Saturday, July 30, 2016

Home as Hat: Julian Balme

"Julian Balme" from Home as Hat
 COLOR AS COVER

Without knowing it, color plays a vital role in our lives. It permeates our consious decisions from what we decide to eat, what we choose to wear, and of course to what we buy. Color communicates meaning and sets the tone. It is assigned meaning by the culture we live in. It also permeates our subconscious. When we see our country flag flying, the combination of colors, we can actually feel the weight of their meaning embedded in their hues.Whether it be our country, our team, our style, or our philosophy, color's visual cues are the most influential senses we have.

I chose the combination of red, white and blue since this is the first portrait taken for this series outside of the United States.  I selected these colors to discuss how color itself becomes a cover, a shelter that we wear whether we are conscious of it or not. We don't often discuss color as a vehicle for taking shelter but it can be a blanket or a panacea when fear strikes the hearts of a nation.

The colors of our flag can also give us a tremendous amount of pride. Through good times and bad, it is our nation that is our home, the place in which we reside and take cover from outside elements.

Vive la colour,

Julie Green
July 30, 2016













Saturday, July 23, 2016

Home as Hat: Susannah Mosher

Susannah Mosher for Home as Hat

BONNET AS SHELTER

"Style is a way to say who you are without having to speak." - Rachel Zoe

There are as many styles of head coverings as there are entries to the home. The bonnet is one hat that was you don't see too often anymore but was extremely usefully during periods when people were not as protected from the elements as we are today. The bonnet started life without a brim. Less used to shade ones face from the sun, this bonnet was widely worn during the 19th century to protect ones hair and face from dust and dirt. The head covering evolved to eventually extend the brim to protect the individual to sun as well.

While doing a bit of research on bonnets, I came across a variety styles I never even knew existed. A calash, for example, is a collapsable bonnet, while the coal-scuttle or sugar scoop bonnet were structured from straw and were stiff, limiting the view of the person wearing it. These straw hats were quite expensive and were usually crafted in Italy. The more comment and affordable bonnet board was a cardboard structure that was pressed into shape and covered with silk.

We no longer need hats to protect us from the elements but their history is fascinating and one that I continue to look at from the perspective of how they have sheltered us away from the elements when not at home.

Keep it under your hat,

Julie Green
July 23, 2016

















Saturday, July 16, 2016

Home as Hat: Julia Rivera

Julia Rivera from Home as Hat
HABITATION IN A HEADPIECE


"People will stare. Make it worth their while." - Harry Winston

Style is a state of mind. We inhabit our dwellings the same way we reside in style, casually by ourselves and fabulously for special occasions. This week I began looking at the local Spanish Revival architecture prevalent throughout California from 1915 - 1931. With an eye towards the more flamboyant, I came up with the idea of incorporating this lovely architectural style with its surrounding vegetation.

As I began to sketch out how I would approach this hat, it reminded me of the costumed hat of the Brazilian bombshell Carmen MirandaMiranda embellished her bejeweled headpieces with colorful beads, satin ribbon, baskets and of course - fruit. She was actually appropriating the head dresses the Afro-Brazilian culture in the north-eastern provence of Bahia in Brazil. These market women often carried actual fruit and products on the top of the heads in actual baskets. 

Julia's headpiece evolved into a far more cultivated millinery and less of the stylized caricature of Latin American culture Miranda had created. I like the final results of this hat which include additional elements surrounding the entryway. It's a stylistic extension of the person, place and thing.

Julie Green
July 16, 2016










Saturday, July 9, 2016

Home as Hat: Jonnie Green

Jonnie Green for Home as Hat


THE HAT IN UNIFORM

"Elegance is not standing out, but being remembered." —Giorgio Armani

The facade of our dwelling is very revealing of who we are on the inside. It immediately shows what our tastes are, our economic status, and whether we welcome others into our lives or not.

I often walk around neighborhoods looking at the variances each front yard displays and wonder how each selection of plant, fence, pot and door mat was obtained through the experiences and tastes of its owner.

Large swaths of America are covered in various shades of beige tract homes. I suppose uniformity is comforting to a large majority of the population and its economic benefits of the housing development helps to keep homes affordable.

This notion of uniformity in architecture led me to think of the implications of the hat in the context of uniforms people wear at work. The uniform, much like tract housing, provides a shield of protection against individuality and helps to foster a sense of belonging to a larger community.

For instance, military, police and fire hats allows fellow officers the ability to identify the individual by rank and number quickly. The military hat is actually referred to as a "cover" and etiquette while wearing the cover is quite stringent. Law enforcement hats were in fact artifacts of war. Early LAPD uniforms were actually left over from the Union Army. 

As I continue to delve into the comparisons the shelter of our homes provide like a hat on our head, the more I realize how interconnected our every action is with who we are as an individual.

Hang on to your hat,

Julie Green
July 9, 2016