Hourglass Atelier

Horyn's "The Bigger Picture"

2009-06-12T14:19:00.005-04:00

"The fashion world is made up of people – designers, editors, managers — used to doing things one way, without questioning notions like perfection and taste, which have widely been democratized and discounted in recent years. Is that not a problem?"

Cathy Horyn, fashion critic for the NY Times, recently spoke about fashion, the economy, and the future of the industry for the 6th annual Citi Women & Co. event. As always, her words were elegantly crafted, and she showed a great deal insight into how the industry has evolved in the last decade or so and how it needs to adapt to the current market. I highly recommend giving her presentation a read through over on her blog, "On The Runway".

Heat saving strategy

2009-03-11T17:16:00.003-04:00

Any idea where I can purchase this fabulous contraption?

Secret message

2009-03-11T01:37:00.002-04:00

How great is this story from the Chi Trib?

"After 150 years of rumors, museum reveals hidden Civil War message engraved in Lincoln watch"

2009-02-26T00:19:00.005-05:00

The High Cost

I simply love this article which ran in the magazine Physical Culture in August 1930. The writer, who may be noted is male, argues that women are most beautiful when they are able to move freely — a very modern notion. He says that women are all the better for throwing off the constraints of restrictive dress, enumerating corsets, bustles, large sleeves, etc. as examples of clothing elements women have already rejected and no longer think twice about. The focus of the article rests on women's unflattering and unhealthy loyalty to high heel shoes, against the very ideals of free, independent womanhood. He deems high-heeled shoes crippling and does not see how any woman aiming to present herself as a beautiful thing (clearly the writer is still steeped in notions of gender definitions) would continue to follow such a ridiculous style. Honestly, I was impressed by his argument's attention to the physical/medical problems associated with heels and to the concept that women should not allow themselves to be restricted by dress because it is not a rational thing to do. When women submit themselves to inhibiting fashions it does render them weaker physically. I do appreciate his attraction to the notion of a free, liberated woman — this is very refreshing, especially considering the date. It is also very American. This article is of extreme note today, when we've seen high-heeled shoes on the runways of women's hegemonic fashions growing to infeasible dimensions in the last few years. One can only wonder if our society will ever ditch the high heel shoe.

Ode to the University Museum

2009-02-22T16:05:00.004-05:00

"All the shows are fairly small. All are, in different ways, beautiful. All are closely researched studies on fascinating subjects we know too little about. Yet each is just a shade too specialized or unglamorous or experimental to find a home in our public art institutions. If it weren’t for academic museums, these shows wouldn’t happen. And that would be a real loss."

from the New York Times, four reviews of exhibitions at Yale museums

Motivation

2009-02-22T01:50:00.004-05:00

"People said, 'I would have punched her around too,' " Matanmi said. "And these were girls!"

As allegations of battery swirl around the famous couple [Rihanna and Chris Brown], experts on domestic violence say the response from teenagers just a few years younger shows the desperate need to educate this age group about dating violence.

Their acceptance, or even approval, of abuse in romantic relationships is not a universal reaction. But it comes at a time when 1 in 10 teenagers has suffered such abuse and females ages 16 to 24 experience the highest rates of any age group, research shows.

from the Chicago Tribune

This is exactly what I need to work to end. How can I get involved and combine work of this sort with art?

Librarians 2.0

2009-02-18T00:58:00.004-05:00

I love librarians. For a short time, I toyed with the idea of going to graduate school for library science. Obviously that's not the path I choose, but there is still a soft spot in my heart for the work they do. Especially now, as our culture moves to an increasingly digitized future, librarians must augment their services to capture children's attention, teach them the advantages and perils of online research, and renew interest in those musty old things called books.

This is a nice article, "In Web Age, Library Job Gets Update," from the NY Times championing some of this sort of work by contemporary librarians.

Magazine in my mailbox

2009-02-18T00:39:00.002-05:00

My copy of the March issue of Elle arrived today. Overall I liked it — they had some interesting takes on spring that I dig. Especially after experiencing my first winter in Chicago (which by the way, seems like it's never going to end), I can really use a new style transformation. But seriously, why on earth would Joe Zee feature the girls of "The City" like they are some kind of fashion trendsetters? I can't be the only one who believes their entire wardrobe is bought and styled by someone from MTV? Right?

Great reading about Chicago arts

2009-01-24T18:06:00.003-05:00

So the new semester is about to start, and I've already received a number of articles and various readings to do before class begins. For my Alternative Curatorial Practices class, we were asked to read "5 Questions about Art in Chicago." It's a great read, so I'm recommending you check it out. A bit long, so save it for when you have some time to devote to it.

Michelle Obama to Wear Isabel Toledo

2009-01-20T10:10:00.003-05:00

From WWD:

First Lady-to-be Michelle Obama will wear an outfit by Isabel Toledo at the swearing-in of her husband Barack Obama as the nation’s 44th president on Capitol Hill this morning, her office said today. There were no details of the outfit provided by Michelle Obama’s office, which has been tight-lipped about her fashion choices for the historic events today. Toledo is a Cuban-born designer who has worked under her own name for more than 20 years and briefly served as creative director for Anne Klein. Michelle Obama has worn her designs in the past during the presidential campaign. Her choice continues a penchant for the First Lady-to-be for designers of Cuban heritage – Michelle Obama wore two outfits by Narciso Rodriguez to the pre-inaugural events on Sunday.

Palin Clothes Spending Has Dems Salivating, Republicans Disgusted

2008-10-22T11:49:00.005-04:00

From The Huffington Post

Palin Clothes Spending Has Dems Salivating, Republicans Disgusted
October 22, 2008 01:30 AM
by Sam Stein

"Since her selection as John McCain's running mate, the Republican National Committee spent more than $150,000 on clothing and make-up for Gov. Sarah Palin, her husband, and even her infant son, it was reported on Tuesday evening.

That entertaining scoop -- which came by way of Politico -- sent almost immediate reverberations through the presidential race. A statement from McCain headquarters released hours after the article bemoaned the triviality of the whole affair.

'With all of the important issues facing the country right now, it's remarkable that we're spending time talking about pantsuits and blouses,' said spokesperson Tracey Schmitt..."

WWD 2.0

2008-07-25T20:09:00.001-04:00

Women's Wear Daily, the daily rag dedicated to fashion industry, revamped its Web site today. There has been a mention of it in its daily headlines newsletter for quite some time, so I was quite curious to see what they would do. It seems like a lot of fashion and beauty sites are either upgrading or relaunching recently. WWD's site seems nice and modern with a black background. It's not too cluttered, but there still is a lot going on on the home page. I don't really know where to start. They also reformatted the daily headlines newsletter to only include the headline without the subhead/lede (which is a real hinderance when you have to click to each story to find out what it's about, since WWD likes their nondescript, pun-filled headlines). Plus, I don't really have a paid subscription, so it's not like I can read more than the lede anyways. Oh well. I guess I'll explore the site some more and see what I have access to before I make any more judgements.

Wedded Bliss

2008-07-24T20:30:00.001-04:00

I just wanted to comment briefly on the great exhibit I saw last weekend at the Peabody Essex Museum, in Salem, Mass. It's called Wedded Bliss: The Marriage of Art and Ceremony and presents a vast variety of art inspired by the wedding. It's broken down into sections addressing courtship and engagements, white wedding dresses, other types of wedding ensembles, the ceremony, anniversaries, wedding jewelry and a lot more. I have to say it's an interesting slice of culture to compare art that is inspired by this topic. This exhibit took years to put together and it obviously shows.

I spoke with the curator briefly (I was on a tour for Costume Society of America members) about Queen Victoria and the white wedding dress. When she married Prince Albert in 1840, women typically wore any color of dress that they liked best. After the wedding, the dress often became their "best dress" and was worn for fancy occasions. But Queen Victoria choose white, setting off the biggest wedding trend ever. The curator said through research they found out that it took about a month for news to travel from England to the United States that Victoria had married and what all the details were. During that time, the notion of white as a symbol of purity and innocence was brewing, so that may have been an element to the queen's choice. But most people do not give Victoria the credit she deserves for being such a fashion forward young women. She kept with the trends, and, obviously, set a few of her own. Her decision to wear white made waves across the British Empire and the rest of the world.

Anyways, I highly recommend the exhibit. It'll give you quite an interesting perspective to see the juxtapositions of all the cultural wedding paraphernalia and gorgeous clothing. It's just to bad they couldn't get Victoria's gown. But I promise the ones in the exhibit are very beautiful as well.

Toting my Veggies

2008-06-18T18:43:00.001-04:00

I just learned about these great totes from SKN over on Ecofabulous. On closer inspection, I've found you can get them in conventional or organic (a little pricier) cotton, they are made in the USA, the company plants a tree for every bag sold, and it ships with USPS, because USPS has achieved Cradle to Cradle certification at the silver level.

I had no idea USPS was so eco. And if you don't know about Cradle to Cradle, please run, don't walk to pick up this book. It is the eco bible, and it explains how we must create design that is sustainable. Basically when a product reaches the end of its life, instead of going to the "grave," it should actually become the materials for a new product. Hence cradle to cradle. And this should happen over and over and over, so nothing ever ends up in a landfill! OK, so this is VERY hard to do, but it's great to hear USPS has received a silver certification in it, whatever that means.

Anyways, back to the bags. They are totes cute, with a variety of fruits and veggies printed on them. I think I'll get the Blueberry Bag for my mom — she loves the blueberries.

2008-06-16T21:39:00.000-04:00

"Recently, fashion has developed a very fashionable conscience. The current environmentally minded zeitgeist is permeating the industry, and its once hairy-hemp image is now nothing but a ghost of fashion’s hippie past. In its place are “eco-luxe” and “eco-chic” and a stylish array of environmentally friendly and ethical alternatives to mainstream fashion. But just how deep does the greening of fashion go? Beyond sustainability, the green movement marks a paradigm shift among consumers towards the need for a more valuable product – which should be music to the ears of the luxury sector.

But in an industry that thrives on newness, what will next season’s trend be?..."

"It's not easy being green" by Fiona Harkin, Financial Times

Taking Fast Fashion Further

2008-06-06T21:55:00.000-04:00

Swedish fashion giant H&M is taking a few steps forward toward sustainability. Vogue.com UK is reporting:

"H&M is continuing to take its ethical commitments seriously, announcing "a big venture" into organic cotton for autumn/winter 2008-9 - as well as plans to source other sustainable materials, including organic and recycled wool and polyester."

Which is only a plus, and they are definitely going in the right direction. Fast fashion is probably the antithesis of eco-fashion, but people do like cheap, trendy clothes real fast. I have to admit, I'm guilty from time to time too. This isn't the ideal situation, but I do think we are moving there, slowly.

So this is why I can't wait till H&M really kicks it into gear and goes 100% organic and recycled. Even better — start collecting clothes for recycling!

Meeting Ms. Mod Green Pod

2008-06-05T00:32:00.000-04:00

Today I had the pleasure of meeting Lisa Mims from Mod Green Pod (for a project for work — more about that later). She is half of the design team that makes stunningly chic, modern, and eco home fabrics and wallpaper. Lisa handles the business side of the company in Massachusetts, while her sister-in-law Nancy does the designing from Texas.

Lisa is an incredibly stylish woman herself. I loved the trendy little denim jeans she was sporting by Del Forte. I'm totally going to have to get myself a pair now. We traded eco-rumors and she gave me a whole list of new companies and green developments I need to check out.

She also gave me more of a scoop on the Mod Green Pod line. I have to admit, seeing the designs in person is soooo much better. They are totally cool, and the colors are a lot brighter in real life. All of the fabric is 100% organic cotton. They print everything, because as Lisa told me, printing is better for the environment than dyeing. It's all down by hand out in the Berkshires. How cool!

It's great to hear success stories from small American textile companies. Even better when those companies are eco-friendly. I definitely expect more blogs about this brand in the future — hopefully near future.

Greenwashing alert

2008-05-30T19:03:00.000-04:00

There are some rumors coming out of Taiwan that recycled polyester manufacturers are buying brand-new, never-been-used-before plastic bottles straight from their manufacturer and converting them into fiber. Ecotextile News has a report about it here.

"One reliable industry insider, who refused to be named, has claimed that the demand for used bottles, from which recycled polyester fibre is made, is now outstripping supply in some areas and certain cynical suppliers are now buying NEW, unused bottles directly from bottle producing companies to make polyester textile fibre that can be called recycled."

If this is the case, which wouldn't surprise me, than this makes it harder to know whether the clothing you are wearing made of recycled polyester is truly green. Isn't anyone keeping tabs on these companies? The increasing popularity of eco-chic is allowing corporations and manufacturers to exploit the green movement for as many bucks as they can. We need a dramatic shift in textile transparency so we know how our clothing is really made.

"India Recycled" Exhibit

2008-05-28T21:27:00.000-04:00

The Horniman Museum in London recently opened a photographic exhibit about the life of recycled clothing in India that runs until January of next year. The Guardian has put together a companion story highlighting some of the images.

Apparel given to charity shops in the UK is sorted and divided up for different uses, such as resale, pulped for mattress filling and upholstery, or for export for recycled textile production. Most of the garments going out of the country must be shredded because the sale of second-hand clothing is illegal in some places. The shredded garments are broken down into pulp and turned into yarn. The yarn is woven and knitted into new products. It's amazing how global recycled textile production has become.

Breaking It Down

2008-05-28T07:57:00.000-04:00

The WSJ had a lovely article in Saturday's paper called "Shades of Green: Decoding Eco Fashion's Claims." It breaks down who is doing what, and how eco friendly it actually is. Check it out for yourself. Better yet, commit it to memory or save it to your computer to refer back to it before shopping trips!

Women's Wear Daily Excerpts

2008-05-22T20:09:00.000-04:00

Eco Movement Hitting Its Stride
Thursday, May 22, 2008

By Khanh T.L. Tran
As the market for environmentally friendly DENIM GROWS, manufacturers are employing a widening variety of dyeing and finishing techniques in response to consumer demand.

For the early eco-friendly pioneers, the transformation has been rapid. Starr Dailey-Webb, a former model who started an all-organic line of denim called Aoki Jeans in 2004, recalled the difficulties in bringing her idea to life...

Natur Boy
Thursday, May 22, 2008

By Venessa Lau
When it comes to the green movement, Miguel Adrover knows exactly where he stands. And please don't use the word trend. "It's all about marketing now," he said of the eco-craze blanketing the industry. "We need to distinguish between trend and real life." At a Tuesday presentation of his debut collection for the Germany-based Hess Natur, Adrover noted that the company, for which he's now creative director, has both "an ecological approach as well as a sociological one." And indeed, the business uses many organic materials and belongs to the Grameen Foundation, an organization that's a proponent of microcredit as a means of fighting poverty...

2008-05-22T19:00:00.000-04:00

"The flag of the next industrial revolution, the clean revolution."

William McDonough (1995)

You say you want a revolution

2008-05-21T19:59:00.000-04:00

I was perusing Fashionista.com today (get off me, so what if I like my daily fix of fashion news and rumors, hehe) and I came across this column:

"Our list of fashion pet peeves used to go like this:

Sunglasses with crystals on the lenses.
Any pant with a drawstring closure.
Shorts with thigh highs.

But now there's something more serious on our radar, and it's become our biggest fashion vice yet:

Clothes that say "Recycle!" or "Earth day is every day!" or whatever - that are made in factories with synthetic materials.

Of course, the number one offender is Forever 21, whose latest graphic tee screams, "What's your carbon footprint?"

I don't know, F21, what's yours? Because between shipping your clothes from factories in Asia, using chemical dyes and fabric treatments, and handing out giant yellow plastic bags to every customer... well, you get the idea."

I have to agree with them — in a big way. There are companies producing clothing in unsustainable methods and pretending it is eco to satisfy a current consumer trend. A lot of these clothes are not made of sustainable fibers, like organic cotton, hemp, etc. or recycled polyester. They aren't dyed with low-impact dyes or made of color grown cotton. Like Fashionista said, they are produced half way around the world and made by people who don't make a living wage. I think it's fantastic Fashionista has brought up this conversation.

The fact that companies are producing clothing that is in no way eco-friendly but pretend like it is with catchy slogans, is not only misleading and hypocritical, but damaging to the movement. They're doing this just to cash in on a trend, because it appears that being green is the hot button issue of day.

Which brings us to what may be the biggest problem facing the eco-movement today — calling it a trend. Trends are popular for a season. The next season inevitably comes with new trends and the old ones are discarded. But come next season the Earth is still going to be facing an environmental crisis. We will still have out of control pollution problems. It irritates me each year when the glossy magazines pretend to be eco for a month in honor of Earth Day. You have Nina Garcia over at all Elle touting fashionable green products and clothes. Vanity Fair has it's annual "We Have to Solve the Climate Crisis But We Aren't Really Going To Do Anything About It" issue. But then the June issues hit the newsstand and all talk of the environment conveniently disappears. Why can't these magazines keep up even a small amount of coverage 12 months a year?

Obviously this issue is not going to go away if we ignore it. So we need fashion magazines and other media outlets to wake up and take the eco-movement seriously. We need companies to invest in sustainable methods, not because it's "cool," but because consumers demand it year-round. Educate yourself and think before you buy. I don't mean to sound like an after-school special, but everyone needs to do their part.

2008-05-20T18:14:00.000-04:00

"The natural environment around me is a huge inspiration. I try to design in harmony with that. We take the environment into account and are developing this area on a daily basis throughout the company. Not killing fellow creatures helps."

Stella McCartney, fashion designer

Ortolan Home Goods

2008-05-20T07:52:00.000-04:00

I stumbled upon these clever napkins a few months ago and am just dying to buy them for a summer clam bake (if I did those sort of things). Ortolan sells products for the kitchen, bath, and bed that are made of 100% organic cotton. The pillows are filled with kapok fiber too, for animal-conscious buyers or those allergic to feathers. All of their packaging is recycled material as well. Most of the products are made in the U.S., with the exception of their hand-made blankets which are crafted in Peru. The line comes with a high-end price tag, but it's probably worth it for the sophisticated look. Check Ortolan out here.