Book Review: Astor Place Vintage

Cover of Astor Place Vintage Paperback

Within a few pages of beginning to read the novel Astor Place Vintage, I was captivated and unable to tear myself away from the interwoven stories of Amanda and Olive. Written in alternating chapters, the book begins with 39-year old Amanda, a vintage clothing dealer who visits an elderly client and comes across Olive's journal in a trunk of clothing from the early 1900s. As Amanda's own life begins to unravel, she finds comfort within the pages of Olive's journal from 1907, especially since she, like Olive, wants to be independent and self-supporting. Although more than a century separates their lives, Olive and Amanda share a love of New York City and the backdrop of the city's history becomes another character in the story.

Decentralizing the Museum

Art Gallery of Ontario 

As I review my upcoming talk at the Art Gallery of Ontario this afternoon for the Discursive Spaces Conference, I came to the realization that the passions of my life - art, architecture, photography, fashion and the museum - have finally converged. Although it has felt like I have been toiling in obscurity for years, maybe this is exactly what was meant to be....

If you would like to read more about my talk "Decentralizing the Museum", I've posted the extended abstract on Worn Through. Btw, day passes are still available on the AGO website.

The Costume Journal: Oh Canada!

Cover of the Costume Journal, Issue 43, Number 1
Art Directed by Marta Kowcun, Photo by Lawrence Cortes, Dress by Some Kong, Model Mikaela M. of Elite Models

Last fall, I agreed to take on the role as editor of the Costume Journal. Although I had more than enough to juggle, it seemed like an opportunity that I could not let pass me by. The Costume Journal is a publication of the Costume Society of Ontario, an organization that was founded in 1971 by Eileen Collard, Alan Suddon, and a passionate cadre interested in dress history. Although the circulation of this publication is relatively small, there are 14 museums and institutions around the world that subscribe to it, including the Royal Ontario Museum, the McCord Museum, and the Ryerson University Library.

After becoming the editor, I read the entire archive of the Journal from its beginnings in 1971, and was surprised to discover that the CSO used to regularly publish original research on dress, including articles by curators at the ROM and other dress historians. This seemed like a golden opportunity to revisit the Journal's roots. As well, there is a void in research on topics relating to Canadian dress and thus the theme of Oh Canada! was born.

In undertaking this redesign, my aim was to make the journal more relevant and modern, finding a niche between an academic journal and a mainstream fashion magazine, and while doing so, still honouring the Costume Journal’s roots. Up-to-date exhibition and event listings are now provided on the CSO website and Facebook page, and also circulated through membership emails.

VIKTOR & ROLF Dolls at the Royal Ontario Museum

      Dolls are conceptual art objects of strange beauty and desire.
                                                                   (Exhibition Label Viktor&Rolf Dolls at the ROM)

Viktor & Rolf Dolls at the ROM, Photo I by Ingrid Mida 2013

Ever since I first laid eyes on the Viktor & Rolf dolls in 2008 at the Barbican Gallery in London, their fashionable presence has haunted me. I've studied the exhibition catalogue repeatedly, read and reread Freud's essay on the uncanny, undertaken research on fashion dolls and used them as inspiration for my own creative journeys into the essence of the uncanny as it relates to fashion. For these reasons, I've been counting the days to their arrival in Toronto as part of the Luminato Festival.

Viktor & Rolf Dolls at the ROM, Photo II by Ingrid Mida 2013

On Sunday, June 9, I visited the ROM, expecting line ups out the door.... I was utterly surprised to find the gallery almost devoid of visitors, and the few that wandered in seemed not to know what they were looking at. I overheard several people asking the gallery attendant for information on what was on display.... Quel horreur!

The June Fashion Calendar

I cannot recall another time when there have been so many fashion related events in Toronto, which means that, for once, I don't have to get on a plane to get my fashion fix. Here are a list of upcoming fashion related events in Toronto for June 2013.

VIKTOR&ROLF Dolls

June 9 - 30: VIKTOR&ROLF DOLLS at the ROM as part of the Luminato Festival
In this presentation at the Royal Ontario Museum, about 25 hand-crafted porcelain dolls styled to replicate runway looks are dressed in scaled-down versions of Viktor&Rolf couture designs. Initially presented in 2008 at the Barbican Art Gallery in London, England in 2008, these dolls have been set on a specially crafted miniature runway in the ROM's Thorsell Spirit House.  The exhibition is free and open during regular Museum hours. I saw this exhibition at the Barbican Art Gallery in 2008 and wrote a post at that time and have written about the dolls as part of a creative process journal project. For these reasons, I am really looking forward to having another look at these uncanny incarnations.

June 9: Out of the Box: The Rise of Sneaker Culture, An Illustrated Talk by Senior Curator Elizabeth Semmelhack at the Bata Shoe Museum 
Curator Elizabeth Semmelhack will discuss the history of the sneaker and the rise of sneaker culture in becoming the footwear of choice for many. My review of the exhibition was published on Modeconnect and my behind-the-scenes visit and interview with Elizabeth Semmelhack is presented on Worn Through.

June 21 at 330 pm: Decentralizing the Museum: The Ryerson Fashion Research Collection 
The Discursive Spaces Conference at the Art Gallery of Ontario (June 20-23) considers the "integration of art, design, and architecture in the creation of memorable and immersive museum experiences, while balancing the public’s expectations of self-directed expression and engagement".  In my joint presentation with architect Guela Solow, we will talk about our shared vision for the remodelling of the space to house the Ryerson Fashion Research Collection. In this conceptual plan,  the barriers of the museum have been disintegrated by integrating the collection within the university environment. Advance tickets are required for this conference and day passes are now available.

The May Fashion Calendar

Punk:Chaos to Couture at the Met Costume Institute
Photo by Ingrid Mida 2013

Museums are my happy place and May is museum month!

The Costume Institute at the Met sets the standard for all other fashion exhibitions and this year's show Punk: Chaos to Couture will likely be another blockbuster, especially with all the recent criticism and controversy.

Read my review on Worn Through here: http://www.wornthrough.com/2013/05/09/fashion-in-the-museum-punk-chaos-to-couture-at-the-metropolitan-museum-of-art/  I have to say that I never expected that in liking this exhibition, I was taking a controversial stance. 

Louboutin Sneakers at the Bata Shoe Museum
Photo by Ingrid Mida 2013

Another unusual choice of subject matter for a fashion exhibition is the sneaker, which is featured in the Bata Shoe Museum's exhibit Out of the Box: The Rise of Sneaker Culture. My review will be featured on Modeconnect. 

Notice of copyright: 
All text and images on this blog are the copyright of Ingrid Mida, unless otherwise noted. The copying of posts, images and/or text without proper attribution is violation of copyright and legal action will be pursued.

The April Fashion Calendar

Alexandra Kim: A Royal Presentation

April is a busy month for art and fashion related events. Here are selected highlights on the calendar!

April 3, 2013: Meet the Artists: Janet Cardiff and George Bures Miller at the Art Gallery of Ontario in Toronto. Internationally renowned artists Janet Cardiff and George Bures Miller share insights into their work and collaborative practice at 7 pm at the AGO.

April 5, 2013: Behind the Scenes at the Costume Institute. A talk by Chris Paulocik at the Royal Ontario Museum from 4-6 pm, presented by Friends of Textiles & Costumes.

April 10, 2013: Fashion Crimes. A panel discussion at the ROM on what it means to be Canadian in the fashion industry. BIG Business, BIG Pressure, BIG Names and BIG Hype.

Curator's Tour of Shine. Textile Museum of Canada. 630 pm. An exhibition tour that highlights the TMC collection as well as the work of contemporary artists Carmelo Arnoldin (Toronto), Ghost of a Dream (New York), Rhonda Weppler and Trevor Mahovsky (San Francisco/Toronto).

April 11, 2013:  Mass Exodus at Ryerson University School of Fashion.

April 13, 2013:   A Royal Presentation: Curating the dress collection at Kensington Palace. A talk by Alexandra Kim at the Textile Museum of Canada at 130 pm, presented by the Costume Society of Ontario.

April 17-18, 2013: The Launch of Europeana Fashion - online digital platform - in Florence.

April 19, 2013: The Opening of Musée du costume et du textile du Québec (MCTQ) in Montreal.

April 29, 2013: Lectures related to the Exhibition Fashion, Impressionism and Modernity at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC, 3-5 pm, including a talk by Valerie Steele on the corset.

Notice of copyright: 
All text and images on this blog are the copyright of Ingrid Mida, unless otherwise noted. The copying of posts, images and/or text without proper attribution is violation of copyright and legal action will be pursued.

Where to find me now

Dear friends,

It has been a while since I've posted here. After much of my blog was copied onto other sites, I lost some of the joy of sharing my research, reviews and opinions on this forum. I've been tweeting, posting links on the Costume Society of Ontario Facebook page and writing articles for Modeconnect. I also accepted the post of Fashion in the Museum columnist for Worn Through where I am writing a bi-weekly column. I've never been busier or more in demand, and yet something feels like it is missing.....

Fashion Exhibitions to See in 2013

Not to be missed in the winter/spring of 2013 are the following exhibitions of fashion in the museum:

Fashioning Fashion, European Dress in Detail 1700-1915 
Paris, Les Arts Décoratifs, December 13, 2012 – April 14, 2013

Museum Link: http://www.lesartsdecoratifs.fr/english-439/accueil-710/une-715/english-439/exhibitions/current-events#fashioning

My review: http://modeconnect.com/exhibition-fashioning-fashionparis


Impressionism, Fashion and Modernity

Paris, Musée d'Orsay, ends January 20, 2013
New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art, from 26 February to 27 May 2013
Chicago, Art Institute, from 25 June to 22 September 2013

Museum Links:
Musée d'Orsay: http://www.lesartsdecoratifs.fr/english-439/accueil-710/une-715/english-439/exhibitions/current-events#fashioning
Metropolitan Museum of Art: http://www.metmuseum.org/exhibitions/listings/2013/impressionism-fashion-modernity
Art Institute of Chicago: http://www.artic.edu/exhibition/impressionism-fashion-and-modernity



BIG
Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto, from November 3, 2012 until fall 2013

Museum Link: http://www.rom.on.ca/en/exhibitions-galleries/exhibitions/current-exhibitions/big

My review: http://fashionismymuse.blogspot.ca/2012/11/big-in-rom-costume-and-textile-gallery.html

Notice of copyright: 
All text and images on this blog are the copyright of Ingrid Mida, unless otherwise noted. The copying of posts, images and/or text without proper attribution is violation of copyright and legal action will be pursued.

The End of a Blog?

I started blogging in 2008 and for the most part, it has been an incredible adventure. I attended exhibitions and events that I would not necessarily have had access to. I learned how to craft an article, conduct an interview, and find an audience. More importantly, I gained friends from around the world that have shared my passions, as well as my successes and my sorrows.  

There was a time when I looked forward to writing a post and I included my photos and my artwork freely. In October of this year, when I discovered that much of my blog had been copied onto other sites, without permission or attribution, I was utterly bereft. The experience robbed me of the joy that I once felt in writing a post, and I am not sure whether it will ever come back. Plus, the heavy curatorial demands of my job at Ryerson, my new responsibilities as the editor of the Costume Journal, and invitations to write for Selvedge Magazine and for Modeconnect make me feel even less inclined to continue on this forum. That doesn't mean I won't come back, but for the foreseeable I shall be absent on this platform. I invite you to stay in touch on Pinterest, Facebook or Twitter. 

                                                                       With my best wishes, 
                                                                                  
                                                                                      Ingrid Mida

Creative Process Journal: Project Summary

Creative Process Journal Diary Page by Ingrid Mida 2012

When I began this project, I undertook to explore:
1. How to portray the fragmentary nature of the historic garments of the Ryerson Fashion Research Collection through photographs?
2. Given the nature of clothing as material memory, how do I honour/remember the women who once wore these garments?

The constraints I set for myself were to only use garments and photographs found within the Ryerson collection and only photograph items on-site and in a manner that respected their fragile state.

Creative Process Journal: The Precession of Simulacra

All is Vanity
Photo by Ingrid Mida 2010

The simulacrum is never what hides the truth - it is truth that hides the fact that there is none. The simulacrum is true. 
                               Ecclesiastes

This quote by Ecclesiastes headlines the erudite essay "The Precession of Simulacra" by French philosopher Jean Baudrillard (1929-2007). Although Baudrillard often gives me a headache, I always feel a wonderful sense of accomplishment when I've muddled through his densely written essays. This particular analysis of simulacra has a direct link to the creative work I am doing in creating photographic images based on the garments and found photos in the Ryerson Fashion Research Collection.


In Baudrillard's writings on simulacra and simulation, he explores the relationship between reality, symbols, and contemporary society. Simulacra refers to a representation of something that creates a hyper-reality, becoming more real than the actual object itself.