Fashion in the Making: 100 Years of Parsons (PDF)

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PARSONS THE NEW SCHOOL FOR DESIGN PERIODICALS RATE PAID 66 FIFTH AVENUE NEW YORK, NEW YORK NEW YORK, NY 10011 PERMIT NO. 760-830 VOLUMEVOLUME 23, 23,NUMBER NUMBER 5, JANUARY 7, MAY 2006 2006

THE ALUMNI MAGAZINE OF RE:D Magazine Letters to the Editor LETTER FROM THE DEAN We want to hear from you. RE:D welcomes Editor-in-Chief In this issue of RE:D, we are pleased to mark 100 years of Fashion Design at Parsons. letters to the editor regarding published Mira Jacob 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 pleted, and major. Elaine Cappiello 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 Assistant Editor Original manuscripts, photo submissions, studies in fashion design, and an even stronger faculty are just some of the things Sarah Kricheff 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. artwork will not be returned. Designers 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 starring role in the history of American fashion. My hearty appreciation goes out to Phoebe Berg RE:D Tim Gunn and the faculty, staff, students, and alumni on this milestone year. Parsons The New School for Design Copy Editors 66 Fifth Ave., 7th Floor Joanna Yas New York, NY 10011 Ellen Davidson [email protected] Paul Goldberger, Dean PARSONS Parsons The New School for Design USPS 760-830 www.parsons.newschool.edu/dean Volume 23, Number 7, May 2006

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above: Dean Paul Goldberger. Photo by Nick Ferrari ’03. www.parsons.newschool.edu/RE:D 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. CONTRIBUTORS CONTENTS LETTER FROM THE RE:DITOR features Happy 100th Birthday, Parsons Fashion Design! Need I say you 10 Fashion in the Making: 100 Years of Parsons look fabulous? Oh, it’s not just that impressive list of alumni by Stéphane Houy-Towner 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 kept you a cut above the rest is your ability to roll with the run- 18 Making It Work: Tim Gunn ways, change with the times, and take a good risk when you see carmela spinelli is the associate chair stéphane houy-towner is a research by June Weir of the Fashion Design Department. She associate with the Metropolitan it. To celebrate, we’ve put together a very special issue of RE:D, has worked for such luxury companies Museum of Art’s Costume Institute and 22 Hot Shots: Photography and Fashion Collaborate replete with all sorts of goodies, including stunning sketches as Saks Fifth Avenue and LVMH Moët a fashion and accessories scholar. He is by Michelle Bogre from faculty member Richard Rosenfeld ’67 (page 16), an inter- Hennessy-Louis Vuitton. She has a mas- the co-curator of the museum’s exhibi- ter’s degree in the history of decorative tion Rara Avis: Selections from the Iris view with the ever-charming Fashion Design Chair Tim Gunn arts from the Cooper-Hewitt, National Barrel Apfel Collection, and has been a news at parsons (page 18), and the student sketches of now-famous alumni, as Design Museum and Parsons The New contributing editor to Elle Décor and School for Design. Grolier’s The New Book of Knowledge. 5 Oscar de la Renta honored . . . Illustration takes discovered in the archives by Fashion’s tenacious Associate on Current magazine . . . Fashion provides Chair Carmela Spinelli (page 30). Parsons retrospective . . . Design and Technology In fact, it has been such a joy to put together this (and every!) 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 reflects the intelligence, vitality, caring, and beauty that all of by Carmela Spinelli you put into the world on a daily basis. The experience has been Faculty member june weir was the richard rosenfeld ’67 is a faculty nothing short of incredible, and I thank you for it. former vice president of Fairchild member in the Fashion Design 32 Giving: Donna Karan ’68 Publications, where she served as both Department. He has worked as a fash- 33 RE:SPOND Peter Som ’97 As for the future—keep sending Parsons news of your many fashion editor and assistant publisher ion artist at Women’s Wear Daily and achievements and projects! In return, RE:D’s incomparable staff of Women’s Wear Daily and W. She has as an illustrator for a number of depart- in every issue also worked as the news editor for ment stores, including Neiman Marcus. of editors, writers, and designers will continue to amaze you with Vogue, the deputy style editor for the His work has appeared in Vogue, 1 Letter from the Dean beautiful issues. New York Times magazine, the execu- Seventeen, Brides, the New York Times, tive fashion editor for Harper’s Bazaar, and WWD Illustrated: 1960s–1990s 2 Letter from the RE:DITOR Best, and contributing editor for Mirabella. (Fairchild Books & Visuals, 2003). 4 You Tell Us: Letters to the RE:DITOR 8 RE:TINA Making a Scene in New York 24 RE:COGNITION Reunion Mira Jacob, Editor-in-Chief 25 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 Chair and faculty member of the matthew sussman is an eclectic editor with sensational design sensibility, an ability Department of Photography, photographer, director, and producer michelle bogre is a photographer, whose work has ranged from interna- to connect people and ideas, a flair for writing, and writer, and intellectual property lawyer. tional documentary television to make- this page: Fashion Design Department graduate Cara Enteles’s ’87 painting is a passion for Parsons, we’d like to hear from you. Her work has appeared in numerous over reality shows. He is currently on featured in her exhibition Spider Stories currently running in West Palm Beach, FL. magazines and books. One of her staff at The New School. Details of this job description can be found at: www.caraenteles.com photographs is featured in the show www.newschool.edu/admin/hr/joblist.htm. The Way We Worked currently on display at the National Archives in Washington, D.C. you tell us news at parsons Letters to the RE:DITOR In the last issue we asked, “Which fashion designer Spotlight on 2006 Benefit Honoree has had the most influence on your work?” Oscar de la Renta 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 Various designers have influenced my work, but the one I designer is this year’s honoree at the Parsons Benefit furniture or dress. culture. No one serves as admire most is Rei Kawakubo of Comme des Garçons. She and Fashion Show. better inspiration for achieving thinks independently of the industry, yet she is not isolated. ben ewy “For 100 years Parsons has been at the heart of New this goal than Schiaparelli! She consistently explores and pushes boundaries. The fashion design ’98 York fashion, shaping the education of so many talented clothes have humor and functionality and are intelligent and fiona dieffenbacher design students,” says de la Renta. “It is a great honor for me to receive this dis- provocative on various levels. They are beautifully made There isn’t one fashion design- fashion design ’90 tinction from the school and I look forward to meeting the class of 2006.” inside and outside. photographs: courtesy of Alpana Bawa er who has had the most influ- At the age of 18, de la Renta left his home in the Dominican Republic and headed ence on my work. However, alpana bawa to Madrid, where he began his studies in painting at the Academy of San if I had to choose a fashion fashion design ’80 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 A Nod to the Past with an Eye on the Future to an expanding role for the Illustration Department. 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, above: Mackenzie Blue Hernandez’s ’06 sketches for the fashion centennial project ’07 classifies the experience. “We were given a rough idea of the Benefit and Fashion Show on May 8. Illustration, Fine Arts, Photography, and what was needed, and told that it may or may not be pub- Product Design. lished, but the fact that it could actually go out into the world and be seen was new. It was a little intimidating.” Gaming on the Go It is an intimidation that Guarnaccia, the former art director of the New York Times Op-Ed page, feels is essential to the Tom Akel ’04 knows about portable gaming. This spring, the MFADT alumnus and producer for growth of smart illustrators. Comedy Central packed his classroom to capacity for a collaborative studio course involving the 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’ 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 could actually go out pictures that happens more in editorial work than in a lot of screen-based have absorbed the episodes and come up with great ideas.” stuff. Editorial illustration is about expressing your opinion in as direct a way into the world and be as possible, and they’re learning how to do that.” Students work in teams to create the structure and narrative for the games. Each group is responsible 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 seen was new. It was 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 1 2

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design workshop opening november 7, 2005 1. Peter Wheelwright, at the parsons table: bruce mau, December 15, 2005 1. MoMA 4 7 8 chair, Architecture, Interior Design & Lighting and Roseanne Haggerty, design curator Paola Antonelli and faculty member Susan Yelavich Common Ground Community 2. Faculty members James Garrison and 2. Artist Priscilla Heine, Adolfo Zaralegui, and Kay Unger ’67 3. Dean Terry Erickson 3. AIDL students Nicholas Locke (M.Arch) ’06 and Janet Paul Goldberger and Bruce Mau 4. Bruce Mau 5. Associate Dean anarchy to affluence opening, january 9, 2006 1. The exhibition window display at 66 Fifth Avenue 2. Designers Laura Bohn, Joseph Lembo ’77, Yee (M.Arch) ’06 4. Director MFA Lighting Program Derek Porter and Tim Marshall, designer Stefan Sagmeister, and Christopher Mount and Joan Kron 3. Christopher Mount, director of exhibitions and public programs, design author/editor Suzy Slesin, and designer Joan Kron Director BFA in Architectural Design Laura Briggs, faculty member 6. Associate Vice President of Development and Alumni Relations 4. Clothing by designers Betsy Johnson, Norma Kamali, and Stephen Sprouse 5. Daniel Aubry and designer Clodagh 6. Timeline of newsworthy 5. Faculty member Matthew Baird and Dean Paul Goldberger 6. AIDL Lucretia Cavan, Stephanie Borynack, and James R. Borynack ’67. events 7. Dean Paul Goldberger and Suzy Slesin 8. Joseph Lembo and Laura Bohn. Photos by Marty Heitner student Huy Bui (M.Arch) ’07. Photos by Nick Ferrari ’03 Photos by Marty Heitner

Cutting fashionable dresses and pantsuits out of govern- ment surpluses of cotton weather balloons, McCardell’s fashions were not just a feat of frugality (they managed to Fashion in the Making 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 from the shoulders, flattering a variety of different body commenting on student design in 1955 shapes. By applying her sportswear ideal to every possible Frank Alvah Parsons responded to the design climate by 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- 1920s fashion illustration class Originally dubbed Paris Ateliers, Parsons Paris was the first ed in fresh, versatile designs with real staying power. Think at parsons paris 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. If the 1920s opened spectacularly with the founding of Paris Think Claire McCardell ’28 and Donna Karan ’68, and you’ve Simply put, until World War II, American fashion was Parsons, they closed just as spectacularly with the 1928 got the classic underpinnings; think Narciso Rodriguez ’82 Eurocentric. The big ideas happened in Paris and were graduation of designer Claire McCardell. While McCardell’s and Marc Jacobs ’84 and you’ve got the layers of elegance quickly copied by the thousands of sewing hands in New 1930s innovations such as mix-and-match separates were cut by cool; think Proenza Schouler ’02, Matthew Earnest ’03, York. American women relied on designers like Jean Patou brilliant, America’s isolation from Paris couturiers, as well as and Ashleigh Verrier ’04, and you’ve got an idea of which and Madeleine Vionnet to dictate everything from their hem- the shortage of materials available during World War II, ulti- way the bustle is hustling these days. 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 told, fashion in America in the early part of the century actu- know in fashion as American style. fashion illustration class at parsons paris, 1982 10 11 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. parsons benefit and fashion show, 1993 moved on to designing an upscale line of With such lineage to draw upon, it’s no surprise that some 40 sportswear for the dress house of Charles the fashion benefit Armour in 1924. In 1928, he became a years after the birth of women’s sportswear, another Parsons In 1921, Parsons initiated another coup, head designer for Hattie Carnegie, where alumna would harness McCardell’s spirit of innovation and cre- setting up the annual student fashion he did custom work for such clients as ativity to completely reinvent women’s work wear. show, a yearly event held to this day. In Joan Crawford, Gertrude Lawrence, and the spirit of medieval guilds, the fashion Pola Negri. Forming the Traina-Norell label 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 cou- Originally the shows were actually static ture. His innovative style—from evening norman norell ’21 adjusting a student’s design, 1957 presentations of their creations clad on shirtwaists to sequined “mermaid dress- 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.

designer and critic mary quant speaks to students,1 21968 13 critics look over student sketches, 1991 adrian ’23: dressing the stars Gilbert Adrian, the great Metro-Goldwyn- Mayer 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 glam- our. 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 A godsend to working women who had spent the previous designer to have bragging rights for out- doing mademoiselle. When he started his decades fighting for equal rights and charging glass ceilings, Uniquely American confidence is at Donna Karan single-handedly reimagined women’s corporate namesake label in Beverly Hills in 1942, the heart of Karan’s designs, and that designer gilbert adrian ’23 in the 1950s style when she released her prophetically named Essentials line he quickly managed to develop a distinct heart has built an empire. © 1978, john engstead/mtpv in 1985. Her bodysuit-based “seven easy pieces” were not only American style. His inverted pyramid sleek and extremely versatile, they openly celebrated femininity, suits, with their larger shoulders and parsons fashion greats: adri (adri steckling-coen )’58 gilbert adrian ’23 natalia allen ’04 ronald amey ’59 mark small waists, are his most iconic, but he shoving the power suit right off the corporate ladder. Opting for 2004 received its Lifetime Achievement Awards as her company badgley ’85 lee bailey ’43 jeffrey banks ’75 travis banton ’15 bill blass ’49 bill brandt ’78 jennifer breeden ’05 investment pieces that worked on all body types and offered celebrated its 20th anniversary. tom brigance ’34 donald brooks ’51 mark brower ’83 albert capraro ’64 ronnie stern chalif ’53 louis clausen also created equally popular draped that elusive combination of comfort and style, Karan integrated ’50 jo copeland ’17 louis dell’olio ’69 carrie donovan ’50 matthew earnest ’03 margaret el ’83 bradle erickson dresses and dramatic evening gowns. One Surely, Frank Alvah Parsons must have been given a sneak peek ’88 joan falk ’55 alan flusser mario forte ’51 alex fung ’87 lucille gambill ’19 geoffrey gertz ’85 william knits into her collection, allowing give where needed and using of his greatest commercial successes was into the future when he declared, “We must prepare our giardiello ’59 margaret green ’86 gigi guerra ’95 prabal gurung ’01 tina hagen ’81 jack hargis ’43 nell harrison them for everything from Giorgio di Sant’Angelo–type leotard ’47 isabelle hartshoon ’56 gordon henderson ’84 lazaro hernandez ’02 kim hicks ’91 einar holiloekk ’99 robin a dress version of the “poor girl dress” he American designers to create from natural resources using our tops to scarf-wrap skirts. howe ’82 belinda hughes ’81 ruthanne tuttle iselin ’61 marc jacobs ’84 jerome jessup ’86 bosha johnson jane designed for Carol Landis in The Powers justin ’58 donna karan ’68 herbert kasper ’49 patrick kelly ’78 barry kielselstein-cord ’65 joe klein ’53 jed own environment.” How else to explain the persistence of a pro- Girl (1943). Almost ten years later, it was Uniquely American confidence is at the heart of Karan’s designs, gram that has met, at every turn, the growing needs of an indus- 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 still such a popular order among his cli- and that heart has built an empire. From her astounding first col- try that barely existed when it was formed? Promoting industry mcrobbie ’73 james mischka ’85 isaac mizrahi ’82 john moore ’50 mark mooring ’23 george nardiello ’48 gene ents that he refused to make another or lection, Donna Karan has built a design stronghold that today savvy and design smarts, Parsons has suffused the fashion neil ’55 mitzi newhouse ’25 charlotte neuville ’73 eugene nordquist ’56 norman norell ’21 kandi ohno ’60 have it photographed. spans men’s wear, beauty, home furnishings, and fragrance, world with innovative thinkers who can not only lead an imprac- 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 and earned her the media nickname the “Queen of Seventh tical industry, but take the kinds of bold risks that rearrange the narciso rodriguez ’82 dominic rompolo ’64 alina roytberg ’84 francesca sammaritano ’89 brett sandler ’05 Images appear courtesy of the Anna-Maria and Avenue.” One of the most celebrated and influential designers of dressing room. What will the next century of Parsons Fashion stewart schrieber ’50 joel schumacher ’65 behnaz serafpour ’92 irene sharaff ’25 caroline schlala simonelli ’59 Stephen Kellen Archives. 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 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 Designers of America (CFDA) an unprecedented six times, and in the future, we can promise you this: We’ll be wearing it. 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 14 15 1900 parsons costume designer 1950 norman norell ’21 Looking Back: (anonymous, from 1912 catalog) A Century of Iconic Parsons Fashion 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 1980 donna karan ’68 1960 1960 joel schumacher ’65 1940 gilbert adrian ’23 Joel Schumacher ’65 Making It Work Fashion Design Chair Tim Gunn Takes Good Risks by june weir

Hailed by the New York Times as the “unlikely How would you describe or compare Parsons’ fashion curriculum with these other schools? heartthrob” of Bravo’s hit television show, 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 you see it being sold? If students say, “Bergdorf Goodman” we hardly unlikely. Going against tradition, making 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 culture of commerce is a very important dialogue here. Gunn’s changes have led to an impressive gen- How strong is the fashion department? eration of designers whose talents match their 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 them. When I got here there were 220 students, next fall there moment of peace at his office in the heart of the will be close to 600. fashion district. 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 experience for the students to have but not at the senior level. What brought that change about? 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 individual vision to that. And I do believe strongly that we are a design What did you do? department, now. I said, “We have to start from scratch. We have to jettison.” So 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 previous page: Tim Gunn. Photograph by Matthew Sussman. this page, clockwise from top left: Lazaro Hernandez ’02 of Proenza Schouler, Peter Arnold of CFDA, to them, that this was actually a huge risk because in the Jack McCollough ’02 of Proenza Schouler at the Parsons Benefit and Fashion Show, Designer Critic project, while some of them could just sleepwalk 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 through the motions, now they were going to be on their own. Fashion Show, 2004; Matt Earnest ’03 and Bianca Cortinas ’03 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 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.”

opposite: Photograph by Julie Halverson above: Center photograph by Julie 22 23 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? meghan dobish ’03 is working for bonny leigh wilson ’05 is currently We recently collaborated with the House of Design AAS This month, many of you will attend the annual Lawrence-Mayer-Wilson Interiors in working as an interior designer at NBBJ in (now the House of Form) in Sweden, Konstfack robert olsen ’70 was a featured lecturer International Contemporary Furniture Fair (ICFF) and New Jersey. New York. University College of Arts in Stockholm, and the St. at a discussion on Victorian row homes at the new International Interiors NY conferences here. Etienne School of Art and Design in France. This year the Bayonne Public Library in New Jersey. After having worked at Marc Jacobs and Recently, Product Design Department Chair Tony COMMUNICATION DESIGN for our ICFF booth, we worked with these partners to Olsen discussed his restoration projects Ann Taylor, sara kirsner ’03 launched Whitfield and I discussed how Parsons students and design, build, and install three flat-pack small-scale in the Bayonne area. Doie, a line of loungewear. In December 2003, kaie wellman ’87 alumni use ICFF as a stepping stone to advancing dwellings that will eventually become self-sustaining, catherine rapetti ’04 started a line of published eat.shop.portland, a guide elaine cappiello their careers. shirley kaneda’s ’76 abstract art to unique restaurants and stores in Associate Director for ecological lodging in the town of Hällefors, Sweden. pieces—mixed-media art that incorpo- accessories carried by a number of bou- Alumni Relations How many of your former students do you run into tiques. Her collection can be seen at Portland, OR. She signed a national dis- What do you see in the future for product design stu- rates oil, watercolor, and digital treatment at ICFF? Going to ICFF feels like a reunion. Last year, www.catherinerapetti.com. tribution contract with Ten Speed Press, dents and alumni? I suspect that Product Design on paper canvases—were featured in Art I saw alumni who came from as far away as Tokyo and her eat.shop guides have been pub- alumni will continue to be in every nook and cranny on Paper magazine. ayumu sugawara ’05 is designing Asian- and El Salvador and as “close” as Kansas City. They lished for other cities including Seattle, of the design industries. Our students possess amaz- martin raffone ’95 designed a pent- inspired fashions in her hometown of use ICFF as a meeting place and as a way to find an Los Angeles, Austin, Chicago, and ing flexibility as remarkably engaged collaborators. house in Manhattan and the project was Houston, TX. internship or network for their next job. As the fair Brooklyn. They are terrific leaders who know how to form mean- published in New York Home magazine. continues to embrace much more than furniture, stu- ARCHITECTURE, INTERIOR elizabeth rosen ’88 illustrated the arti- ingful alliances and embrace design as a tool to shalini kumar ’96 was the featured dents use it to shop around for companies that might cle “Who Is a Latina?” in the September improve the world. For more information, see designer at the Linly Heflin Scholarship DESIGN, AND LIGHTING be the right fit for them. issue of DiversityInc magazine. www.parsons.newschool.edu/productdesign Luncheon and Fashion Show. albert hadley ’49 published a retro- How long has Parsons participated in ICFF? 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, ICFF opened participation to schools about five years even numbered class years on Monday, May 22, at Hong Kong, where she designed the Tsuen distributed by Rizzoli. A large collection of ago; we’ve exhibited ever since. Getting in is a com- 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 petitive process, so I’m extremely proud of our our booth to see what our students are up to. celebration lights. 2005 as part of the Southport, CT commu- achievement. It’s something no other school of art nity’s Rooms with A View: A Weekend of debra torres ’99 launched an epony- and design can claim. Design. mous line of guayabera shirts for women, reinterpreting the classic Cuban male juan montoya ’72 is the design director rSVP alumni reunion 2006 shirt. www.debratorres.com of the International Design Center, a project under development in Naples, FL. Registration Deadline is Friday, May 12, 2006. Tickets: $50.00 per person. RSVP to Parsons The New School for Design, glenda caldwell ’02 founded the Attn: Alumni Relations, 66 Fifth Ave., 7th Fl., New York, NY 10011, or fax 212.229.5408. Michael Roderick, Jr. Touch of Art Cancer susan mclaughlin rosen ’92 earned Foundation, which provides access to her MFA in painting from New York Univer ...... ( ) ms first name last name (maiden name) class year performing arts events for children diag- sity after working as an interior designer ( ) mrs ( ) mr ...... nosed with cancer and their families. in New York City. Currently, she is a free- address city / state zip code She works at New Jersey Institute of lance illustrator and commission artist ...... in Connecticut. telephone ( ) home ( ) office ( ) other email address Technology and volunteers at The Newark edward nussbaum ’58, who owned an Museum. teresa rampolla ’99 has joined Hillier advertising agency and worked for several A check for $ ...... is enclosed, made payable to Parsons The New School for Design. Architecture in New York. dina rothstein ’02 made the pages of New York agencies throughout his career, Please charge $ ...... to my Visa, Mastercard, American Express nandini mukherjee ’01, who owns and Elle magazine for her fair trade and indig- currently creates cut-paper sculptures runs the Indian Bread Company, was fea- ...... enous-craft home goods and accessories of famous personalities. The works were card number exp. date tured in the New York Sun. company, SURevolution, based in Bogotá, presented in an exhibition at the Gallery ...... Colombia. signature at Lincoln Center.

For more information, call 212.229.8590 x4395, or email [email protected]. 25 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 design firm Toy after working at Fallon Marketing & Design as an assistant designer for the Mouawad Group, a com- giovanna “joanne” cecchetti’s ’76 New York. He has worked at several ad account executive. AGA is a New York pany focused on timepieces and jewelry work was shown at several locations in agencies, most notably Crispin Porter + City-based full-service creative agency design. 2005, including the Islip Art Museum in Bogusky in Miami, where he won the that specializes in the design and pro- sonia roy ’92 is teaching fashion New York, William Paterson University in Cannes Grand Prix Film for his Ikea Lamp duction of direct-mail catalogs. design at Marist College in New Jersey, and the Midland Gallery in project. Hawawini has worked with Tumi, Poughkeepsie, NY. In addition, she Montclair, NJ. anthony turtu’s ’85 recently pub- Theory, Practice, and Career, a course johanna guevara ’01 received the Inno Country Club Plaza, The Metropolitan designs sleepwear and lingerie. anda styler ’83 exhibited her paintings lished book Bad Girls: Film Fatales, taught by faculty member Peter Drake, vation in Design and Corporate Identity Museum of Art, and Madame Alexander. té-thé nguyen ’95 recently launched his of New England landscapes and Sirens, and Molls (Collectors Press) walks MFA Fine Arts students through the Award at the 2005 National Latino Techno own ready-to-wear collection after design- Victorian homes at the Watertown Art focuses on actresses who played vixens entire curating process, from selection logy Achiever Awards Gala Benefit for her DESIGN & TECHNOLOGY ing for Carolina Herrera and Yves St. League in Oakville, CT. brand identity company, 7ONE8. in classic B movies during the golden and set-up to producing press materials Business Week ran a feature article on Laurent for more than a decade. age of film. The work features some 200 kim bernard ’87 had her encaustic and and catalogs. One of this year’s featured susanne värgåden ’05 received the andrew michael baron ’03 (MFADT) for hae won song ’95 now works as the vintage photographs, posters, and sculptural works featured in Portland works: When I Am Real by Timothy Marvel bronze medal from Xerox at their PIXI 2005 his creation Rocketboom, a popular video director of sportswear at Kasper in New lobby cards, and includes an interview Monthly magazine as one of five artists Hull, pictured above. awards for her thesis titled Sami—A State blog on the Internet that focuses on future York City. with legendary film diva Angie Dickinson. developing inspiring work in their of Mind (Toppan, 2005). The book features technologies and blogging. kara jones’ ’99 neckwear and accesso- respective mediums. Sami people from Scandinavia and New www.rocketboom.com. jessie nickerson ’03 exhibited her ries are showcased at the New York Asia miguel augusto sison ’93 (MArch ’97) York describing their views on being Sami jerry kaye (kwiatkowski) ’85 recently abstract drawings and paintings at the Society. www.karamiainc.com. is working as an architect in his native in today’s world. left his position as creative director of Cotuit Center for the Arts in Cotuit, MA. FASHION DESIGN Philippines, where he hosted his first Perry Ellis to consult on fashion and tawfik mounayer ’99 is the design yeohlee teng ’70 was recently featured solo exhibition of oil paintings based on DESIGN & MANAGEMENT home furniture endeavors. A member of director at Liz Lange, overseeing both the HISTORY OF DECORATIVE in the Washington Post, discussing her his experiences in Paris, France. CFDA, he worked at Perry Ellis for more namesake collection and the Target off- daphne bradbury ’93 works at Merrill participation in the Kennedy Center’s ART AND DESIGN than a decade. shoot. His work has been nominated for dimitar lukanov ’94, who is on the Lynch in the office of global markets and exhibition, The New China Chic. The recognition by the CFDA and the Fashion Parsons continuing education faculty, lisa podos ’92 is a strategy consultant investment banking. In addition, she steinunn sigurd ’86 opened a store in exhibit highlighted the influence of cul- Group International. revealed his bronze sculpture Light to for Copia: The American Center for Wine, her native Iceland, where she teaches in designs jewelry and holds a degree in ture on fashion through the work of 17 lauren felton ’01 appeared in Elle Sky at the International Arrivals Hall at Food, and the Arts, a museum and cul- diamonds from the Gemological the fashion department of the Iceland Chinese and Chinese-American John F. Kennedy airport in New York City. tural center in Napa, CA. Academy of Arts. magazine discussing her designs, which Institute of America. designers. are featured in Los Angeles and New York olja stipanovic ’98 (BFA), ’00 (MFA) diane c. wright ’05 used her education michelle stone’s ’98 jewelry designs, barbara thulin-joyce ’87, owner and alpana bawa ’80 launched her first boutiques. opened a solo exhibition of her drawings in the decorative arts to help in a study designer for Decadent Digs LLC, recently Citrine by the Stones, appeared in home collection in 2005. Her fashion pim sukhahuta ’03 is preparing her and photographs at the Buzzer Thirty determining whether or not a stained the style section of the Miami Herald had her collection of pet beds and acces- collection is sold in New York and gallery in New York City. glass window at the A.K. Smiley Public sories showcased at Neiman Marcus. new collection, The Lady and the Fox. newspaper. Los Angeles. Her designs are exported from Bangkok, meredith macnab ’99 is the founder and Library in Redland, CA, was an authentic daisy hu ’99 is the marketing manager derek lam ’90 was honored at the 30th isis mussenden ’82 has worked with Thailand. director of Brushmarks, an art school for Tiffany stained-glass window. for New Balance Performance Annual Dallas Fashion Awards, where he Shrek director Andrew Adamson, and children in Bermuda. received the Rising Star Award. jennefer osterhoudt ’04 began her Outerwear. designed the wardrobe for the 2005 own footwear line in San Francisco, release of The Chronicles of Narnia: The labeled Jenne O. Born. Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe. 26 27 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 erich nagler ’04 is the new assistant Arts Center. one of 75 Mickey Mouse statues that dec- show, Heavenly Bodies, at the San Jose (Academy Press). The book, which fea- art director for Metropolis magazine. janice fried’s ’80 illustrations graced the orated the Magic Kingdom and were Museum of Art, CA. tures work by architects and urban sondra frances law ’05 designed a cover of the Detroit News’ special insert showcased in 16 different cities. Later, jane seymour ’05 assisted her mother, designers, focuses on new technology specialized chair to assist in mobility on 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 airplanes for disabled persons as part of her other commercial clients include off by Sothebys. Hoyumpa raised $11,000, cookbook, Dining With Friends. was held at Columbia University. her senior thesis. Currently, Law is in Oxford University Press and the New York which was given to the scholarship fund A poster design by pablo a. medina discussions with airlines to implement Times. www.janicefried.com at Parsons. PRODUCT DESIGN (Communication Design and Technology) her design. tim tomkinson ’02 was featured in was chosen to represent the 2006 steve kuzma ’82 was featured in the New christine leitner-bartos ’94 is the Communication Arts (September/ Cartagena International Film Festival, Jersey publication Sand Paper, describing new director of product design and ILLUSTRATION October 2005) for his freelance illustra- which presents 150 films from countries his transition from sports figures to land- development at Jamie Drake Interiors. gail evans’ ’68 paintings, featuring her scapes in his most recent collection of tion work. www.timtomkinson.com including Argentina, Brazil, Spain, Mexico, helen ige ’96 was featured in the Los tony whitfield Chair of Product Design landscapes and seascapes, were shown paintings. and Venezuela. The design will be used Angeles Times and the New York Times at Premier Arts in Pitman, NJ. PHOTOGRAPHY held an exhibition of his photographs in on street posters, site banners, and denise dumont ’90 was one of the art- as she launched her home design col- Peru, the subject of which was the chore- schedule guides. grace madden ’90 joined Mitthoff ists in the Lewes, DE area hosting studio lection out of her Los Angeles boutique. ography of New York-based McArthur Burton Partners in El Paso, TX as a web Illustration instructor wendy popp led a tours. Dumont is also preparing for a She also creates textiles, clothing, and Foundation “genius” award recipient designer. She previously served as project called Ripple Effect, in which stu- solo show in Bishop’s Stock Gallery in couture stuffed animals with a pop art Elizabeth Streb. dents donated their art work for auction. Snow Hill, MD. www.denisedumont.com co-owner and vice president of Stanton and artisan sensibility. Street Technology Group. So far, the project has raised over $5,500. stephanie nelson ’91 is a scenic design- 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 This year marks Vice Dean ning theater environments from in Japan as a graphic designer who is established a glowing reputation, attract- lesley cadman’s 25th anniversary at non-traditional materials. As noted in creating limited-edition sneakers, Pump ing notice as the city’s youngest art direc- Parsons. During her time at the school, 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 Cadman has served as dean of students, exhibit his landscapes at the interna- her Chicago career include a production suits include collaborations with Nike, Doubleday. Parsons was one of many cre- associate dean, director of Parsons tional exhibition Muestra Internacional of Cyrano that involved 17th century Adidas, and Raf Simons, while his ative communities with which Margo Paris, and acting dean. Cadman has de Arte Digital in Venado Tuerto, mechanical techniques, the show The Cut graphic designs have appeared in such shared her sense of commitment, her played a central role in many important Argentina. that found the audience sitting inside a publications as i-D, W, and Flaunt. calm, her warmth, her generosity, and her projects and transitions faced by coal mine, and an installation theatre www.kenzominami.com. humility. Others included the Yaddo Parsons, including the process of the piece that involved a series of exploding andrea bakacs ’02 is presently fea- Foundation and Ireland’s Tyrone Guthrie emma ingham-dounouk ’72 exhibited Middle States and NASAD Self Study and houses. tured with six reproductions in Dirt Centre, which invited her to spend several her watercolor pencil works at the FACULTY & FRIENDS the UAW bargaining process, which Volume I, published by Dirt Press in residencies, and the West Side YMCA, Lighthouse Tearoom gallery in mark moran ’93 worked as a creative hope alswang (History of Decorative Arts resulted in the creation of a contract for 2005. Bakacs has also been published where she taught watercolor. Southampton, Bermuda. director for the new book Weird Florida, and Design) is the new director at the part-time faculty. Beginning on July 1, in The American Photography 19 Photo duston spear ’76 showed her most which focuses on intriguing places in Rhode Island School of Design Museum. colleen macklin, Communication Cadman will take a year’s leave of Annual, Photo District News, The Blow recent work at the Sara Tecchia Roma the Sunshine State. Design and Technology chair, served as a absence, which has been granted to her Up, Thrasher, and Eastern Edge. She is margo herr The Parsons community New York Gallery in Chelsea. shirin roubenie ’94 was featured in jurist for Print magazine’s 2005 Digital by the university. This time will allow her the senior associate photo editor for mourns the passing of Margo Herr, a WWD for her first collection of one-of-a- Design issue. to pursue projects which she was not vikki smith ’78 showcased her artwork Martha Stewart Living, Everyday Food, beloved member of the Communication kind tops and blouses. able to undertake in the past, due to the at the Centenary Performing Arts Guild Books, and special issues at Martha Design faculty since 1974. Herr passed brian mcgrath (AIDL) joined co-editor www.shirinnyc.com demands of her full-time position at in Newton, NJ. In addition, her work was Stewart Living Omnimedia. away on October 17, 2005, after a short David Grahame Shane and several gavin spielman ’97 exhibited his land- struggle with cancer. After graduating with authors in a discussion on the recently Parsons. scape paintings of Cape Cod at the Addison Art Gallery in Orleans, MA. 28 29 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

2 images: 1. Jeffrey Banks, 1975 2. Tracy Reese, 1984 3. Louis Dell’Olio, 1969 4. Narciso Rodriguez, 1982 giving RE:SPOND Donna Karan ’68 Peter Som ’97

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. 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 what’s the best part of your job? what would be your dream vacation? global context and interdisciplinary approach, by including Som. Raised in San Francisco, Som cites Designing. Morning on the beach in Seychelles, lunch studies of social sciences, the global economy, international his parents—both architects—as having at Pearl Oyster Bar in NYC, afternoon at business, new technology, ecology, and design history. One had a major influence on his work. His what’s the worst part of your job? This winter, Karan and The New School the Louvre in Paris, dinner al fresco at the of the program’s goals is to cultivate leaders in the fashion interest in fashion was first piqued while What bad part? Hotel San Pietro on the Amalfi Coast in industry through courses that provide students with essential he was still in elementary school, when announced the establishment of the if you hadn’t become a designer, Italy. And never stepping on a plane. tools needed to understand business and marketing—areas he would thumb through the pages of his what else would you have become? Donna Karan Professorship in Fashion Design. that often provide challenges for designers. In addition, the sister’s magazines. At Parsons, Som cats or dogs? Dogs. Architect. program will look at fashion as a reflection of culture and received the Gold Thimble award, and coffee or tea? Coffee in the morning. society at points throughout history and in contemporary in 2002 he was nominated for the CFDA what did your mother want you to Mint Tea in the evening. 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. what is your best parsons memory? sonal identity. The New School anticipates that the establish- The senior show. Vogue/CFDA fashion fund initiative, and what’s one piece of advice you wish ment of the MFA program will influence the Parsons last year he received his second nomina- you’d had then? Nice is different than if you could take any designer or undergraduate fashion program and will have a larger impact tion for the CFDA Swarovski Perry Ellis good. artist in history out to dinner, who on general approaches to fashion studies and design. Award for Emerging Talent. Busy as ever, would it be? Leonardo da Vinci. 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? this page: Photograph courtesy of Donna Karan Support for new designers. Heirloom tomatoes.

what is your current obsession? above: Highlights from Peter Som’s fall 2006 collection 32 33 Gray salt. PARSONS THE NEW SCHOOL FOR DESIGN PERIODICALS RATE PAID 66 FIFTH AVENUE NEW YORK, NEW YORK NEW YORK, NY 10011 PERMIT NO. 760-830 VOLUMEVOLUME 23, 23,NUMBER NUMBER 5, JANUARY 7, MAY 2006 2006

34 THE ALUMNI MAGAZINE OF