Every now and again, I take myself out of the chaos of school and realize how lucky I am to get these assignments... Create a resort collection for Narciso Rodriguez? Sure! Click on the slides to enlarge them and see the beauteous vision in my head.
8.20.2010
Fashion in Fiction
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| Buzz Rickson's thought Cayce Pollard was so cool, that they named and MA-1 Flight Jacket after her... and she's not even real! |
Pattern Recognition; Logoism, Labelism, and Anti-Fashion
Nicole Coombe, M.S. Fashion Design Candidate
The Antoinette Westphal College of Media Arts & Design, Drexel University
Abstract:
Following in the steps of America’s fundamentally capitalistic relationship with advertising and branding, the climate of the country’s Fashion and Apparel Industry is awash with logos, labels, celebrity endorsements, and emphasis on the constant cycle of Fast Fashion. Around the world, professionals are scouring the streets, hunting the fads and trends, and evaluating the consumer psyche. They determine, in split-second gut decisions, where exactly consumer dollars will be spent and the most successful ways to make one product stand out over the sea of others. Author William Gibson’s 2003 thriller Pattern Recognition unveils fashion’s shift towards logoism and labelism from the perspective of one such Post-9/11 American expert. In a self-conscious investigation, the novel questions global marketing techniques and the interests that are behind them.
“Cool Hunter” Cayce Pollard, named after a parental admiration of Edgar Cayce, struggles to find her identity in a material culture that lacks authenticity and originality. Even in the very markets that she guides to financial success, she is so jaded by the continual output of “simulacra of simulacra of simulacra” that she suffers from an extreme sensitivity, an allergy, to any label or brand-ridden product that’s been marketed into super-saturation. The ultimate minimalist, she wears only black, removes all labels from clothing, and prefers more functional utilitarian garments like her favorite Buzz Rickson’s flight jacket. She is a perfectly formed member of Generation X who is symbolic of both the cause of and reaction to society’s commoditization of logos and labels over design, aesthetic quality, and function.
After the coincidental disappearance of her father from Manhattan on the morning of September 11, 2001, Cayce is hired by a London advertising agency in need of a new logo for an athletic footwear brand. As her work with the company continues, she embarks on a globe-spanning quest to uncover the anonymous creator of mysterious film footage with a cult internet following. After physical threats, calculated espionage, and the unclear motivations of her coworkers, she finally finds comfort and a constant home in an online forum dedicated to the discussion of the leaked film clips. She also finds her identity and purpose as CayceP, her internet alias.
This oral research paper will first explore the state of fashion in a Post-9/11 America. Topics of discussion will include the rise of Fast Fashion and the Celebrity Brand along with their global and social implications, the dwindling Haute Couture, and High Fashion’s shrinking place in the consumer market. Connections will also be made between Fashion and Identity. Logos and labels are increasingly used by individuals to create perceptions of one’s self within a fashion context and society at-large—others become Anti-Fashion in response. Using Pattern Recognition as a guide, the presentation will further explore the use of Fashion Marketing as a key component of these trends. Finally, ramifications will be supposed as a serious loss to the fashion world, with special emphasis placed upon true American style icons of decades past, who cultivated wardrobes based upon their identities, and not identities based upon their wardrobes.
Biography:
Nicole Coombe is a freelance fashion writer from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. After gaining Fashion Editorial experience at Harper’s BAZAAR, Vogue, and the Albright Fashion Library NYC, she is currently pursuing her Masters of Science in Fashion Design at Drexel University’s Antoinette Westphal College of Media Arts & Design. There, she is a Dean’s Fellow and Graduate Assistant to the curator of Drexel’s Historic Costume Collection. A former weekly columnist for PhillyStyle.com, Nicole now writes under her own title, Making Fashion Statements, at nicolecoombe.blogspot.com. She graduated from Temple University in 2006, with a B.A. in Journalism, Public Relations, and Advertising / Magazine Concentration.
Double Dispatch: From Albright NYC
Witnessing History...
While flipping through the catalogue of the combined Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Brooklyn Museum's "American Woman" exhibition, I noticed the Jean Yu dress I'd fallen in love with at Albright last summer. I was elated that this design was included, as I've never before heard of Jean Yu or saw any of her designs. I love the contrast between the lady-like ballet pink color and the daringly sexy lingerie details, including the deepest of plunges on the back. Albright continues to amass an unprecedented collection of current and vintage masterpieces with a trusted eye that will no doubt see these garments into Fashion History... I'm just so glad to be a part of it! To see a dress at a museum is one thing, but to feel it in your hands, hold it up in front of a mirror, and gush over it with friends is something else completely. (Thank you again, to the amazing team at Albright!)
While flipping through the catalogue of the combined Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Brooklyn Museum's "American Woman" exhibition, I noticed the Jean Yu dress I'd fallen in love with at Albright last summer. I was elated that this design was included, as I've never before heard of Jean Yu or saw any of her designs. I love the contrast between the lady-like ballet pink color and the daringly sexy lingerie details, including the deepest of plunges on the back. Albright continues to amass an unprecedented collection of current and vintage masterpieces with a trusted eye that will no doubt see these garments into Fashion History... I'm just so glad to be a part of it! To see a dress at a museum is one thing, but to feel it in your hands, hold it up in front of a mirror, and gush over it with friends is something else completely. (Thank you again, to the amazing team at Albright!)
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| For your viewing pleasure: The designer in her showroom |
(Ed. Note: The Jean Yu dress was included in the Met showing of this Exhibit only... Thank you to my commenter for the correction.)
New to Watch...
We all know I pride myself on being a human cache of all that is fashion! So I was so pleasantly surprised when I came across the Cushnie et Ochs label on the rack of new acquisitions at Albright. The uber female design duo partnered up for their first show in 2009. They are clean, fashion forward designers with a serious understanding of the sexy female figure. The looks from their most recent collection should be exciting to anyone who loves new directions in the way we dress.
New to Watch...
We all know I pride myself on being a human cache of all that is fashion! So I was so pleasantly surprised when I came across the Cushnie et Ochs label on the rack of new acquisitions at Albright. The uber female design duo partnered up for their first show in 2009. They are clean, fashion forward designers with a serious understanding of the sexy female figure. The looks from their most recent collection should be exciting to anyone who loves new directions in the way we dress.
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