Parsons Integrative Fashion Studio 2 Final
EXCERPT FROM SPRING 2022: The first time I remember doing an assignment on gender and fashion was fall 2020 for my Gender Studies course in high school. It was when that Vogue issue came out with Harry Styles on the cover wearing a dress. I went on to do this project and was so connected and drawn to this topic. I even applied to a school as a gender studies major with a minor in fashion studies hoping to continue this exploration (but then I got into Parsons). When we had the choice to pick from basically any topic for the final seminar and studio projects I knew I wanted to choose gendering the body. As someone who didn't know much about the history behind gendered fashion and the struggle I chose to research the 1940s and 50s time period before the Stonewall riots. My main research focus was on the three-article rule so for my studio garment I created a piece inspired by that. I created a 3 piece garment which consists of a sheer lace top with a 3 on its side so it looks kind of like breasts in the center of the top with a lace up back. The bottoms are lace over a white fabric with upside down pink triangles which are a symbol of various LGBTQ+ identities. For the 3rd piece I created a chain harness to symbolize not only queer culture but chains to represent the arrests and opression that occured during this time. I work as a fashion intern as well as a freelance stylist and designer. I not only incorporate gender bending in my own designs and modeling but also assist designers in their own shoots which do so. I am a brand intern at T.W.I.N. NYC which is a gender inclusive brand. I have assisted in designing, styling, helped with photoshoots, and talked one on one with consumers. Getting to break gender normativity in fashion with an actual clothing brand has been so eye opening and one of the reasons I fell in love with the brand. Getting to work with a non-binary model for the first time and styling them one on one in looks ranging from a plain beige suit to a pink silk dress and seeing that its all the same. I redesigned a white button down top for TWIN and I hand sewed a frilly collar and rhinestones to the neck. It was very femme and glam but when it came time to model I decided to choose the most masculine hetereo man in the room. To my surprise the model fell in love with the piece. He told me he’d never worn anything like that before and usually was picked to wear more typically masculine pieces. He felt so confident in the piece he even posted an instagram post in it! For the future of me as a designer I want to keep exploring the world of gender and fashion together as a whole. Now that I have learned the history behind the topic I am drawn to, it gives me a whole new perspective and appreciation for the LGBTQ+ community’s role in fashion. I hope to incorporate more historically inspired fashion garments into my work as well as explore other eras such as the late 60s during the Stonewall riots.
