Moda como Herramienta en Suspiria (2018)

Para definir un personaje en un filme, la vestimenta que utilizan es altamente importante, pues es la representación de este. El vestuario puede expresar gustos e intereses, tener connotaciones secundarias, crear un ambiente para el filme, exponer sus ideologías y personalidad y hasta guiar a la audiencia sobre el tiempo en el que se sitúa dicha película. Una de mis películas favoritas es Suspiria no tan solo por su tema, si no, también por la atmósfera y esencia que existe en cada escena. Suspiria (2018) es una película de horror dirigida por Luca Guadagnino donde un hombre examina unos hechos raros que están ocurriendo en una de las  compañías de danza mejor reconocidas internacionalmente. Una herramienta utilizada para lograr el ambiente deseado por el director en el filme es la vestimenta de los personajes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cMcI6oAuaeQ
Luca Guadagnino y Grace Coddington para M2M

En una entrevista entre el director de la película y Grace Coddington, una de las directoras artísticas más reconocidas en la industria de la moda, Guadagnino le expresó que “This is why I love fashion: It’s a lot of of brain, a lot of precision, a commitment, passion”. Además, él expresó que no tuvo el presupuesto para poder contar con un departamento de vestimenta y únicamente utilizó conexiones personales para lograr su finalidad. La única persona acreditada por el vestuario en la película es su amiga y colaboradora para otras películas, Giulia Piersanti. Ella fue nominada en las categorías de mejor vestuario en una película por su trabajo en Suspiria en los premios CIFCC y Seattle Film Critics, y ganó dicho premio para los premios Silver Ribbon, Golden Ciak y Fright Meter Awards. 

Foto hallada de IMDB

En la mayoría de la película las integrantes del grupo de danza utilizan colores pálidos o mutados, tales como grises, amarillos, rosas pálidos y colores neutrales durante sus ensayos, como mostrado en la foto arriba. Esto ayuda crear un ambiente totalmente abrumado y misterioso a lo largo de la película. Las personas que contrastan el estilo de las integrantes son las profesoras de danza. Ellas utilizan colores más saturados y oscuros que el resto de ella, especialmente la profesora principal, Madame Blanc interpretada por Tilda Swinton. Ella utiliza vestidos negros, largos y conservadores a lo largo de la producción, dándole un sentido de autoridad sobre las otras. Esto es mostrado en la foto abajo, donde su personaje es contrastado por una bailarina utilizando una camisa roja vino.

Foto hallada de IMDB

El uso del color rojo en la vestimenta en esta película es altamente importante. Un dato importante de la película es que la escuela de danza sirve como una máscara para un aquelarre de brujas que utilizan la danza como un método para llevar a cabo sus rituales. La única vez que el rojo es utilizado en los vestidos es cuando está ocurriendo un ritual donde habrá sangre derramada. El mensaje implícito del ritual puede evidenciarse con tan solo el uso de un color. El imagen mostrado abajo presenta un baile de la compañía donde utilizan vestidos con un pentagrama en su pecho y el color rojo brillante. Claro está, el baile fue parte de un ritual organizado por las brujas.

Foto hallada de IMDB

Suspiria es una película visualmente estimulante. Cada escena tiene su propia atmósfera llena de tensión y parte de esto se debe al uso de vestuario. Recomiendo esta película para quien desee ver como el vestuario puede ser utilizado para crear un ambiente en una producción. Es una película que debe de presenciarse para percibir el la emoción y atmósfera detrás del vestuario.

Courtney Love’s Personal Style

If I ask you to think of Courtney Love, what type of clothing do you picture her in? Chances are you probably envisioned her wearing a loose, babydoll type dress, and let it be known, this vision is of her own making.

Photo from Vogue

Courtney Love is one of the most influential women of rock and a style symbol in the grunge community. Courtney Love was the lead singer from the highly acclaimed 90’s rock band called Hole. She is certainly a bold and rebellious person which was translated to the image she created for herself throughout fashion. Love’s style was one full of contradictions; she wore silk dresses, but would pair it with mary janes, or wore nightgowns with bows, but wrote “witch” on her arms with a red marker. It can best be described as the lovechild between the babydoll style and rock n’ roll. Some term the style as “kinderwhore”, marking it as a sub-style in the grunge style. However odd it sounds, this look suited Courtney and defined a style for a generation.

Image from Galore Mag

As mentioned, Courtney’s style was an enigma of her own making. According to Hal Rubenstein in his book The Looks of Love, Love knew that each type of fabric created a specific statement. She created her own look that would define her by buying nightgowns made of crepe and having them tailored into babydoll dresses. She created her own aesthetic whose elements then influenced grunge female fashion in the 90s. The image she created was so captivating that designers were influenced by her and the babydoll dress became a staple of the 90s fashion. 

It’s interesting to see how Love used clothing as a tool in order to promote the image she created for herself. She caught the attention of everyone, designers and consumers alike with her daring looks. This helped her make an impact in not only the music industry, but the fashion community as well, solidifying her status as an icon in the Rock community.

Tarea #5- Privacy and Security

Cybersecurity is one of the biggest threats we are facing today. Our society depends so much on digital platforms and software programs, which comes at a cost and a security hazard to all of us. All the information we input into these platforms and programs is stored in their databases which can be used and sold for whatever reason they choose. Our professor in our INF 103 Course sent us videos and readings that relate to our privacy and security on the web.

The first reading that was sent to us related to the information that can be known by these sites by our “friends”. When we add people as friends on a social media platform, these platforms can identify which traits and interests are shared between them and yourself, creating a virtual profile of your likes. The second reading relates more specifically to Facebook and how it stores all of your personal information, even if you delete it from the site. It also showcases how this information can be sold to different companies that can now have access to very personal details such as your phone number, address, age, etc. The final reading further emphasizes on the availability of your information on Google and Facebook. For example, they know exactly where you have been, all of your search history, all of the apps you have, amongst others. These lectures emphasize that almost every activity we do is being monitored and stored.

Photo by Oleg Magni on Unsplash

Our professor also sent us different videos that relate towards personal security on the web. Video #1 talked about how every site and platform that is deemed as free really comes at the cost of your information. For example, if you’re using a free picture editing app, they can use the pictures you upload as advertisements. Video #2, demonstrates the consequences that allowing these platforms to access, use and sell your information can have. Your information can be sold to different third party organizations and they can use your information for good or for bad. The third video explains the pros and cons of facial recognition software. This highly powerful technology is still in it’s starting stages, so it isn’t as reliable as shown by high percentages of misidentification in the video, but demonstrates that there is a want for it from law enforcement agencies. The backlash stems from comparing this identification to the taking of fingerprints without consent, which is totally valid since our faces are being tracked and monitored without our consent.

As an exercise to see how much of our personal information these sites have, our professor told us to search My Activity feature and Ad Settings in Google . These sites knew exactly which sites I had visited and how long I stayed in each page. This allowed for Google to build a profile for which ads it would show me according to the history. Google assumes I am 65+ years old, am a female, frequently search for advertising and marketing things and really enjoy using Youtube. Most of the information it assumed about me was correct, so the ads it shows me are the ones whose target market meets my criteria and likewise. 

Thankfully, there exist different extensions and software programs that limit the amount of information that can be accessed by these platforms. Disconnect is one of these extensions that helps secure it’s users’ security. I put it to the test by visiting two sites, Canva and Motel Rocks, that I frequently visit and the information that arose from that was alarming. Disconnect let me see the different sites that have access to my information just from visiting those two websites. Below are the images that exhibit this information.

It can be scary knowing how much of your information is being shared online and the threat that it poses. Some may use it as a wait to sell their products, but hackers can use it as a way to steal your identity. For these reasons, it is important to be aware of the dangers of sharing your information on the web and what steps you can take to protect yourself..

An Unlikely Mix: Streetwear and High Fashion

As the saying goes, opposites attract. How could two completely different fashion styles merge into one? Trends come and go, and it seems that streetwear has been one of the most defining trends of the late 2010’s. From celebrities sporting looks, to runway inspired collections and a recognition of these designers in the most coveted awards, streetwear has certainly had an uprising in high fashion. If you want to learn more about the scale at which streetwear as dispersed throughout the fashion industry, watch the following video by the CBS Sunday Morning show where experts from the industry are interviewed regarding the topic.

Video Showing Streetwear’s Rise in the Fashion Industry by CBS Sunday Morning

As the designer Heron Preston said regarding streetwear’s influence, “you can’t ignore it anymore”. Designers and brands have taken notice in the uprising of this trend and have incorporated it in the creation of their designs, expanding their line of products so that they may cater to their audience. Some designers from different segments in the fashion industry, such as the featured Carine Roitfelt in the video, are venturing into this emerging trend to benefit economically by it, even though it isn’t their favorite style. Similarly, fashion houses and brands that are considered as high fashion have adapted their products so that they fit within this category. Below is an example of a Gucci Ad where the models are wearing distinctly streetwear clothing in an urban setting.

A Publicity Picture for Gucci’s Tennis 1977 

Why has this movement suddenly had an uprising in high fashion since it’s been around for decades? There are so many factors that have led to this uprising of the unification of these two fashion components, but amongst these, social media marketing has been a key factor. Social media has provided a platform where people from different backgrounds, races, incomes, styles and ideologies are in the same playing platform where they can generate content appealing to their audiences. Brands have created tactics, such as the use of specific hashtags, give-aways and influencers, in order to spread the reach of their brand. All of these tactics involve a creative process where captivating visuals are made and spread. Streetwear is recognized for pushing the boundaries, being at times colorful and creative, keeping in mind comfortability and being accessible to everyone. These characteristics have led to an increase in the use of this trend in audiences from every race, income status and profession. Even the top followed Instagram influencers and celebrities can be seen sporting streetwear looks, such as Kylie Jenner with 166 million followers.

Kylie Jenner Sporting a Streetwear Look as an Influencer for the Brand Adidas

With the upsurgence of this trend, fashion businesses belong to a multi-billion dollar industry that will take advantage of every opportunity they get. This is why so many streetwear lines are being created by celebrities that are considered as the faces of high fashion, such as Robin Fenty’s Fenty, and why respectable fashion houses such as Gucci and Fendi have jumped on this movement. The unlikely mix of fashion concepts that seem to belong to two different worlds has resulted in a very inclusive movement that encompasses the usage of pieces with a similar functionality and style  by people with entirely different lives.

What is Slow Fashion?

You’ve probably heard of the term fast-fashion, but do you know what slow-fashion is? Whereas fast-fashion is rooted in cost-efficiency, maximization of laboral resources and rapid production, slow-fashion is the opposite. Slow fashion consists of using natural fibers, providing a fair wage and laboral facility and a humane production system.

Photo by Fernand De Canne on Unsplash

H&M, Zara, Forever 21 and Fashion Nova are all recognizable fast-fashion brands. Can you name four ethical fashion brands? We are currently living on an on demand society where consumers are used to instant gratification. However, the consecuences of these behaviours can be even deadly. Fast-fashion relies on quick garnment production in order to fulfill the consumers’ demand. This implies that the workers have to work quickly and use easily findable materials, which leads to two major issues. The first one is that workers are exploited; most of the brands that cater to this form of production have sweatshops in countries where there are much less laws that protect laborers and are not kept in the best conditions. A tragic example of sad outcome that can result from this is the Bangladesh factory collapse that fell under this category. The factory was overpacked with machinery and workers that exceeded the buildings limitations in order to comply with the demand, yet it fell apart leaving over 1,000 workers dead. Another negative impact fast-fashion can have is contributing to global warming. The fashion industry is the second-most polluting in the world. Part of it due to the excess buying of garnments from consumers, from the usage of poorly compostable fabrics and lack of recycling. The fabrics used are popular due to their cheap adquisition cost, yet are of poor quality and take a long time to decompose, such as cotton is.

Photo by Ethan Bodnar on Unsplash

Slow fashion is the alternative to fast fashion. Slow fashion abides by the Fair Trade principles that look for providing a just environment for laborers from every industry, using natural fibers that decompose easier and is recognized by it’s timeless style. While most fast fashion pieces are created so that they instantly cater to emerging trends, slow fashion designers are recognized for creating pieces that withstand the test of time and trends. Slow fashion is much more ethical than fast fashion in every sense. The fabrics used in slow fashion seek to reduce their impact in the environment as much as possible; these include the use of natural fibers. Also, the creation of these pieces are assured to be just in every step of the production process. An important factor in the rise to fast fashion has been it’s cheap prices. When a clothing piece comes very cheap to the consumer, it costs the producers something. It may be the quality of the piece, the money spent on paying adequately their workers, or something else. Slow fashion tends to be a bit higher priced than fast fashion pieces, but keep in mind, these pieces are assured to be of the best quality and be made ethically. This poses a moral question to the consumer, would they rather pay cheap prices for a garnment that implies so much harm or a higher price for the assurance of a proper production?

In Puerto Rico, there are various designers that comply with slow fashion guidelines. Some of these are Yayi, Marimu, Isleñas, Knot Predictable, Agnes Anna and Sally Torres Vega, amongst many more. In Puerto Rico, we have a saying that goes “El que busca, encuentra”, which translates to “whoever searches, will find”. After learning a bit more about slow fashion, I encourage you to search for slow fashion designers close to where you reside or look up ethical fashion brands. A change in one consumer’s habits can spark a chain reaction and hopefully better the industry as a whole.

HW #3

Feedly is an online platform that allows it users to subscribe to various news from channels in an organized and categorized manner. For my INF 103 course, I had to subscribe to all of my peers’ blogs, ten channels pertaining to the topic of my blog, being fashion, and ten channels that correlate to technology. Below is a picture showing the blogs run by my peers from my INF 103 that I follow.

These are the Blogs I follow that belong to my peers from the INF 103 Course

As, I mentioned, I also follow ten blogs pertaining to the topic of this blog: Fashion. Here is a brief description of the blogs I follow with a screenshot of them.

Fashion Blogs I Follow
  • All The Pretty Birds– Dedicated to showcasing the latest fashion trends in all facets: from the runway, to models, influencers and celebrities.
  • Fashionista– Publishes the latest news from the fashion industry, highlighting career opportunities and trends.
  • Fashion United (UK)– Showcases a macro-perspective from the industry, from retailing to business information.
  • Freshness Mag– This site is all about streetwear: the trends, designers and brands for both male and females.
  • Hypebeast-A site dedicated to showing men’s streetwear and lifestyle
  • Man Repeller– This online magazine is a female-run platform that prioritizes fashion in the female perspective.
  • Putting Me Together– This blog is run by a fashion stylist who gives her best tricks and tips for putting on stylish outfits for everyone.
  • The Business of Fashion– As the title implies, this magazine analyzes the fashion industry with a more business approach.
  • Vogue– One of the leading and longest-lasting fashion magazines that is highly respected in the industry.
  • Who What Wear– Covers celebrity fashion and style.

As also mentioned, aside from the fashion topic, I also follow ten blogs pertaining to Technology. Below is a cropped screenshot showing the blogs I follow that relate to this with a short description.

  • Coolest Gadgets– Keeps their audience update with cool innovative creations made pertaining to every industry.
  • Digital Trends– Showcases the trends that are taking over the digital world throughout different platforms
  • El Nuevo Día: Tecnología– A subsection from the puertorrican newspaper El Nuevo Día that highlights news pertaining to Technology.
  • Gizmodo– A blog focused on science fiction and futurism.
  • Mashable– Digital media website that informs on the latest information and how it relates to technology
  • The New York Times: Technology- A subsection form the newspaper The New York Times that highlights news pertaining to the topics of Techonology.
  • Tech Insider– Gives an inside scoop to its audience to the latest technologies being developed and the process behind these.
  • TechCrunch– Reports mostly on the business side of developing technologies.
  • The Next Web– Provides conferences based on new techonologies and emerging startups.
  • The Verge– Online news magazine that provides the latest on technologies from different industries.

Tarea #4

La Tarea #4 del curso INF103 está basada en la colaboración. El profesor creó un Google Doc donde los estudiantes de mi sección, la 2, participamos de un ejercicio de “Crowdsourcing”. La información que yo expuse en el documento es la siguiente:

Nombre: Alejandra Velasco

YouTube Channels: 

  1. The Punk Rock MBA– En este canal Finn Mckenty, un profesional de mercadeo dentro de la industria de la música, da sus opiniones sobre ciertos movimientos y bandas dentro del género musical del “Rock”. Él analiza los factores a lo que se debió su surgimiento y/o decadencia.
  2. British Vogue- Canal de la revista de moda altamente reconocida en el mundo. En este canal de la versión británica, puedes encontrar distintos vídeos relacionados a la moda con un tono más profesional y serio que el americano. Además, encontrarás un “playlist” de videos dirigidos por Alexa Chung donde entrevista profesionales dentro de la industria de la moda y expone distintos oficios y oportunidades dentro de la industria.  
  3. Business Insider– Este canal es dedicado a contestar algunas de las preguntas más interesantes en todas las industrias. Además, hay videos que explican las claves del éxito de ciertos negocios, a que elementos se le puede atribuir a su supervivencia. 

Instagram profiles:

  1. Galore– Es la página IG de la revista online de Galoremag.com. La estética de la página es totalmente colorida y llena de referentes al “Pop-culture”
  2. Merodea– Es la página de IG de la revista online de Merodea.com. Publican contenido bien interesante para las mujeres caribeñas tocando un sinnúmero de tópicos como la salud mental, la moda, la política y la comida. Ponen stories muy interactivos con frecuencia. 
  3. Hypebeast– Es la página de IG de la revista online de hypebeast.com. Es una página que expone la moda, músicos y todo elemento referente al “streetwear” masculino.

Libros:

  1. The Looks of Love: 50 Moments in Fashion That Inspired Romance– Hal Rubenstein, el autor de este libro quien es un consultor de moda altamente reconocido en la industria, expone en este libro 50 momentos dentro de la industria de la moda que impactaron a los consumidores y a los diseñadores.
  2. The Outsiders– Este libro cuenta la historia de un grupo de amigos que son considerados como delincuentes en los ojos de la sociedad, pero va a fondo con sus luchas económicas, sociales y emocionales. 
  3. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo– Este thriller narra la historia sobre la búsqueda de la desaparición de una niña hecha por un detective y una hacker. Esta historia es una fuerte, llena de drama, a veces triste, a veces morbosa, pero siempre te deja en suspenso.

Films o series:

  1. Almost Famous– Esta película narra la historia de un periodista de escuela superior emergente quien siguió a una banda durante una gira estadounidense y cuenta sobre todos los incidentes que pasó con estos, basado en una historia real.
  2. Corpse Bride– Corpse Bride es una película de stop motion de amor totalmente atípica, donde un hombre profesando su amor a una mujer sin querer se lo profesa a una difunta quien revive y decide ser su esposa.
  3. The Handmaid’s Tale– Esta serie totalmente oscura, dramática, realista y chocante muestra una realidad distópica a la que puede llegar la sociedad si adoptamos prácticas donde existen concubinas bajo una dictadura.

Asignación #2

Como parte de la Clase #Inf103 #Sec2, tuvimos que crear un About page en el blog. En la página de About, puede aprender sobre la autora del blog y el propósito del blog. La página de About de la Elixiere puede ser accedida al oprimir aquí.

The Web and I: My Perception and Use of the Internet and Web

The Internet is such an important and fundamental piece of technology that allows us to create, share, communicate and learn about an infinite amount of subjects. The web is the most powerful tool we have and should take full advantage of it. I’m a freelancer who is dedicated to social media marketing, writing and graphic design, amongst other skills. With this in mind, it is essential for me to have an understanding of the Internet and the power within it.

As a social media marketer, that is part of digital marketing, it is essential for me to know in what direction the Internet is headed. Will the future lie on the web? Or somewhere else? I always like to watch videos such as the one listed below to keep me informed as to which trends will appear and which will sway away over time. It is important to be up-to-date with the innovations that may arise in your field as to not fall short with your competition. For these reasons, I often watch Eric Siu and heyDominik’s videos to keep myself updated with the latest trends.

I often watch videos such as this one by Eric Siu to be prepared for whatever the future holds for my field.

Aside from being a digital marketer, I’m also a writer. I’ve worked with several companies by creating articles for their webpages. I love creating written content for my clients since it is the base for everything else. The original and unique content a company or page produces is what will pave the way for its success or demise. From there, a company can market their content however they please, but the most important thing is to set it apart by producing fresh content that shows that you are an expert in a certain field. My field of expertise is fashion, and so I’ve written various articles for Retazo, a circular fashion platform, and Merodea, an online media company. Amongst these, my favorite articles that I have written are Nuevo año, nuevo clóset: tendencias a velar en el 2019, Kenia Barbosa: The fashion designer known for her “upcycling” techniques and Fair Trade in Puerto Rico.

These are some tips I like to keep in mind whenever I am creating an article.

Yet another skill I possess that is closely tied to the Internet is graphic design. I am a self-taught artist, but self-taught with help from Instagram and Youtube Videos, which is where the help of the web comes in. Artists such as Ariev Soeharto and Haze Long dedicate their social media platforms towards providing tutorials on how to use different Apps for Graphic Design. The Internet has allowed me to grow as an artist by allowing me to access art tutorials and important information that I would not have gotten anywhere else. It also exposed me to new artists that I had not seen before that have inspired my art in ways I never thought imaginable. Below is a picture from Kelly Dot’s page; one of my favorite artists that was introduced to me via Instagram. Since seeing her work, my style has been influenced by her.

The following artist, Kelly Dot, was introduced to me by Instagram’s Explore Page and has since influenced my art style,

To me, the Internet plays a key role not only in my everyday life, but also in my professional development. It is the platform where I have cultivated and grown my skills, and where I will continue to flourish. It also serves as a gateway to create and publish any type of content and find a community who supports it. The web is the glue that sticks everyone together and the soil with seeds where, if treated correctly, flowers will bloom.

La Elixiere

La Elixiere is a blog run by Alejandra Velasco dedicated to analyzing fashion trends throughout the years. The clothing we wear is our second skin and is used as a way to express yourself towards the world. Fashion impacts our daily lives in direct and indirect ways.

This space is dedicated to highlighting different moments in fashion in their historical and social context to see what impact they have had or will have.

This tweet talks about the first day of class.
Here is a picture of a fashion look book coordinated by favorite creative director, Moschino’s Jeremy Scott.

This blog was created by Alejandra Velasco for academic purposes as to fulfill the needs required by the course #Inf103 #Sec2 by the Universidad del Sagrado Corazón located in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

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