PATTERNS AND TONES

"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...

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 t he coal-scuttle or sugar scoop bonnet were structured from straw and were stiff, limiting the view of the person wearing it. Thes...

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 Miranda .  Miranda 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...

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 i...