Day Two

It didn't hit me that I wasn't taking this stuff off to go to sleep until last night. Bedtime is a time where you shed your clothing from the day to get into relax mode so you can dream sweet dreams. Getting in bed wearing a dress and a slip felt ... wrong. Like I was so wasted I couldn't get my clothes off before I passed out, or sleeping at an unfamiliar house. It was pretty hot. I may shed the outer layer tonight and sleep in the slip, which it turns out I was wearing backwards yesterday.

I cut the hem, pinned it up kinda sloppily. It's fraying pretty nicely. These old garments are made much better than clothing is today. The cuffs are really stable, and I dont think the darts are going to come out any time soon. These are all things I can design to fail in my own garments.

collar's getting a bit rumpled.

Chuck's just hanging out. Wanted to say "hello."

I should probably take these things off and photograph them on a hanger to see if their shape has lost any integrity.

happy birthday chuck!

It's Charlie's first birthday today!! I can't believe a year has passed so quickly. It's hard to remember my life without this little guy tugging at my pant legs.

(seriously, that lamb looks just like my dog.)

vintage experiment

I have decided to conduct an experiment. In order to get a real idea of how clothing actually breaks down, I'm going to wear the same clothing for a week. Hopefully the excessive wear will reveal some really nice decay that I can use for my thesis. I'm going to abuse the hell out of it; sleep in it, maybe roll around in the grass, and I would say exercise but a) I don't want to start smelling, and b) let's get real.

Today I headed down to Gayle's Vintage in Milford, OH to browse their collection of goodies. I took the scenic route through Hamilton County from Madiera to Milford. It felt a lot like driving through parts of North Carolina. Lush green fields, horse stables, white fences; there was so much green it woke up my allergies! Milford is a cute little town. Gayle's is stuffed full of great vintage clothing, creepy dolls and mountains of jewelry. I must go back when I have good intentions for the clothing, rather than destruction.

I picked up a bunch of really cute stuff. This dress is the one I'll be wearing all week. It's from the 1920s. It's in almost perfect condition, so naturally I worried it wouldn't break on me (what a shame). I realized what I had to do...

I committed the blasphemous act of putting scissors to a 90 year old dress. But it had to be done! I need to see what will happen to raw edges!! I do respect things, I promise. Frequent updates will follow suit. (I'll also be wearing that silk slip under the dress for the next week. It has a pretty lace hem. The strap broke as soon as I put it on.)

Originally I wanted to buy a bunch of stuff and wear it all at once, which proved as a challenge to find garments I could actually wear on top of one another.

That's not so bad, is it? It might get super hot but this is for the sake of education! Also, there's no way I'll want to sleep in all of that. That sequin vest is the bomb. The shirt underneath has really great pleating detail but it's totally hidden by layering. I think I'll stick with the dress/slip combo.

6 year old jacket

I think it could be really interesting to keep track of when you got all of your clothes, like assigning a history to your possessions. I think I'm going to write the date of purchase on the tags from now on, so years from now I'll know exactly when I got that striped t-shirt.

notebook snapshots

I wrote this last night around midnight and you can tell.

(click to read)

ideas in my moleskine...

brand

potential thesis images

My brand aims to create clothing that ages in a dignified way. This unique and slow again process is intended to mimic the slow decay of life. This collection aims to glorify the beauty in decay, imperfect charm, and unexpected details to be discovered by the user. Unfinished edges will fray, dye will fade, and structures will collapse, leaving behind a trophy of wear; a piece of memorabilia to be cherished long after it's use. What will result is a piece of artwork that symbolizes the wearer's life during that period of time; a sort of time-capsule, if you will.

score

Possibly the greatest find ever?

It's not often you find a cool necklace to match your tattoo.

the importance of a life cycle.

Do we love things more intensely if we know they’re only temporary? Is the destiny for something to die what makes us feel the need to get closer to it? Maybe I’m just thinking of the nurturing quality of humans and how imminent death makes something all the more precious. I think this is especially true if we know we’re going to outlive something. Maybe I’m just talking for myself.

Would you buy something if you knew it was going to die on you?

Andy Goldsworthy

My brother, Adam, suggested I check out Andy Goldsworthy's work to get inspiration for transient thesis ideas. Andy Goldsworthy is a British artist who creates site-specific sculpture and land art out of natural found objects. Almost all of his work is temporary which is what drew me to investigate his portfolio further.

According to Goldsworthy, "Each work grows, stays, decays – integral parts of a cycle which the photograph shows at its heights, marking the moment when the work is most alive. There is an intensity about a work at its peak that I hope is expressed in the image. Process and decay are implicit."

This life cycle is exactly what I'm trying to capture for my thesis project. Thesis imagery, etc. to come.

blog post #1

(this is where you'll start counting our age.)