Miuccia Prada’s Paris Fashion Week offering was an exercise in pattern awareness.
ONE MOMENT WITH MARY ELLEN BEAUDREAU AND JENNY LAI
May 09, 2013 11:45 AM
On May 8, RISD grad and designer Jenny Lai of "NOT" collaborated with dancer Mary Ellen Beaudreau for a performance at the South Oxford Space with The Alliance of Residences Theatres in Brooklyn.
The event was hosted by Movement Research, an organization that not only supplies the community with free art and dance classes but also promotes research and examination of dance culture.
Ms. Beaudreau created her own piece entitled “One Moment” for the performance.
"One Moment was inspired by recorded interviews that I conducted with former and current professional ballet dancers who revealed their perspective on the ballet world.
"I created a soundtrack from their voices incorporating excerpts of Prokofiev's Romeo & Juliet. Beyond the music creation, I collaborated with Jenny Lai of NOT, to create a costume made from used Pointe shoes. The choreography is manifested from ballet vocabulary, the interviewees’ perspectives and the feeling of being trapped.”
Jenny also explained her creative process to TWELV:
“I started out by analyzing each one of the hundreds of Pointe shoes I received by the dancer and documenting individual variations such as the type of hand-stitching, color of floss thread, elastic and ribbon, shellac or duct tape used to harden the insoles, etc...
"After understanding the "character" of the shoes, I experimented with all the ways it could be either built up as units or stripped down to raw material. The final pieces, which were developed in conjunction with the choreography of the piece, include a unitard covered with Pointe shoe "hides" that were individually dissected and hand sewn on, and three outer "harnesses", which are rows of Pointe shoes, that are secured to the body.”
Jenny Lai got her start interning for Viktor & Rolf in Amsterdam and the Boudicca studio in London. After years of watching other designers, she knew she wanted to be one herself. Once she was back in New York City, she started designing her own collection, named "NOT," for a woman who didn't want to just get dressed in the morning, but wanted to have an entirely different experience every time a new article is put on her body. Jenny described it as, "NOT is not about a name. It is about the woman who defines herself by being unlike the rest."
Jenny is also part of an online community of self-proclaimed "black sheep" that allows designers to create their own online shops and gain exposure within the community and the digital world. "NOT JUST A LABEL" serves as an expansion platform that not only showcases and celebrates designers like Jenny, but supplies fans of unique designs a destination for fashion education.
Jenny Lai's and Ms. Beaudreau's collaboration was a true success; the performance was breathtaking and brilliant. It is clear both women are ones to watch.
To learn more about NOT, please visit her on facebook at: www.notaligne.com
If you are interested in seeing Jenny Lai's upcoming performance with the Aynsley Vandenbrouke's Movement Group at The Chocolate Factory on May 15-18, please visit:
http://www.chocolatefactorytheater.org/redesign/event/aynsley-vandenbroucke/
WRITTEN BY: SARAH GRANETZ
related posts
SAINT LAURENT F/W2015 "PUNK ROCK PARADISE"
At first glance, I couldn’t help but think that every model in the Saint Laurent Fall/Winter 2015 exhibition looked like Courtney Love during her Hole days. Exaggerated jet-black eyeliner and...
COMME DES GARÇONS F/W2015 READY-TO-WEAR
In stark contrast to Rei Kawakubo’s unsettlingly beautiful blood-red Spring collection, the designer’s Fall offering was decidedly lugubrious in solemn black and white.
Roberto Cavalli F/W2015 READY-TO-WEAR
Italian fashion designer, Roberto Cavalli presented his Fall/Winter 2015 collection during Milan fashion week.
PRADA F/W2015 READY-TO-WEAR
If an alien race from the future designed a human clothing line and had only the show Mad Men to use for a reference, the results would probably be akin to Prada’s AW15 collection. ...
Dior defies gravity in Spring/ Summer 2015 campaign
Christian Dior took an innovative stance in the spring-summer 2015 campaign.
BURBERRY PRORSUM F/W2015 Ready-to-Wear
Prorsum literally means “forward” in latin, but Burberry is taking beautiful steps back in time with its Fall RTW collection displayed at London Fashion Week. CEO/Creative Director...
TWELV Magazine Fashion Week Party @GANSEVOORT PARK AVENUE NYC
To celebrate and to take a break from all the pandemonium of New York Fashion week, TWELV partied at the Gansevoort Park Avenue NYC on Monday.
KTZ NYFW F/W2015 Ready-to-Wear
TWELV attended KTZ’s NYFW presentation and snapped front-row shots of the collection. Luxe materials, bold patterns, and Native American inspired designs encapsulated the whole of the...
PRADA Spring/Summer 2015 AD CAMPAIGN
Prada had a strong presence at the 72nd annual Golden Globes as displayed by stars like Christoph Waltz, Common, and Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu. Hot off its solid representation on...
Jill Stuart NYFW F/W2015 Ready-to-Wear
This season Jill Stuart offered up a collection that we are already coveting – the pieces transition so easily from daytime to nighttime that they all seem like a smart investment.
Moncler Grenoble F/W2015 "SECRET OF VALENTINE KISS"
Moncler Grenoble “Love Factory”
↓CLICK BELOW FOR VIDEO↓
BACKSTAGE #6 VIDEO: Kiko X Chanel
"Behind the scenes of TWELV Magazine's inspired creations"
VIKTOR & ROLF S/S2015 COUTURE COLLECTION
“Couture is a laboratory for ideas and a place for experimentation,” said Rolf Snoeren at the Victor & Rolf Haute Couture show in Paris. And experiment they certainly did. The...
Atelier Versace S/S2015 Couture Collection
Donatella Versace took this spring couture collection back to “the shape of a woman’s body, which is curvy.”
BACKSTAGE #5: THE GUMMY BEAR DRESS
"Behind the scenes of TWELV Magazine's inspired creations"
DOLCE & GABBANA SS15: A FAMILY AFFAIR
Dolce & Gabbana keeps it in the family this season with its SS15 ad campaign. This is not the first time we’ve seen the family-outing theme from D&G, however the Italian...
Christian Dior S/S2015 Couture Collection
This year’s Dior couture collection was not what you typical expect from a classic fashion house like Dior.
Sherlock Goes Sixties In MIU MIU Pre-Fall 2015
Miuccia Prada got a bit groovy with her pre-fall 2015 installation at the Palais d’Iéna. The set piece: drab olive green and washed out yellow set against tacky retro wallpaper. It’s a room that...
JONI MITCHELL ADDED TO SAINT LAURENT MUSIC PROJECT
Hot off the release of the spring/summer ’15 Psych Rock collection, Hedi Slimane has appropriately enlisted folk legend Joni Mitchell to join the Saint Laurent Music Project.
DIOR SNEAKER HEELS: A FASHION FORWARD TAKE ON FITNESS
Have you ever taken a look at your workout sneakers and thought, “These just aren’t red carpet ready enough”? Have you ever looked at your flashiest heels and thought, “These just won’t do if I...
‘Super H’ scarves by Hermès
French luxury brand Hermès has produced a whimsical video module to accompany the release of their new “Super H” scarves. The six pieces of super hero inspired French fabric fly freely in the...
NOBUYOSHI ARAKI SHOOTS FOR BOTTEGA VENETA
Nobuyoshi Araki has become the latest artist to collaborate with Bottega Veneta. The Japanese photographer, known for his raw, bondage inspired images, has foregone the provocative and the taboo...
Comme des Garcons Debuts Collaboration
Japanese fashion label Comme des Garcons collaborated with long-lasting footwear company Bata producing an exclusive sneaker line for the 2014 holiday season.
BACKSTAGE #4: DOLCE VITA
"Behind the scenes of TWELV Magazine's inspired creations"
Marc Jacobs & Sophia Coppola collaborate
Fashion designer Marc Jacobs and Academy Award-winning director Sophia Coppola collaborate in a short film to launch the latest Marc Jacobs fragrance, Daisy Dream.
MADONNA FOR VERSACE SS15
Madonna proves that she’s still at the top of her game; the enduring pop icon has been chosen to front Versace’s spring/summer 2015 ad campaign. The two cultural behemoths -- both symbols of...
Prada features Hollywood stars in Spring/ Summer 2015 Campaing
Italian fashion brand, Prada, snatched some of Hollywood’s most eye-catching men for their Spring/Summer 2015 menswear campaign.
TWELV MAGAZINE 12.12 Holiday Party @Chloe 81
What is more festive than a holiday party?! TWELV magazine celebrated the holiday season in style last Friday at Chloe 81.
JASON WU SPRING ’15 STARRING KARLIE KLOSS
For the fifth and final installment of Jason Wu’s popular and aptly titled “supermodel supper club” ad series, the powerhouse designer has chosen supermodel Karlie Kloss as the featured...
50 SHADES OF TOM FORDS BOYS
Take a trip to the Tom Ford website before November 28, and you’ll be greeted by close up clips of sensual smooching providing the backdrop for a dramatic countdown clock. This is of...
Saint Laurent PSYCH ROCK'S NEW RISING
Check out new images from the men’s and women’s collection called PYSCH ROCK by Saint Laurent!
Chrome Hearts Miami Store Opening Party
Fashion and art collided at the opening of the Chrome Hearts Miami store during Art Basel!
GIUSEPPE ZANOTTI DESIGN S/S 2015 ADVERTISING CAMPAIGN FEATURING KAROLINA KURKOVA
Giuseppe Zanotti Design recently shared their new Women's SS 2015 campaign starring supermodel Karolina Kurkova.
HARARE SS15 LOOK BOOK EXCLUSIVE
Caroline Fuss founded New York womenswear label Harare back in 2013 and named the line after the birthplace of her mother and grandmother.
DIESEL BLACK GOLD FASHION STORY"WONDER WALL"
Exclusive Fashion Story "WONDER WALL" is now updated!
Check inside for the Full Page Editorial