Fashion in the Making: 100 Years of Parsons

VOLUME
VOLUME
23, 23,
NUMBER
NUMBER
5, JANUARY
7, MAY 2006
2006
THE ALUMNI MAGAZINE OF
RE:D Magazine
Editor-in-Chief
Mira Jacob
Letters to the Editor
We want to hear from you. RE:D welcomes
letters to the editor regarding published
LETTER FROM THE DEAN
In this issue of RE:D, we are pleased to mark 100 years of Fashion Design at Parsons.
articles, alumni news, and suggestions
If there is anything even better than being 100, it is being 100 and looking younger.
Managing Editor
for features. Letters may be edited for
We are proud of many things about the Parsons Fashion Design program, and not the
Kate Evanishyn
content and/or space. Please include
least of them is that America’s oldest fashion design program is one of its freshest.
your year of graduation, degree com-
Parsons is a consistent trendsetter in an industry that thrives on change.
Alumni Relations
Elaine Cappiello
Assistant Editor
Sarah Kricheff
pleted, and major.
It is a process that has not stopped in a century, and it will continue in the years to
Submissions
come. New tracks of study, new curricula, an MFA program for the most advanced
Original manuscripts, photo submissions,
studies in fashion design, and an even stronger faculty are just some of the things
and/or artwork will be considered for
ahead. We are committed to assuring that Parsons remains not just among the leading
Creative Director
publication. Unsolicited manuscripts,
institutions of fashion design in the United States, but the preeminent institution:
Meg Callery
related materials, photography, and
the gold standard of fashion education.
Designers
artwork will not be returned.
We rarely look back: there is too much excitement to the future and besides, who
Anna Ostrovskaya
Address Changes
has the time? But this is a special moment, and we are entitled, I think, to enjoy the
Paula Giraldo
Please submit address changes at:
pleasures of retrospection. I am thrilled to congratulate an extraordinary department
www.newschool.edu/alumni
on its enduring position in design education, its astonishing list of graduates, and its
Production
Phoebe Berg
Copy Editors
Joanna Yas
Ellen Davidson
RE:D
Parsons The New School for Design
starring role in the history of American fashion. My hearty appreciation goes out to
Tim Gunn and the faculty, staff, students, and alumni on this milestone year.
66 Fifth Ave., 7th Floor
New York, NY 10011
[email protected]
PARSONS
USPS 760-830
Volume 23, Number 7, May 2006
Paul Goldberger, Dean
Parsons The New School for Design
www.parsons.newschool.edu/dean
PARSONS is published ten times a
year in September, October, November,
December, January, April, May, June, July,
and August by
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Periodicals rate paid at New York, NY.
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www.parsons.newschool.edu/RE:D
above: Dean Paul Goldberger. Photo by Nick Ferrari ’03.
front and back cover: Runway shots from 2004 and 2005 Parsons
Benefit and Fashion Shows. inside front cover: Detail from Jordan
Dennett’s ’06 sketch for the Fashion Centennial project. For more
information see page 7.
CONTENTS
CONTRIBUTORS
LETTER FROM THE RE:DITOR
features
10 Fashion in the Making: 100 Years of Parsons
by Stéphane Houy-Towner
Happy 100th Birthday, Parsons Fashion Design! Need I say you
look fabulous? Oh, it’s not just that impressive list of alumni
you’ve been wearing for the last century, or the decades of
fantastic fashion you’ve given us, or even your exotic, Paris-
16 A Century of Iconic Parsons Fashion meets-New York history. Everyone knows it takes more than a
Illustrations by Richard Rosenfeld ’67
splashy past to make it in the fashion industry, and what has
18 Making It Work: Tim Gunn
kept you a cut above the rest is your ability to roll with the runways, change with the times, and take a good risk when you see
it. To celebrate, we’ve put together a very special issue of RE:D,
replete with all sorts of goodies, including stunning sketches
from faculty member Richard Rosenfeld ’67 (page 16), an interview with the ever-charming Fashion Design Chair Tim Gunn
(page 18), and the student sketches of now-famous alumni, as
discovered in the archives by Fashion’s tenacious Associate
carmela spinelli is the associate chair
of the Fashion Design Department. She
has worked for such luxury companies
as Saks Fifth Avenue and LVMH Moët
Hennessy-Louis Vuitton. She has a master’s degree in the history of decorative
arts from the Cooper-Hewitt, National
Design Museum and Parsons The New
School for Design.
stéphane houy-towner is a research
associate with the Metropolitan
Museum of Art’s Costume Institute and
a fashion and accessories scholar. He is
the co-curator of the museum’s exhibition Rara Avis: Selections from the Iris
Barrel Apfel Collection, and has been a
contributing editor to Elle Décor and
Grolier’s The New Book of Knowledge.
Chair Carmela Spinelli (page 30).
In fact, it has been such a joy to put together this (and every!)
by June Weir
22 Hot Shots: Photography and Fashion Collaborate
by Michelle Bogre
news at parsons
5
Oscar de la Renta honored . . . Illustration takes on Current magazine . . . Fashion provides Parsons retrospective . . . Design and Technology collaborates with Comedy Central
issue of RE:D that it is with very mixed feelings that I announce
my own departure from Parsons. For the last three years, I have
profiles
had one of the best jobs imaginable—creating a publication that
30 RE:TROSPECT Commemorative Stamps
by Carmela Spinelli
reflects the intelligence, vitality, caring, and beauty that all of
you put into the world on a daily basis. The experience has been
nothing short of incredible, and I thank you for it.
As for the future—keep sending Parsons news of your many
achievements and projects! In return, RE:D’s incomparable staff
of editors, writers, and designers will continue to amaze you with
beautiful issues.
Best,
Faculty member june weir was the
former vice president of Fairchild
Publications, where she served as both
fashion editor and assistant publisher
of Women’s Wear Daily and W. She has
also worked as the news editor for
Vogue, the deputy style editor for the
New York Times magazine, the executive fashion editor for Harper’s Bazaar,
and contributing editor for Mirabella.
richard rosenfeld ’67 is a faculty
member in the Fashion Design
Department. He has worked as a fashion artist at Women’s Wear Daily and
as an illustrator for a number of department stores, including Neiman Marcus.
His work has appeared in Vogue,
Seventeen, Brides, the New York Times,
and WWD Illustrated: 1960s–1990s
(Fairchild Books & Visuals, 2003).
Mira Jacob, Editor-in-Chief
32 Giving: Donna Karan ’68
33 RE:SPOND Peter Som ’97
in every issue
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4
8
24
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Letter from the Dean
Letter from the RE:DITOR
You Tell Us: Letters to the RE:DITOR
RE:TINA Making a Scene in New York
RE:COGNITION Reunion
RE:CORD Class Notes
LOOKING FOR THE NEXT RE:DITOR
Mira Jacob’s departure from RE:D leaves a hole in our
staffing as well as our hearts. If you are an experienced
this page: Fashion Design Department graduate Cara Enteles’s ’87 painting is
featured in her exhibition Spider Stories currently running in West Palm Beach, FL.
www.caraenteles.com
Chair and faculty member of the
Department of Photography,
michelle bogre is a photographer,
writer, and intellectual property lawyer.
Her work has appeared in numerous
magazines and books. One of her
photographs is featured in the show
The Way We Worked currently on
display at the National Archives in
Washington, D.C.
matthew sussman is an eclectic
photographer, director, and producer
whose work has ranged from international documentary television to makeover reality shows. He is currently on
staff at The New School.
editor with sensational design sensibility, an ability
to connect people and ideas, a flair for writing, and
a passion for Parsons, we’d like to hear from you.
Details of this job description can be found at:
www.newschool.edu/admin/hr/joblist.htm.
news at parsons
you tell us
Letters to the RE:DITOR
Spotlight on 2006 Benefit Honoree
Oscar de la Renta
In the last issue we asked, “Which fashion designer
has had the most influence on your work?”
Various designers have influenced my work, but the one I
admire most is Rei Kawakubo of Comme des Garçons. She
Before David Chu, founder of
Elsa Schiaparelli has had the
Nautica, left the company
most influence on my work.
From high-end couture to affordable jeans and linens
to launch his own signature
She stands alone as an innova-
to perfume, Oscar de la Renta’s expansive reach has
label, I had the opportunity
tor and visionary way beyond
had a significant impact on the world of fashion for
to work very closely with him.
her time. She transcended the
the past 40 years. Well known for his luxurious, femi-
Chu was committed to drawing
traditional approach to design
nine, fairytale-like designs worn by “ladies who lunch”
inspiration from authentic
by pushing the boundaries
and top celebrities, de la Renta has dressed the likes
sources through research. He
to the max, whether through
of Sarah Jessica Parker and Beyoncé, as well as First
was also devoted to simple,
construction, form, or textiles.
Ladies Laura Bush, Hillary Clinton, Nancy Reagan, and
functional design. From him,
It still remains important for
Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. In recent years, de la
I learned how to take a design
designers today to provide a
Renta has broadened his clientele with a more acces-
aesthetic and consistently
commentary on society through
sible label geared toward younger women. The iconic
apply it to any product, be it
their connections to art and
designer is this year’s honoree at the Parsons Benefit
furniture or dress.
culture. No one serves as
and Fashion Show.
thinks independently of the industry, yet she is not isolated.
ben ewy
She consistently explores and pushes boundaries. The
fashion design ’98
clothes have humor and functionality and are intelligent and
provocative on various levels. They are beautifully made
There isn’t one fashion design-
inside and outside. photographs: courtesy of Alpana Bawa
er who has had the most influ-
alpana bawa
fashion design ’80
better inspiration for achieving
“For 100 years Parsons has been at the heart of New
this goal than Schiaparelli!
York fashion, shaping the education of so many talented
fiona dieffenbacher
design students,” says de la Renta. “It is a great honor for me to receive this dis-
fashion design ’90
tinction from the school and I look forward to meeting the class of 2006.”
At the age of 18, de la Renta left his home in the Dominican Republic and headed
ence on my work. However,
to Madrid, where he began his studies in painting at the Academy of San
if I had to choose a fashion
Fernando. He quickly shifted his focus to fashion, and began sketching for some
house, I would say Viktor and
of Spain’s leading designers. After interning at Cristóbal Balenciaga, de la Renta
Rolf. I look to them to help
moved to Paris where he was hired as a couture assistant at Antonio Castillo’s
me generate new concepts
house of Lanvin. In 1963, de la Renta relocated to New York City. He began work-
and ideas.
ing with Elizabeth Arden and then, in 1965, struck out on his own with his ready-
minna kau
to-wear label. He has since gone on to create a number of lines, including
fashion design ’02
accessories, wedding dresses, swimwear, jewelry, lingerie, cosmetics, eyewear,
and menswear. De la Renta has received a number of high-profile awards
throughout the years, including the Coty American Fashion Critics’ Award (twice)
next in re:d Continuing the year of
you tell us Which interior space has had the most
and the CFDA Womenswear Designer of the Year Award. sarah kricheff
centennials, Interior Design turns 100!
influence on your work? Send your answer to
this page: Photo and sketch courtesy of Oscar de la Renta
Our fall 2006 issue will examine how
[email protected], or RE:D Editors, Parsons,
Parsons alumni have shaped the
66 Fifth Ave., 7th Fl., New York, NY 10011. Selected
environments we know and love.
answers will be printed in the fall 2006 issue of RE:D.
Hands On Illustration
When the staff of Current magazine contacted the Parsons
Illustration Department for artwork, they got a lot more than
they bargained for. A student-run magazine published by
Harvard University and Newsweek Inc., Current had
originally approached Parsons looking for illustrations for
the quarterly publication.
“We told them that not only could we provide them with
some illustrations, we could actually take care of all of their
illustration needs,” says Illustration Chair Steven
Guarnaccia. “From there, things have really taken off.”
The winter 2005 issue of Current features more than 15 illustrations and photographs by Parsons students and has led
to an expanding role for the Illustration Department.
A Nod to the Past with an Eye on the Future
Fashion Design’s seniors are looking
The senior class looked at the history
This year’s design project industry part-
“We’ve gotten to the point where we’re essentially art direct-
toward the future, but they haven’t forgot-
of Parsons—from its origins as The Chase
nerships include Carsten’s Suede and
ing the illustrations for the magazine,” says Illustration fac-
ten the past. In light of this year’s Fashion
School of Art, which primarily focused on
Leather; Italian textiles from mills in Como
ulty member Dan Nadel, who quickly realized the best way to
Centennial, students have researched the
the study of painting and drawing—and
with the Italian Trade Organization:
handle the challenge was to weave it into the existing curric-
department’s history and focused on
proposed a collection of designs inspired
Boselli, Gd.A, Gentili, Guest, Mantero,
ulum and introduced the project into the Junior Concepts
inspiring alumni, acknowledging the pres-
by many of the facets that make Parsons
Larusmiani, Taroni, and Teseo; SAGA Furs;
class. Students were pitched the overall project and given
ent state of fashion. The collaborative
the school it is today: Architecture,
Solstiss/Bucol silk and lace; and
briefs about specific articles. Then they began to work.
project will result in a collection compris-
Interior Design, Lighting, Communication
Swarovski crystal. sarah kricheff
“Fun but difficult,” is how Illustration junior Devin McGrath
ing 14 looks, which will be presented in
Design, Design and Technology,
the Benefit and Fashion Show on May 8.
Illustration, Fine Arts, Photography, and
’07 classifies the experience. “We were given a rough idea of
above: Mackenzie Blue Hernandez’s ’06 sketches
for the fashion centennial project
Product Design.
what was needed, and told that it may or may not be published, but the fact that it could actually go out into the
Gaming on the Go
world and be seen was new. It was a little intimidating.”
It is an intimidation that Guarnaccia, the former art director
Tom Akel ’04 knows about portable gaming. This spring, the MFADT alumnus and producer for
of the New York Times Op-Ed page, feels is essential to the Comedy Central packed his classroom to capacity for a collaborative studio course involving the
growth of smart illustrators.
Viacom-owned entertainment company and Parsons. “We’re developing mini-games that tie into
“...the fact that it
“Our goal is to get students to engage with what’s going on in the larger
episodes of the made-for-mobile series ‘Samurai Love God,’” he says. “It’s great to see the students’
could actually go out
world,” he says. “I think that there’s a potential for thinking deeply through
reaction to the material. It’s Comedy Central, so it’s not all that [politically correct]. But my students
pictures that happens more in editorial work than in a lot of screen-based
have absorbed the episodes and come up with great ideas.”
into the world and be
seen was new. It was
stuff. Editorial illustration is about expressing your opinion in as direct a way
Students work in teams to create the structure and narrative for the games. Each group is responsible
as possible, and they’re learning how to do that.”
for developing various aspects of the “world,” and tasked with producing different mini-games within
above: Illustration by Devin McGrath ’07, originally published in the winter 2005 issue of
Current magazine
the main environment. “They’re quick and fast-paced games that utilize the keypad,” says Akel.
“You’re limited by the technology to a point, but handsets will evolve to become more game-centric.”
a little intimidating.”
And what’s the future of mobile gaming? “The next big step will be multiplayer games. The best part
about mobile is that you can be anywhere and still play with your friends.” kate evanishyn
left: Image from upcoming animation mobile phone series, “Samurai Love God”
Re:Tina
Making a Scene in New York
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anarchy to affluence opening, january 9, 2006 1. The exhibition window display at 66 Fifth Avenue 2. Designers Laura Bohn, Joseph Lembo ’77,
and Joan Kron 3. Christopher Mount, director of exhibitions and public programs, design author/editor Suzy Slesin, and designer Joan Kron
4. Clothing by designers Betsy Johnson, Norma Kamali, and Stephen Sprouse 5. Daniel Aubry and designer Clodagh 6. Timeline of newsworthy
events 7. Dean Paul Goldberger and Suzy Slesin 8. Joseph Lembo and Laura Bohn. Photos by Marty Heitner
design workshop opening november 7, 2005 1. Peter Wheelwright,
chair, Architecture, Interior Design & Lighting and Roseanne Haggerty,
Common Ground Community 2. Faculty members James Garrison and
Terry Erickson 3. AIDL students Nicholas Locke (M.Arch) ’06 and Janet
Yee (M.Arch) ’06 4. Director MFA Lighting Program Derek Porter and
Director BFA in Architectural Design Laura Briggs, faculty member
5. Faculty member Matthew Baird and Dean Paul Goldberger 6. AIDL
student Huy Bui (M.Arch) ’07. Photos by Nick Ferrari ’03
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at the parsons table: bruce mau, December 15, 2005 1. MoMA
design curator Paola Antonelli and faculty member Susan Yelavich
2. Artist Priscilla Heine, Adolfo Zaralegui, and Kay Unger ’67 3. Dean
Paul Goldberger and Bruce Mau 4. Bruce Mau 5. Associate Dean
Tim Marshall, designer Stefan Sagmeister, and Christopher Mount
6. Associate Vice President of Development and Alumni Relations
Lucretia Cavan, Stephanie Borynack, and James R. Borynack ’67.
Photos by Marty Heitner
Cutting fashionable dresses and pantsuits out of government surpluses of cotton weather balloons, McCardell’s
Fashion in the Making
fashions were not just a feat of frugality (they managed to
use almost every last scrap of fabric), but determined a new
ease in women’s clothing that demanded its own category:
100 Years of Parsons
sportswear. Not to be confused with today’s Lycra-infused
activewear, ladies sportswear of the 1940s took its name
by stéphane houy-towner
from the simple fact it let women move, hands free, through
their daily lives.
McCardell’s aesthetic has become the
foundation of what we have come to know
in fashion as American style.
Leaving behind the restriction of the corsets, girdles, and
fussy fabrics, McCardell’s cotton and denim dresses hung
claire mccardell ’28
commenting on student design in 1955
Frank Alvah Parsons responded to the design climate by
1920s fashion illustration class
at parsons paris
from the shoulders, flattering a variety of different body
shapes. By applying her sportswear ideal to every possible
application—from day wear to evening wear, from swimwear
opening a satellite school at Place de Vosges in 1920.
to accessories—McCardell’s disregard for convention result-
Originally dubbed Paris Ateliers, Parsons Paris was the first
ed in fresh, versatile designs with real staying power. Think
American visual arts school to offer a full-time program of
little wrap dresses, pedal pushers, spaghetti straps, and
study abroad, and soon drew students from Austria, Sweden,
ballerina slippers (made walk-worthy)! Just as innovative
If you love American fashion, you love Parsons. As outland-
ally meant one of two things: costume design for a burgeon-
Switzerland, and Russia. It also allowed American students
was her sense of play: By dressing down evening wear and
ish as this statement may seem, it reflects the inextricable
ing Hollywood, or copying designs from style-makers in
to travel across the Atlantic and throughout Europe, and
gussying up day wear, by applying dress necklines to bath-
bond between the fashion industry, the country, and the
Europe. While the school’s namesake, Frank Alvah Parsons,
instructed them according to Frank Alvah Parsons’ vision.
ing suits and experimenting with drapé effects by wrapping
school. Launched in 1906, Parsons’ Fashion Design
made his mark on art education by insisting that students
Unlike other institutions that prepared students for a singu-
fabric panels, she created a new fashion language out of
Department was the first in the country and has demonstrat-
embrace both art and design history and current trends,
lar task (as with Paul Poiret’s Atelier Martine), the Parsons
stuffy dictums. The sleek lines and impeccable cuts spoke
ed enormous staying power through resilience, ingenuity,
reinterpreting them for an American sensibility, he was far
Paris campus taught students to think in broader terms of
for themselves. What was once reviled as unfashionable
and an ability not just to evolve with the times, but to antici-
ahead of his time. “Clothing design will undergo a revolution
design, honing their own vision while learning about
became “modern” and across the Atlantic, even the French
pate them. The end result? The highly coveted graduating
in this century, the scope of which history has never seen,”
Western culture, art history, and design from the day’s
were ready to praise the new American je ne sais quoi.
class and generations of designers responsible for the
he stated in 1906, and while prophetic, the reality of the
visionaries, like Jean-Michel Frank and Van Day Truex.
modernity and grace that has come to define American style.
fashion revolution in America would take decades to begin.
Think Claire McCardell ’28 and Donna Karan ’68, and you’ve
got the classic underpinnings; think Narciso Rodriguez ’82
and Marc Jacobs ’84 and you’ve got the layers of elegance
cut by cool; think Proenza Schouler ’02, Matthew Earnest ’03,
and Ashleigh Verrier ’04, and you’ve got an idea of which
If the 1920s opened spectacularly with the founding of Paris
Simply put, until World War II, American fashion was
Parsons, they closed just as spectacularly with the 1928
Eurocentric. The big ideas happened in Paris and were
graduation of designer Claire McCardell. While McCardell’s
quickly copied by the thousands of sewing hands in New
1930s innovations such as mix-and-match separates were
York. American women relied on designers like Jean Patou
brilliant, America’s isolation from Paris couturiers, as well as
and Madeleine Vionnet to dictate everything from their hem-
the shortage of materials available during World War II, ulti-
line to the color and fabrics that they wore. What little exist-
mately gave spark to her real ingenuity and vision. Along
But back to the beginning, because like any Cinderella story,
ed of authentic “American style” was thought subordinate to
with the later work of Norman Norell ’21, McCardell’s aes-
the beginning was hardly glamorous. In fact, ugly truth be
la mode parisienne, and its production labeled shoddy.
thetic has become the foundation of what we have come to
way the bustle is hustling these days.
know in fashion as American style.
told, fashion in America in the early part of the century actu-
10
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fashion illustration class at parsons paris, 1982
Harnessing the energy and excitement surrounding American
design, Parsons made another critical leap in 1948, when it initiated the Designer Critic program. The concept was simple, revolutionary, and 100 percent Parsons. Leading designers in the
norman norell ’21
industry began to meet with students several times during their
One of the great masters of classic
senior year, walking them through the design process from the
American style after the war and into the
inception of an idea to conceptual drawing, from fabric selection
1960s was undoubtedly Norman Norell,
to garment construction. The benefits were instantaneous and
whose own label reflected the elegance
mutual: Students gained invaluable professional experience
and refinement of his clientele. Starting
from some of the biggest names in the business, and those big
as costume designer for the Astoria
names caught a first glimpse of the next generation of innova-
Studio of Paramount Pictures in Long
tive thinkers. In fact, the Designer Critic program proved so pop-
Island, the Ziegfeld Follies, and the
ular that a great number of Parsons alumni returned to assist
Greenwich Village Follies, Norman Norell
with its process, ensuring high standards and expectations.
moved on to designing an upscale line of
sportswear for the dress house of Charles
With such lineage to draw upon, it’s no surprise that some 40
Armour in 1924. In 1928, he became a
years after the birth of women’s sportswear, another Parsons
head designer for Hattie Carnegie, where
alumna would harness McCardell’s spirit of innovation and cre-
he did custom work for such clients as
ativity to completely reinvent women’s work wear.
Joan Crawford, Gertrude Lawrence, and
In 1921, Parsons initiated another coup,
setting up the annual student fashion
show, a yearly event held to this day. In
shows presented graduating students’
with Anthony Traina in 1941, Norell was
final projects as professional résumés for
widely celebrated for constructing ready-
Seventh Avenue’s discernable eye.
to-wear clothes on par with French coushirtwaists to sequined “mermaid dress-
the fashion benefit
the spirit of medieval guilds, the fashion
Pola Negri. Forming the Traina-Norell label
ture. His innovative style—from evening
parsons benefit and fashion show, 1993
Originally the shows were actually static
presentations of their creations clad on
norman norell ’21 adjusting a student’s design, 1957
dress forms, but from 1949 onward, live
es” to sailor-inspired clothing—soon
models replaced the dress forms, result-
became staples, while his ability to resur-
ing in the runway shows we have grown
rect the right amount of past, like the che-
accustomed to. A business-minded line-
mise dress of the twenties, made him a
up, the show’s importance was consider-
legend. In 1942, Norell received the first
able in introducing soon-to-be-out-and-
Coty American Fashion Critics Award ever
into-the-workplace talents as budding
presented and he was later inducted into
leaders, not followers. It also equipped
the Coty Hall of Fame. Norell returned to
them for the realities of the multifaceted
Parsons as a critic at the school and later
world of Seventh Avenue, where design-
as a member of the school’s advisory
ers, manufacturers, buyers, and critics
board and of the board of trustees. In
maintain an idiosyncratic coexistence.
1956, Parsons honored him with its
The graduation “litmus test” is now
Medal for Distinguished Achievement.
commonplace in most fashion programs
worldwide.
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designer and critic mary quant speaks to students, 1968
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critics look over student sketches, 1991
adrian ’23: dressing the stars
Gilbert Adrian, the great Metro-GoldwynMayer studio costume designer, helped
mold the Hollywood image of silver screen
sirens from Joan Crawford to Greta Garbo.
A Connecticut native who attended both
Parsons campuses in the early 1920s, he
saw himself first and foremost as an artist. Through pure skill and craftsmanship,
his mastery of impeccable details became
synonymous with 1930s Hollywood glamour. His genius as a costume designer was
simple: he complemented the actresses,
critic donna karan ’68, circa 1980s
but designed with the camera lens and
flood lighting in mind (something
Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel could not master
during her brief stint in Tinsel Town). In
fact, Adrian might be the only American
designer to have bragging rights for out-
A godsend to working women who had spent the previous
decades fighting for equal rights and charging glass ceilings,
Donna Karan single-handedly reimagined women’s corporate
style when she released her prophetically named Essentials line
in 1985. Her bodysuit-based “seven easy pieces” were not only
doing mademoiselle. When he started his
Uniquely American confidence is at
the heart of Karan’s designs, and that
heart has built an empire.
namesake label in Beverly Hills in 1942,
designer gilbert adrian ’23 in the 1950s
© 1978, john engstead/mtpv
shoving the power suit right off the corporate ladder. Opting for
2004 received its Lifetime Achievement Awards as her company
investment pieces that worked on all body types and offered
celebrated its 20th anniversary.
knits into her collection, allowing give where needed and using
them for everything from Giorgio di Sant’Angelo–type leotard
tops to scarf-wrap skirts.
American style. His inverted pyramid
suits, with their larger shoulders and
sleek and extremely versatile, they openly celebrated femininity,
that elusive combination of comfort and style, Karan integrated
he quickly managed to develop a distinct
Surely, Frank Alvah Parsons must have been given a sneak peek
into the future when he declared, “We must prepare our
American designers to create from natural resources using our
own environment.” How else to explain the persistence of a pro-
Uniquely American confidence is at the heart of Karan’s designs,
gram that has met, at every turn, the growing needs of an indus-
and that heart has built an empire. From her astounding first col-
try that barely existed when it was formed? Promoting industry
lection, Donna Karan has built a design stronghold that today
savvy and design smarts, Parsons has suffused the fashion
spans men’s wear, beauty, home furnishings, and fragrance,
world with innovative thinkers who can not only lead an imprac-
and earned her the media nickname the “Queen of Seventh
tical industry, but take the kinds of bold risks that rearrange the
Avenue.” One of the most celebrated and influential designers of
dressing room. What will the next century of Parsons Fashion
the last 30 years, she has been saluted by the Council of Fashion
bring? While we may not be able to predict the exact shape of
Designers of America (CFDA) an unprecedented six times, and in
the future, we can promise you this: We’ll be wearing it.
14
parsons fashion greats: adri (adri steckling-coen
)’58 gilbert adrian ’23 natalia allen ’04 ronald amey ’59 mark
badgley ’85 lee bailey ’43 jeffrey banks ’75 travis banton ’15 bill blass ’49 bill brandt ’78 jennifer breeden ’05
tom brigance ’34 donald brooks ’51 mark brower ’83 albert capraro ’64 ronnie stern chalif ’53 louis clausen
’50 jo copeland ’17 louis dell’olio ’69 carrie donovan ’50 matthew earnest ’03 margaret el ’83 bradle erickson
’88 joan falk ’55 alan flusser mario forte ’51 alex fung ’87 lucille gambill ’19 geoffrey gertz ’85 william
giardiello ’59 margaret green ’86 gigi guerra ’95 prabal gurung ’01 tina hagen ’81 jack hargis ’43 nell harrison
’47 isabelle hartshoon ’56 gordon henderson ’84 lazaro hernandez ’02 kim hicks ’91 einar holiloekk ’99 robin
howe ’82 belinda hughes ’81 ruthanne tuttle iselin ’61 marc jacobs ’84 jerome jessup ’86 bosha johnson jane
justin ’58 donna karan ’68 herbert kasper ’49 patrick kelly ’78 barry kielselstein-cord ’65 joe klein ’53 jed
krascella ’78 mark kroeker ’91 derek lam ’90 deanna cohen littell ’60 philip lustig ’52 joseph macaluso ’50
rosanne marsi ’75 laura mavolakos ’80 claire mccardell ’28 emmett mccarthy ’88 jack mccollough ’02 alastair
mcrobbie ’73 james mischka ’85 isaac mizrahi ’82 john moore ’50 mark mooring ’23 george nardiello ’48 gene
neil ’55 mitzi newhouse ’25 charlotte neuville ’73 eugene nordquist ’56 norman norell ’21 kandi ohno ’60
mildred orrick ’28 sandra packales fine ’54 patricia pastor ’76 joe pescatore ’78 carmelo pomodoro ’77 carmine
porcelli ’66 wayne preble ’51 tracy reese ’84 doo ri ’95 frank rizzo ’58 bill robinson ’69 patrick robinson ’89
narciso rodriguez ’82 dominic rompolo ’64 alina roytberg ’84 francesca sammaritano ’89 brett sandler ’05
stewart schrieber ’50 joel schumacher ’65 behnaz serafpour ’92 irene sharaff ’25 caroline schlala simonelli ’59
donald simonelli ’59 cosmo sirchio ’63 steven slowik ’81 w. preston smith ’58 willi smith ’59 mia fonssagrives
solow ’64 peter som ’97 peter speliopoulos ’82 edward spraza ’50 danielle steele ’66 cynthia steffe ’81 steven
stolman ’80 jennifer story ’66 anna sui ’73 james taratino jeanne thompson ’57 vicki tiel ’64 zang toi ’84 robert
tonner ’75 kay unger ’67 ashleigh verrier ’04 michael j. vollbracht ’68 mark waldrop ’87 chester weinberg ’51
michael west ’85 max wilson ’78 ed wittstein ’49 ervin wyatt ’46 george yasbek ’52
15
small waists, are his most iconic, but he
also created equally popular draped
dresses and dramatic evening gowns. One
of his greatest commercial successes was
a dress version of the “poor girl dress” he
designed for Carol Landis in The Powers
Girl (1943). Almost ten years later, it was
still such a popular order among his clients that he refused to make another or
have it photographed.
Images appear courtesy of the Anna-Maria and
Stephen Kellen Archives.
Looking Back:
A Century of
Iconic Parsons
Fashion
1900 parsons costume designer
(anonymous, from 1912 catalog)
1950 norman norell ’21
1930 tom brigance ’34
illustrations
by richard rosenfeld ’67
1920 claire mccardell ’28
2000 proenza schouler ’02
1990 marc jacobs ’84
1970 willi smith ’59
1960 joel schumacher ’65
1960
Joel Schumacher ’65
1980 donna karan ’68
1940 gilbert adrian ’23
Making It Work
Fashion Design Chair Tim Gunn Takes Good Risks
by june weir
Hailed by the New York Times as the “unlikely
heartthrob” of Bravo’s hit television show,
How would you describe or compare Parsons’ fashion curriculum
with these other schools?
We are the “real world” design school, meaning we’re about
Project Runway, Tim Gunn’s mounting success-
reality and the business aspect. We’re constantly challenging the
es with Parsons’ Fashion Design program are
student: Who is the customer? What is the price point? Where do
hardly unlikely. Going against tradition, making
you see it being sold? If students say, “Bergdorf Goodman” we
ask, “Which floor? And next to whom?” One of my axioms is,
bold curricular choices, and believing in his stu-
“We’re not designing floats in a parade.” And we’re not doing
dents’ ability to rise to a good challenge,
wearable art. If it cannot get into a taxi, it’s not valid. The whole
Gunn’s changes have led to an impressive generation of designers whose talents match their
culture of commerce is a very important dialogue here.
How strong is the fashion department?
It is the largest department. I would say that our Fashion Design
ambitions. I caught up with him during a rare
alumni have the largest public profiles and there are so many of
moment of peace at his office in the heart of the
them. When I got here there were 220 students, next fall there
fashion district.
will be close to 600.
What is your biggest satisfaction from being the chair of fashion
design at Parsons?
What do you feel a new young designer must have to make
Working with the students and interacting with them. It is a huge
it to the top today?
thrill when they graduate and are successful—like when Julie
They have to believe in what they are doing and love what they
Gilhart of Barneys bought the Proenza Schouler collection spon-
are doing. Their portfolio should demonstrate their talent, their
taneously off the Parsons runway during the senior show. When
vision, their point of view as a designer. They also have to know
that happened I said out loud, “If this happens every ten years
what they don’t know and have people around them who do.
we’re lucky.” And every year there has been a collection bought
What other design schools do you consider Parsons’
from the senior class: Matthew Earnest, Brette Sandler, Ashleigh
competition?
Verrier—it’s been phenomenal! So now there’s a buzz from edi-
Without Parsons and F.I.T.—both—there wouldn’t be an American
tors, designers, and the industry about “what’s going on at
fashion industry. We do things differently and that’s why we’re
Parsons.”
good partners. On the West Coast, it’s Otis. Internationally, it’s
What has been the most crucial change to the fashion curriculum
Central St. Martin’s and the Royal College of Art, though the lat-
in the last ten years?
ter is only a graduate school.
The transition from Parsons’ senior year capstone, the Designer
Critic program, to the senior year Thesis Collection. It has completely repositioned the department within the fashion industry
and within education, and I’m thrilled about it. Students have
18
19
gone from working as a kind of assistant to a top designer—say,
Were there drawbacks to losing the Designer Critic program?
a Donna Karan or a Marc Jacob—to creating a collection based
The Designer Critic program is still alive and well, but it is now
entirely on their individual design philosophy.
in the junior year. That’s where it really belongs. It’s a good expe-
What brought that change about?
rience for the students to have but not at the senior level.
When I first arrived as the acting chair of the fashion department
Have you noticed a difference in the quality and vision of the
in August 2000, the curriculum had barely changed in 50 years.
student work since the change?
Frankly, it was tired. Students were working hard, but they
I really feel that the former program was a dressmaking school
weren’t working smart. Each senior created one garment a
and not a design department. The quality was there, but it was
semester under the direction of the designer critic, and as a
of a certain sort. In terms of apparel that they would actually
result, too much depended on the designers, who were fre-
make, there was so little of it—two garments—and it really didn’t
quently too busy to meet and who had the last say in everything.
represent their point of view unless they were very lucky and had
Even the faculty were not allowed to participate in the decision
a critic with whom they had synergy. But now, from the day they
making. Problematic, to say the least! Here we needed to get stu-
arrive here as sophomores we are asking, who are you as a
dents to think independently as early as possible and the
designer and what do you have to say? What we’re getting is a
Designer Critic program was breeding dependency! I found the
feeling for individuals, each of whom can design within a very
whole setup to be embarrassing.
specific and constrained design brief, but still bring their individ-
What did you do?
I said, “We have to start from scratch. We have to jettison.” So
ual vision to that. And I do believe strongly that we are a design
department, now.
in fall 2001, we introduced a new curriculum for sophomore
Switching gears a little—your role on Project Runway has
through senior year. There were incredible risks because you
certainly brought attention to Parsons. How does the show affect
don’t do curriculum development that way—you fold it in. But
the school?
the prospect of seniors going through two more years of design-
I hope that people recognize that it really portrays fashion for
er critics projects was appalling to me.
what it is. I even had parents of our students call and say,
What was the reaction?
“Thank you, I now understand what my son or daughter does
It was dramatic! I met with the juniors and I said to them, “What
there all day.”
would you say if I were to tell you that I would like to take the
And how has it changed your own life?
senior year Designer Critic program away?” There weren’t groans
It has allowed me to have dinner with Sarah Jessica Parker, who
or outcries. They were looking at each other. Someone asked,
is a huge fan of the show! But seriously, I’m so proud to be
“Well, what would be in its place?” I said, “I want to put a senior
associated with a show that is such high quality and has seri-
year Thesis Collection in place. You own it. You guide it. You
ousness of purpose and integrity. I’m looking forward to season
direct it. You make it. This collection should represent your
three.
vision, who you are as a designer, and how you want the industry to perceive you as you graduate.” Well, they were standing
and cheering. I thought, thank God! But then I broke the reality
to them, that this was actually a huge risk because in the
Designer Critic project, while some of them could just sleepwalk
through the motions, now they were going to be on their own.
Before, if they were struggling the department would move in
and help them. But if they crash and burn on this thesis, they do
it on their own. When I was done talking, they looked a little
more sober.
20
21
previous page: Tim Gunn. Photograph by Matthew Sussman. this page, clockwise
from top left: Lazaro Hernandez ’02 of Proenza Schouler, Peter Arnold of CFDA,
Jack McCollough ’02 of Proenza Schouler at the Parsons Benefit and Fashion Show,
2004; Blouse and pants from the senior thesis collection of Proenza Schouler; Gold
Thimble Winner Ashleigh Verrier ’04 flanked by fans at the Parsons Benefit and
Fashion Show, 2004; Matt Earnest ’03 and Bianca Cortinas ’03
Hot Shots
Photography and Fashion
Collaborate
by michelle bogre
Parsons + fashion + photography + New York City. Seems like a winning
combination, and now, after three years, the collaborative effort
between Parsons’ Photography and Fashion Departments is producing
remarkable work. Partnering with Drive-In Studios, one of the city’s
premier professional shooting spaces, and established fashion designers like MaxMara, USA, as well as professional modeling and stylist
agencies, photography students have been taking pictures of fashion
students’ thesis collections, producing a professional-quality look
book for all involved. The fashion photography students were guided
by faculty member Thomas Werner.
“Our relationship with Thomas Werner and
Now in its third year, the fashion photogra-
his fashion photography students is our
phy sequence has produced talented young
most successful cross-departmental
fashion shooters such as Frej Hedenberg ’08
collaboration,” says Tim Gunn, chair of
and John Vitale ’05, who were both featured
the Department of Fashion Design, who
as Surface magazine “Avant Guardians.”
enthusiastically embraced the idea when
Jesse Chun is a current senior whose portfo-
approached three years ago. “I believe
lio earned her an assignment to shoot this
that this is because we are dealing with
year’s Fashion Week for Korean W magazine.
real professional experiences and issues
Editors at W were so impressed by her work
that seriously impact both disciplines,
that they’re in discussions with Chun about
not theory or contrivances.”
another assignment.
“Being a fashion photographer has been my
ambition since I was 16,” says Chun. “I
doubted my vision at times, but I was fortunate to have great
professors like Thomas Werner who challenged and believed
in me. The people in my class and my instructor helped me
see how my personal identity was translating into my images, even in the subtlest ways: my lighting or the way I moved
the models. You learn a lot when you have different voices in
one place working to pursue the same thing—creating beauty. I enjoyed being in this environment, it fueled my creative
energy and challenged me to sculpt my vision to make it
truly my own.”
22
23
opposite: Photograph by Julie Halverson above: Center photograph by Julie
Halverson, top and bottom photographs by Jesse Chun
re:COGNITION
re:cord
Dear graduates:
What can we expect to see at the fair this year?
This month, many of you will attend the annual
International Contemporary Furniture Fair (ICFF) and
the new International Interiors NY conferences here.
Recently, Product Design Department Chair Tony
Whitfield and I discussed how Parsons students and
alumni use ICFF as a stepping stone to advancing
elaine cappiello
Associate Director for
Alumni Relations
their careers.
How many of your former students do you run into
at ICFF? Going to ICFF feels like a reunion. Last year,
I saw alumni who came from as far away as Tokyo
and El Salvador and as “close” as Kansas City. They
use ICFF as a meeting place and as a way to find an
internship or network for their next job. As the fair
continues to embrace much more than furniture, students use it to shop around for companies that might
be the right fit for them.
We recently collaborated with the House of Design
AAS
(now the House of Form) in Sweden, Konstfack
robert olsen ’70 was a featured lecturer
University College of Arts in Stockholm, and the St.
at a discussion on Victorian row homes at
Etienne School of Art and Design in France. This year
the Bayonne Public Library in New Jersey.
for our ICFF booth, we worked with these partners to
Olsen discussed his restoration projects
design, build, and install three flat-pack small-scale
ICFF opened participation to schools about five years
ago; we’ve exhibited ever since. Getting in is a competitive process, so I’m extremely proud of our
achievement. It’s something no other school of art
dwellings that will eventually become self-sustaining,
shirley kaneda’s ’76 abstract art
catherine rapetti ’04 started a line of
published eat.shop.portland, a guide
ecological lodging in the town of Hällefors, Sweden.
pieces—mixed-media art that incorpo-
accessories carried by a number of bou-
to unique restaurants and stores in
What do you see in the future for product design stu-
rates oil, watercolor, and digital treatment
tiques. Her collection can be seen at
Portland, OR. She signed a national dis-
dents and alumni? I suspect that Product Design
on paper canvases—were featured in Art
www.catherinerapetti.com.
tribution contract with Ten Speed Press,
alumni will continue to be in every nook and cranny
on Paper magazine.
ayumu sugawara ’05 is designing Asian-
of the design industries. Our students possess amaz-
martin raffone ’95 designed a pent-
inspired fashions in her hometown of
ing flexibility as remarkably engaged collaborators.
house in Manhattan and the project was
They are terrific leaders who know how to form mean-
published in New York Home magazine.
ingful alliances and embrace design as a tool to
shalini kumar ’96 was the featured
designer at the Linly Heflin Scholarship
Luncheon and Fashion Show.
albert hadley ’49 published a retro-
We’re celebrating with a reunion cocktail party for all
sonya wu ’97 is a lighting designer in
spective of his career with Parish Hadley,
even numbered class years on Monday, May 22, at
Hong Kong, where she designed the Tsuen
distributed by Rizzoli. A large collection of
the W Hotel, Union Square. We hope you’ll drop by
Wan District Council’s 20th anniversary
his drawings were exhibited in the fall of
our booth to see what our students are up to.
celebration lights.
2005 as part of the Southport, CT commu-
improve the world. For more information, see
debra torres ’99 launched an epony-
....... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .........................................................................................................
( ) ms first name
last name
(maiden name)
class year
( ) mrs
( ) mr ....... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .........................................................................................................
address
city / state
zip code
....... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .........................................................................................................
email address
A check for $ . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . is enclosed, made payable to Parsons The New School for Design.
shirt. www.debratorres.com
of the International Design Center, a proj-
....... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .........................................................................................................
exp. date
....... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .........................................................................................................
signature
For more information, call 212.229.8590 x4395, or email [email protected].
her MFA in painting from New York Univer­
performing arts events for children diagnosed with cancer and their families.
in New York City. Currently, she is a free-
She works at New Jersey Institute of
lance illustrator and commission artist
Technology and volunteers at The Newark
in Connecticut.
Museum.
teresa rampolla ’99 has joined Hillier
Architecture in New York.
Elle magazine for her fair trade and indig-
nandini mukherjee ’01, who owns and
enous-craft home goods and accessories
runs the Indian Bread Company, was fea-
company, SURevolution, based in Bogotá,
tured in the New York Sun.
25
Brooklyn.
elizabeth rosen ’88 illustrated the article “Who Is a Latina?” in the September
issue of DiversityInc magazine.
susan mclaughlin rosen ’92 earned
sity after working as an interior designer
Colombia.
Los Angeles, Austin, Chicago, and
ect under development in Naples, FL.
Foundation, which provides access to
dina rothstein ’02 made the pages of
Please charge $ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . to my Visa, Mastercard, American Express
lished for other cities including Seattle,
Design.
juan montoya ’72 is the design director
Michael Roderick, Jr. Touch of Art Cancer
and her eat.shop guides have been pub-
nity’s Rooms with A View: A Weekend of
reinterpreting the classic Cuban male
Attn: Alumni Relations, 66 Fifth Ave., 7th Fl., New York, NY 10011, or fax 212.229.5408.
card number
Houston, TX.
ARCHITECTURE, INTERIOR
DESIGN, AND LIGHTING
glenda caldwell ’02 founded the
( ) other
After having worked at Marc Jacobs and
In December 2003, kaie wellman ’87
alumni reunion 2006
( ) office
New York.
Doie, a line of loungewear.
Registration Deadline is Friday, May 12, 2006. Tickets: $50.00 per person. RSVP to Parsons The New School for Design,
( ) home
New Jersey.
in the Bayonne area.
mous line of guayabera shirts for women,
telephone
working as an interior designer at NBBJ in
COMMUNICATION DESIGN
and design can claim.
rSVP
bonny leigh wilson ’05 is currently
Lawrence-Mayer-Wilson Interiors in
Ann Taylor, sara kirsner ’03 launched
www.parsons.newschool.edu/productdesign
How long has Parsons participated in ICFF?
meghan dobish ’03 is working for
edward nussbaum ’58, who owned an
advertising agency and worked for several
New York agencies throughout his career,
currently creates cut-paper sculptures
of famous personalities. The works were
presented in an exhibition at the Gallery
at Lincoln Center.
mimi so ’88 is opening her jewelry head-
anne ramsell ’04 is working for
After having seen his designs grace the
sariah carson ’05 is working on her cur-
quarters on Fifth Avenue in New York. The
Starcom, a Chicago-based media
red carpet in Los Angeles for many years,
rent collection, which has been picked up by
12,000-square-foot space will serve as a
agency, as an associate on their LEGO
john agee ’92 is opening a boutique on
Barney’s New York.
home for her high-end jewelry line sup-
account.
the Left Bank in Paris.
clark chung ’05 is an assistant designer
ported by the luxury company Richemont.
julian attia ’05 works in marketing at
andrea lieberman ’92 worked as a stylist
at Calvin Klein.
www.mimiso.com
L’Oréal in New York City.
for such celebrities as Gwen Stefani and
ari merkin ’92 founded the graphic
alana hawawini ’05 has joined AGA
Jennifer Lopez. She is now a featured
FINE ARTS
giovanna “joanne” cecchetti’s ’76
design firm Toy after working at Fallon
Marketing & Design as an assistant
designer for the Mouawad Group, a com-
New York. He has worked at several ad
account executive. AGA is a New York
pany focused on timepieces and jewelry
agencies, most notably Crispin Porter +
City-based full-service creative agency
design.
Bogusky in Miami, where he won the
that specializes in the design and pro-
sonia roy ’92 is teaching fashion
Cannes Grand Prix Film for his Ikea Lamp
New York, William Paterson University in
duction of direct-mail catalogs.
design at Marist College in
project.
New Jersey, and the Midland Gallery in
Hawawini has worked with Tumi,
Poughkeepsie, NY. In addition, she
Montclair, NJ.
johanna guevara ’01 received the Inno­
Country Club Plaza, The Metropolitan
anthony turtu’s ’85 recently pub-
designs sleepwear and lingerie.
Museum of Art, and Madame Alexander.
lished book Bad Girls: Film Fatales,
anda styler ’83 exhibited her paintings
té-thé nguyen ’95 recently launched his
of New England landscapes and
own ready-to-wear collection after design-
Victorian homes at the Watertown Art
ing for Carolina Herrera and Yves St.
League in Oakville, CT.
Laurent for more than a decade.
kim bernard ’87 had her encaustic and
hae won song ’95 now works as the
sculptural works featured in Portland
director of sportswear at Kasper in New
Monthly magazine as one of five artists
York City.
developing inspiring work in their
kara jones’ ’99 neckwear and accesso-
respective mediums.
ries are showcased at the New York Asia
miguel augusto sison ’93 (MArch ’97)
Society. www.karamiainc.com.
is working as an architect in his native
Perry Ellis to consult on fashion and
tawfik mounayer ’99 is the design
Philippines, where he hosted his first
home furniture endeavors. A member of
director at Liz Lange, overseeing both the
solo exhibition of oil paintings based on
CFDA, he worked at Perry Ellis for more
namesake collection and the Target off-
his experiences in Paris, France.
than a decade.
shoot. His work has been nominated for
dimitar lukanov ’94, who is on the
HISTORY OF DECORATIVE
ART AND DESIGN
recognition by the CFDA and the Fashion
Parsons continuing education faculty,
lisa podos ’92 is a strategy consultant
Group International.
revealed his bronze sculpture Light to
for Copia: The American Center for Wine,
the fashion department of the Iceland
lauren felton ’01 appeared in Elle
Sky at the International Arrivals Hall at
Food, and the Arts, a museum and cul-
Academy of Arts.
magazine discussing her designs, which
John F. Kennedy airport in New York City.
tural center in Napa, CA.
are featured in Los Angeles and New York
olja stipanovic ’98 (BFA), ’00 (MFA)
diane c. wright ’05 used her education
boutiques.
opened a solo exhibition of her drawings
in the decorative arts to help in a study
had her collection of pet beds and acces-
pim sukhahuta ’03 is preparing her
and photographs at the Buzzer Thirty
determining whether or not a stained
sories showcased at Neiman Marcus.
new collection, The Lady and the Fox.
gallery in New York City.
glass window at the A.K. Smiley Public
Her designs are exported from Bangkok,
meredith macnab ’99 is the founder and
Library in Redland, CA, was an authentic
Thailand.
director of Brushmarks, an art school for
jennefer osterhoudt ’04 began her
children in Bermuda.
vation in Design and Corporate Identity
Sirens, and Molls (Collectors Press)
Award at the 2005 National Latino Techno­
logy Achiever Awards Gala Benefit for her
brand identity company, 7ONE8.
DESIGN & TECHNOLOGY
Business Week ran a feature article on
susanne värgåden ’05 received the
andrew michael baron ’03 (MFADT) for
bronze medal from Xerox at their PIXI 2005
his creation Rocketboom, a popular video
awards for her thesis titled Sami—A State
blog on the Internet that focuses on future
of Mind (Toppan, 2005). The book features
technologies and blogging.
Sami people from Scandinavia and New
www.rocketboom.com.
focuses on actresses who played vixens
in classic B movies during the golden
age of film. The work features some 200
vintage photographs, posters, and
lobby cards, and includes an interview
with legendary film diva Angie Dickinson.
York describing their views on being Sami
jerry kaye (kwiatkowski) ’85 recently
in today’s world.
left his position as creative director of
FASHION DESIGN
DESIGN & MANAGEMENT
yeohlee teng ’70 was recently featured
daphne bradbury ’93 works at Merrill
participation in the Kennedy Center’s
Lynch in the office of global markets and
exhibition, The New China Chic. The
investment banking. In addition, she
exhibit highlighted the influence of cul-
designs jewelry and holds a degree in
ture on fashion through the work of 17
diamonds from the Gemological
Chinese and Chinese-American
Institute of America.
designers.
michelle stone’s ’98 jewelry designs,
alpana bawa ’80 launched her first
Citrine by the Stones, appeared in
home collection in 2005. Her fashion
the style section of the Miami Herald
collection is sold in New York and
newspaper.
Los Angeles.
in the Washington Post, discussing her
daisy hu ’99 is the marketing manager
isis mussenden ’82 has worked with
for New Balance Performance
Shrek director Andrew Adamson, and
Outerwear.
designed the wardrobe for the 2005
steinunn sigurd ’86 opened a store in
her native Iceland, where she teaches in
barbara thulin-joyce ’87, owner and
designer for Decadent Digs LLC, recently
derek lam ’90 was honored at the 30th
Annual Dallas Fashion Awards, where he
received the Rising Star Award.
own footwear line in San Francisco,
release of The Chronicles of Narnia: The
Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe.
labeled Jenne O. Born.
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work was shown at several locations in
2005, including the Islip Art Museum in
Theory, Practice, and Career, a course
taught by faculty member Peter Drake,
walks MFA Fine Arts students through the
entire curating process, from selection
and set-up to producing press materials
and catalogs. One of this year’s featured
works: When I Am Real by Timothy Marvel
Hull, pictured above.
jessie nickerson ’03 exhibited her
abstract drawings and paintings at the
Cotuit Center for the Arts in Cotuit, MA.
Tiffany stained-glass window.
IDC
exhibited at the Tewksbury Historical
trey hoyumpa ’02 worked along with
ajna lichau ’00 exhibited her installa-
published book, Sensing the 21st Century
Society and the Myhelan Cultural
other artists and celebrities in designing
tion piece San Shi in the spring 2006
City: The Net City Close-Up and Remote
Arts Center.
one of 75 Mickey Mouse statues that dec-
show, Heavenly Bodies, at the San Jose
(Academy Press). The book, which fea-
janice fried’s ’80 illustrations graced the
orated the Magic Kingdom and were
Museum of Art, CA.
tures work by architects and urban
cover of the Detroit News’ special insert
showcased in 16 different cities. Later,
jane seymour ’05 assisted her mother,
designers, focuses on new technology
dealing with culinary interests. Some of
these six-foot-tall statues were auctioned
Priscilla Feral, with photography for her
and the future of urban design. The event
her other commercial clients include
off by Sothebys. Hoyumpa raised $11,000,
cookbook, Dining With Friends.
was held at Columbia University.
Oxford University Press and the New York
which was given to the scholarship fund
Times. www.janicefried.com
at Parsons.
steve kuzma ’82 was featured in the New
tim tomkinson ’02 was featured in
ILLUSTRATION
Jersey publication Sand Paper, describing
Communication Arts (September/
gail evans’ ’68 paintings, featuring her
his transition from sports figures to land-
October 2005) for his freelance illustra-
scapes in his most recent collection of
tion work. www.timtomkinson.com
erich nagler ’04 is the new assistant
art director for Metropolis magazine.
sondra frances law ’05 designed a
specialized chair to assist in mobility on
airplanes for disabled persons as part of
her senior thesis. Currently, Law is in
discussions with airlines to implement
her design.
landscapes and seascapes, were shown
paintings.
A poster design by pablo a. medina
PRODUCT DESIGN
(Communication Design and Technology)
was chosen to represent the 2006
christine leitner-bartos ’94 is the
Cartagena International Film Festival,
new director of product design and
which presents 150 films from countries
development at Jamie Drake Interiors.
including Argentina, Brazil, Spain, Mexico,
helen ige ’96 was featured in the Los
tony whitfield Chair of Product Design
and Venezuela. The design will be used
held an exhibition of his photographs in
on street posters, site banners, and
schedule guides.
denise dumont ’90 was one of the art-
PHOTOGRAPHY
Angeles Times and the New York Times
as she launched her home design col-
ists in the Lewes, DE area hosting studio
grace madden ’90 joined Mitthoff
Peru, the subject of which was the chore-
lection out of her Los Angeles boutique.
tours. Dumont is also preparing for a
Burton Partners in El Paso, TX as a web
ography of New York-based McArthur
She also creates textiles, clothing, and
solo show in Bishop’s Stock Gallery in
designer. She previously served as
Foundation “genius” award recipient
couture stuffed animals with a pop art
Snow Hill, MD. www.denisedumont.com
co-owner and vice president of Stanton
Elizabeth Streb.
and artisan sensibility.
Street Technology Group.
www.igedesign.com
a BFA from Syracuse University, Margo
er based in Chicago, creating award-win-
kenzo minami ’98 is enjoying success
moved to New York where she quickly
ning theater environments from
in Japan as a graphic designer who is
established a glowing reputation, attract-
non-traditional materials. As noted in
creating limited-edition sneakers, Pump
ing notice as the city’s youngest art direc-
harry weisburd ’59 was invited to
American Theatre magazine, highlights of
Fury, for Reebok. His other fashion pur-
tor for Macmillan and Co., and later for
exhibit his landscapes at the interna-
her Chicago career include a production
suits include collaborations with Nike,
Doubleday. Parsons was one of many cre-
tional exhibition Muestra Internacional
of Cyrano that involved 17th century
Adidas, and Raf Simons, while his
ative communities with which Margo
de Arte Digital in Venado Tuerto,
mechanical techniques, the show The Cut
graphic designs have appeared in such
shared her sense of commitment, her
Argentina.
that found the audience sitting inside a
publications as i-D, W, and Flaunt.
calm, her warmth, her generosity, and her
coal mine, and an installation theatre
www.kenzominami.com.
humility. Others included the Yaddo
at Premier Arts in Pitman, NJ.
stephanie nelson ’91 is a scenic design-
piece that involved a series of exploding
andrea bakacs ’02 is presently fea-
her watercolor pencil works at the
houses.
tured with six reproductions in Dirt
Lighthouse Tearoom gallery in
mark moran ’93 worked as a creative
Volume I, published by Dirt Press in
Southampton, Bermuda.
director for the new book Weird Florida,
2005. Bakacs has also been published
duston spear ’76 showed her most
which focuses on intriguing places in
in The American Photography 19 Photo
the Sunshine State.
Annual, Photo District News, The Blow
emma ingham-dounouk ’72 exhibited
recent work at the Sara Tecchia Roma
New York Gallery in Chelsea.
shirin roubenie ’94 was featured in
vikki smith ’78 showcased her artwork
WWD for her first collection of one-of-a-
at the Centenary Performing Arts Guild
in Newton, NJ. In addition, her work was
kind tops and blouses.
www.shirinnyc.com
Foundation and Ireland’s Tyrone Guthrie
FACULTY & FRIENDS
hope alswang (History of Decorative Arts
and Design) is the new director at the
Rhode Island School of Design Museum.
residencies, and the West Side YMCA,
where she taught watercolor.
project called Ripple Effect, in which students donated their art work for auction.
So far, the project has raised over $5,500.
This year marks Vice Dean
lesley cadman’s 25th anniversary at
Parsons. During her time at the school,
Cadman has served as dean of students,
associate dean, director of Parsons
Paris, and acting dean. Cadman has
played a central role in many important
projects and transitions faced by
Parsons, including the process of the
Middle States and NASAD Self Study and
the UAW bargaining process, which
resulted in the creation of a contract for
part-time faculty. Beginning on July 1,
colleen macklin, Communication
Cadman will take a year’s leave of
Design and Technology chair, served as a
absence, which has been granted to her
jurist for Print magazine’s 2005 Digital
by the university. This time will allow her
Design issue.
to pursue projects which she was not
Up, Thrasher, and Eastern Edge. She is
margo herr The Parsons community
the senior associate photo editor for
mourns the passing of Margo Herr, a
Martha Stewart Living, Everyday Food,
beloved member of the Communication
Books, and special issues at Martha
Design faculty since 1974. Herr passed
brian mcgrath (AIDL) joined co-editor
able to undertake in the past, due to the
Stewart Living Omnimedia.
away on October 17, 2005, after a short
David Grahame Shane and several
demands of her full-time position at
struggle with cancer. After graduating with
authors in a discussion on the recently
Parsons.
gavin spielman ’97 exhibited his landscape paintings of Cape Cod at the
Addison Art Gallery in Orleans, MA.
Centre, which invited her to spend several
Illustration instructor wendy popp led a
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Re:TROSPECT
Stamp of Approval
by carmela spinelli
Sorting through the Fashion Design student sketches in the
Dell’Olio to the urbane sensibility found in Jeffrey Banks’
Anna-Maria and Stephen Kellen Archives Center offers a privi-
menswear design; from the empowerment of Tracy Reese’s
leged glimpse into the seismic silhouette shifts and revolution-
Amazon to the sexy intelligence of Narciso Rodriguez’s modern
ary changes in attitudes throughout American fashion history.
American beauty. In honor of their timeless chic, we have rei-
Undeniably these young designers were on the pulse, yet over-
magined these student sketches as commemorative stamps.
whelmingly prescient in their strong point of view. Here we invite
you to take this journey from the revolutionary babydoll of Louis
3
1
4
2
images: 1. Jeffrey Banks, 1975 2. Tracy Reese, 1984
3. Louis Dell’Olio, 1969 4. Narciso Rodriguez, 1982
RE:SPOND
Peter Som ’97
giving
Donna Karan ’68
Investing in a
Fashionable Future
Renowned designer Donna Karan has played a vital role in
the development of women’s fashion in the United States
and internationally, and now the celebrated Parsons alumna
is making a significant contribution to the evolution of the
Parsons Fashion Department. This winter, Karan and The New
School announced the establishment of the Donna Karan
Professorship in Fashion Design. The gift will help create a
Master of Fine Arts Program in Fashion Design and Society,
the first of its kind in the United States.
This winter, Karan and The New School
announced the establishment of the
Donna Karan Professorship in Fashion Design.
Clean, sophisticated, sleek, and feminine
what was your first job after
what’s the last book you read?
The intensive two-year MFA program, which will admit
are among the adjectives used to
college? Assistant designer at Bill Blass.
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini.
between 40 and 60 students, will examine fashion through a
describe the clothing designs of Peter
global context and interdisciplinary approach, by including
Som. Raised in San Francisco, Som cites
what’s the best part of your job?
what would be your dream vacation?
studies of social sciences, the global economy, international
his parents—both architects—as having
Designing.
Morning on the beach in Seychelles, lunch
business, new technology, ecology, and design history. One
had a major influence on his work. His
what’s the worst part of your job?
of the program’s goals is to cultivate leaders in the fashion
interest in fashion was first piqued while
What bad part?
industry through courses that provide students with essential
he was still in elementary school, when
tools needed to understand business and marketing—areas
he would thumb through the pages of his
that often provide challenges for designers. In addition, the
sister’s magazines. At Parsons, Som
program will look at fashion as a reflection of culture and
received the Gold Thimble award, and
society at points throughout history and in contemporary
in 2002 he was nominated for the CFDA
what did your mother want you to
times. It will examine the different ways in which societies
Perry Ellis Award for Emerging Talent.
be when you grew up? She wanted me
utilize fashion as an expression of cultural tradition and per-
In 2004, he was a semifinalist in the
to be happy.
sonal identity. The New School anticipates that the establish-
Vogue/CFDA fashion fund initiative, and
ment of the MFA program will influence the Parsons
last year he received his second nomina-
what’s one piece of advice you wish
undergraduate fashion program and will have a larger impact
tion for the CFDA Swarovski Perry Ellis
on general approaches to fashion studies and design.
Award for Emerging Talent. Busy as ever,
sarah kricheff
Som spared RE:D a few moments during
what do you think is the most
Fashion Week.
exciting trend in your field today?
what are your favorite red things?
Support for new designers.
Heirloom tomatoes.
what is your current obsession?
above: Highlights from Peter Som’s fall 2006 collection
this page: Photograph courtesy of Donna Karan
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if you hadn’t become a designer,
what else would you have become?
Architect.
at Pearl Oyster Bar in NYC, afternoon at
the Louvre in Paris, dinner al fresco at the
Hotel San Pietro on the Amalfi Coast in
Italy. And never stepping on a plane.
cats or dogs? Dogs.
coffee or tea? Coffee in the morning.
Mint Tea in the evening.
what is your best parsons memory?
The senior show.
you’d had then? Nice is different than
if you could take any designer or
good.
artist in history out to dinner, who
Gray salt.
would it be? Leonardo da Vinci.
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