FASHION/ART/DESIGN HORACE MANN SCHOOL vol. 5 no. 2 Winter 2014
The Dark Art Issue
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here have always been two sides to art - the mainstream, the obvious, the exposed to the public eye, and the hidden, sometimes darker, or lessapproved art. High fashion is by definition public. The hype created by the urban fashion shows staged as events, countless fashion-figures living glamorous lives in the limelight and an endless stream of expensive, carefully crafted advertising are required to keep the thriving industry going. Our exposure to the showy mainstream can make the allure of hidden, demure or dark art even stronger. From youth counterculture to dark, repressed moments in world history, artists reactions complete our understanding of the underlying themes, emotions and tensions of a time period. In art, architecture, and clothes, sometimes the most beautiful ideas come from the darkest expanses of our mind - the sub-
conscious, hidden, or otherwise mysterious concepts that work their way into physical form, be it in abstract art or the looming grandeur of gothic churches. So much of art and fashion is about the image. The balance between light and dark in composition has the power to make an image come alive, fill out key points and cast the rest to the background. In fashion and beauty, light has the power to manipulate and change - the right balance can make or break a photo. We invite you to come along with us as we find beauty in the pain of post-war painters, the expression of a country in mass mourning, the twisted minds of subversive filmmakers, and the forgotten theater after the set has been broken and the actors have gone home. Look for the beauty in what some call dark. Alex Vogelsang & Gina Yu Co-Editors in Chief
THE DARK ART ISSUE
TREND AROUND THE BEND..................................pg. 6 FASHION FEATURES Countureculture Fashion: Punk..................................pg.8 Fashion’s Reaction to 9/11..........................................pg. 9 Dark Ideas: Expressionism........................................pg. 10 German Postwar Art & the Verists.............................pg. 12 Victorian England’s Mourning Fashion....................pg. 14 ARCHITECTURE Gothic Architecture Home and Abroad....................pg. 18 THEATER The Brothers Quay....................................................pg. 20 Broadway Costume Design.......................................pg. 22 OPINIONS The Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show......................... pg. 24 Heidi Slimane & The Next Era of YSL.....................pg. 25 SHOOTS Gothic Refinement at St. John the Divine................pg. 26 After the Curtain Falls: Gross Post-Production........pg. 34 Glitter and Gloss: Shadow and Light in Makeup......pg. 44
*Cover Photo: Model Eliana Taub ‘17 Photo by Julia Pretsfelder Opposite Page: Portrait of Sylvia von Harden, Otto Dix
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Co-Editors-In-Chief
Alexandra Vogelsang and Gina Yu SENIOR BOARD: Creative Director Julia Pretsfelder Managing Editor Michelle Kim Features Editor Edie Comas Photo Editor Jackson Siegal CONTRIBUTORS + STAFF: Audrey Shapiro, Hannah Sirulnik, Andie Fialkoff, Hannah Fink, Lucy Golub, Sophie Pearlstein, Lea Cross, Winter Willoughby-Spera, Jillian Lowey, Julia Fife, Ananya Banerjee, Chase Kauder, Anne Rosenblatt, Charlie Nishimura, Allison Chang, Kira Newmark, Libby Smilovici, Grace Guo, Rubin Soodak, Donovan Bryan, Kate HowardFudge, Alex Germer, Allie Siegel, Valerie Bodurtha, Amnahir Pena-Alcantara, Allegra Kawles, Grace Ackerman, Sam Albstein, Melissa Rodman, Eliana Taub, Diane Lee, Nicole Kaiser, Evy Verbinnen, Faculty Advisor Alicia Hines
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behind the scenes
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50’s Full Skirts
Full skirts were all over the runway this season. It was like looking at old photographs of Audrey Hepburn and Grace Kelly. Full skirts graced the catwalks of Christian Dior, Tracy Reese, and Roksanda Ilincic. They’re retro, ultra feminine and super in this season; so ditch that super tight mini skirt that has you gasping for air by the end of the night, and try a fun and feminine full skirt instead.
Then
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his year Spring/Summer trends are nothing like what the fashion world has seen before.This season revitalizes all the best fashion trends from decades past. Full skirts, varsity jackets and bright pastels from the 50s, sheer fabric, geometric and monochromatic prints from the 60s, iridescent fabrics from the 70s, graphic t-shirts and sweatshirts from the 90s dominate the runway. This season really suits anyone’s style, whether one likes dressing up, dressing down or anything in between; this season is your season.
“Fashion fades, only style remains the same.” -Coco Chanel
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TREND AROUND THE BEND What will you be wearing this spring? Audrey Shapiro ‘17 reports on the latest fashion trends.
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60’s Monochrome Dresses If we flash forward a decade the sixties were all over the runway. There was enough monochrome, sheer paneling, and geometric prints to fill an entire Austin Powers movie (in the most glamorous way possible). Sheer paneling was all over the catwalk at Vera Wang and Milly. Geometric prints took permeated Marc Jacobs’ collection, as well as Fendi’s. Monochrome was very popular this season, and designers decided to take a modern twist on this infamous trend by making black and white monochrome pieces. The shows that I think did monochrome the best were Narciso Rodriguez and Helmut Lang.
80’s Metallics Then
Now
I would never think I’d be happy to say the 80s are back, but this season they were in a chic way. Metallics were all the rave in the 80s, and this season designers like Cynthia Rowley and Lanvin brought this infamous trend back. These designers have modernized metallics by using iridescent fabric. Whether it’s an iridescent dress, a bag, or iridescent shoes, just adding that little pop of shine will turn last seasons outfit into an outfit that’s totally on trend.
90’s Minimalism Then
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The 90s were yet another dark period of fashion. Who would of ever thought you could make an ill fitted sweatshirt or a graphic tee fashionable? Well this season designers have done the impossible. Street wear is the hottest trend of spring/summer 2014. Everyone from Chanel to Christopher Kane to Topshop to Marc Jacobs is incorporating the idea of streetwear into their collections. So breakout that overpriced graphic tee that you got from that concert, because street style is here to stay.
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features Fashion in Counterculture: Punk Rock Hannah Sirulnick ‘16
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hroughout history, fashion trends have been influenced by pop culture. Music, in particular, has had a tremendous influence on fashion. The advent of Rock and Roll in the 1950’s unleashed a new style of fashion characterized by leather jackets and tight black clothes. This new style led to the glam rock era in the late 1960’s. Bands like Kiss inspired many with their dark makeup, excessive metal accessories and over the top costumes. Throughout the 60’s, teenagers mimicked the Rolling Stones by dressing up in young, rocker-inspired outfits. With the arrival of punk rock music in the 70’s, the fashion trends once again changed dramatically. The 70’s were a time of piercings, tattoos and ripped clothes. Counterculture hairstyles in the 70’s consisted of spikes and mohawks. The 70’s were a rebellious time; people dressed dark and angry to make a statement. The 80’s were the decade of metal, both in music and fashion. The music was heavy metal and the clothes people wore were made of metal. Many rode motorcycles around in leather jackets and dark jeans with metal belts to demonstrate this new music trend, which continued throughout into the twenty first century. Bullet belts, studs and hoop earrings are trends that are popular today that originated from the heavy metal era. Bands influence the way people dress. Music has a greater impact on the trends in fashion than most people realize.
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How September 11th Affected Fashion By Audrey Shapiro
“Art is a direct reflection of how people are feeling in a given moment...”
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hen the day of September 11th, 2001 hit New York, the world changed forever. People’s views on America and the world drastically changed that day, therefore fashion drastically changed too. New York’s September fashion week in 2001 was cancelled because of the tragedies.The looks exhibited in the next fashion week, February 2002, reflected exactly how New York and the world felt solemn and unpredictable. Fashion in February is for fall/ winter of that year and normally debuts luxurious furs, plush fabrics, and intricate details and designs. February fashion week in 2002 did just the opposite, showcasing tones of black, and very gloomy prints. The season was a direct reflection of how New Yorkers and people all over the nation felt, dull and kind of lost inside. New Yorkers felt like there was almost nowhere to turn because of all the chaos going on in the city. The designers that season really picked up on that feeling and therefore debuted very somber and dark collections.
Maison Martin Margiela did their collection in all black, representing the darkness in the city after the tragedy hit. Burberry showed a collection that had a lot of distressed leather in it. The distressed leather represented New York’s normally tough exterior that became torn after September 11th. The designs shown at fashion week that season allowed the world to empathize with New York. Fashion is art, and art is a direct reflection of how people are feeling in a given moment, so for outsiders to look in and see fashion week and see how gloomy and somber the shows were really helped the world understand how New York felt. These fashions documented perfectly how New York was after 9/11. September 11th was a day that shaped history forever and will never be forgotten. The shows in February 2002 displayed perfectly how the world was feeling through the art form of fashion.
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features Expressionism: Unleashing Dark Thoughts Through Art Upon first glance at Vincent Van Gogh’s “Starry Night” or Edvard Munch’s “The Scream,” you are hit with an overflow of bright colors and whimsical lines. The compositions of these pieces are captivating; they are beautiful. However, if one fails to examine these paintings thoroughly and truly understand their original context, the true, darker meaning is lost. As the 19th century came to a close, the world entered a century that would bring both moments of joyous celebration along with times of utter despair and disaster. Humankind would surpass limits and boundaries, accomplishing feats deemed impossible in past history. At the turn of the century, Sigmund Freud explored the human psych while Chinese peasants rebelled against the government, sparked by the new ideas regarding equality that spread throughout the world. This rapid change in society provoked a great deal of anxiety and stress within individuals. These emotions became manifested in different ways across a wide spectrum of individuals— artists in particular, grappled with different methods that allowed them to display these feelings through art, film, and literature.
The overarching movement derived as a response to the traumatic shift within a society was known as Expressionism. The early 20th century movement strove to transform one’s emotional visions of the world into comprehensive works of art.
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“Do not let the free forming lines and contrasting colors fool you, this painting ‘screams’ the inner, darker emotions of the artist.”
With its beginnings in Germany, traces of Expressionism can be seen in countless modern movements. Expressionism in many ways transforms a lifeless two-dimensional canvas into a deep exploration of human feelings. These feelings were often dark and ominous, a reflection of the chaotic world in which the artists lived, despite the typical use of bright colors. Some paintings, such as Munch’s “The Scream,” immediately leave you with a strong sense of worry and angst. Veering away from the world of perfection and naturalism, Munch’s painting shows a man on a boardwalk mid-scream with his hand on his face. His eyes seem to be deep holes into his mind and encapsulating his thoughts while he admits a forceful, fearful scream that seems to echo through the blood red sky. Do not let the free forming lines and contrasting colors fool you, this painting “screams” the inner, darker emotions of the artist.
By Andie Fialkoff ‘15
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Verist Post-War Portraits
omeone I know once very aptly said, “Art reaches its pinnacle in the midst of chaos.” The works created in response to World War I clearly reflects this statement. The huge number of casualties, estimated between 15 million to 65 million, over the course of the war’s beginning on July 28, 1914 to its end on November 11, 1918, make it one of the most devastating wars in history. The hopelessness resulting from this desolation of Europe inspired artists to push boundaries, inspecting and redefining the preexisting conception of art. It’s important to provide a brief history of what led to the new waves of art that flooded Germany in particular. Beyond what we learn at school, much of my knowledge comes from Erich Remarque’s “All Quiet on the Western Front.” The novel is less of a courageous war story than an account of the terrors that soldiers endured during trench warfare. Detailing the constant death and destruction that young men unwittingly volunteered for, the book sheds light on the horrors of mechanized warfare in a postIndustrial Revolution world. The view of the machine in literary and visual arts had evolved from a modern hope for the future to a murderous tool. Wars had never been fought in such heinous ways, utilizing new technology such as tanks, flame throwers, and mustard gas. Disease was rampant, food was scarce, and the chances of survival were low. Soldiers who survived; however, didn’t feel so lucky. Many were physically mutilated and all participants suffered psychological damage. A new term, “shell shock”, had to be created to diagnose the debilitating emotional toll of the war. In the wake of the crippling bloodshed, the population was disheartened and angry. Between an economic depression, the debilitating demands of the Treaty of Versailles, and the Weimar Republic’s weak government, new ideas and philosophies burst forth. Many wondered what is the point of art, and on a wider scale, what is the point of life? Expressionism was nothing short of revolutionary. Before the enervating war, art depicted reality. After the war, art expressed meaning, the goal “to present the world solely from a subjective perspective...in order to evoke moods or ideas.” The “Neue Sachlichkeit” (“New Objective”) art movement reflected the radical political and social changes of the time in a provocative, satirical, and hyper-sexualized manner. The taboo nature of Berlin, the capital of a nation defeated, lured in downtrodden foreigners. Prostitution and homosexual activity played a huge role in the seedy underbelly of society and affected its
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- Hannah Fink ‘15 examines dark artist reactions to chaos post-WWI
art in turn.What differentiated the sexual subjects of Berlin to those of Paris was the vein of cynicism that ran deep through Berlin. This cynical view mocked every facet of urban life and shaded sexual nature in a repugnant light. Hans Sahl, a leading journalist of the New Objective era explained the depressing way of life as “…a time of great misery, with legless war veterans...with a nation that seemed to consist of nothing but beggars, whores, invalids, and fatnecked speculators.” Prominent artists George Grosz, Max Beckmann, and Otto Dix channeled the decadence and disillusion with the city in their innovative works. Born in Berlin, where most of the upheavals within art took place, George Grosz is often the most famously cited Dadaist and Verist of the “Neue Sachlichkeit” movement. Art historian Robert Hughes explains that in Grosz’s vision of Germany, “everything and everybody is for sale.” One of his most famous paintings, “Eclipse of the Sun” (1926), depicts a general, an industrialist, and other four headless men dressed in finery. Above them is a sun eclipsed by a dollar sign. This oil on canvas draws attention to the greed, war, and hunger for power that ran rampant throughout Berlin in that time. While he was not originally in the heart of the Weimar Republic, Untermhausborn Otto Dix migrated to Berlin and captured the political, physical, and cultural mutilation of the city in the wake of World War I. In his “To Beauty” (1922), oil and collage on canvas, a ruthless businessman glares at the viewer in the center of a jazz nightclub amongst monstrous and ghostly bystanders engaged in debauchery. This cold businessman is Dix himself, and he has chosen to paint half of his face in shadow. He wanted to show people who were products of the damaging downward spiral of society, such as prostitutes, transvestites, or injured war veterans. Another notable work by Dix is his “Three
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Prostitutes on a street” which is a provocative title in and of itself.This painting utilizes little details to denote that these women are prostitutes. For example, one woman is wearing bright red leather gloves, and they all wear makeup, which was considered to be highly improper at the time. Dix’s view on the world around him captured the growing interest in darkness, expression, and social criticism: “Art is exorcism. I paint dreams and visions too; the dreams and visions of my time. Painting is the effort to produce order; order in yourself. There is much chaos in me, much chaos in our time.”
Pictures Clockwise: George Grosz “Eclipse of the Sun,” Max Beckmann’s “Dance at Baden-Baden,” Otto Dix “Three Prostitutes,” Otto Dix “To Beauty,” Otto Dix “Anita Berber,” George Grosz “The City.”
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features THE FASHION REIGN OF
queen victoria Q
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ueen Victoria was one of the longest ruling monarchs in British history, and besides being a leader she was a woman passionately in love with her husband, Prince Albert. Together they had nine children, until Albert died at the age of forty-two. His death left Queen Victoria devastated. During the Victorian period (named after the great Queen herself), it
ever-changing styles of the era did eventually get ahold of these same influences.This was a trend that stuck with western fashion up until the modern era. The intensifying demand for darker clothes and styles changed the entire fashion industry: stores known for their mourning clothes benefited greatly, and consequently other stores had to make the stylistic change.The public
was considered a cultural norm to go into mourning. In the case of a widow, a twoyear period of mourning was the socially accepted minimum. Considering Victoria’s incredibly intimate relationship with Albert, her reaction was, without a doubt, excessive. Queen Victoria reacted by totally isolating herself from society, hardly ever visiting London after the death of her beloved. Despite her political responsibilities, she essentially abandoned her royal obligations. She eventually did return to her political position, but she never again went back to the normal luxurious attire of the Queen. Instead, she remained in full mourning for the remainder of her sixty-four year rule. English society soon followed Queen Victoria’s behavior, dropping into mourning alongside her. Black became the accepted color of daily attire because of the consistent darkening trends worn by the more wealthy classes and the Queen herself. Those who did not have the finances and the fervor to keep up with the
desire caused a boom in purchases of India ink and jet jewelry, which were necessities to create mourning attire. India ink was the main source of coloring for mourning clothes, while jet was a kind of shale that was very popular in mourning jewelry. Many towns originally known for whaling were forced to turn into mining towns for jet shale. Even when the official mourning period for the public ended the fashions did not fade. Many of the lower classes had acquired outfits in deeper shades; darker colors had become the social norm. The Victorian commonwealth never truly let go of its preference for dark attire either. It was now considered quite normal for the average Victorian lady to own a few dresses of darker colors. Dying clothing black and then bleaching them out again was quite common. Mourning attire for women included all of the attire including jewelry, hair accessories, stationary, purses, and fans. Men often added gloves or a hat to symbolize their mourning. For dresses, black silk crepe, which had flat, lifeless quality was the typical mourning material, due to the fact that lustrous materials such as furs, satin and velvet were forbidden. Queen Victoria set strict rules for mourning. If one were to wear color before the prescribed time, they were considered
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By Ananja Banerjee, Anne Rosenblatt, and Lea Cross
immoral and odious. After a specified period the crepe could be removed – this was called “slighting the mourning.” The color of cloth lightened as mourning went out of fashion, from grey, to mauve, and then white. This progression through the period was known as half-mourning. The thriving economy along with advancing technological innovations allowed for more elaborate clothes to be created and a shift in fashion’s focus from men to women. The industrial boom of this time made cloth cheap and easy to produce. Mourning periods usually called for an entirely new wardrobe. As the popularity of the mourning custom increased, tailors spread the rumor that it was bad luck to keep mourning clothes after the mourning period had ended. As a result, customers felt it necessary to purchase a new set of clothes each time a loved one passed away. Those who could not afford to buy new clothing dyed clothes black and bleached them once the mourning period was over. The arrival of sewing machines in 1860 allowed for the lavish application of trim and lace that would not have been possible before due to the time consuming nature of the process. Synthetic dyes replaced
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features
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egetable or plant dyes, allowing garments to have brighter and more intense colors. The evolution of the Victorian gown started in 1840 as dresses developed extremely full skirts, often supported by petticoats with stiffened cane or padding. The long and slim waistline was popular as well, with many women using tight corsets to narrow the waist and accentuate the hips. Evening gowns were often off both shoulders, sporting short of half sleeves, with folds of fabric and lace often hanging from the neckline. In the 1850s, sleeves started becoming wider, with skirts and expanding, with whale bone or flexible steel hoops being inserted in to create a perfect round and flouncy look. Plunging “V” necklines would become popular, the neckline often filled with a lacy or embellished collar. By 1863, the hoops took on an elliptical shape, with the back fuller that the front,
to the introduction of the overskirt. In 1869, the hoop was replaced with the bustle, with the overall shape of the dress now was full in front, but with even more fabric to the back. Most dresses had lacy trains, but typical “walking dresses” were just floor length. Trimmings galore were added to all but the plainest dresses. Evening dresses were off-the-shoulder with trimming framing the neckline, featuring small and puffed sleeves, often with bows. Later in 1875, the bustle began to dwindle in size; however, the excess fabric remained. Light-weight fabrics which were easily made were increasingly popular at the time, especially for evening wear. In 1877, the bustle had completely diminished and poufs in the skirt were terminated as well. The horizontal look gave way to more slim and vertical lines, and tall slim figures became increasingly stylish. Colors and textures were mixed, and necklines became more conservative. In the 1890s, the skirts became slim in front and still very full behind, but without poufs or lift. Bodices became either short at the hip, or long as a jacket, with the sleeves becoming lon-
but the overall skirt widths began to diminish at the hips. By 1867 there was a drastic reduction in
top left, victorian gowns top right, modern victorianinspired gown
skirt size all together, with skirts were often looped up for walking, showing a pretty petticoat, leading
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ger and more emphasized. During this decade, the focus switched from the skirt to the bodice. As skirts became ever plainer, bodices exploded with layers and frills. Puffed sleeves and sleeves grew, as evening wear transformed into a more glitzy and elaborate style, as it was often covered with sparkling beads and fancy embroidery. Strict customs regarding mourning lessened following the death of Queen Victoria in 1901.With the passage into the 20th century, death became a private affair and long funeral traditions such as mourning attire discontinued. The growth of industry and increased efficiency in society ultimately caused for the lingering mourning traditions of the Victorian Era to come to a close. This dark influence is seen in the modern era in the form of the ubiquitous “little black dress,” a concept that weathers all fashions and fads. Much like the women of the Victorian era, every woman you meet nowadays owns a black dress. Over the years, the color black has come to be associated with austerity and power. Because of these connotations, it is a very desirable color for most people to wear. In the city of New York, more people wear black than any other color. This makes black one of the most important colors for clothes of all time, something that was, without a doubt, influenced by Queen Victoria.
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architecture
Gothic Architectural Movement & Revival by Maddie Bender ‘16 and Lauren Kady ‘16
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t the beginning of the 12th century, the advent of gothic architecture marked a drastic change in the design of churches, as they were the buildings that most commonly displayed architectural planning. Typically, churches were built in a Romanesque style, characterized by semi-circular arches, thick walls, and overall a plain, unimpressive appearance yet as technology became readily available at the start of the 12th Century large buildings with pointed arches and showy decorations built in the gothic style became popular, and massive gothic cathedrals appeared throughout Europe. Gothic architecture eventually gave
way to renaissance architecture in the 15th century, which was followed by the baroque style, but in the 19th century, gothic architecture made a comeback. Traditional spires, long, narrow windows, stained glass, exposed structural beams, and ornate façades began to reappear in residential and public buildings. This architectural movement coincided with a religious revival in both England and America as a response to industrialization. Many of the classic examples of this gothic revival are cathedrals, due to the movement’s religious origins.
Gothic Architecture Abroad The Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris took nearly 100 years to be completed from the 12th-13th centuries and is one of the most prominent architectural works demonstrating French gothic architecture. The architects of the cathedral were the pioneers of the flying buttresses and ribbed vaults characteristic of gothic architecture, used for structural support for the new curved arches. Notre Dame also contains 5000 gargoyles that serve not only as decorations, but also as a method of prevent water damage
and erosion to the stone walls of the cathedral.The church’s exterior, covered in the stone carvings of various saints and filled with ornate stained glass windows, attempt to overwhelm the viewer and promote a sense of religious awe. But while European cathedrals, especially those in France, exemplify classic gothic architecture, two of the most famous example of gothic architecture can be found right here in New York City.
Notre Dame Cathedral, Paris
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Woolworth (detail), New York City
St. Patrick’s Cathedral, New York City
Trinity Church, New York City
Gothic Revival in NYC The Trinity Church is a parish church in the Episcopal Diocese of New York, and was originally commissioned by the Church of England. It was constructed in 1698 during the early phase of the gothic revival, which deviated from original gothic architecture and was typically implemented in wealthy residences. It was one of the first churches built in the United States, and has been destroyed and rebuilt twice, the third and final Trinity Church is the architectural masterpiece that still stands today. Designed by Richard Upjohn, the church features sandstone, stained glass, spires, and pointed arches, but in a small departure from traditional gothic architecture, does not include any flying buttresses. St. Patrick’s Cathedral, another representation of the neogothic movement, took over 20 years to complete and is the largest decorated church in North America. Because it was built in the later part of the gothic revival, its elements are more similar to original gothic buildings. Designed by James Renwick,
its stained glass, ribbed arches, flying buttresses, and cluster columns inspired many skyscraper designed in the following century, as new materials became available and concern for functionalism caused the gothic revival to lose popularity. Gothic revival-style architecture was also applied to New York City skyscrapers. Located off Broadway and designed by architect Cass Gilbert in 1913, the Woolworth Building was a primary example of neo-gothic style that was seeminly revived in modern architecture. Because of the connotations of gothic and gothic revival architecture, Reverend Parkes Cadman called the building the “Cathedral of Commerce.” Gothic features of the building included a lobby with a vaulted ceiling, convered with glass to resemble early Christian and Byzantine mosaics. It is constructed upon a cruciform floor plan with a limestone colored exterior, where the building’s crown has an intricate Gothic detailing (including humorous gargoyles portraying the key workers in the building’s construction).
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theater The BrothersQuay By Chase Kauder “What happens in the shadow, in the grey regions, also interests us – all that is elusive and fugitive, all that can be said in those beautiful half tones, or in whispers, in deep shade.�-Timothy Quay
Identical twins Stephan and Timothy Quay are American born English filmmakers, best known for their labyrinthine and morose short films. Their famous short films are all stop motion animation. Most of their animation films feature puppets made of doll parts, rusted screws, and other organic and inorganic materials, which are often partially disassembled. They achieve an ominous and moody atmosphere in which they have highly metaphorical and psychosexually-charged vignettes that both depict and evoke feelings of dark angst and wonder. Somber motifs are portrayed through allegories and metaphors with nearly no meaningful spoken dialogue and sometimes no spoken content at all. Their films can even seem so bizarre and chronically indecipherable with their unconventional narrative logic that it is as though they are not meant to be understood. The Quay brothers were born in 1947 in Norristown Pennsylvania, a working class suburb of Pennsylvania. They developed an early interest in art and design and a love for obscure literature. Stephan and Timothy enrolled in the Philadelphia College of Art and discovered the works and films that would later serve as some of their early 20
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influences. The twins later attended the Royal College of Art in London to expand their knowledge in the world of art and filmmaking.While traveling between Amsterdam and the US, they started selling book covers as a way to earn a living. As they sold book covers, they became frustrated with the limitations of static two dimensional art, leading to their increasing interested in animation, particularly stop motion animation, as a means to express their feelings. In 1977 they set up a studio in London and began producing animated films in addition to setting up a few stage productions for operas. The works of the Quay brothers are all haunted by the spectra of Eastern European art and literature along with the works of Eastern European and Russian avant-garde filmmakers. Stephan and Timothy were especially fascinated by the literature of the nineteenth and early twentieth century. serve as a point of departure for their own ideas or as a textual basis for filmic scenarios. Wladsyslaw Starewicz and Richard Teschner were two puppeteers who heavily influenced the twins. The prowess in illustration seeps increasingly into many formal elements in their later films, evident in These literary texts are inspirational sources for
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almost all of their film projects, whether they their particular use of the patterns in the puppets’ costume design, or their graphic embellishment in the set decoration. Composers who had an impact on the Quay brothers include Leoš Janáček, Zdeněk Liška and Leszek Jankowski, the last of who has created many original scores for their films. The sounds and music in each of the Quay brothers’ films enhances poignant and arcane spirit as it carefully corresponds to every movement on the screen. Accordingly, their films are highly reliant on their music scores, many of which have been written especially for them. Yet it is in silence they speak, in a kind of transmutable language of sirens that may be human, or half-human, or not human at all. The eccentricity, darkness, and mystification of the sound in their films, coincides with the imagery. The Quay brothers master the craftsmanship of their imagery with absurdities that engross you into their own world.They have developed a cinematic aesthetic that dominates their works to the extent that, at times it simply dissolves into a series of images that explore and indulge the Quays in their obsessions. For example the complexities of seemingly endless spaces, the
brief and revealing moments of light, and the meaningful sparkle of a doll’s glass eye. Their unique imagery has a strong impact on the way one views the story. Even if a reader has read Bruno Schulz’s Street of Crocodiles, a novel in which the Quay brothers based their most famous film on, it is unlikely that they ever imagined the nightmarish landscape quite the way the Quay brothers did. The esotericism of the brothers’ musical material and imagery is perfectly combined to create a work that expresses a meaningful motif that is possible to decipher. The Quays present to the viewer a highly personal world that is simultaneously believable but so obviously mythical. Through the confusing and complicated visuals the brothers always seem to get across an interesting idea or theme. In their famous short film The Street of Crocodiles (1986) they provide a journey into ones subconscious. A strong aspect in the world of the Quay brothers’ films is their unconventional manner of storytelling. The intense degree of eschew linear storytelling for the expression of intense psychological states by means of oneiric and obliquely sinister images accompanied by thought provoking sounds and music is the essence of their works.
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theater
Broadway Costumes Broadway musicals use costumes to reflect elements of the show and the time period. In Phantom of the Opera, Les Miserables, and Chicago, the costumes are particularly dark, reflecting the mysterious atmosphere, adding an edgy touch, and showing the sinister side of characters.
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he costumes of the current Broadway show Phantom of The Opera enhance the dark and mysterious tone. Erik, the phantom, is a mysterious character with a dark side, but underneath that dangerous exterior lurks a loving heart, ready to blossom when the right woman happens along. He is seemingly cold, callous, and sinister. Half of his face is hidden with a white rigid mask. The uneven shape of the mask gives it a creepy feeling. Erik wears a black cape to reinforce his dark side and to contrast with his love interest, who is never portrayed wearing black. Capes often help the audience to identify a villain. Erik’s personal journey is reflected in his wardrobe. He is to be viewed as the dark antagonist while wearing the cape. Later, Erik dons a tuxedo, as he gets closer to his love interest and loses his dark side. The tuxedo shows how love has changed him into a classier character and let some of his ominousness go, however it is still black and stays true to the root of the character.
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The costumes in the phenomenal Broadway show Les Miserables show the play’s edgy and exotic vibe. Javert is a police officer whose job is to protect the people, but he fails to do so. He wears a black hat that covers part of his stern serious face. His police uniform consists of a long dark trench coat showing the dark, sinister side of his personality. His costume is rigid with broad shoulders to enhance the powerful masculine look. He has a powerful aura. His jacket’s circular silver buttons make him look even more mysterious. He is a polished gentlemen who flaunts his position on the police force and abuses his power. Overall Javert’s police costume shows the darker side to Broadway costumes by portraying the more sinister side to his character.
In Chicago, the skintight, short, black costumes reflect the dark humor of the show. Fishnets and heels add a burlesque vibe. One of the leads, Velma is a vaudeville entertainer with a dark side. This is illustrated through her tight leotards and stilettos--her costumes exude danger. Many of the costumes are minimalistic, to keep the focus on the dancing and singing. Others are made of mesh and slightly see through, sexualizing the characters. In addition, having all black costumes makes the red accents stand out more. The black costumes show the glitz and glamour while emphasizing the sinister undercurrent.
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opinions VS: Popularity and its Price
By Julia Pretsfelder
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eyond the warlike drumroll at its opening or maybe this year’s mournfulsexy “Parisian Night” segment of the show, it may appear that very little about the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show is dark. Taylor Swift and “Birds of Paradise” angel wings do not exactly scream the tortured side of fashion. The show is sort of fun like romantic comedies are fun, fueling people to defend critics with “The angels are less emaciated than regular models!”, “Normal people feel like angels in the lingerie!”. And though the half-inch more of hip width and abs to pair with exposed ribs may be noteworthy, I still frown at my stomach a bit after watching, though yes, the show is fun in a masochistic -wow can I be reborn 5”10 and Brazilian/I feel inferior- way. If we’re going to celebrate any characteristics of the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show, I think its diversity and accessibility are noteworthy. A third of the angels on the runway (not the resident angels) are women of color in an industry where 96% of models hired on fashion week are white.There is also a paradoxical populism in a show intended to establish untouchable paragons of beauty. Apart from the elaborate, playful production, the Victoria Secret Fashion Show’s popularity partially stems from free streaming online and the display of items that, unlike in other brand’s fashion shows, a decent amount of viewers may be able to afford, aside from $100,000 wings. Yet, the Show does not only sell push-up bras. The show’s producer, Monica Mitro describes the sought-after characteristics of an angel (beyond boobs) as “enthusiastic, always positive, always happy. This gorgeous healthy woman.” Though the angel’s exuberance, freedom of strut, and cute behind-the-scenes interviews are refreshing on runways usually dominated by stoic, marching models, how huge is the difference between the angels and your average runway model fundamentally? Much like the choice between a “fun and flirty” or “fierce and sexy” walk on the Victoria Secret’s website, fashion provides women with two options: angel and also unfortunate anemic hanger typical style of runway models. The Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show underscores the dark art in that it quite literally strips away at the design (okay those wings are impressive, but you know what I mean) leaving us with what is the foundation 24
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of all fashion shows: selling the product and the image of an ideal body. Even so, Victoria’s Secret’s imbuing their show with this bit of sass and streaming it on the internet shrewdly and hypothetically includes a larger audience in the closed-off realm of fashion, It is unfortunate more people are more prone to have an interest in fashion and a fashion show that focuses on bodies. Yet, fashion today is about bodies almost as much as it as about design. A British model, Nyasha Matonhodze, told the New York Times, “As models, we know that we have to be, some would say, ridiculously thin. It’s not exactly a woman’s shape, but it is high fashion.” Their unattainable appearance would explain Victoria’s Secret’s pursuit of personality for each model, bringing them a bit closer to the virtual audience in an industry where the distance of models’ appearance in some ways codifies high fashion’s inaccessibility. I do not think less commercial designers should pursue this lack of fabric, smiles, sparkles, and a CBS TV event to make their shows more popular because that would be compromising their vision. One could never imagine the Rodarte show or most other labels mirroring the sealed with a kiss quality of the angels. Nevertheless, it would be nice if more people, would watch fashion shows as they already do with the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show just like people who are not film buffs will see acclaimed movies or those who aren’t very into painting will go to the Met. It’s especially unfortunate that unhealthily thin body image and the velvet ropes of ridiculous prices close off the world of innovative fashion because fashion is an art form we can quite literally live in. It’s hard to imagine an alternative to the fun, sexy, and frivolous Victoria Secret show or the cold, lily-white, and somewhat elitist high fashion show without conjuring up an odd or wonderful future-Chanel show where my Abuela models on a city street. Yet, to attempt to reimagine the industry exercises under the assumption that high fashion would seek to be culturally relevant.
fashion | art | design
Saint Laurent sans Yves By Sophia Pearlstein and Charles Nishimura
“Prevalent in this collection was the idea of the iconic rock star — this time with elements of eighties silhouettes and a few references to the scandalous 1971 Saint Laurent collection.”
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eidi Slimane was appointed to replace Stefano Pilati to shake things up at Yves Saint Laurent, upon his appointment he did just this by changing the name of the fifty year-old label and moving its headquarters to Los Angeles. A rebranding exercise that will aim to evoke the youthful, contemporary spirit of the 1966 Rive Gauche readyto-wear line, the ‘Saint Laurent Paris’ label has been put fully in place in the womenswear collections, although the YSL logo has remained a trademark of the house, remaining on shoes, accessories and cosmetics. Slimane, who rose to fashion fame as the Creative Director of the Dior Homme menswear label, created much excitement in the fashion world when it was announced he would be taking the top job at YSL. In his first collections, Mr. Slimane picked up some earlier big themes of the house —there were many versions of le smoking, the tuxedo jacket transformed into a famous fashion staple by Yves Saint Laurent (now tightened up, with the jacket shrunken like a busboy’s, a style he did at Dior), the fringed suede, the caftans, floppy hats and other bohemian trappings that evoke for many people the late ’60s and early ’70s. Mr. Slimane’s current high-tech fabrics give vitality to predominantly black masculine/feminine outfits. In Slimane’s most recent collection for Saint Laurent (Spring 2014,) he continued to intertwine his inspiration from the YSL archives and his own personal inspiration, which draws much from the street style of Los Angeles, street style where Slimane lives. Prevalent in this collection was the idea of the iconic rock star — this time with elements of eighties silhouettes and a few references to the scandalous 1971 Saint Laurent collection. From the Yves Saint Laurent archives, Slimane took the red lip print and splashed it over a short black simple-sleeved dress; he later re-cast those red sequined lips in a white pouf shouldered top. An olive drab military jacket, worn over a leather miniskirt, was
a reminder of how Saint Laurent took clothes out of the Army Navy store and elevated them to couture. All the dresses were short, whether they flared from the waist in royal blue, were cut extremely tight in black leather, gleaming gold or ruby tiger-striped sequins, or erupted in one giant shoulder of layered black. It was the hyper-skinny tailoring – for which Slimane is best known and first came to the fashion industry’s consciousness. Slimane’s latest collection had some high points; the tailoring in the tuxedos
and the leather pieces, but as a whole the collection had a lack of narrative and, ultimately, lack of taste. One can only assume upon looking at the more provocative pieces of the collection that the type of girl to wear these looks prefers party clothes to more classic looks seen in other spring 2014 collections. Furthermore; while Slimane is responsible for revolutionizing men’s fashion in making it common for thin looking men to be seen on the runway, the emaciated look in womens fashion seems hackneyed.
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Gothic Opener Models: Rubin Soodak ‘14 and Lea Cross ‘16 Photo by Allison Chang
Gothic Refinement FAD explores the architecture of St. John the Divine’s in our finest attire
Styled by Julia Pretsfelder, Alexandra Vogelsang, Gina Yu. Andie Fialkoff. Photographers: Hannah Sirulnick, Hannah Fink, Allison Chang, Kira Newmark, Jackson Siegal
Knock on Wood Models: Alex Germer ‘15 and Kate HowardFudge ‘17 Photo by Julia Pretsfelder
In the Garden Model: Lea Cross ‘16 Photo by Allison Chang
Statuesque Models: Donovan Bryan ‘14 and Kate HowardFudge ‘17 Photo by Kira Newmark
Birds of a Feather Model: Sophie Pearlstein ‘15 Photo by Julia Pretsfelder
Sultry Gazes This page: Model: Rubin Soodak ‘14 Photo by Allison Chang Facing page: Model: Kate Howard-Fudge ‘17 Photo by Gina Yu
Styled by Julia Pretzfelder, Gina Yu, Alex Vogelsang, Jackson Siegel, Julia Fife, Makeup by Chase Kauder, Gina Yu
After the Curtain
The Three Muses Models: Valerie Bodurtha ‘14, Allie Sigel ‘15, Amnahir Pena-Alcantara ‘14 Photo by Jackson Siegal
Falls
The HM Dance Company shines in shades of red, green and blue against Gross’ unused remnants of productions past.
Dragon Prance Model: Valerie Bodurtha ‘14 Photo by Jackson Siegal
Ice Dancer Model: Allegra Kawles ‘16 Photo by Allison Chang
Nightshade Flicker Model: Grace Ackerman ‘16 Photo by Allison Chang
Gypsy Queen Model: Allie Siegel ‘15 Photo by Allison Chang
Glimmer and Fire Model: Sam Albstein ‘16 Photo by Jackson Siegal
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Runaway Spotlight Model: Amnahir Pena-Alcantara ‘14 Photo by Jackson Siegal
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Bending Apart Models: Grace Ackerman ‘16 (opposite page) and Allegra Kawles ‘16 (this page) Photo by Gina Yu
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GLITTER AND GLOSS
FAD Experiments with Shadows, Shine and Light
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Silver Tongue, Golden Smile ( this page) Model: Eliana Taub ‘16 Photo by Libby Smilovici Rhapsody in Blue (opposite page) Model: Melissa Rodman ‘14 Photo by Gina Yu
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Glint in Her Eye Model: Diane Lee ‘15 Photo by Libby Smilovici
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Flashed Lash Model: Nicole Kaiser ‘16 Photo by Gina Yu
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