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Special Edition Newsletter Conference 2005 Report: Woman, Beauty,
and Image A lively interview with Oscar de la Renta opened the conference. De la Renta gave fascinating glimpses of his early journey from art student in the Dominican Republic to aspiring designer in the great fashion houses of Europe. De la Renta’s passion for his craft is clearly undimmed by his many years in the field. When asked in which era of history he would most prefer to design, he answered without the slightest hesitation: “This is the most exciting time for anyone to be creating clothes. Never has there been in the history of time, women in control of their destiny as they are now….Never have we dealt with a consumer who is as smart as we know women are today.” He further commented that he is always trying to know the woman that he is trying to dress, and described her as “uptown, attractive, elegant and feminine….a woman of the world..” One can no longer tell which city or region a woman is from by the cut of her clothes. Keynote speaker Pia
de Solenni, of the Family Research Council in Washington, D. C., offered
philosophical insights on the notion of beauty. She spoke of beauty as
a quality that draws people to itself because it resonates deeply in the
human heart. She contrasted sensible beauty, which captures the eyes and
heart through the senses, with spiritual beauty, which captures the imagination
and can inspire the person to higher things. Beauty can lead toward self
or toward others. We have to live with the facts that:
Three panel discussions gave a variety of insights into the workings of the worlds of advertising, the media, and image: how fashion is created, how the image is created in advertising, how these are portrayed in the media, and the interrelationships of culture and these components. Although the panelists were frank about the commercial interests that drive trends, there was a general tone of hope and a positive outlook for the future. Clearly, the consumer is being listened to and respected. Jeffrey Buchman, Professor at the Fashion Institute of Technology, demonstrated changing trends with a slide show comparing ad campaigns in 2003 with those in 2005. The trend from passive, languid, and largely ornamental women to pro-active, engaged, and intelligent ones was welcomed by all. Speakers on both the media and advertising panels stressed the need to be pro-active in expressing opinions, because companies are sensitive to marketing feedback. Letters and emails really count, even in small quantities. One definition of beauty that everyone seemed to agree on, although it was stated in different ways, is that beauty has to do with the expression of the personality of the individual. This led to much idea-sharing that took place during the opening night reception, Saturday luncheon, and breaks between events. The quality of these discussions was greatly enhanced by the diversity of the conference participants. The international audience included visitors from Canada, South America, Europe, and the Philippines, not to mention all corners of the United States. A substantial number of aspiring and established designers and fashion consultants, as well as women with backgrounds in media, education, medicine, and a wide range of other professional interests shared opinions on trends in dress, tips on business-appropriate dress, initiatives to help younger women create positive peer pressure in fashion, and strategies for influencing popular trends.
The conference gained much from the gracious and attentive staff at the Union League Club, and was made possible by many months of planning and work from a team of dedicated volunteers, including five students from local high schools who served as lively guides and helpers throughout the conference. -Alice Trimmer
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The
Interactive Workshop: Into the Future that closed the conference gave
participants a chance to explore ideas related to: How can the ordinary
person make a difference? How does the advice from the panelists to “Be
pro-active” translate into specific steps? How can we work with
people we know, wherever we happen to be? The conviction gained from hearing
directly from representatives of trend-setting industries that they are
so receptive to women’s ideas energized all towards acting on the
option to share their opinions. Clearly we have a responsibility to do
so if we want to have a hand in shaping the culture of our time.