Urban Threads mixes fashion and youth outreach in Chicago
By Alexandra Whittaker Fledgling fashion designers dream of showing their work at high profile fashion weeks, whether in Chicago or Milan. It can take years for this to happen, but a group of Chicago high school students accomplished this last fall. The students showed at Chicago Fashion Week in the (PRO)jectUs Street Bias Fashion Show […]
Fashion and feminism: a Q&A with Muslim Iranian fashion blogger Hoda Katebi
By Alexandra Whittaker Most college students worry about grades and college life, but 20-year-old University of Chicago student Hoda Katebi is focused on social activism. With her popular fashion blog JooJoo Azad (“Free Bird” in Farsi) Katebi has worked since the blog’s launch in 2013 to change the media’s portrayal of Middle-Eastern, hijab-wearing Muslim women […]
Fashion illustration: walking the line between art and craft
By Alexandra Whittaker A recent resurgence of fashion illustrators at New York Fashion Week shows like Prabal Gurung and Gucci has forced fashion illustration back into the spotlight. With illustration jobs at retail stores like Macy’s and more robust programs for fashion illustration at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, the city’s fashion […]
Oscars red carpet lacks diversity
By Alexandra Whittaker Although Hollywood stars dressed to impress for the red carpet before Sunday’s 2016 Oscars telecast, many failed to dazzle. A few stars stood out among the conservatively dressed crowd, but most played it safe by sticking to darker colors and designers they wore before. Armani Prive gowns dominated the red carpet, which […]
Carolina Herrera goes monochromatic in fall/winter fashion week show
By Alexandra Whittaker When most major fashion designers create their looks for New York Fashion Week, they have a specific idea or theme in mind. But this year, design powerhouse Carolina Herrera decided to go in a different direction. Herrera’s fall/winter 2016 ready-to-wear collection, shown at The Frick Collection’s tranquil garden courtyard in New York […]
David Bowie: Fashion Chameleon
By Alexandra Whittaker In spring 2013, fashion designer Jean Paul Gaultier created a collection inspired by rock stars of the 60s, 70s, and 80s. Unlike a traditional runway show, Gaultier’s show was set to blaring rock music, and dark silhouettes of dancers moved behind a fog machine in the background. In a collection full of […]
Downton Abbey exhibit coming to Chicago
By Alexandra Whittaker A Downton Abbey costume exhibit opens at the Richard H. Driehaus Museum in downtown Chicago on February 9, putting looks from the hit TV show on public display for the first time in the Windy City. “Dressing Downton: Changing Fashion for Changing Times” will run through May 8 and feature more than […]
BREAKING: Chicago cuts fashion funding
By Alexandra Whittaker The City of Chicago has eliminated funding for Fashion Focus Chicago, Chicago Fashion Week and the post of program director for Fashion and Culinary Creative Arts and Industries due to budgetary cuts. All were administrated by the city’s Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE) and the cuts took effect on […]
