Post images of one object from the FIT exhibition “The Body: Fashion and Physique”. What does your object communicate about the relationship between fashion and the body? How does the designer’s investigation of the body relate to your own investigation of the body (through embodied dress practice or through design)? Include information from the lecture, website, and course readings to support your answer.
The object I chose to write about is this shirt designed by Lucy Jones in 2017. Fun fact about Lucy Jones is that she actually went to Parsons and graduated in 2015 after wining Parsons’ Womenswear designer of the year Class of 2015 for her “Seated Design” thesis collection. This shirt, designed as a continuation of her thesis, is made out of white cotton and magnetic fasteners. The concept behind this piece was to make clothing that’s easier to put on for people in wheelchairs and people with other kinds of disabilities. The magnetic fasteners used in the garment allow for a quick and simple closure for people who may not have the motor skills to use buttons or hooks. Jones’ investigation of the body relates to my own investigation of the body through my designs in class. I’m currently working on a project in which I am designing clothes to emphasize different parts of the body. My goal in this project is for the consumer to feel comfortable with their body and how their body looks. My designs allow the customer to add or take away parts of a garment so that a part of their body is more visible or emphasized than other parts. This relates back to Lucy Jones’ designs because she wants her wearer to feel comfortable in his or her body. This relates back to class because we’ve talked so much about different subject positions and I think that user focused design is a great way to represent a specific group in a subject position.
