Demure to Deviant: Ladylike Fashion in the 20th Century

Beth Dincuff

As part of Parsons online voice I am proposing to coordinate a crowd sourcing project utilizing the social media skills of London College of Art students, Gretchen Harnick, Assistant Professor, Parsons AAS, Fashion Marketing and myself, Beth Dincuff Charleston, Part time Assistant Professor, Parsons School of Fashion. Titled “Picturing London Fashion” this crowd sourcing project will extend the opportunity to document London Fashion Week and the Fashion Weeks Colloquia to London College of Art students. “Picturing London Fashion” participants can submit photos, video or other types of multimedia from their mobile phones and other digital devices live The Global Repository for Fashion. The almost instantaneous images and commentary will then be made available to the websites or blogs of all the organizing schools: Domus Academy, Milan; Institut Francais de la mode, Paris; London College of Fashion, London; and Parsons School of Fashion, New York by London College of Art students with Prof. Harnick and I providing coordination and content oversight. In addition, Prof. Harnick and I plan to post video interviews of various attendees and blog and tweet live from the colloquia for Parsons. I have also presented a different proposal under the Fashion and Gender category and if we both attend, this would be a joint project.

As an online fashion commentator I have separated my projects into three distinct areas: content provider, trend spotter and commentator, and fashion curator. In some instances I utilize social media platforms purely as informational conduits, informing the online fashion audience of specific events, designs or personalities. In other instances I comment on trends that I feel are important to specific areas of fashion or the industry as a whole.