Freedom in form

I'm in Parnassus, and all around me, I see actors and actresses who have defied the imposing instructions of fashion directors.

I wonder, how have these individuals become as such; how have they embraced anarchy in the midst of monarchy?

Return to inquiry

It has been some time since I last wrote here.

The break in my writing was due in part to finals week and the craziness of life, and then to spring break where I took time away from any form of structured thinking and gave my mind an invitation to think freely, discussing with friends the ideas I had and exploring, in a fluid way, what I thought and felt about the issue of fashion, style and identity within our society.

It is good to be back.

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I have just read my last post to remember where I had abandoned my thoughts before our final presentations last quarter. I discussed the notion of fashion being a consequence—a result of both external and internal influences.

I am pondering this idea, and I begin to look at everyone around me. Looking at the people, these individuals. What are they wearing, what does it say about who they are, what does it reveal? Is it a true representation, is it an accurate external communication of their personality and being? Does it even matter? Or, connecting to a different idea I have previously considered, is clothing just a costume? Is everyone wearing costumes? What am I wearing, what is my costume, is it accurate? Who am I... can my clothing communicate this, can my style communicate my identity?

If we do view clothing as costume in context, what influences our decisions about what character we will be, what role we will play, and how we will indicate/ represent this character's identity?

Is there a costume designer? A fashion director? Yes.

We are the actors and actresses, but is this their show, or ours?

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Louis XIV is to French Revolution as Anna Wintour is to ____.

Monarchy led to anarchy, is this where we need to go? Not completely, but it is the development of the mindset of anarchy that will lead to freedom from the external imposition of conformity in our visual identities.

Now it's time to fill in the blank, to figure out where to go...

Consequences

How do trends result? Where do they come from? How do we generate the current definitions of beauty that we adhere to?

A new way of thinking about fashion and beauty is that they are a consequence of the society-the environment, the times and the people that one grows up in and around.

Fashion as a consequence...this makes sense, I believe. The clothing we wear is the result of one's society. I had never thought about this until my professor mentioned it to me today.

Is fashion the product of marketing and personal choice? I believe also that it is the reflection of internal and external influences.

Why do we like what we do? Why do we choose what we do? What makes us believe that something looks 'good'? I remember a time when I thought that stirrup pants were awesome and that retainers were super cool. When I was five, all I would wear was biking shorts. It was a comfort thing for me. But now, I will wear tight-fitting jeans that restrict my movement, but are 'in style'. (Mine went through the dryer.)

I can't stop wondering why? What sparked the change? Where are my biking shorts + stirrups pants?

Loren/ Lauren

The Italian actress, Sophia Loren, recognized around the world as an image of beauty, influenced the way we both define and understand the ideal. In 1984 she authored a beauty guide, further hoping to change perceptions and redefine our societal definitions, where she described that true beauty exists in charm, warmth, wisdom, intelligence, and imagination.

Discovering this made me wonder for a moment if I am going the right direction... is an exhibit too much? Is this too large an undertaking? Should I write a book, or have some sort of printed deliverable? Would this be best?

So many questions.

Taking a step back and thinking through my project further, I realize that a museum exhibit is probably the best way to share this information most effectively and achieve the influence I am hoping for.

Something found

Could it be? Have I happened upon a direction for my capstone?

I think, yes...

Miracle of miracles, today my presentation was understood. I have been feeling as though I was speaking tangled thoughts to my classmates throughout the quarter, but today, there was clarity within my words.

This has happened just in time, as today was our last presentation (pecha kucha style) before our final in two weeks.

It seems that it has come together though, and for this I am truly grateful.

I have decided that my capstone is going to be presented in the form of a museum exhibit. This seems like the best way to go about sharing all this information I have been bringing together, yet it is a slightly daunting undertaking. A paper and a poster series was one of my previous possible solutions, and now I am creating an exhibit—only slightly more involved!

I am very excited about this though, so it's time to keep moving forward!