By Lucy Collins,
March 18th, 2010 at 9:58 am
(Uncategorized)
Just wanted to take a moment to mention a few events/exhibitions occurring in NYC:
Greg Lauren: Counter Culture – Ralph Lauren’s nephew, Greg Lauren, (Alliance Francaise Gallery, February 4 – March 6) uses only white paper, specially treated with Japanese oil, to create garments which reflect his own obsession with detail. He admits that his concern over the smallest features of a garment – a pocket, collar, or a button – is what drives his work. His choice of paper as his medium also reflects the fact that fashion in society can sometimes seem “paper thin.” For more on paper garments, see Tove’s post here.
American Beauty - I recently attended a tour of the current exhibition (Museum at FIT, November 6 – April 10) guided by curator Patricia Mears in which she explained everything from the physical set-up of the exhibition to the history, importance, and relevance of each garment. Overall, the exhibition is another lovely, grand, and appropriate homage to American style, with a quite impressive range and breadth of garments on display.
Fashion + Film, the 1960’s Revisited – In conjunction with the James Gallery’s exhibition (March 12 – May 1) of the same name, last Friday the CUNY Graduate Center hosted a full day of papers related to 60’s cinema and fashion, generally in reference to Italian and French films. Most notably, Stella Bruzzi delivered a paper on Pasolini’s Teorema, in which she pointed out how absolutely crucial the costuming elements, whether on or off the body, are to the film’ narrative. During the panel there was the mandatory mentions of Hitchcock and La Dolce Vita and Antonioni’s Blow-up, and despite some interesting points made along the way, it seemed that most of the presenters had a difficult time connected thoughts on both film and fashion – they either tended to discuss one or the other.
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By Heather Vaughan,
March 17th, 2010 at 5:00 am
(Book Reviews, History of Dress, Uncategorized)
“By the mid-1940s, Jacqueline was arguably the most influential designer of surface pattern in Britain.”
–Book review by Lisa Santandrea
An opening spread in Jacqueline Groag: Textile & Pattern Design: Wiener Werkst,tte to American Modern
pictures the designer. White-haired with bangs and a pixie cut, an aquiline face, one graceful hand rests on her chin; the other holds a smoldering cigarette. She looks into the camera; her gaze is direct, yet not quite serious. Although she is in her 50s, her skin is lineless, glowing. The image does not reflect the hardship of her experiences—WWII displacement; a beloved husband later described as a “bad tempered old man.” Instead, what shines through is the pert curiosity of one who claimed her “inner age” to be eight years old. It is the face of a woman you’d hope to sit next to at a dinner party.
Jacqueline Groag, by John Garner, 1957. Design Council archive, University of Brighton Design Archives.
Born in 1903 to Jewish parents in Prague, Jacqueline Groag—born Hilde Pilke —traveled to cosmopolitan Vienna to study textile design at the influential Kunstgerbeschule. At 23 and already a widow, a career in art and design was one of the few avenues acceptable for women at the time. A self-described ‘sophisticated naïf,’ Groag apparently flowered under the tutelage of instructor Franz Cizek, who gave his students colored chalk and drawing pads, and asked them to draw while inspirational music played in the background. Impressed by her progress, Cizek convinced architect Joseph Hoffman, head of the Werkstätte, to waive admission requirements, and she spent the next two years as the architect’s pupil. By 1930, she was already being described in print as a “front runner of the Hoffman school,” and was designing textiles for couturiers including Chanel, Lanvin, Worth and Schiaparelli.
Further accolades followed quickly. In 1931, she won an award for lace design at the Paris Exposition Coloniale International. This was followed by a gold medal for textile design at the Milan Triennial in 1933. Personally life was blossoming as well. At a Werkstätte masked ball in 1930, she met the respected Modernist architect Jacques Groag, who was also a Jew from Czechoslovakia. In 1931, they were engaged, and married in 1937—when she changed her first name from Hilde to Jacqueline. “His wonderful, never aging, youthful enthusiasm took me to spheres so high and unearthly as no man ever did and no man can imagine,” she later wrote. The couple—both shining stars in Vienna’s intellectual circles—is thought to have collaborated on many projects during this time.
But the Nazi threat was looming. When Austria and Germany united in 1938, the couple was forced to relocate to Prague. Just one year later, as Germany occupied their native land, they fled to Britain.
As the home of the Arts and Crafts movement, Britain was considered hallowed refuge for artists. However, by 1939, the reality was different. “On arrival in London they found themselves members of an uprooted group of disoriented and anxious patriots in a country shaken to its roots and preparing to fight for its life.” Nonetheless, Jacqueline soon found work designing textiles for export, as war restrictions resulted in very limited textile printing for the home market. Jacqueline’s designs had a playful eclecticism, often incorporating a “rational underlying grid associated with Joseph Hoffman.” Flipping through the book’s abundant full-page color plates, the essence of the “eternal eight-year-old” is clear. Vivid colors, strong lines, even a certain fearlessness is evident in her work. It provides insight into her personality—insight that is much valued. As much as this book has to offer, the text left me wondering. Just what was the personality behind that face that so compelled me?
The authors, Geoffrey Rayner, Richard Chamberlain and Annamarie Stapleton, clearly know their subject. Yet much of the book reads like an extended resume. The reader learns that Jacqueline received important commissions by the Design Research Unit (DRU) as well as industrial designer Gaby Schrieber. We find that her tulip design for Edward Molyneux made it onto a dress for Princess Elizabeth. We read that she designed interiors for the airline BOAC, greeting cards for Hallmark, textiles for the Associated American Artists, and, eventually, plastic laminates. We note that she became a Royal Designer for Industry, “the ultimate accolade for any designer in Britain,” in 1984.
But her professional achievements seemed in stark contrast to struggles at home. Jacques , whose career floundered in England, had a nervous breakdown, and Jacqueline became the primary breadwinner…how did she feel about that, I wonder.
And that, I realize, says more about me than I should admit to. I wanted a page-turner, a behind-the-scenes US magazine look at a woman working and thriving in WWII and beyond. This was not the authors’ intent. Instead, they provide an excellently researched, beautifully illustrated and clearly written reference, one that honors Jacqueline’s illustrious career by the purity of its focus on her work. Indeed, the straightforward tone of the text drove me to more closely examine her designs for clues. And it is, after all, this work that is being celebrated here. Job well done.
Sample page spreads from Jacqueline Groag: Textile & Pattern Design: Wiener Werkst,tte to American Modern are below, or a larger excerpt, can be downloaded here:
Jacqeline Groag – selection of spreads (PDF)
–Lisa Santandrea is lecturer in costume history at Parson’s School of Design and at the NYU graduate program in Visual Culture: Costume Studies.
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By Lucy Collins,
March 16th, 2010 at 10:05 am
(Jobs, Uncategorized)
The Art Institutes in the following cities are seeking adjuncts to teach Fashion Design, Retail Management, Merchandising, and/or Fashion Marketing.
- Houston, TX
- Novi, MI
- Henderson, NV
- Durham, NC
- San Antonio, TX
- Fort Worth, TX
- Nashville, TN
- Fort Lauderdale, FL
- Austin, TX
Please visit here for more information.
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By Monica Sklar,
March 8th, 2010 at 5:00 am
(Uncategorized)
Here at Worn Through we frequently talk about the professors’ side of things, how to teach etc, but once in a while I thought we should focus on what a student is up to—particularly when something truly exciting happens. Also, I wanted to highlight a student accomplishment because it is in part be a reflection of positive classroom experiences. Those of us who are teaching can learn from their successes.
Jillian Granz with Suzy Amis Cameron and James Cameron at the unveiling of Amis Cameron's dress. Photo by Jim Peck
A friend of mine and fellow UMN grad, Theresa Winge, PhD who is an assistant professor at Michigan State University, hipped me to her award willing student Jillian Granz. Theresa said she couldn’t be more proud of Jillian’s recent win of a significant design competition.
Jillian designed a gown for Suzy Amis Cameron (James Cameron’s wife) to be worn to THE OSCARS!
Theresa recently started teaching at MSU, and as part of her role there she created a new course–Innovative Approaches to Apparel Design. In this class, students created a red carpet worthy gown that met the criteria of sustainability and submitted their designs to the Red Carpet Green Dress competition hosted by Suzy Amis Cameron.
Theresa said, “Since the competition was open to anyone in the world, I prepared the students for the unlikelihood of someone winning from class. We were in it for the experience. The students designed creative and thoughtful designs, ranging from a newspaper dress to no-waste patterning gown. Each submission was a design to be proud of.”
Low and behold one of the students in the class, Jillian Granz, did win and Suzy Amis Cameron would wear the gown it to the Oscars!
Jillian Granz-Photo by G. L. Kohuth
Here is the link to the story and short video clip from MSU.
Jillian works on Suzy's fitting-Photo by Jim Peck
I spoke with Jillian over email to get some details of her experiences with the competition, as well as some insight into her design process and thoughts on fashion education. Below is our conversation:
Please fill us in on the basic info of the contest.
The contest is called Red Carpet Green Dress and it was to raise money for a school that Suzy Amis and her sister Rebecca founded called Muse. The school is a green school and teaches students about sustainability so the dress had to be sustainable as well. I participated in the contest for my class Special Topics: Innovative Approaches to Apparel Design.
Please tell us about your garment, inspirations, palette, fabric choices, etc./Why do you think your garment was selected as the winner?
The dress was inspired by no-waste patterning. I had to do alot of research on sustainable fashion and after finding this technique I found that it was really appealing to my design aesthetic. The dress was also inspired by Suzy Amis, she was the client so i did follow some of the silhouettes that she typically wears and also some colors that she suggested she liked.
What are some of your experiences with fashion design, particularly with formalwear?…Tell us about your fashion education at MSU–what year are you, what are your focus areas, favorite classes, etc.
Michigan State has a really great Apparel and Textile Design program. It is my last year at MSU, and there are so many new classes being offered that I didn’t get to take that it makes me sad I am graduating in May and can’t take them! We really focus on women’s wear and I have just really started to design more formal wear than seperates/more casual looks.
What are your carer plans after graduation?
After graduating I am still not sure what I am going to be doing, or where exactly I want to go. Hopefully this competition will get my name out there and it will still be fresh in people’s minds when i am searching for a job.
Do you follow pop culture, celebrity culture?–how meaningful was it for you to have this garment selected to be worn in the public eye?
I do follow pop-culture and celebrities a little bit. I do like to keep an eye out for what they wear on the red carpet and things like that so it is really exciting that my dress will be worn on the red carpet, as scary as it is too.
What role do you think your fashion education played in your preparedness to enter and win this competition?
I really think that my education played a large role in winning the contest. If not for the class that i am in i wouldn’t have heard about the contest at all. I really think that us doing these more public contests is great and taking a class about innovative ideas in fashion is really great and the fact that we discussed sustainable design and no-waste patterning really helped in my design process.
Note-I grew up in Michigan, went to Michigan State for my first year of college, and later attended Wayne State Univ. for my B.S. an Eastern Michigan Univ. for my M.S. Michigan is an awesome place with a highly sophisticated, cool, unique, and edgy design sensibilities, as well as has its finger on the pulse of what is going on internationally. However, being a state so rocked by economic and social forces, long before the current meltdown, it is tough for an aspiring fashioninsta to get ahead and accomplish all of her goals. This has created a very DIY approach to fashion, which works parallel but not often intermingled necessarily with some of the more mainstream outlets for fashion such as bigger budget affairs and high end designing and retailing. Plus, although the world loves Detroit’s music scene, our fashion scene has struggled to get exposure. In this it is easy for someone with fashion interests to get mired in frustration and feelings of defeat due to lack of immediate opportunities.
My point is that for a fashion student to set a lofty goal achieve it gracefully, beating out national competitors, is a real coup, and speaks for the hidden gems around the country, such as in Michigan. Not everything is on the coasts, no offense to them. Applause to Jillian for reaching such heights and Theresa for empowering her students with the know-how to blast off!
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By Lucy Collins,
March 4th, 2010 at 11:01 am
(Exhibitions, History of Dress, Uncategorized)
The highly conceptual women’s clothing brand Rodarte, a label founded by the design team of sisters Kate and Laura Mulleavy, has been the recipient of many awards including the Council of Fashion Designers of America 2009 award for Womenswear Designer of the Year. The Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum’s current exhibition “Quicktake: Rodarte,” on view February 11th – March 14th, 2010, takes a look at what makes Rodarte clothing more than just “cool.” (I should note too that Rodarte was one of the most recent designers to collaborate with Target, showing that despite the incredibly sophisticated nature of Rodarte garments, they still can manage to appeal to a broad range of consumers.)
The most striking feature of the garments in the exhibition is the constant interplay between hard and soft. There is an avoidable homespun feel, yet each piece feels strangely future-oriented. Re-shaped and re-formed, these garments are the epitome of collage. They are clearly falling apart, yet intentionally held together. As such is seems that they are the embodiment of the simultaneous decay and reconstruction that characterizes our current social environment.
At the risk of being overly dramatic, I’m inclined to say that Rodarte’s clothing also represents the spirit of the contemporary woman – a phoenix rising out of the ashes, a forward-thinking “fierce” being, yet one who still revels in tulle and pastels reminiscent of the ballet, and who still values craft and homespun materials which highlight the essence of femininity.
Chains, studs, intricately manipulated leather, crocheted metallic yarn, pale pink tulle — one hundred percent tough, yet entirely delicate. A few of the garments are characterized by gathered and wrapped gauze, covering the frame like a corpse or a mummy. There are certainly gothic elements at work in the clothing, but somehow there is a freedom or a power still latent in the overall effect.
Spider webs of crochet cover the chest and the legs of the mannequins, wrapping them in cocoons, but again this body covering feels like armor, preparing the wearer for action. Encased in feathers, leather, and tie-dye, snakeskin and puckered yarn, these bodies looked “dipped;” thev’ve been “treated” rather than dressed. The garments possess a true tactile quality. A person wants to touch them. This haptic visuality that informs the clothing appeals to the new shifting emphasis on touch versus sight. We no longer want to be seen, but felt as well.
Rodarte is adored by young starlets for the brands’ indescribable “it” quality, but this show at the Cooper-Hewitt demonstrate the designers’ staying quality as craftswomen deserving of actual recognition for the quality and innovation apparent in the garments they create.
3 Comments
By Heather Vaughan,
March 3rd, 2010 at 5:00 am
(Academic Research & Related, History of Dress, Uncategorized)
*
As I’ve been diving back into text research for an in-depth project, I thought it might be helpful to divulge some of the wonderful electronic resources that I regularly use when doing historical research. These resources are great for mining quotes, finding little-known references and other such tid-bits. Much of the availability of these sources is thanks to Google, and often the things you find are just the tip of the ice-berg (with more research almost always needed via a library):
Google Scholar (free) Links to both primary and secondary sources including patents, scholarly articles, books and occasionally newspaper articles.
Google News (free) Searches many major historical newspaper/periodical literature, but often requires payment to read the complete article.
Google Books (free) A really good way to search for references in books without indexes (but keep in mind not every book is available to search, so a visit to the library is almost always still necessary).
Newspaper Archive (paid) Has a vast amount of smaller, regional newspapers available for search.
Ancestry.com (paid) Includes census data; birth, marriage an death certificates; some newspaper searching; some photos; Military and draft records; and an easy way to organize family relationships.
L’Officiel de la Mode, 1921-2010 online (free) A marvelous database of historical issues of this french fashion magazine (with many articles in English).
Bibliothèque nationale de France (free) I’m still working this one out – but it seems to be a large vault of text and image history specific to France.
Worldcat (free) Includes listings for nearly every book and article ever published.
California Digital Library Collection (free) Less well-known and older newspapers in a searchable database.
Historical San Francisco Chronicle For those with academic library access, Proquest has recently added this newspaper to its database, a huge help for me personally.
Some new resources have also recently come forward, or are in the planning processes, that readers may find useful. These include The House of Fraser Archive and Screen Search Fashion:
1. “Selling Fashion: Realizing the Research Potential of the House of Fraser Archive, University of Glasgow Archive Services,” by Clare Paterson. Textile History, Vol. 40, No. 2, November 2009. (Maney Publishing)
Abstract: “The House of Fraser Archive is a rich resource for the study of the development of fashion retailing in Britain since the mid-nineteenth century. It is, however, underexploited by textile, fashion and retail historians. During the summer of 2009, the University of Glasgow Archive Services will complete an Arts and Humanities Research Council-funded project which seeks to improve the accessibility of the Archive. Adopting a progressive approach to archival description, the project is developing an innovative online catalogue, providing fuller access to information about the Archive and the resources contained within it.” [Details on the House of Fraser Archive Project here]
30 May 1953, Coronation Fete at Horley Cricket Club
2. Screen Search Fashion
“A new website featuring fashion on film in Britain in the 1920s and 1930s has been launched. Screen Search Fashion has been developed by Screen Archive South East, at the University of Brighton, UK, in partnership with the Royal College of Art and funded by the Centre for Excellence in Teaching and Learning through Design (CETLD)”
Tangentially, the College Art Association Blog recently listed two new online databases recently made available from the Frick Collection: a directory that helps those researching the history of collecting art in the United States and a collection of inventories from the Dutch Golden Age. The FIDM Museum blog also recently put together a list of the resources (both on and offline) that they regularly use.
Sigh, now if only Women’s Wear Daily were available online…
*San Francisco Call, Volume 79, Number 99, 8 March 1896 — MOURNING GOWN. [illustration] Via the California Digital Newspaper Collection.
4 Comments
By Lucy Collins,
March 2nd, 2010 at 8:25 am
(Uncategorized)
Merchandising, Textiles Professor, University of Kentucky
Merchandising, Apparel and Textiles Faculty/Assistant Professor, Merchandising, Apparel and Textiles.
Responsibilities include developing a research agenda and a teaching program commensurate with the mission of the Department of Merchandising, Apparel, and Textiles.
To apply: attach two documents: curriculum vitae with the names and addresses of three references (resume), and a cover letter (cover letter). Earned Ph.D. at time of hire in merchandising, retailing, economics, or related area are preferred. To apply for job number SM529097, submit a UK Online Application athttp://www.uky.edu/HR/UKjobs/.
If you have any questions, contact HR/Employment, phone: 859-257-9555 press 2, or e-mail ukjobs@email.uky.edu. Application deadline is March 4, 2010.
The University of Kentucky is an equal opportunity employer and encourages applications from minorities and women.
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By Monica Sklar,
February 25th, 2010 at 5:00 am
(Conferences and Calls for Papers, Uncategorized)
On Mondays WT tries to always post a call for papers regarding something in the academic world, but sometimes something else fun comes up that isn’t exactly research-y, but that I really want to let you know about.
My friends Rebecca and Trish have a call for entries for their second book Fabric Extravaganza: One-Yard Wonders. Their first book, One-Yard Wonders: 101 Sewing Fabric Projects; Look How Much You Can Make with Just One Yard of Fabric!
was a big hit with crafters everywhere and this second volume promises to be even more robust as this time it covers all types of fabric.
They are looking to you to submit entries of your best ideas. Here is what they say:
“As with 101 One-Yard Wonders, we’re focusing on projects that take no more than one yard of fabric to complete. Ideally your project would use nearly the full yard of fabric (no quarter yard projects please, unless they are part of a group project which takes up a full yard).
By all means, please feel free to add trims, zippers, Velcro, buttons, interfacing — whatever additional stash stuff & notions might be necessary to complete the project. We only ask that your project uses one– and only one–yard of a single fabric.
We invite you to contribute your original designs for home decorating items, baby items, personal accessories, toys, garments (for men, women, and children), outdoors, pets, seasonal projects … whatever! The categories are open ended, and the possibilities are limitless! We can’t wait to see how you want to use your different fabrics!
The deadline for submissions is April 1, 2010. Projects will be considered as we receive them, so try to get them in sooner rather than later. The only stipulation is that your original designs may not have been previously published in a book or anthology. Email notifications will be sent May 1, 2010 with detailed next steps.”
You may know Rebecca from her fab work with baby bedding and her famed sock monkey dress and Trish you may know through her super store Crafty Planet.
I think you’ll love working with them so hopefully you’ll submit something snazzy to the book!
1 Comment
By Lucy Collins,
February 23rd, 2010 at 11:30 am
(Jobs, Uncategorized)
(1. Fashion and Textile Design Faculty, Gibbs College
Gibbs College is seeking part-time, adjunct instructors to provide and sustain an effective learning environment for every student through well prepared classes, relevant assignments, fair and holistic assessment of learning, clear documentation of student progress, and support of academic success of at-risk students.
Qualifications: Demonstrated expertise in Fashion; Expertise in interpersonal and oral presentation/written communication skills, as demonstrated by: data sheet, diplomas, degrees, transcripts, certifications, CVs/Resumes, and in personal interview; 2 – 4 years experience; Diploma or associates degree in Fashion or related field is required; candidates with a master’s degree are required. Candidates with a combination of an associates or bachelors degree, certifications and work experience may be considered.
To Apply:
Visit here.
(2. Professor of Fashion Marketing and Management, SCAD Atlanta
SCAD Atlanta seeks candidates for full-time faculty positions in fashion marketing and management. Qualified candidates should have a MBA, MFA or equivalent in fashion or a related field, as well as a broad knowledge of the fashion business. Excellent skills in wholesale, retailing, and fashion marketing and management are required. Professional recognition is essential.
The successful candidate will be joining a highly creative, motivated and exciting team that is creating the next generation of fashion buyers, product developers, retail and wholesale merchandisers, and marketers. Strong skills in the areas of retailing, fashion marketing and management, design, concept, innovation, illustration, sketching and CAD are highly desirable. College-level teaching experience is preferred. The fashion marketing and management program combines the study of design, business, communication and cultural studies. Students are prepared to address consumers’ needs and lifestyle aspirations in order to deliver directional styles that can build or stretch brands to new levels. For complete submission requirements and to apply online, please submit curriculum vitae and an unofficial copy of the transcript showing your highest degree here.
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By Lucy Collins,
February 18th, 2010 at 5:00 am
(Academic Research & Related, History of Dress, Uncategorized)
The legendary ride of Lady Godiva, in which she took a promenade through town naked on horseback, has sparked the imagination of many. Various interpretations and multiple retellings of her story testify to the compelling nature and irresistible appeal of this tale.
In an effort to convince her husband to lower taxes, Lady Godiva is rumored to have stripped herself of all her clothes to ride through the town’s square. The townspeople are said to have shut their windows out of respect for this gallant, although shocking, gesture on the part of the Lady (but alas there was Peeping Tom notoriously watching her risque ride!). Whether or not this event really happened in the dramatic fashion in which it is most often retold is up for debate, but Lady Godiva serves as a significant springboard for discussing issues of nakedness, dress, and the gaze — all of which converge in themes of masochism and exhibitionism.
Although Lady Godiva was notoriously nude for her famous ride, there are some points to be made here regarding showing or revealing the body through clothing. Under the cover of dress we are obviously not revealing the body completely, but there is a sense in which clothing itself – while literally concealing the body – is precisely intended to show off the body. In fact, it’s been said that the history of fashion is nothing but the constant shifting focus of attention to various parts of the female form.
But what is behind this dual revealing and concealing in clothing? Does this close connection with the body allow for a sort of subtle or un-spoken exhibitionism? And if so, where does that exhibitionism leave us?
In his philosophical work Being and Nothingness, Jean Paul Sartre details the behaviors of the masochist — the person who sees him or herself most essentially as an object — a thing to be gazed upon. The masochist is too overwhelmed by freedom to encounter his/her responsibility as a subjective individual, so s/he relinquishes freedom to become an object in the eyes of others.
A person dressing with an over-emphasis on the body qua body may be revealing a masochistic/exhibitionistic inclination. Various styles which emphasize the body include anything highlighting specific body parts – the bust, the back, the legs – any article of clothing which intentionally reveals or conceals various body parts in an effort to highlight the body as something to be viewed as an object. (What is even more startling about clothing that highlights specific body parts is that it in a sense dissects the body into an amalgam of various parts – all of which are equally objectified.)
As we approach the close of New York Fashion Week and move into continued conversations revolving around the “future of fashion,” I think it’s important to keep in mind why we are interested in dress in the first place. What is purpose of dressing the way we do? I hope that through adopting a consistently self-reflective stance, we may become less and less likely to just see ourselves as objects simply wearing more objects.
Paradoxically, in the compulsive laying on of layer and layer of clothing which often characterizes fashion, we actually become naked. We have covered ourselves with so much fashionable material that we are nothing but our body — which is to say — another object.
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