Faking It at the Museum at FIT

This weekend, I stopped in to this exhibit, just to give it a look.  I wasn't particularly inspired to see this one, as I have never had any particular feelings about copying garments, or the inevitable resulting "downward spiral of declining quality" it generates.

Now, in a time where digital images and original garments provide equipped copyists nearly immediate access to original designs, it is cheaper to pay off a settlement once sued than it is to buy a license.

Hmmm...

This exhibit really did make me pause and think about that.  When there is no legal protection of the investment of creative work, talent and research and development for the originating designer's enterprise, how do we protect them? 

How do we support that work?

Does it even matter?

Of course, it does.

What's next, if there is no legal protection?  My belief is that designers will continue to follow the lead of companies like Missoni, who satisfy new customers by offering highly affordable versions of their own designs to a wider market.

But...

Here's what I see as an ENORMOUS problem we can't ignore.  The exhibit specifically identifies the famous "Birkin" bag as a unique product on the market, since it's unusual closure is protected by trademark, and its easily identifiable shape gives it a place of its own in the marketplace.

Now, Google "Birkin knock- off" or "Fake Birkin", and see the enormous wave of sites you get.

We'll need a better solution, if there is one...

I've closed the book... and it was fantastic!

The Lost Art of Dress

Every now and then, I play a game I call "The Beautiful Game" with my daughter.  When she isn't with me, I sometimes play it on my own.  The rules are simple.  Look at something ordinary, or possibly even unappealing, and find something beautiful in it.  For example, a messy-looking skateboarder may have organized a really creative rainbow of shoelaces to tie his beaten-up sneakers.  Did you notice/appreciate that? Do it silently, of course.  If playing with another person, agree on a mutual target.  When you have found the beauty, give a simple nod to your partner.  There is no winning or losing in this game.  You can discuss (if not within earshot or if not a person), you can silently appreciate,  or you can even sketch, if so moved.

Sometimes it makes us laugh, like the scene from the "Breathtaking"  moment on Seinfeld, when one of us can't believe what the other person found beautiful.

A few weeks ago, I mentioned that I had begun reading a book, written by a professional colleague of mine, Linda Pryzybyszewski. (No, I can't pronounce it either.)  

Fast forward to today. I have loved every single syllable of this work, and it has sincerely taken me this long to finish it.  I've been committed to giving the book the time and thought it deserves, and, while reading it, was often inspired to explore related tangents of my own, deepening my educational experience.  The author is an associate professor of art history, after all, and covers the subject matter thoroughly, both as an educator and as an appreciator. Her wit and intelligence make this book as entertaining as it is informative.

As for my own attraction to this book, I collect dressmaking books from the 1800's to 1950's or so, and am particularly interested in the scholarly analysis of dress, for practical, artistic, historical and social/cultural reasons.  This book hits all of those notes, and twists the study in new ways I had not thought of.

Let's consider this: the Home Economics class. Once a serious course of study, but now, in my opinion, (at least here in NYC) reduced to family sitcom jokes.  Have we stopped trying to keep our homes and selves clean, live on a budget, raise children, consider our own longevity and health?  Of course not!  If you watch enough network TV advertising during the day, you will think that keeping our floors clean is as complex a pursuit as rocket science, considering all of the equipment being offered to help us complete this monumental task.  If you question its importance, visit the online archive of early home economics writings offered via Cornell University's HEARTH program, and I know you will marvel at its expansive exploration of practical instructions for leading a richer, more practical (and beautiful) everyday life.

Whether you consider your clothing to be simply superficial, meaningless ornamentation or not, consider these points:

"Balance concealment with revealment.  Flesh exposed all the time has far less effect than flesh revealed on special occasions and for a privileged few. People who receive privileges should be appropriately grateful."

- Linda P.

"In all casual and momentary meetings, we have the same status as packaged goods," and no one will pick out a package "mussily and carelessly wrapped" if there are others "done up carefully and neatly".

-Jane Loewen, millenery instructor

"Our clothes, like our faces, tell what we are. They tell our taste, our appreciation of the beautiful, our self-restraint, excessive modesty, naturalness or boldness - our characters, in fact."

-Mary Brooks Picken, "Dress Doctor"

I struggled to find pithy quotes in this book.  There are too many great ones directly from the author herself.  No single quote will summarize its message. No words are wasted, and practically every phrase uttered within it could inspire its own conversations. If you find a hard copy of this book in an actual bookstore, and want to glance through just to determine your own interest level, I suggest starting by reading the acknowledgements at the end of the book.  Gaining some idea of just how much work and assistance was required to make this book happen is reason enough to invest in its purchase.  The information it contains is timeless, so it won't matter how long it takes you to read it, so I suggest you buy it.

Oh, and if you haven't seen previous posts about this book, you can watch the video on the author, the subject matter, and the book as featured on CBS Sunday Morning here.

And here's a great review of the same title by another blogger, discovered today!

"RetroSpective" at the Museum at FIT

The Museum at FIT 
Open to the public - and FREE!
Seventh Avenue at 27th Street
New york City 10001-5992

Hours:

Tues-Fri noon-8PM
Saturday 10AM-5PM
Closed Sunday, Monday and legal holidays
(212) 217-4558


On display from May 22- November 16, 2013, RetroStyle is a wonderful exhibit, curated and organized by Jennifer Farley. Every six months, a changing collection of garments, accessories, and textiles from the museum's permanent collection is put on display in the ground floor Fashion and Textile History Gallery.  There are often also additional exhibits downstairs...  just not right now.

This exhibit moved me to tears. Yes, to tears...

Am I the only one who wells up at the beautifully curated exhibits this museum has been able to display in recent months?

Okay, in theory, I'm sure we all get it; the cynic in everyone says "There is nothing new under the sun", or "What's old is new again", or that fashion repeatedly "borrows form the past".  Yeah.  Thank you, Captain Obvious.

Yawn.

No.  You have to see this exhibit.  See it with a quiet mind, in a peaceful, receptive state, well rested and fed.  Give yourself time to step back and ponder.  Photos won't capture it.  A summary won't do it justice. It was a little noisy and touristy on Friday, but glorious nonetheless.

In it, you get a little McQueen, a little Schiaparelli, a little Norell, a little (possibly) Miyake, and some gauntlet gloves that will make you swoon.

The clothing practically breathes on its own.

"Being retro is associated with something conservative, but I think all ideas come from the past."

-Vivienne Westwood

Amen to that, sister.

In retrospect...

The year is 1996.

Three years after college graduation, married, out of my parents' home, I FINALLY get to start pursuing what interests me.  Using my own money, I am immersed in and outrageously passionate about sewing, creating, imagining, and designing clothing.  Devouring the FIT library shelves on a regular basis, I spend hours after my day job thinking, planning, sketching, dreaming...

I keep a detailed journal with clippings from magazines and newpapers,  writing notes on all I discover, copying articles, beautiful pictures...

http://www.fashionmodeldirectory.com/designers/ocimar-versolato/ - Oscar Versolato design
article written by Ruth La Ferla

Direct quote: "Before you make clothes, you have to know technique" - Oscar Versolato

Side note: We've been having a discussion recently about Parsons discontinuing sewing classes for design students. The above quote, I'm sure, will add to that discussion.

Sandra Bullock, in a gown that looks like something stolen directly from my dreams.

Learning to draw hands - Fashion Art course book 1996 

My sketching pretty much plateaued around here... This was for a "plus" sized figure.

My little happy secret is that I can also watch the videos of classes I am not taking, and learn far more than even the classes I've paid for will teach me.  The FIT's library resources are vast, and the classes give me the opportunity to talk to other students about so many things I don't know.  Some of my classmates are professionals in the industry already, while some are as green as I am.

One night, sobbing as I sketch in Fashion Art class... (Yes, literally.) I question whether I can ever sketch garments that effectively convey what I'm dreaming of...

A ridiculously talented classmate gently taps me on the shoulder and says, "Don't worry; you just have to get what's in here (points to his head, and then his heart) to come through here (rubs his fingers together)."  It echos in my head even today.

Truer words were never spoken.

Problem is, I can't find a path.  Where will those jobs/experiences/mentors come from?

I have studied how to drape, develop a pattern, sketch, sew - using my hands, head and heart... how do I apply them in the fashion world?

Now, it is 2013.

Since then, I have worked for quite a few fashion companies, tried, triumphed and failed at many creative endeavors, and in this moment... wouldn't trade any of it for a thing. In the past year alone, I've had the benefit of consulting with a CFDA design firm to help find sample-making talent, worked personally with a very talented billionaire to realize creative visions of her own, written for a national sewing publication, made clothing for very special private clients, done wildly creative work for a trend forecasting company, and even managed a tiny bit of creating for myself and my own family.  Better than what I could have dreamt of back then.

So, maybe now you are the one worried about where to start.  I am often struck by how many students and creatives have no idea where or how to shop for sewing supplies, what various fabrics and supplies are called, how to negotiate the quantities they need, how to get a first pattern made and graded, how to get even the smallest quantity of items produced...

That is one of the reasons why I am here.  I can point you in the right direction. You may even want to come along on a Speakeasy tour!

Got questions or comments?  I'm here!

Aspiring designers...

Thinking of starting a fashion line?


Don't know where to start?

Listen to/read this NPR article, to get inspired, and then... know that...

Cherie Bixler will help you. I have personally seen her work, and I know that she personally helps newcomers step into the business world and avoid the common pitfalls when starting their own line. You may not know the vocabulary, you may not be sure if your plan is feasible... but she will consult, and advise before you proceed.

www.cheriebixler.com

cheriebixler@verizon.net

9am to 4pm -201-944-2886

After 4pm - 201–944-2885

The following video is part of a recorded presentation she recently made at the TexWord USA show at the Javitz Center.  How generous of them to allow the world to see the presentation videos online. Oh, and she's no slouch, by the way... she also wrote a book!