Houndstooth and Academics

I started my dressmaking course last night and I had a great time. We only cut out patterns and fabrics, but it still felt great to start working on a project, one that will result in something wearable in the near and foreseeable future. Here’s the pattern I’m working with. I chose a small, fawn-brown houndstooth with stripes of mustard, burgundy, and slate blue through it. Last night I was spread out on my floor pinning on my piece, trying to match up the pattern. I’ve never worked with a strong pattern like this, so I’m looking forward to the challenge. And I have a lot of faith in my teacher, which I’m sure will help with my overall satisfaction in the course.

Tonight I came across a blog I’m really taken with: Threadbared. It’s the collaborative project of “two clotheshorse academics” where they “discuss the politics, aesthetics, histories, theories, cultures and subcultures that go by the names ‘fashion’ and ‘beauty’.” From the way that other people have reacted to Threadbared, and the attention it’s received from other academics, it seems like I’m pretty late to the game with this one. That said, I was thrilled to find people blogging who have a similar, critical approach to fashion, textiles, and how we engage with them to my own.

Furthermore, the ladies at Threadbared mentioned an issue of English Studies in Canada in a post of some of their favourite critical texts. Check out the addendum at the end: that issue of ESC has three (count ’em!) articles by professors and graduate students from the Department of English and Film Studies at the University of Alberta. Incidentally, I just completed my masters there. I’m swelling with pride.

My very good friend, J, is considering a masters in Fashion at Ryerson. This means that we’ll probably try to get our pipe-dream Etsy shop off the ground. I’m exceptionally excited for her.

I still have plenty to write about from my trip to the Tate, and I haven’t forgotten about it. I just thought that we all deserved a break from the 1200-word ramblings.