Art 302: Reading #6

1. Refereeing to highland rape, rape is a horrific act, why are magazines allowed to romanticize it and put it in advertisements?

Although violence an rape are horrible unspeakable acts, the reason magazines and designers romanticize it purely because of one thing- Sex. Violence + Sex = Naughty. Sex (even naughty sex) is desirable and lustful. Designers and magazines want you to be turned on and lust after their merchandise. McQueen was making a political statement with the Highland Rape collection. He stated that he was protesting the rape against Scotland. He romanticized political violence.

Alexander McQueen’s 1995 Highland Rape collection

Violence against women in advertisment

1.  Is it possible for clothing to provide the type of protection McQueen try’s to creative by making women look “so powerful no one would dare lay hands on them?

I don’t think there is anything in the world that can truly protect a woman from a man putting his hands on them. A huge factor that will stop a man from putting his hands on you is confidence. If a woman carries her self strongly, it will be intimidating to men. A woman who wears one outfit meekly, will be more vulnerable compared to another woman who wears the same outfit but holds her head up high and his aware of her surroundings.

1. Are the opinions of the viewer or designer a more correct interpretation fashion?

Designers like to think that they are the ones that call the shots. But ultimately it is up to the consumer. The consumer controls all. Without the consumer, the designer would not have a job. When it comes to who has a better interpretation of fashion, it needs to be the viewer. Because God willing, they are the ones who will buy it. When looking at McQueen’s Highland Rape collection, it was actually more mild than i was expecting. I, as the consumer, would not have seen rape or violence against women.

Contradictory quote from Chanel. Yes, she did care what we thought. We are the consumers.

1. Why is it appealing to sexualize or eroticise fashion?

Like I said in the first response, Sex = desire. Designers want you to lust and desire over their merchandise. Sex appeals to the senses. Sexualizing fashion will also catch your attention.

Ancient World Textiles

I have a quiz Thursday for my History of Textiles class, you’re going to help me study. The notes I’m using are based off of my reading in 5000 Years of Textiles, edited by Jennifer Harris.

Ancient World/Ancient Egyptian Textiles

1. Flax was the most commonly used plant fiber. Ancient findings of domesticated flax seed, spindle whorls date as far back as 5000-6000 BC in Syria, Iran and Egypt.
2. Georgia caves had 30,000 year old flax, twisted and dyed, evidence of some sort of sewing/basket weaving.
3. Domestication of sheep, goat, dogs dates as far back as 9000 BC in Iraq, Iran, Pakistan and Turkey.

Dyes

1. Ancient Egyptians and Jews preferred white linen for religious reasons; represented purity
2. Egyptian wall paintings depicted foreigners wearing colorful pattered robes and clothing
3. Purple = royalty

Early Trade

1. Trade was established as early as the Neolithic Period
2. Wool and cloth were the most popular to trade
3. Book of Ezekiel in the Bible documents wool and Egyptian linen being traded in Damascus

Ancient Egypt

1. Dry, sterile sands have preserved tools, textiles and pictorial evidence
2. Linen was the most popular fiber. Flax cultivation and fiber production was a man’s work. Spinning and weaving was considered women’s work.
3. Flat, smooth wooden disc whorl was used with spindle
4. Egyptian cloth was of very high quality because it was done with great detail and preparation
5. During The Middle Kingdom (2133-1786 BC) two-beam horizontal/ground loom was used in Egypt till the end of the Middle Kingdom
6. During the Early New Kingdom (1522 BC) domed spindle whorls and vertical two-beam looms were used. Professional weavers were male. Linen cloth was finished by washing it and then sun dried to bleach it. Adding saffron gave the linen a yellow tint and also acted as an insecticide.
7. The Hellenistic Kingdom meant that Greeks acquired a larger influence to the ancient Egyptians. “Hellenistic” = “Greek-ish” Greeks loved richly colored fabrics. Pattern weaving became popular, tapestry weaving might have originated during this time.
8. ‘Coptic’ is a nineteenth-century blanket term for post-Pharaonic textiles. After the Pharaohs, Egypt became layered with different cultures. Christianity made a huge influence during this time as well.

ART 302: The Dressed Body

Hi! I apologize for my long hiatus, but I’m back and better than ever! For the next few weeks, you will be seeing posts titled “ART 302,” these will be assignments for my Social Aspects of Fashion class, you are more than welcome to partake in the discussion. The reading material I’m using in this particular post is The Dressed Body by Joanne Entwistle.

1. In your social group, what are the structural norms for dressing?  How are these norms embodied?  If you were going to change the norms in your group how would you do so?

I consider my social group as middle class. I grew up in an average middle class home and now as a young married student, I consider my husband and I as lower middle class. People often assume that lower middle class (or lower class) people are uneducated, sloppy, and brass. In our situation it’s quite the opposite. Although we live in a tiny one bedroom apartment, minimal earthly materials and struggle to pay bills on time. My husband and I are educated, active in our religion, responsible and respectable people. Because I was raised in average middle class, I personally hold myself to a higher standard when it comes to dressing and interactions with other people. You will not find me wandering the grocery store in my pajama pants, and/or using fowl language. (But for the record, there are very lovely lower class people out there.) The structural norms for dressing for my social group can range from conservative modesty to a well coordinated, stylish outfit. In all cases the outfits fit the situation (i.e. conservative outfit for church, professional outfit for work.) If I had the opportunity to encourage people of middle lower class people, I would encourage them to expect more of them selves, dress to impress! Dress a class above yourself. If you think more of yourself, people will do the same. In The Dressed Body (pg35), it says that when “we dress we do so to make our bodies acceptable to a social situation.” So leave your pajama pants at home, respect yourself. Show people that you’re worth something. 2. In what social situation were you embarrassed because of something you wore?  How did this situation affect future choices?

Oh, this is easy. Last weekend, before my husband and I went out to dinner, he mentioned he wanted me to show a little cleavage. I chose a top that I haven’t worn in a while and this particular top usually requires an undershirt to cover my bodacious ta-ta’s. But this time, I chose not to wear an under shirt. For my husband, I felt sexy. But the moment we arrived at the restaurant, I instantly felt self-conscience. I see myself as a conservative person, so this was a huge thing for me to be wearing in public. The hostess sat us at a booth that was a few steps higher than the rest of the restaurant, it made me feel like my boobs were on display. I tried hiding myself with the menu, but that didn’t stop the glances of boyfriends and husbands at other tables (Yes I saw you!) I’m not going to post a photo, because I don’t want my family to see this “Pamela Anderson-esq” moment. I learned my lesson, If I’m going to wear that top for my husband, it’s going to be in the safety and privacy of our home. On page 40 of The Dressed Body, it brings to mind how women used to deal with corsets. Just looking at them, you would see a beautiful woman while the social constraints of the corset. But you really didn’t know how the woman on the inside was feeling.

3. How do you perceive your body?  Passive or Political?  Please provide an example of why you think it is passive or political.

What a woman wears says a lot about herself. Even if it’s unintentional, it says a lot about the wearer. I personally see my style leaning towards Political/Active. Although there are moments when I’m relaxed and could care less, most of the time I dress to make an influence. As a Christian woman who appreciates and loves good style, I dress modestly but also coordinated impeccably. Even though it’s cheesy, I’m proud to say that I was voted “Best Dressed” in High School. I believe by dressing modestly and stylishly, you are telling the world that you respect yourself and you expect the world to respect you.

{Fall Favorites}

1. Proenza Schouler zip-detailed leather and ribbed knit top.

2. Lurex Jacquard top.

3. MANGO studded denim shirt.

4. Contrast collar peplum top.

5. Proenza Schouler pullover with leather detail.

1. Ted Baker short wrap coat.

2. Helmut Lang black combo leather fur jacket.

3. Studded denim vest.

4. Rebecca Taylor fur collared coat.

5. H&M Jacket.

1. Louis Vuitton.

2. Modcloth.com

3. Vionnet velvet ankle boots.

4. Leopard sneakers.

5. Classic Saint Laurent tuxedo pump.

{Hubby Wardrobe Makeover}

My husband 9.5 out of 10 times will just wears jeans and a t-shirt. Don’t get me wrong, I think he’s hot in whatever he wears. But hubby has slowly allowed me to improve his wardrobe. It’s kinda cute that he dresses like a seventeen year old, were he needs to dress his age; almost 25.

I collected some inspiration on Pinterest on outfits he could easily pull off.

{Maybe we can update his glasses to a thicker frame}

{Hubs loves his motorcycle, this would be a great look for it!}

{Comfy, Casual}

{Another comfy, casual}

{I would looooove to see him in a button up shirt, slacks and tie}

{Classic pea coat, staple closet item}

{Nice outfit he could wear to church}

{So much wisdom… Thank you Ryan! Lol}

I will keep you posted on Hubby’s wardrobe. I’ll even try to post pictures of him in his before and after outfits. Haha I’m excited, he’s my big hunky doll I get to dress up!

Fall 2012 Shoes

 

 

 

3.1 Phillip Lim

Alexander McQueen

Giambattista Valli

Aperlai

Fall 2012 Trends

Last night was the first time I slept with a blanket, Fall is finally here! And with the new season, we pack away our bathing suits and start to pull out our Fall clothes. There is nothing more delicious than September issues, quilted coats, velvety slacks and oxford shoes. Along with the new trends, there are also colors that come out for the new season.

When looking into your Fall wardrobe, focus on the colors– Cranberry, Mustard, Jade, Plum, Gold, and Forest Green.

Now let’s get to the trends…

GOLD: The shimmery color can be used for the majority of the outfit or just as accent.

Giambattista Valli

Micheal Kors

LAMINATED: Wax or plastic finish

Jil Sander

Fendi

“FENCED:” Detailed latticework usually shown as pattern, print or embroidery

Rodarte

Balmain

Rue Du Mail

MILITARY: This trend is back because it’s obviously a classic. It can be worn as a full suit or just pair a military jacket with a pair of jeans.

Burberry

Altuzarra

Max Mara

RENAISSANCE: Romantic textures and embroidery, just think WWSW? (What would Shakespeare Wear?)

Giles

Dolce & Gabbana

Balmain

VELVET: This soft fabric is seen throughout designers collections

Kenzo

Emporio Armani

*All photos provided by Elle.com

Marc Jacobs, Juicy Couture & a Wedding

What a lovely summer night! Fiance tried to clean (fix) my fan and ended up breaking it. So now we’re sweating buckets while watching a movie and eating dinner.

I made us a succulent dinner consisting of lasagna hamburger helper and flavorful spicy western chicken ceaser salad tonight. A culinary masterpiece, don’t you you think?! I’m so excited for the times to come after our wedding, where we can host dinner parties. Secretly I want to be a 50’s house wife, wearing the pearls while creating amazing meals for friends and family.

We are THREE WEEKS away from our wedding! Can you believe it???? It’s such an exciting, overwhelming, stressful, happy, anxious, ecstatic time in my life! I have like 3487482348903 things to do before the wedding (or at least it feels that way.) I can’t wait to post pictures of the wedding! Speaking of, I never shared our engagement pics, here we go… 

Let me catch you up on what’s been going on in the fantastic world of internships:

1. Barbara Fields Buying Office was a wonderful experience this past Spring/Summer 2012 semesters. Working in a trend and color forecasting firm has been so fulfilling and I’ve learned so much.

2. Since we’re getting married, I’ve been in the search for a paid internship… I’ll let you know when I find one.

3. Last week, I randomly thought it would be fun to send my resume to EVERYONE at Marc Jacobs. Under their Internship page on the company website, there was a lot of contacts that I used. Surprisingly, they responded! I honestly wasn’t expecting anything. But they contacted ME! A woman in the accessories department of the Marc Jacobs collection, contacted me wanting me to be an intern. Some facts about the internship is, it’s in NYC (totally awesome, but kinda far away from LA), it’s unpaid… yeah, those are really the only facts that matter. When I found out that Marc Jacobs was even a possibility, I cried. I don’t mean a little boo-hoo, but balling my eyes out to the point my fiance had no idea what I was saying. I got really really depressed, because it would mean being away from my new husband (internship would start right after wedding) and it’s unpaid, so it would be hard to support myself. But my fiance was a saint and blessed this adventure. Through many days of going back and forth between decisions, I made the mature decision to stay here in LA with my fiance.

During this time though, I had been in contact with Juicy Couture. I have always admired the brand and working for them would really be awesome. Yesterday, I went to one of their showrooms in Downtown LA. The showroom was absolutely glorious. So colorful, so creative… so magical. To put it in a nutshell, I got the internship and I’ll start work soon. YAY!

New internship! (WOO-HOO!) Wedding in 3 weeks! (WOO-HOO!)

pic from tumblr

Various Fashion Jobs

I’m in my Fashion Careers class right now. We’re learning about various jobs in the fashion industry. We’ve only talked about a small chunk so far…

• Retail
• Selling Specialist
• Store Operations
• Fashion Merchandising
• Fashion design
• Textile design
• Buyers
• Fashion Buying Office
• Sales promotion
• Styling
• Fashion shows
• Fashion Illustration

I wonder…

Everyday, I wonder if anyone appreciates my efforts. Does anybody read my blog? If they do, they don’t leave comments (If your reading this, leave a comment. It would make me happy). I want to tell you all about my journeys into the fashion biz. I know I’m not the only one out there dreaming about shoes and fashion shows. If you’re like me, let me know. I would love to hear from you!