2015 is definitely the year of the MULE. The celebrity that brought my attention to this trend was none other than Ms. Solange Knowles - the fashion icon. Now I see them everywhere! This timeless silhouette has seen its renaissance this year and I am HERE FOR IT! From clunky to modern, this style has come a long way and isn't going anywhere! Just ask the runways of New York Fashion week this year! Spring is here and what better way to welcome the season than with the hottest trend in fabulous Spring colours! From Kohl's to Jessica Simpson to J. Crew find your pair for your price!
An inspirational biography from an artist who broke free from the mold and started making things happen as a painter. Meet Kadene Gray: "My name is Kadene Donna-Marie Gray; I’m a 24 year old Jamaican who aspires to be an artist, lecturer and philanthropist. I consider myself a very reserved yet adventurous person who believes there is absolutely no limit to what one can do, once it’s conceived and believed, it can be achieved. My love for art was noticed at a very tender age, when I would always doodle in my exercise books which eventually led to entering art competitions from I was nine years old at the Whitehall Preparatory School in Negril, Westmoreland. I moved on to the Westwood High for Girls in Trelawny, Jamaica where my artistic abilities were groomed to what they are today - when I found that I was able to express myself on paper. I found my own little therapy with each piece I did. My only problem was that I was scared to pull out everything that I am able to do on paper, I was scared to think outside of the box and allow my art to soar. Mrs. Wilson, my Art teacher from grades 10 to 11 was able to show me what I needed to do to make my pieces stand out from the others, and I was able to obtain an grade 2 in the CSEC examination. After I left Westwood, I gave up Art with the hopes of having a career in Psychology, I did what I needed to do to get there, and even made the Dean’s List at the University of the West Indies. The hope was to continue straight into my Master’s Degree in Clinical Psychology. After completing my first degree, I decided to take a break from school and earn some working experience. I started in the call centre and felt confined to a chair and cubicle. I started to sink into depression and decided to try the hotel industry instead but within eight months, the same thing started to happen and I knew I had to leave. It was during my final months at the hotel that a coworker saw one of my paintings on Facebook and decided she wanted three of them for her office, I started one and wasn't able to finish because I was cramped for time but the orders kept piling on and I was overwhelmed not being able to complete the first order. It was after much prayer and counseling from my peers I decided to quit my day job and start painting full time. It has really only been a month and I’ve been getting so much encouragement and support, I am overwhelmed and excited to see where the love of my life will take me." FOR INFORMATION ON HOW YOU CAN ORDER A CUSTOM PAINTING OR PURCHASE ONE FROM KADENE'S GALLERY, PLEASE VISIT: HTTP://FACEBOOK.COM/KADENESARTGALLERY; HTTP://WWW.WORMZ2K5.WIX.COM/KADENESARTGALLERY OR SEND HER AN EMAIL AT: [email protected] SEE A FEW OF HER PIECES BELOW: She captured our hearts on screen as Denise Cosby from the Cosby Show and A Different World. The mild mannered, free-spirited beauty with her edgy style, caught my eye for fashion right away. Every outfit was 'classic Denise'. She rocked the 80's and 90's hipster look like no other. She is definitely an icon and a source of fashion inspiration! SALUTE LISA! (Might I add how well she's aged?) Comment and tell me who your style icon is! :)
Watch McQueen's most daring fashion show to date. He was inspired by seeing his sister go through terrible domestic violence. He wanted to strengthen women through his designs. He wanted women to see themselves as brave. Some accused him of misogyny but he explained that that could not be further from the truth. He spoke on loving all the women in his life dearly and in his words: "I'm a Nancy." LOL! The bold designs and interesting silhouettes make it obvious McQueen didn't make these clothes with department stores in mind. He was making an artistic statement! God rest his creative soul. #DareToBeDifferent #FashionFinds What do you think of the show? The Brooklyn Museum’s: Killer Heels, took one on a journey of the high heel shoe from historic, modern, architectural and revolutionary perspectives. One was privy to shoes of all sorts. There were some heels that were simply for style while others were for function. Some looked impossible to wear but endearing nonetheless while many challenged the status-quo of the ‘sexy’ heel donned by audacious and pioneering designs. The footwear combined with interesting videos and short films, made for a remarkable show. At the onset, the exhibit appeared to be just an array of high heels to appease a yearning crowd. However, upon closer examination a pattern immerged from the placement of the shoes. Lisa Small, curator of the exhibit, explained that the shoes were grouped together based on whatever story they were telling. She was careful to select shoes that displayed a historical period, geographical origin, a similar artistic style or function, a color story or that fell under similar themes. Each area of the exhibit that housed the shoes that epitomized the respective themes, were obviously very cautiously selected. Majority of killers made powerful artistic statements that demonstrated innovation and boldness by the revolutionary designers that created them. A recognizable progression in the modernity of the designs became apparent. However, what was interesting was that regardless of when a shoe was produced, it doesn’t represent its place in the exhibition as it relates to modernism. Some of the pieces were way ahead of their time at conception and still are. Some of the pieces from the 1950s are still very stylish, fresh and wearable today! One of the sections that stood out was dedicated to the relationship between architecture and the high heel. This was a refreshing and inspiring segment. The direct relationship was very clear. The heels displayed were ultramodern with artistic styles and feels from different movements like Art Deco. Every piece made a daring declaration and defied the notion of the typical concept of the high heel. The lines, colours, heights, curves, contours, edges, silhouettes and overall structure of each of the shoes in this area of the exhibit made for a memorable display. Another outstanding section was found at the end of the exhibition where the designs seem to stem from metamorphism. Each appeared as though they were either transforming into something or transformed from something. There were influences from nature (The Horse Shoe) and even the supernatural and metaphysical (Stairway to Heaven). A notable point of interest was the unconventional choices of materials used. There was such a wide variety: from metals, plastics, glass, beads, wood, rubber to springs, flowers, feathers and seeds. It served to broaden the idea of design and challenge an individual to step outside of what has already been done. The shoe that stood out to me the most, however, was the Healing Fukushima (Nanohana Heels) designed by Sputniko and Masaya Kushino in response to the Fukushima nuclear disaster in 2011. The flowers on the shoes are what grow from the seeds it dispenses and plants as one walks. These seeds absorb radioactive substances from the soil. This remarkable piece of footwear is not only an aesthetically pleasing piece of art but it is also functional not only to the wearer but to the environment on a whole. As Nina Simone once said, “it is an artist’s duty to reflect the times.” I feel like these artists definitely achieved a great feat with this shoe. As it concluded, one became aware of how well-structured the exhibit was as the larger picture emerged, one also left more knowledgeable of a principal player in our society – the high heel. However, the most valuable thing that was gained from this experience was an expansive idea of what it is to be an innovative designer. It certainly encourages one to think and draw inspiration for the extraordinary. |
About The Editor:Cleopatra D. Henry - Jamaican born fashion designer who gained a degree from The University College of the Cayman Islands in Accounting and is now pursuing a degree in Fashion Design at the Art Institute in New York City. Fashion designer, model, student, mentor, pioneer. Visit: Cleopatra D. Henry for portfolio. Archives
November 2015
Categories
All
Archives
November 2015
|