Here you will find all the writing I did for and about SMU! #PonyUp
An inside look on how the SMU senior dancers feel about their final performances last weekend at the annual Senior Dance Concert.
The seniors are feeling bittersweet about their last performances at SMU. I had the opportunity to interview Kendall Lockhart and Sara Magalio before they went on stage at the Bob Hope Theatre, one final time.
Read the full story at SMU Daily Campus
I had the opportunity to write the Look Back piece for the SMU Look Magazine, Volume 2, Issue 1 (November 30, 2017).
Prada and the Art of Patronage by Nicky Ryan, is an interesting article as it examines luxury brands and the arts, by using Prada’s support of “avant-garde” artists and architects. It goes on to explain that art, fashion, architecture, design and shopping all fit together to reach the goal of a cohesive look. The Prada Epicenter gave a different shopping experience to its customers by using technology. Luxury stores are often designed using minimalist decor, according to the article the main reason is to downplay the guilt people feel when purchasing expensive items. Prada tries to keep consistent with the decor of the stores: green walls and pink carpet.
Prada’s store expansion took an unexpected turn in the Fall of 2005, when the brand decided to purchase land in a desolate and unpopulated area in Valentine, Texas and called it “Marfa”. Although this seems strange, it attracts many celebrities and influencers, such as Beyonce. Individuals want to drive there, just to take pictures of the unique- and now iconic “store”. This is yet, another extension of Prada’s popular avant-garde brand. You have probably seen several pieces artwork inspired by the Prada Marfa store.
Miuccia Prada and Patrizio Bertelli, had a well-established relationship with the arts through Fondazione Prada, the brands non-profit arts foundation in Milan, Italy. Miuccia Prada had a major impact on the brand when she took over in the 1990s. She used herself to market Prada and keep the image of luxury.
With every luxury brand, the name and logo is really what customers are paying for. The logos provide a “brand of authenticity” which allows the merchandise to be sold at a higher price than its actual value. At the end of the day, its really just quality fabric and labor, just like other designer brands.
“We, as designers, have a job with so many possibilities and connections. We are connected to so many different portals, from art to movies to music to design. Fashion is always evolving. Actually, the field is huge. I don’t think there is another profession that is so open to so many possibilities.”- Miuccia Prada
This week the Media and Art of Fashion Design class took a mini field trip to Southern Methodist University’s Meadows School of the Arts costume design shop. It was really interesting to learn about what happens behind-the-scenes of SMU productions. When we first arrived we were greeted by Professor Stephens in the Green Room where she spoke to us about the amount of work that goes into designing costumes for every actor on stage. She also spoke about the importance of getting the costumes perfect in order to help the audience fully understand the story and how the stage lighting can significantly impact the colors of the fabrics. The designers need to put thought into how the costumes will appear on stage with different lighting and different viewpoints from the audience. Meadows puts on at least seven plays and several dance shows every year. That’s a lot of costumes that need to be designed!
Every costume has to be tailor-made to fit each actor perfectly, so they need to be remeasured quite often, especially guys who are still growing! Since this takes so much time, effort, and money, the costumes are sometimes reused and refurbished. They have numerous of options to chose from with a wide array of hats, shoes, clothing, and unused fabrics. Professor Stephens also took us under the stage and showed us the trap doors, where the orchestra gets on stage and storage for more costumes.
When designing costumes for live performances, you need to think ahead and always have backup plans just incase something goes wrong. When creating the costumes, they often times try to eliminate zippers and buttons, because it takes longer to put on and take off. Sometimes, actors need to be back on stage within a few seconds. This was a really fascinating experience and I am so happy we got to see and learn what the costume department at SMU is like.
To learn more about the upcoming events at Meadows School of the Arts, visit https://www.smu.edu/Meadows/NewsAndEvents/Calendar
“Clothes make a statement. Costumes tell a story.”- Mason Cooley
Fabrics are obviously an essential part to fashion design and there are numerous options to choose from. Ever since I was little, I loved watching Project Runway and my favorite episodes have always been the ones that contestants take a trip to Mood Fabrics and decide what materials they want to use for their creations. Many designers are known for using certain fabrics in their designs and it becomes a staple that they become famous for, such as Chanel, Dolce & Gabbana, Missoni, Hervé Léger, etc.
The first brand that came to my mind when discussing fabrics, findings and trims in class was, Chanel. Coco Chanel made the luxury brand popular with the classic suits, which are usually made with solid or tweed fabric with custom gold buttons, patch pockets, a beautiful trim and more. A lot went into creating the iconic Chanel suit, which eventually became a fashion symbol. Since 1983, Karl Lagerfeld has incorporated beautiful fabrics and embroidery in all his designs for the fashion house.
But there are several fashion designers that use certain fabrics in their collections, which eventually made the brands famous, including Dolce & Gabbana. This luxury Italian fashion house has always incorporated sheer materials, such as lace, tulle, and chiffon to create a sexy look for their collections. Dolce & Gabbana also uses a lot of fabrics with embroidery and prints. Some of their beautiful designs are even handprinted on dresses and accessories. Dolce & Gabbana always has amazing fabrics for all their designs, in every collection!
The purpose of fabrics, findings and trims is to be functional and decorative, which all designers keep in mind when designing their collections. This is something that designers have always had to think about, looking back to designers such as Sonia Rykiel, who was known for all her soft knitted sweaters and dresses. She earned the title of “Queen of Knits” in the late 1960s. A lot of hard work goes into creating beautiful garments.
“What I find modern is the balanced use of both traditional fabrics and new textiles. It’s the idea of combining well-known quality with new surfaces that makes them exciting.” – Helmut Lang
Sources:
Beyond Design Third Edition Chapters 6 & 7
As a person who loves fashion and is very interested in politics, the line can sometimes gets a little fuzzy. When I read that designers such as: Marc Jacobs, Tom Ford, Phillip Lim, Zac Posen and many more, refused to dress the First Lady, Melania Trump, I was a little taken back. Shouldn’t anyone be honored to dress the First Lady of the United States of America? I don’t think it should matter whether you are a Republican or a Democrat. As an American, I felt that the designers who spoke out against dressing the First Lady, should have considered all their clients before making such a statement.
When I found out that various designers including, Ralph Lauren and Dolce and Gabbana, were willing to dress the First Lady, I was very pleased and proud to be a fan. I do not think that Melania should be blacklisted for her husbands politics, but some designers disagree.
Ivanka Trump, the daughter of President Trump, created her fashion label and had it in major departments stores like Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus and Dillards. After she announced that she would be working alongside her father, she received a lot of backlash for not disconnecting herself from her label. Herself being an Independent, I do not think that she should have received so much criticism and people saying that they will never buy from her line again. Some department stores were forced to drop her line due to people boycotting them until they did so.
In the Fashion industry, politics has been a recurring theme thanks to iconic designers such as Katherine Hamnett, Jean Paul Gaultier, Karl Lagerfeld and more. This season designers incorporated white bandanas in their fashion shows to symbolize acceptance and inclusivity. This is a positive message that people enjoy.
I believe the line gets blurred with fashion and politics because when do you really know once the line was crossed? A designer might be insulting thousands of customers, but maybe creating new customers who want to buy.
Sources:
aliquintero.com 
