Concurrent I

Now on view at the Samek

Tunic 2007

foamboard, fabric, ink

44 x 31 x 7 inches

Formal Wear 1998

Industrial fiber, poplar, cotton webbing

47 x 50 x 7 inches (webbing height variable)

Apron VI 2003 industrial fiber, aluminum, mylar fabric 69 x 29 x 14 inches Artist Diane Simpson explores the functional and sociological roles of clothing through an architectural lens. This is American beauty; this is perfection.

-Henna

Quote of the Week

"I don't design clothes, I design dreams" -Ralph Lauren

-Kiersten

Love it or Leave it?

Where do we draw the line between fashionably cutting edge and just plain off the edge? There are always certain trends and styles that come and go and in their wake we are left wondering why the hell did we wear that. Sometimes the newest It bag can be life changing or sometimes it should just be forgotten. The newest Chanel bag is once such item. The COCO COCOON heralded by Lily Allen as Chanel’s bag de jour is an interesting mix of both practicality and whimsy, yet it also reminds one of a puffer jacket that has been dissected, slapped with a label and handles and called couture. So to all you wonderfully fashion minded individuals what is your take on the Cocoon? High art or was its designer just plain high?

-Kiersten

Manual Exposure

Since we are in photo mode, this is an image I found on The Sartorialist sometime ago. -Henna

Dress Codes

Welcome back everyone!

Over break I saw an amazing exhibit at the International Center of Photography in NYC. What I loved about the exhibit was the fact that it wasn't just about fashion photography, instead, artists understood fashion as a form of social communication. Their thought provoking use of costume, clothing, and disguise created a rich visual language that is filled with references to history, culture, gender and geography.

Yto Barrada
The Belt, Step 1 to 9, from the series The Smugglers, Tangier, 2006
© Yto Barrada
Courtesy the artist and Galerie Polaris, Paris

A few questions to bear in mind:
How do we construct the selves that we show to the rest of the world? How is cultural identity or individuality expressed in an era of global culture? How can clothing, beauty, and style be employed to define community, fabricate fantasies, or signal power? And, in the midst of widespread economic crisis, how do we now regard the aesthetic of excess and high style that pervaded the past decade?


Read more about Dress Codes


-Henna