Parsons year 3
america asleep: Eyes wide shut
WAKE UP AMERICA! My flag is red, white and blue. Red like the blood spilled of our enemies. White like the color of my skin. Blue like the collars that built this country. Land of the free and home of the brave. Free like my student loans. Brave like the millions who survive ignoring their ailments due to the cost of healthcare. This is the American dream. But nonetheless, I bleed red, white, and blue.
The United States of America is home to some of the world’s greatest wealth and has access to some of the finest education. With freedoms unimaginable to many countries, how is it that so many American youths are uneducated and in poverty? I looked at myself, a low income/working class student and questioned how I had the privilege to attend this upper echelon school. It struck me that this privilege was not handed to me, but something I had to sacrifice my own well-being for. Working 40+ hours a week at a bar, 20+ hours a week at school, and doing 3+ hours of homework every night, there was rarely time for myself. Showering, eating and sleeping were the only free time activities and if I wanted my schoolwork to be of quality, I had to sacrifice an already average sleep. This is the land of the free but freedom has a cost. If you’re not in an upper economic class then you’re down here with the rest of us, breaking our spines and bruising our bodies to achieve “The American Dream”.
The title of this collection, “America Asleep: Eyes Wide Shut”, is inspired by this hot take as well as the Stanley Kubrick film itself: Eyes Wide Shut. Aside from the general psychological twists and turns in the film, the name itself struck me. We feel so fortunate as Americans to have access to so much yet not realize the actual price of access to it. Are our eyes wide shut? Trashy “Americana” pieces but in the most expensive cashmeres. Full gowns but in cheap “wifebeater” jerseys. A molded leather spine gives a hard appearance yet is soft to the touch while fabric dye and hand-tacked stitches emulate wounds. “America Asleep” is the embodiment of America’s massive sense of irony: freedom at a cost and the dream you will ironically lose all sleep for.
submerged: tory burch y3 competition
Prompted with creating a new look, up cycling a randomly assigned Tory Burch garment, given fabric, and trims.
How do we draw inspiration from and honor the past while maintaining the desire to keep progressing and moving forward? I was especially struck by Tory’s story about having her empire while also trying to raise her boys and balance the life of a mother. With many women veering away from traditional values, how does the modern woman balance both lifestyles? This capsule collection draws from the modernity of being a young powerful woman while honoring the time-honored values of motherhood.
Initially given a navy blue and off-white Tory Burch anorak, the colors and athleticism of the garment led me to think of the Navy and naval uniforms. I was also given yardage of a floral eyelet cotton that felt very soft and feminine opposing the anorak. I led into the femininity while exploring nautical themes, considering that women have a rich past in maritime history. What traditionally started as jobs forbidden for captains’ wives and daughters to do, quickly became jobs they had to do because helping hands were required when the sea got rough. Necessity grew into women stepping up in power and my garments reflect this duality. A detachable hooded shawl turns function to elegance and asymmetric draped pleats with flowy silhouettes mimic chic sailor collars meeting rolling waves. Mixing leisure and business, I’ve created a capsule resort collection for the women in male dominated fields that deserve a vacation from their fast-paced dynamo lives.
