Post Love for Flaunt
Friday, June 5, 2009
So thrilled and have to share…Lavanya really got what this show is about and what I love about fashion photography in this exhibit! From today’s Washington Post:
{photo Steve Goldenberg}
On the Go
Fashionistas, This One’s for You
By Lavanya Ramanathan
Friday, June 5, 2009
What do you do with fashion photographs that, oddly, aren’t trying to sell clothing, a way of life or desirable body type? Honfleur Gallery, arts-support organization Ten Miles Square and the blog Project Beltway make a case that such images belong on gallery walls. “Flaunt” is their exhibit featuring 20 slick and styled photos exploring fashion’s value as costume and cultural force.
Steve Goldenberg catches scruffy scenesters on K Street at rush hour; dressed in crayon-bright garb by Durkl, the men are brilliant peacocks in a gray-and-black sea of worker drones. In the background of one, a little girl shoots a look of pure disgust at the camera: The men’s fashion makes them different, and around here, that’s undesirable. A lovely blond model tromps around in designer Taimur Baig’s red carpet-ready gown, but who can bother to notice it when the model is viciously bashing a mannequin to bits?
For this show, Ten Miles Square brought in photographers Joshua Yospyn, John Ulaszek, Meaghan Gay and Goldenberg, while Project Beltway enlisted local designers, including Baig and Dana Greaves, to pair off and create these photographs. Together, the artists and designers fashioned images distinctly in the artists’ style, which explains why the dresses in Gay’s macabre photo series of seemingly perfect women barely make it into the frame.
Though “Flaunt” is about photography, there’s no better time to see it than tomorrow night, when you can also check out some of the fashions. The exhibit closes with a runway show of clothes created by the designers; upstairs, Honfleur hosts a pop-up boutique of the designers’ wares.Tickets to “Flaunt” are $10 and must be bought in advance. 8:30 p.m. tomorrow. Honfleur Gallery, 1227 Good Hope Rd. SE. 202-580-5972 or http://www.honfleurgallery.com.
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Love the image the Post chose. And thanks for turning us on to the StyleOnTheGo section! Will definitely be checking that out more often.
“the men are brilliant peacocks in a gray-and-black sea of worker drones”
How much does she “get it” when this typical put-down generalization is used? There are many “worker drones” out there, like myself, who look nice. Who look damned good. Well-tailored suits and shirts, quality shoes with a nice shine, ties, cuff-links, and other accessories chosen to show some personality. Maybe even a boutonniere once in a while. She needs to get a little closer and pay attention. Then she’ll see who the true peacocks are.
And she thinks the jack-ass in orange pants and cowboy boots looks better? A peacock? Her heads not screwed on straight. He’s a baboon.
-rdhd
rdhd,
I don’t agree that the girl in the photograph looks disgusted – I think she looks surprised. As one might when there’s a guy in bright pants and cowboy boots posing for a camera in the middle of a downtown intersection.
It’s just a representation, and I think it’s open to interpretation. And this is one image of many – all incredibly different. Perhaps she’s hinting at these “drones” being unfashionable, but that’s not at all her larger point here and it’s certainly not the point of this show.
Rachel,
Sorry for posting such a nasty post. I’ll give it a 24 hour rest in the future.
But to clarify, I was talking about the author of the article. I’m sure there are plenty of great photos in this show. And I’m not commenting on the artistic quality of this one. I’m commenting on the writing about the show and the attitude it betrays.
The author dismissively refers to the “worker drone” but ignores the fact that the subject of this photo is just the “hipster drone.”
I’ll shut up now.
rdhd
rdhd,
couldnt agree more!