Home as Hat: Kim Shattuck

"Kim Shattuck" from Home as Hat

FASHION VS. STYLE

 “Fashion fades, style is eternal.” - Yves Saint Laurent

While working on this series of portraits I started to discover the distinction between fashion and style. The individuals I have been photographing are all very fashionable but each actually had something a bit more that was adding to the image. I realized it was their personal style that was coming through, the strength of their character which made the image more compelling.

The decorative "hats" that I have been stitching into these portraits now have become a symbolic gesture to fashion, a connection between the exterior world we create, wear and live in, while the individual in each photograph has taken on a more spiritual transcendence of the fashion world in the projection of their individual style.

It is the intersection between fashion and style that I find very interesting. Combining personal style that projects all our experiences and choices we make over the years with wearable works of art is a wonderful way to digest the complexities of each individual we encounter. 

"Kim Shattuck" from Home as Hat is the first image that inspire this entire series. I was intrigued by the connection I saw between the sheltering peek of the tudor house in the background with my subject in the foreground. Humor plays a big part in my work and this juxtaposition hit just the right note and a new series was born.

The monochromatic color palate I chose for this particular "hat" was inspired by what Kim was wearing. I also wanted to see how a lack of color in the thread would interact with the black and white portrait, which I think made the tone of this image quite yet powerful.

Grab your coat and get your hat,

Julie Green

February 27, 2016