender, so gender roles may be assigned and expectations set.

SNL's non-determinate sexed Pat

In every major instance of feminist upheaval, women’s clothing has been examined as both a symbolic and literal reflection of women’s inequality in society. An over-arching irony is that fashion is a human construct. The things that we recognize as “feminine” and “masculine” are not inherently so, but have simply been designated as such by early human society, and reinforced in subsequently evolving fashions. The good news is that as attitudes about gender have changed, and as women and homosexuals have won political and social freedoms we should’ve had all along, the rigid distinctions between clothing styles for men and women have blurred. Clothing can make personal statements regarding gender and sexual politics… but it doesn’t have to. However, though women may wear pants and full suits in the Western world now, there are still gender-based expectations in most of the business (specifically corporate) world that demands women wear makeup, skirts, and heels. I think we’ve hit the glass ceiling, but there’s more progress to be made.

Further Reading:

• “Women in Pants: Manly Maidens, Cowgirls, and Other Renegades” by Catherine Smith & Cynthia Greig
• “Flights of Fashion: How Amelia Earhart Became America’s First Celebrity Designer” by Gioia Diliberto, Huffington Post
• “The Power of Glamour: the Women who Defined the Magic of Stardom” by Annette Tapert

4 Comments

CFP: Connecting Threads of History, Cultures and Creativity

By Kat, April 12th, 2010 at 5:00 am (Conferences and Calls for Papers, Uncategorized)

CALL FOR PAPERS

“CONNECTING THREADS OF HISTORY, CULTURES AND CREATIVITY”

The Costume Society of America’s Southeastern Region symposium offers an opportunity for CSA members to present research on a variety of topics. Please designate if your abstract is for a research paper (no more than 20 minutes) or exhibition (will be displayed for approximately 2 hours).

The abstract must be less than 500 words, excluding bibliography, captions and footnotes, including up to 3 pertinent images. Abstracts should discuss the research topic, exhibit format, i.e.: traditional poster, 3-dimensional objects, lap-top presentation, mannequins, etc. All abstracts are to be submitted electronically with the author’s name, title/affiliation (if applicable), address, email, phone number, and paper title appearing only on the cover page.

Abstract Deadline: May 3

Notification of Acceptance: on or before June 10.

You must be a member of CSA to present (click here for membership information) and all conference attendees including presenters must pay the conference fee (student rates are available for membership and conference attendance.)

Contact:
Jose Blanco
jblanco@uga.edu
706.542.4885

1 Comment

On Teaching Fashion: Group Test-Taking

By Lauren Michel, April 9th, 2010 at 5:00 am (Teaching)

In my last post on teaching fashion at college level, I discussed how I instructed students to write quiz-game-style questions to be used in a class game-playing exercise designed to prepare them for an upcoming exam.  Here is the update to that post and the results of the exam for which the game was a review tool.

Having the students’ write their game questions and play the game in class eased both my work of writing the new exam and the students’ task of preparing for the exam in a number of ways which I discussed in my last teaching post.   As you probably noticed in that last post, I mentioned administering the exam in an unusual way.  The choice I made was to allow the students to take the exam in small groups.

For this small group exam, I allowed them to select their own teams, or work alone if they chose (which no one chose to do this time), and I required them to write on their exams, in addition to their own name,  the names of all of their team members (having the team members’ names there was not related to their exam scores, it was for my later analysis).  I instructed the students to freely discuss the exam questions and possible answers with their team members.  Many of them chose to work in the teams in which they had played the fashion Jeopardy-style game the week before.  As with a typical exam, I required that all electronic devices be turned off (or in silent mode) and stowed out of sight, along with course lecture notes and copies of the course text.

The format of the exam was multiple choice, true/false, and fill-in-the-blank.  The class had approximately one hour to complete 50 questions valued at 2 points each.  Many of the teams finished before the end of the exam period, which is not unusual when I give an exam of this format to students individually.  The immediate feedback I received at the end of the exam period was largely positive.

In grading the exams, I was surprised to discover:

• no single student received a perfect score on the exam
• the average score was 88.9% (lower than I had pre-supposed)
• the teams did not come to a consensus for each exam question

After the students received their graded exams back, the feedback they had included that they were pleased that they and their team members did not all have identical exams, seeing it as an indication that they completed their exams with some individuality, and that the group approach eased the anxiety of sitting for an exam (I often have students with documented or undocumented text anxiety, which significantly impairs their ability to take a 50-question exam in a typical class period).  A few also admitted to having learned new information while taking the exam with their team.  Learning? While taking an exam?  Wonderful. Assessment and learning can, and often should, happen at the same time.

My next task will be to counterbalance the weight of the exams against solitary projects in order to counteract any possible grade inflation, as 88.9% is a high average. My rationale behind the group exam format was to enhance student learning, build small group communication skills, build community in a small program, and assess students’ knowledge of course material. Overall, these factors contribute to student success.  Is that not the whole purpose of education?  I think it is.

What do you dear readers, former students, and teachers and professors, think of the concept of a group exam?  Have you experienced this as a student?  Have you administered this as an instructor?  Leave me a comment and let me know.

Photo Credit:  FIT NY Students, by SusanNYC, Susan Sermoneta.

4 Comments

Punk Visionary McLaren Dead

By Monica Sklar, April 8th, 2010 at 3:36 pm (Academic Research & Related)

Right this second as I’m sitting here slaving away over my dissertation as the draft is due next Thurs (much of which will contribute to my book on Punk Style for Berg), trying to figure out the importance of punk dress, how it functions, how it evolved, why it’s still relevant…and just I learn that Malcolm McLaren just died. Wow.

So much to think about as he was one of the top figures in the development of the style and creating its legacy. In recent years he has been be both a champion of this legacy and a thorn in the side of those trying to embrace it (and copy it according to him-probably accurately). I will for sure write something more in depth another day…right now I’m a little overwhelmed thinking about it as I have to think fashion-wise this will go somewhat unnoticed as compared to say McQueen’s death weeks back. I adored McQueen’s creativity and enthusiasm, but this is much bigger. Step inside your local bar, club, mall, or classroom, and someone (especially youth) will pass you within seconds who is wearing something inspired by punk style. Probably doesn’t matter where you live.

More thoughts to come….For now, you can revisit my previous post from last year when I went to London on research and toured the collection of the Contemporary Wardrobe taking many photos of original 70s punk dress created by Westwood and McLaren. Thank you Roger, from the Contemporary Wardrobe for agreeing to let me use the photos on my blog.

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Exhibits!

By Kat, April 8th, 2010 at 5:01 am (Exhibitions, Uncategorized)

“NIGHT & DAY”
Through May 11
The Fashion Institute of Technology [New York City]

This exhibit explores the evolution of the rules that have governed fashion over the past 250 years, revealing when they have been at their most extreme or so relaxed as to be barely perceptible. Rules of fashion dictate how women should dress to suit the time of day, season, social occasion, or activity. They influence colors, materials, necklines, hemlines, and other elements of fashionable dress. Sometimes they operate as a flexible set of guidelines, at other times as strictly observed etiquette. Since the early nineteenth century, women’s clothing has been primarily divided into daywear and eveningwear.

Click here for details.

“CHORDS AND THREADS: RHYTHM, MOVEMENT, STYLE”
Through May 15
Stephens College [Columbia, MO]

From the Cake Walk to Hip Hop, this exhibit explores howfashion, music and dance have enjoyed a symbiotic relationship.  Visualize sound through the prints, fringes, and silhouettes of fashionable dress in the 20th century.

Click here for details.

“MAHARAJA: THE SPLENDOUR OF INDIA’S ROYAL COURTS”
Through May 23, 2010
Kunsthalle der Hypo-Kulturstiftung [Munich, Germany]

This exhibit spans the period from the beginning of the 18th century to the mid-20th century, bringing together 250+ magnificent objects, many being lent from India’s royal collections for the first time. It examines the changing role of the maharajas within a social and historical context and reveals how their patronage of the arts, both in India and Europe, resulted in splendid and beautiful objects symbolic of royal status, power and identity.

Click here for details.

*Thank you to the Costume Society of America for this information.

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San Francisco Bay Area Fashion Lectures, Events & Exhibitions

By Heather Vaughan, April 7th, 2010 at 5:00 am (Exhibitions, History of Dress, International Fashion, Uncategorized)

Lectures:

“Fashion in Art: Dress in Impressionist/Post-Impressionist Paintings” Art History Lecture, 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM, April 8, 2010, Koret Auditorium, de Young Museum. Lecturer: Melissa Leventon, Principal, Curatrix Group Museum Consultants and Appraisers; Senior Adjunct Professor, Fashion Design and Visual Studies, California College of Arts; and former Curator in Charge of Textiles, FAMSF

“In Pursuit of Style: Shoes in History,” Docent Lecture, 2:15 PM – 3:00 PM, May 1, 2010, Koret Auditorium, de Young Museum. The lecture follows the changes in fashionable footwear—from early Roman sandals, through high button shoes and stiletto heels, to wedgies and platforms—reminding us that, throughout the ages, shoes have always reflected the personality and status of the wearer.

Event:

Ethical Fashion Night hosted by Global Action Through Fashion
Thursday, April 8th, The HUB SoMa at 901 Mission Street (Chronicle Building) 6pm-10pm Attend the “First Bay Area Ethical Fashion Night” to mingle, munch, sip, and learn about Ethical Fashion in the Bay Area and beyond.

Exhibitions:

Shanghai, February 12 – September 5, 2010, Asian Art Museum. “This exhibition features more than 130 oil paintings, Shanghai Deco furniture and rugs, revolutionary posters, works of fashion, movie clips, and contemporary installations. They are significant visual documents of the city’s rich and ever-changing culture.”

Rhythm and Hues: Cloth and Culture of Mali, February 5, 2010—May 2, 2010, Museum of Craft and Folk Art. “Mali’s extraordinary legacy of textile arts, with its vibrant colors and complex graphic statements. In addition to the cloth and clothing, this exhibition showcases other forms of traditional art and craft from Mali, such as wooden puppets, and the life-sized masked and costumed figures called “marionettes” which act out village legends. Unusual calabashes and baskets are also included to show the wide variety of Malian craft and folk art.”

Somethin’s Happening Here: Bay Area Rock ‘n’ Roll 1963-73, September 25, 2009-August 28, 2010. Museum of Performance and Design. “Co-curators Melissa Leventon and Alec Palao evoke this rich era using a wealth of rarely seen footage, posters, images, and costume from private and public collections and from the artists themselves. Visitors are able to sample extremely rare audio and video clips, some of them drawn from the important archive of recordings from San Francisco’s KSAN that are now in MPD’s permanent collection.”

Hollywood Legends: The Barry Barsamian Collection, at the Metreon, 101 4th Street, SF. Open Wednesday through Sunday noon-8pm, now through May. “When in 1976 Barry had the chance to purchase one of the dresses Judy Garland wore in the film, he jumped right on it and he’s been collecting Hollywood memorabilia ever since. Now through May, Barry has opened up his collection of over 100 items for a public exhibit at the Metreon in San Francisco.”

Re-Fashioned: The Origins of Our Clothing, April 2 – May 15, 2010, Oakopolis Creativity Center, Oakland, CA, “Re-Fashioned explores the art of sustainably produced clothing through the display of handmade garments, photos and video. The show illuminates the origins of the textiles, dyes and processes employed by four local clothing designers {and one Australian designer}.”

Night & Day: The World of the Twenties, April 1st – September 1st 2010, Lacis Museum (Berkeley). “This exhibit will explore the spirit of this period through these garments, some touched by the ribbon embroidered flowers and beadwork from Paris, others from the day-dress pages of the Sears and Roebuck catalog.”

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