With its Fashioning the Object exhibit, Art Institute Chicago presents concrete evidence that fashion can be a valid art form.
Displaying works from designers Bless (Desiree Heiss, Ines Kaag), Boudicca (Zowie Broach, Brian Kirkby), and Sandra Backlund - Fashioning the Object, as an entire experience, is thought-provoking. Reading the designer overviews, I liked Boudicca's description of their approach as "investigative rather than simply decorative" - and thought this aptly characterized the installations of all the designers in the exhibit.
Wandering through the Bless No. 45 Music curtain, visitors may touch and inspect objects hanging from chain curtains, which rustle and make sound. Viewing and interacting with the Bless objects gave me the impression of discovering a fashion zoo, displaying exotic species rarely seen by man.
Within Boudicca's exhibit are many fascinating videos. I especially liked the System Error presentation - and in particular the Solitary Dress, with pockets for hugging one's own self.
To have had more time to view the Boudicca videos completely would have been ideal, for I was intrigued by the time spent in their creation - and the subjects were fascinating to me - such as one focusing on the behavior of fabric on bodies of dancers in motion.
Sandra Backlund's installations were primarily knitted art to wear. Her technique is very architecturally sculptural. Imagine magnifying traditional stitches, making the stitches and features 50 to 100 percent larger. I imagine wearing a Backlund creation would be like wearing the lightweight yarn version of an ornate Greco-Roman marble column or pediment.
See and hear Zoe Ryan, Art Institute of Chicago Curator of Design and Chair of Department of Architecture and Design, as she describes the Fashioning the Object exhibit and the work of these designers here (via Youtube clip).
ART FASHION CREATION: Blog research of Fashion Design, Origin of Trends, Creative People, ART of the Past and Future.
Featured Post
2D to 3D: Artist Room Studies, Jennifer Hawkins Hock
To emphasize a captured moment in the daily life and environment of these artists is my goal ; to spotlight their appreciation for the art f...
Sunday, August 19, 2012
Saturday, August 18, 2012
Denver Art Museum's Fashion Studio
Stocked with fabrics, dress forms, mini design mannequins, magazines for inspiration collages, scissors, light-tables, coloring tools, (and for aspiring models: clothing, hats, a runway, and large mirrors), the Denver Art Museum Fashion Studio is a great playground for people interested in the creation of fashion and its presentation.
Even though my Colorado visit just barely missed Yves Saint Laurent: The Retrospective exhibit, DAM's Fashion Workshop helped bridge the gap.
After spying the art supplies and magazines (and large, inviting, manila cardstock), I was anxious to return to the fashion space... though my thorough museum visits are notoriously excruciating to family members. This museum visit was doubly pleasurable in that it offered the opportunity to create - within the stimulating museum environment.
For some time now, my imagination has been consumed primarily by thoughts of hats - so this was an opportunity to have fun with some outlandish millinery designs. Tearing through the provided architectural, fashion, home design, and interview magazines - I gathered a nice stack of images.
What you see above are (clockwise from the seated model with the rose hat): an idea for a "real, live, gigantic rose chapeau", a papier mache sculpture hat... composed of smiling Buddha faces, a rooster wig (that looks like a rooster... not FOR a rooster), a bright geranium red cardboard house bonnet - that ties under the chin, a "garden jumper" that grows real foliage (those are Kesha's feet wearing Y-3 socks and Kenzo shoes - which appeared in Interview magazine), an illuminating lamp hat, a "wacky" skirt, and a mannequin-look dress (with a nod to the Martin Margiela Semi-Couture collection).
There wasn't time to note all the collage sources - such as the graphic artist who created the great image I used for the "wacky skirt", but if you see an image you recognize - please leave a comment to enable me to give attribution to the artists and designers who inspired this collage.
Not only did the museum provide this great fashion workspace, it has also hosted fashion demonstration workshops in fashion illustration, styling, design and construction, upcycling, draping and patternmaking, and fashion design with Adobe Illustrator. There is still an upcoming Adobe illustration tutorial August 19 and later - a fashion illustration demonstration August 25 and 26 and September 1 and 2.
Thank you, Denver Art Museum.
Even though my Colorado visit just barely missed Yves Saint Laurent: The Retrospective exhibit, DAM's Fashion Workshop helped bridge the gap.
After spying the art supplies and magazines (and large, inviting, manila cardstock), I was anxious to return to the fashion space... though my thorough museum visits are notoriously excruciating to family members. This museum visit was doubly pleasurable in that it offered the opportunity to create - within the stimulating museum environment.
 |
| Toile La La fantasy collage created in Denver Art Museum Fashion Studio. |
What you see above are (clockwise from the seated model with the rose hat): an idea for a "real, live, gigantic rose chapeau", a papier mache sculpture hat... composed of smiling Buddha faces, a rooster wig (that looks like a rooster... not FOR a rooster), a bright geranium red cardboard house bonnet - that ties under the chin, a "garden jumper" that grows real foliage (those are Kesha's feet wearing Y-3 socks and Kenzo shoes - which appeared in Interview magazine), an illuminating lamp hat, a "wacky" skirt, and a mannequin-look dress (with a nod to the Martin Margiela Semi-Couture collection).
There wasn't time to note all the collage sources - such as the graphic artist who created the great image I used for the "wacky skirt", but if you see an image you recognize - please leave a comment to enable me to give attribution to the artists and designers who inspired this collage.
Not only did the museum provide this great fashion workspace, it has also hosted fashion demonstration workshops in fashion illustration, styling, design and construction, upcycling, draping and patternmaking, and fashion design with Adobe Illustrator. There is still an upcoming Adobe illustration tutorial August 19 and later - a fashion illustration demonstration August 25 and 26 and September 1 and 2.
Thank you, Denver Art Museum.
- If you liked the collage, some of my older ones (incorporating watercolor) are at this link.
- There are also some collage-type paper dolls here.
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Spritz Overload: A Tale of Sniff and Run.
Hook, line, and stinker... the perfume packaging reeled me in. I spritzed each arm with several of these sprays - packaged in charming boxes resembling miniature bohemian-artsy apartments. I hurried out the store with a pretty good idea of the names - Gina, Rita, Carmella, Bella - and arm location. For Mother's Day, I asked for Gina - but now that she's here, I'm pretty sure the scent that enticed me was actually a melange of the migrating fragrances.
Nevertheless, Benefit's graphic design artists outdid themselves with the boxes housing the eau de toilette sprays! My imagination ran overtime thinking about how I would wear Mary Katrantzou creations and live in this box if I were a 2-dimensional and tiny person.
Note to Gina: Fed the flamingo. I had a lovely stay!
Suitcases ready. Flamingo at right, blushing with health. I designed a velvet rose-petal hat to wear for departure. The lampshade dress was a bit short - but in the smaller photo above you'll see I added to the hem a modest indigo lace border.
The dress center bodice features a glowing chandelier, so a chandelier chapeau seemed in order. Please pay no attention to the one hand looking like a foot.
Nevertheless, Benefit's graphic design artists outdid themselves with the boxes housing the eau de toilette sprays! My imagination ran overtime thinking about how I would wear Mary Katrantzou creations and live in this box if I were a 2-dimensional and tiny person.
 |
| Photo Toile La La. Benefit Packaging. |
 |
| Photo Toile La La. Benefit Packaging. |
 |
| Photo Toile La La. Benefit Packaging. |
 |
| Photo Toile La La. Benefit Packaging. |
 | |
| Photo Toile La La. Benefit Packaging. Collage using Mary Katrantzou dress design. |
 |
| Photo Toile La La. Benefit Packaging. Collage using Mary Katrantzou dress design. |
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
SCAD 2012 Fashion Show, Exhibits, and Events.
A permanent affection for fashion design was my motivation for attending the SCAD 2012 Fashion Show. My husband and I attended the 2009 show and decided to return this year. We like to absorb everything around us through travel and museum visits - and we like seeing pop culture trends and creativity in action.
We didn't arrive in a limousine or designer clothing. Our first stop was SCAD's Jen Library - where a librarian discreetly informed me I'd been traipsing about with my skirt tucked into my underpants. After that bit of excitement, I was immediately drawn to the Static Fashion exhibit - which displayed innovative designs of graduating fashion students. Although the work of these students did not appear in the fashion show, I appreciated their designs as much as those boasted by the runway later that evening.
Free of human locomotion - and without the distraction of sound - these designs offered interesting fabric surfaces, whimsical structure, and artistic seam-lines. This blue dress by Trang Luu reminded me of a blue morning glory with unfurling petals. And the combined textures of nubby wool, satin, and chiffon were pleasantly unexpected.
Barbara Molitor's ivory dress also revealed clever construction (over the abdomen - a graceful arc line with an interrupted "pocket" seam-line). Incorporating a vintage necklace, the boat-neck dipped to a cowl shape at upper back (reminiscent of a geisha's robe). I made several admiring revolutions around Trang Luu's and Barbara Molitor's designs.
Granted, library visits may not top your travel itinerary, but think about it - a library is one big box full of knowledge. I like walking right to my favorite GT and TT sections without worrying about computer glitches or having to be stuck in a chair staring at a screen.
En route to sections TT and GT, I stopped dead in my tracks when I saw several shelves labelled "Staff Picks" and every book was fashion-related! (This is very silly - but I have to tell you - the Hallelujah Chorus from Handel's Messiah pops into my head at such moments!)
Browsing the book Ralph Rucci: The Art of Weightlessness (Steele, Sauro, Mears) was a good preview for our next stop - The SCAD Museum of Art, where the Andre Leon Talley Gallery exhibited "Looking Back to the Future: Ralph Rucci Evolved".
Because our tickets were for the 4PM fashion show, we had minimal museum time - but I was intrigued by Fred Wilson's presentation of the Walter O. Evans Collection of African American Art and would have enjoyed close observation of the many historical documents, letters, and photographs in particular. Luckily, before rushing to the show, we were able to attend a good portion of the panel discussion "A Conversation with Andre Leon Talley, Ralph Rucci, and Robin Givhan".
Andre Leon Talley (Vogue Contributing Editor and SCAD Board of Trustees Member) would later that evening present his Lifetime Achievement Award to Ralph Rucci (Couturier, of 30 years in fashion industry) - and the discussion was led by Robin Givhan (Pulitzer prize-winning fashion journalist and Daily Beast style and culture special correspondent).
Hearing Ralph Rucci's design-perspective made his creations seem even more powerful. Rucci professed he does not work with trends, but tries to develop a style language and improve on it with each season. During this conversation, his advice to upcoming fashion designers was to be an individual, to simplify and reduce design to its essence - to find its strength, to find the design DNA.
The panel of three also discussed how internet has impacted fashion design. Andre Leon Talley proclaimed, "Emotion has been struck down for immediacy", which led the group to agree that fashion is moving at a speed which makes it harder to appreciate and "absorb" the work of designers.
Robin Givhan prompted the panel's discussion of designer fashion, saying clients realize they pay for the designer's intelligence and knowledge of fashion history. I regretted having to leave before the conversation came to a conclusion, because it was well-moderated, interesting, and informative - but, it was time to leave for the student show and I hoped there would be an opening performance such as I'd seen in 2009.
Shown to a full house at Trustees Theater, the student collections were marvelously-presented and accompanied by an energetic soundtrack. It is very exhilarating to feel perched at the apex of newness - and that is exactly the sensation we sought when returning for this year's SCAD fashion show. I think you can best experience the show by viewing it. Here's the link. I discovered the student designers' names on the screens along the runway - only after we'd returned home and I was watching the show online. (Note to future event organizers and programme designers: I think it would be very helpful to include alongside their names a small image of each designer's most representative piece.)
Here are the most distinctive features or looks of the entire show... presented in a stream-of-consciousness style: blinding pure fluorescent white, neutral taupe black and grey leathers, jacket-focus renaissance velvet, piping, military olive, tree bark metallic, banding, studded shoes, fabric overlay, cloud-like, satin Hollywood, space age plastic, ochre-yellow and orange, zouave, double-circle collar, emphasized fanny, "ADMIT ONE" children's ticket shirt, shocking fluorescent yellow and neoprene scuba, sequins, tuxedo treatment, black blue rust-orange futuristic uniform, layered brick-like colors and organzas, orange fur navy fur - engulfed in blue, pokeberry-ink (phytolacca) fuschia, chrysanthemum / puffball mushroom.
More simply stated: The fashion show was a rapidly-presented rush of color, shape, and sound.
After the show, I took a few photographs outside the theater. Among the collections, some of my favorite pieces belonged to designer Karis Fox - whose work inspired these hastily scribbled notes: blue cocoon coat, hip drape, changeable blue / green, beautiful changeable lavender triple-tiered funnel-neck. Perhaps those notes will help you spot her lovely designs in the fashion show video, but I can only offer this mysteriously-chic, Madame Gres-type image of Karis - wearing a brilliant purple turban.
(Imagine the hours it must have taken to create all the frills of the dress above - which for lack of a better description I must compare to a chrysanthemum or a puffball mushroom. Making her appearance in it - the model delivered a truly dramatic presence.)
It was impossible to move quickly enough to photograph everything of interest. I must at least mention how impressive were the collections of Kia Brinkley (particularly the engulfed-in-blue dress / muff ensemble), Patricia Garcia (how clever to create an outfit which arrives in one color - and exits in another!), Sarah Pankiewicz (for the easily elegant tunic / legging ensembles, great prints, and wavy-panelled coat), and Lindsey Smith (for her interesting silhouettes and shape-pairings).
Browsing the programme, I see these young designers hail from a diverse array of states and countries. At the evening show, after receiving the Andre Leon Talley Lifetime Achievement Award, Ralph Rucci commended Savannah College of Art and Design for allowing students to think in "out-of-world" terms. Rucci explained such a learning environment will produce designers who benefit history and contribute to a "larger picture of thinking outside the box".
Postscript:
Robin Givhan so impressed me with her participation in the Conversation with Andre Leon Talley and Ralph Rucci, I searched for more "Conversation" - related articles online. The search produced a Robin Givhan interview by Jessica Leigh Lebos in Connect Savannah (May 15, 2012), which led to Huffington Post and Toronto Star fashion blog discussions - that revealed Givhan would like to see bloggers be forthright in stating their credentials and affiliations. So, I feel compelled to reveal: I am not affiliated with any fashion publication - or Savannah College of Art and Design. Nor am I receiving any "perks" for writing this post. I am an artist and writer - very interested in fashion, history, and pop culture trends. I sew and therefore notice the work of other people who sew or design.
Disclaimer:
All Toile La La content is presented as perspective and intended in the most positive manner. In the event you discover incorrect information - or content you own - you may leave a comment requesting correction or removal of your material. Comments are moderated.
We didn't arrive in a limousine or designer clothing. Our first stop was SCAD's Jen Library - where a librarian discreetly informed me I'd been traipsing about with my skirt tucked into my underpants. After that bit of excitement, I was immediately drawn to the Static Fashion exhibit - which displayed innovative designs of graduating fashion students. Although the work of these students did not appear in the fashion show, I appreciated their designs as much as those boasted by the runway later that evening.
Free of human locomotion - and without the distraction of sound - these designs offered interesting fabric surfaces, whimsical structure, and artistic seam-lines. This blue dress by Trang Luu reminded me of a blue morning glory with unfurling petals. And the combined textures of nubby wool, satin, and chiffon were pleasantly unexpected.
 | |
| Trang Luu Design at SCAD's Jen Library. Photo Toile La La. |
 |
| Barbara Molitor Design at SCAD's Jen Library. Photo Toile La La. |
Granted, library visits may not top your travel itinerary, but think about it - a library is one big box full of knowledge. I like walking right to my favorite GT and TT sections without worrying about computer glitches or having to be stuck in a chair staring at a screen.
En route to sections TT and GT, I stopped dead in my tracks when I saw several shelves labelled "Staff Picks" and every book was fashion-related! (This is very silly - but I have to tell you - the Hallelujah Chorus from Handel's Messiah pops into my head at such moments!)
 |
| Some Jen Library staff picks at SCAD. Photo Toile La La. |
 |
| Ralph Rucci Design in ALT Gallery of SCAD Museum of Art. Photo Toile La La. |
 |
| Ralph Rucci Designs in ALT Gallery of SCAD Museum of Art. Photo Toile La La. |
 |
| Ralph Rucci Designs in ALT Gallery of SCAD Museum of Art. Photo Toile La La. |
 |
| Ralph Rucci Design in ALT Gallery of SCAD Museum of Art. Photo Toile La La. |
 |
| Ralph Rucci Design in ALT Gallery of SCAD Museum of Art. Photo Toile La La. |
Because our tickets were for the 4PM fashion show, we had minimal museum time - but I was intrigued by Fred Wilson's presentation of the Walter O. Evans Collection of African American Art and would have enjoyed close observation of the many historical documents, letters, and photographs in particular. Luckily, before rushing to the show, we were able to attend a good portion of the panel discussion "A Conversation with Andre Leon Talley, Ralph Rucci, and Robin Givhan".
Andre Leon Talley (Vogue Contributing Editor and SCAD Board of Trustees Member) would later that evening present his Lifetime Achievement Award to Ralph Rucci (Couturier, of 30 years in fashion industry) - and the discussion was led by Robin Givhan (Pulitzer prize-winning fashion journalist and Daily Beast style and culture special correspondent).
 |
| From left: Talley, Givhan, and Rucci - at Savannah College of Art and Design. Photo Toile La La. |
The panel of three also discussed how internet has impacted fashion design. Andre Leon Talley proclaimed, "Emotion has been struck down for immediacy", which led the group to agree that fashion is moving at a speed which makes it harder to appreciate and "absorb" the work of designers.
Robin Givhan prompted the panel's discussion of designer fashion, saying clients realize they pay for the designer's intelligence and knowledge of fashion history. I regretted having to leave before the conversation came to a conclusion, because it was well-moderated, interesting, and informative - but, it was time to leave for the student show and I hoped there would be an opening performance such as I'd seen in 2009.
Shown to a full house at Trustees Theater, the student collections were marvelously-presented and accompanied by an energetic soundtrack. It is very exhilarating to feel perched at the apex of newness - and that is exactly the sensation we sought when returning for this year's SCAD fashion show. I think you can best experience the show by viewing it. Here's the link. I discovered the student designers' names on the screens along the runway - only after we'd returned home and I was watching the show online. (Note to future event organizers and programme designers: I think it would be very helpful to include alongside their names a small image of each designer's most representative piece.)
Here are the most distinctive features or looks of the entire show... presented in a stream-of-consciousness style: blinding pure fluorescent white, neutral taupe black and grey leathers, jacket-focus renaissance velvet, piping, military olive, tree bark metallic, banding, studded shoes, fabric overlay, cloud-like, satin Hollywood, space age plastic, ochre-yellow and orange, zouave, double-circle collar, emphasized fanny, "ADMIT ONE" children's ticket shirt, shocking fluorescent yellow and neoprene scuba, sequins, tuxedo treatment, black blue rust-orange futuristic uniform, layered brick-like colors and organzas, orange fur navy fur - engulfed in blue, pokeberry-ink (phytolacca) fuschia, chrysanthemum / puffball mushroom.
More simply stated: The fashion show was a rapidly-presented rush of color, shape, and sound.
 |
| A happy Karis Fox, after the SCAD 2012 Fashion Show. Photo Toile La La. |
 |
| After the SCAD 2012 Fashion Show. A beautiful fuschia dress leaving beside its designer. Photo Toile La La. |
 |
| SCAD 2012 Fashion Show. Designer alongside model. Photo Toile La La. |
It was impossible to move quickly enough to photograph everything of interest. I must at least mention how impressive were the collections of Kia Brinkley (particularly the engulfed-in-blue dress / muff ensemble), Patricia Garcia (how clever to create an outfit which arrives in one color - and exits in another!), Sarah Pankiewicz (for the easily elegant tunic / legging ensembles, great prints, and wavy-panelled coat), and Lindsey Smith (for her interesting silhouettes and shape-pairings).
Browsing the programme, I see these young designers hail from a diverse array of states and countries. At the evening show, after receiving the Andre Leon Talley Lifetime Achievement Award, Ralph Rucci commended Savannah College of Art and Design for allowing students to think in "out-of-world" terms. Rucci explained such a learning environment will produce designers who benefit history and contribute to a "larger picture of thinking outside the box".
Postscript:
Robin Givhan so impressed me with her participation in the Conversation with Andre Leon Talley and Ralph Rucci, I searched for more "Conversation" - related articles online. The search produced a Robin Givhan interview by Jessica Leigh Lebos in Connect Savannah (May 15, 2012), which led to Huffington Post and Toronto Star fashion blog discussions - that revealed Givhan would like to see bloggers be forthright in stating their credentials and affiliations. So, I feel compelled to reveal: I am not affiliated with any fashion publication - or Savannah College of Art and Design. Nor am I receiving any "perks" for writing this post. I am an artist and writer - very interested in fashion, history, and pop culture trends. I sew and therefore notice the work of other people who sew or design.
Disclaimer:
All Toile La La content is presented as perspective and intended in the most positive manner. In the event you discover incorrect information - or content you own - you may leave a comment requesting correction or removal of your material. Comments are moderated.
Friday, May 4, 2012
Balenciaga Trainers: Jog My Memory.
"Warm up with the one-mile loop around Jardin du Luxembourg... Climb the 300 steps up to the dome of Sacre Coeur," advised the "Last Look" last page of April Vogue 2012. "Stride through the galleries of the Musee du Quai Branly to exercise both body and mind,"...hmmm, I began to think.
My husband surprised me with a visit to Paris a few years ago, but we strolled the Avenue des Champs Elysees and onto L'Arc de Triomphe, and walked along the Seine and under La Tour Eiffel, and all through and around the Louvre, and all around the Notre Dame.
There was an abundance of walking, no jogging, but it was very pleasant - and I was wearing some very anti-chic MBT shoe look-alikes that made me look like Herman Munster. But, my feet felt cushioned by multiple mattresses and I was able to enjoy the wonders of Paris, Venice, Florence/Tuscany, and Rome in my ugly shoes - free of discomfort.
With the April Vogue open to "Last Look", I began a jog - from my computer, and minus Nicolas Ghesquiere's striking - but $545 - Balenciaga trainers. I wanted to know about the Musee du Quai Branly, Jardin du Luxembourg, and - I thought I'd seen the Sacre Coeur from atop L'Arc de Triomphe.
How far, I pondered, would it be from Jardin du Luxembourg to Sacre Coeur?
Then, I added a few points - The Museo d'Orsay, L'Arc de Triomphe, and La Place de la Concorde (near Tuillerie Gardens).
During my visit, from a huge ferris wheel - La Grande Roue de Paris - I could see La Tour Eiffel, glittering like a magnificent tree - sparkling with holiday lights:
I mapped a route: Jardin du Luxembourg, Museo d'Orsay, Musee du Quai Branly, Basilique de Sacre Coeur, and L'Arc de Triomphe. Here are the Google Maps walking directions, but I think it would be best to take the Metro or RER to rest between some points.
Ending at L'Arc de Triomphe, it would be nice to gaze back at Sacre Coeur - seeing the distance already travelled. Here's my photo of Sacre Coeur from L'Arc de Triomphe:
And here is a YouTube video with a bit more panorama.
There's a bit of my itinerary for a visit to Paris. Thank You Vogue.
My husband surprised me with a visit to Paris a few years ago, but we strolled the Avenue des Champs Elysees and onto L'Arc de Triomphe, and walked along the Seine and under La Tour Eiffel, and all through and around the Louvre, and all around the Notre Dame.
 |
| Herman Munster in his trainers. |
With the April Vogue open to "Last Look", I began a jog - from my computer, and minus Nicolas Ghesquiere's striking - but $545 - Balenciaga trainers. I wanted to know about the Musee du Quai Branly, Jardin du Luxembourg, and - I thought I'd seen the Sacre Coeur from atop L'Arc de Triomphe.
Then, I added a few points - The Museo d'Orsay, L'Arc de Triomphe, and La Place de la Concorde (near Tuillerie Gardens).
During my visit, from a huge ferris wheel - La Grande Roue de Paris - I could see La Tour Eiffel, glittering like a magnificent tree - sparkling with holiday lights:
 |
| La Tour Eiffel - from La Grande Roue de Paris. Photo by Toile La La. |
 |
| La Grande Roue de Paris. Photo by Toile La La. |
Ending at L'Arc de Triomphe, it would be nice to gaze back at Sacre Coeur - seeing the distance already travelled. Here's my photo of Sacre Coeur from L'Arc de Triomphe:
 |
| Glowing white in the far distance - Sacre Coeur, from L'Arc de Triomphe. Photo by Toile La La. |
There's a bit of my itinerary for a visit to Paris. Thank You Vogue.
Friday, April 27, 2012
Antony Hegarty: Gold Stars!
His Mona Lisa visage winking at me from the center of I-D Magazine's Spring Royalty Issue, Antony's interview with Susan Corrigan is one of the most compelling, thought-provoking articles of the publication.
How could I resist such statements as this - by Antony: "I believe a sustainable future for society and the world requires a paradigm shift toward a more feminine system. Men should find a profound humility and realise that they were born with the strength to better serve and protect the feminine in society." He believes that is the true role for men, rather than "to dominate and to subjugate the rest of humanity and nature".
Antony believes a matriarchal system would save the planet: "Male power is disconnected from a more interior or organic relationship to the environment and the world. It's a bizarre, hierarchical fortress where all they care about is their own team, just like an army... . It's the most virulent, broken aspect of maleness." He explains that the biological-introduction of testosterone instilled a protective mind-set that has led to destruction and accumulation of weapons.
Summing it up, grandmothers should be managing the important issues.
You may be interested in this Guardian interview with Antony, by Peter Conrad, or on your own - search for YouTube video interviews.
A couple of years ago, with extreme foresight, my husband predicted women would be dominant in the future. You can read more about this in older "Men of The Future" posts (Oct. 13, 2010 and Dec. 29, 2010). We laughed as he made a story about it, but increasingly - I'm thinking he's right. Antony is definitely a "Man of the Future".
 |
| Antony Hegarty in I-D Magazine: Daniele and Iango photography, styling by Patti Wilson. |
Antony believes a matriarchal system would save the planet: "Male power is disconnected from a more interior or organic relationship to the environment and the world. It's a bizarre, hierarchical fortress where all they care about is their own team, just like an army... . It's the most virulent, broken aspect of maleness." He explains that the biological-introduction of testosterone instilled a protective mind-set that has led to destruction and accumulation of weapons.
Summing it up, grandmothers should be managing the important issues.
You may be interested in this Guardian interview with Antony, by Peter Conrad, or on your own - search for YouTube video interviews.
A couple of years ago, with extreme foresight, my husband predicted women would be dominant in the future. You can read more about this in older "Men of The Future" posts (Oct. 13, 2010 and Dec. 29, 2010). We laughed as he made a story about it, but increasingly - I'm thinking he's right. Antony is definitely a "Man of the Future".
Monday, April 16, 2012
Sewing a Slouchy Rib-Knit Cap - Veiled or Not.
 | |
| Hattie in her veiled Parisian-chic slouchy rib-knit cap. Photo and toile by Toile La La. |
 |
| Side view of woven fabric half-scale mock-up for slouch cap. Photo and toile by Toile La La. |
 |
| Overhead view of horizontal and vertical seaming for "slouch cap" toile. Toile La La. |
Much oohed and aahed, the Stephen Jones for Jil Sander veiled cap was instantly tugged onto the heads of fashion cognoscenti - and coolspotted by fashion photographer and commentator Bill Cunningham in his "On The Street" Sun Spot column/video for The New York Times. Living in "the sticks", my only sightings of it have been via internet imagery.
It's difficult to have full understanding of an item without holding it in your hands, observing it from all angles, and peering inside ...but, let's suppose you want to attempt to look as nonchalantly chic in a similar item made by your own self. Even with full access to the original designer cap, I would not want to duplicate it in its entirety. That would be outright copying. But you can use this tutorial, albeit vague, to engineer a charming accessory and give it your own creative spin. Truly, the design - approached in the manner here - is a simple one and can be constructed for utilitarian wear for bakers/chefs, or merely head-cover.
Yet, if you have the insouciance (or chutzpah) to follow through... tuck in some net. Who can resist the allure of a veil?
 |
| The allure of Fleur - in a veil. Photo Toile La La. |
Practice first, with a bit of scrap woven fabric. A piece 6 and 1/2-inches high by 6-inches wide is sufficient for practice. Essentially, the slouch hat is a sealed-end tube with an upturned cuff. You could merely sew straight across the end of the tube to produce a hat that would keep your head covered and warm, but if you're looking for a slouch hat that looks more like the veiled ones riding around and atop the fashion crowd... you have to exert a little more effort.
Cutting to the chase, there would be nothing wrong with just measuring around your head - above your ears / around the biggest part of your noggin, adding an extra inch (leeway for adjustment and seam allowance), then snipping out a rectangle of fabric - woven, tee-shirt jersey, what have you - (but maybe adding a half-inch more if you use woven as it will not have the ease and "give" of a knit-fabric).
So far, I've only constructed the practice toiles in half-scale, but to produce a hat to fit my own head I would cut out a piece of knit fabric 22 and 1/4-inches long by 12-inches high. (Seam allowances are going to be very generous, because they can always be trimmed afterwards - but if they're not wide enough and you need to make an adjustment, you will certainly regret their absence.) Again, if using woven - I would at least add a half-inch extra to the fabric length... in case the hat needed to be loosened around my head.
Next, I would fold the fabric in half width-wise and look at it to make sure it's still 12-inches high to confirm that I hadn't folded it the wrong way.
If you just want a simple slouch-hat with an upturned cuff, then observe the half-scale tutorial below. After Step 2, sew a straight seam across the top of your rectangle. Then, in the Step 4 View, you would not see raw edges at the top, but a closed edge.
Practice With a Mini Slouch-Hat Toile:
1) Cut a piece of fabric 6 and 1/2-inches wide by 6-inches high. Place the fabric right-side-up, so that it forms a horizontal rectangle. Turn up 1 and 1/2-inches along the length. Note: the "turn-up" will reveal the wrong-side of the fabric - which won't matter in your practice toile, but may affect your choice of fabric for the final product. This will form your "cuff", or headband, and it will be turned up again later - concealing the horizontal seam. Stitch a 1/8-inch seam along the length of the unfinished (not the folded edge) of the turn-up.
2) Fold the fabric in half vertically, with right sides together - so now you're viewing a rectangle that measures 5-inches high by 3-inches wide. (Remember, you're seeing the wrong-side of the fabric now, and you'll see the backside of the cuff you just created.)
3) Now, snip across the seam allowance to the point your stitching ended - being careful to avoid clipping either the vertical or horizontal stitching lines. Using this train of thought, imagine your hat in your mind's-eye: The side seam will be worn at the back and the raw edges won't show because they will be concealed inside the hat. The raw horizontal edge will be concealed on the inside when you turn up the cuff, but you don't want the center-back seam allowance to show - so it has to be seamed separately, after you've turned the hat right-side-out.
4) Turn the practice toile right-side-out - as pictured below, then stitch the vertical seam allowance 1/4-inch from the raw edge.
The top of the sample isn't visible here, but review the golden-text paragraph above that begins "If you just want a simple slouch-hat".
Final look of practice mini-toile:
This will give you an idea how to create the basic hat. Notice the top of the sketched toile is unfinished, unstitched. That allows you to decide if you want to invest more effort in the wearable hat.
If you completed the toile and decided to sew straight across the top (before Step 3), but you want your hat to be a bit more shapely - then observe this sketch and view the following photos: A head is generally more dome-like than rectangular. The rectangular shape will fit your head... .
First and foremost: Employing a cat to serve as Chief Paperweight and Good-Luck Mascot is worth the cost.
 |
| Curving the center-back seam of slouch hat toile. Photo by Toile La La. |
 |
| Slouch hat toile standing up. Employees lying down on the job. Photo by Photo by Toile La La. |
 |
| Turn the seam to the back and pinch the top of the hat flat. It will look like a pope's mitre. Photo by Toile La La. |
 |
| Pin the pinched point and stitch across the tip. Photo by Toile La La. |
 |
| Snip the point of slouch-hat toile.Photo by Toile La La. |
 |
| Slouch hat toile right-side-out, before I'd solved the cuff conundrum.Photo by Toile La La. |
Knit-sewing tips: Keep in mind the stretch of these fabrics - especially rib-knit. So, if you choose a tee-shirt type fabric, practice with it first. Use a ball-point needle in your sewing machine. A longer, not-too-narrow zigzag stitch works well with knits (if you don't own a serger). Sometimes it's helpful to adjust the needle-thread tension as well.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)