Calvin Klein, Patricia Fields (with a little help from the Sex in the City), Sean Jean? Or is it blue jeans, football jerseys, doc martins and baseball caps?  Or maybe still it is vintage coupled with couture, topped off with something you bought at the last DIY fair?

The first weekend of December, Niloo Paydar, Curator of Textile and Fashion Arts and I traveled to New York for the Fashion Institute of Technology’s annual symposium, entitled American Style. The symposium was hosted in conjunction with the exhibition American Beauty, Aesthetics and Innovation in Fashion, on view until April 10, 2010 at the Museum of FIT.

Kleibacker on stage at FIT with his model, photo taken by me

Oh! And there is a catalogue too!!

The conference addressed many facets of what one might deem “American Style.” Professor Van Dyk Lewis spoke about Hip-Hop fashion while Holly George Warren, the former editor for Rolling Stone magazine, gave an insightful lecture on what she affectionately called “Cowboy Couture.” *I am enraptured with Manuel, by the way.  While the last lecture discussing American sub-cultural styles, was presented by David Colman on the phenomenon of Prep revival. And… we all know someone who is doing this, whether it involves popped collars or cardigans, everyone knows someone with just a little bit of Preppy in them. Read the rest of this entry »

Filed under: Design, Travel

Wordwide Womenswear Digest – WWWWD is a webzine draped in a satiny attire that some people call the Onion of fashion news. I call it the perfect prescription for costume curators down in basements, FIT dropouts turned librarians, and a childhood friend of mine that is about to pop out of Parsons. Way to go, Jon! Thanks to local fashion blogs Haute in the Heartland and ballcaps and neckties for the tip.

Amazing iPhone Art – I’m amazed.

$20 Per Gallon – A soon to be released book by a senior writer at Forbes named Christopher Steiner. The full title, $20 Per Gallon: How the Inevitable Rise in the Price of Gasoline Will Change Our Lives has stirred the green in me and makes me wonder what a sharp rise in energy prices would do to the museum world. Can’t wait for it to hit the library.

Theo Jansen – Here’s an artist that could probably help out in an energy crisis. I’m thinking a commission from a kinetic sculptor with a penchant for wind power would look really good next to an Energy Star certification. Check out one of Theo’s amazing wind powered creations on YouTube.

Monday Music – “The Strangers” by St. Vincent. Apparently, I have a thing for saints.

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Filed under: Art, Current Events, Design, Marketing, New Media