Category Archives: Observations

Engagement Project (Queens College)

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For a while I was conflicted as to what I should to this engagement project on. The answer was right in front of me, Queens College. Queens College is one of the most diverse communities that you can find. Queens College is located in Flushing. Flushing is the center for so many different ethnic groups.

Everyone has different ways of expressing themselves at Queens College, but there are many trends that are common amongst everyone. These trends are the New York part of everyone. That is obviously one thing everyone has in common. Everyone here, or almost everyone, lives in New York. That means everyone is influenced by the typical New York clothing. It is almost like a binding force amongst everyone.

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One of the biggest trends right now are Bomber Jackets. This trend is inspired by the popular brand Zara. Zara has a whole line of Bomber Jackets that are very popular at this time. Bomber Jackets are everywhere I go. Queens college is one of those places. I saw a gentleman wearing it so i approached him to ask “What inspired you to wear that jacket sir?”

He then replied with “It’s the trend bro”.

I continued to ask him more questions, “Is that the only reason why you’re wearing that?”

He said, “Yeah that’s about the only reason I have.”

Some people like to go along with stuff just because it’s the trend. That is the society today. Some people will go along with a trend just for the sake of it. I have known some people who have hated what they’re wearing but they go along with it for the sake of the trend.

Engagement Project

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I find SoHo to be one of the most intriguing neighborhoods in New York City. Everything about and in SoHo screams fashion and art, even the people walking the streets. When given this engagement project, I was excited because it gave me a reason to stroll the streets of SoHo and look at it from another perspective. I went into many clothing stores and cafes, noticing the different vibe that I got by just being in that neighborhood. It’s an environment where there is a sensation to fully express yourself through fashion and art. No one really judges, as they find interest and attraction in how unique one can be.

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From what I gathered, the majority of the people wear vintage or high end clothing. But no matter what they wear, almost everyone’s style was different in one way or the other. I found, just like many other people, that there was more to SoHo than just the fashion. As I walked down the streets, what really seemed to appeal to me were the buildings. Personally, I found the architecture more than amazing.  The majority of the buildings are cast iron buildings. In the designs of the buildings, it is easily noticeable that the architects must’ve been inspired by classical French and Italian designs.

 

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I chose the clothing store, Brandy Melville, as my fashion of focus. Brandy Melville is a clothing line that has come straight from Italy. Most of their stores are in Italy. Only recently did they start opening up smaller stores in the United States, starting with California. Since the first store    location in the United States was in California, the clothing design has more of a beachy-cali look to it, which attracts to more young females. At the same time, it is mixed in with the European- vintage style. I find that the majority of the clothing are on the basic side, with most of the colors ranging in white, grey, and black. There are, however, a few bright pieces that are still on the more basic side. It makes it easy to incorporate such simplistic, yet outstanding pieces into your wardrobe. 

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I find it interesting that the designers were able to combine their Italian designs with those of California. It makes the clothing line much more appealing, especially since there is still simplicity in the vintage pieces.

 

Engagement Project – Cali Caliente Boutique in Jackson Heights

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I’ve learned to accept that I choose to spend more time in Jackson Heights than I do in Astoria, which is where I live. Every year, the people of Jackson Heights hold a big parade down 37th avenue. They do this to embrace the wide variety of Hispanic traditions that are practiced from different countries in Central and South America. I attended school in the area from kindergarten to twelfth grade. The majority of my friends live in the neighborhood and identify themselves as Colombian. I heavily admired their culture ever since I was a little girl. My old school has several different shops attached to the side of the building, and one of them always managed to catch my eye.

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The name of the boutique is Cali Caliente and it has been there for as long as I can remember. This store carries various types of costumes, soccer jersey’s, and Colombian pride clothing. The mannequin’s facing the window and the clothing that they are wearing have helped me come to terms with my body. I began to notice that Colombian culture embraces curves on a woman more than society as a whole. The boutique advertises fitted clothing that aims to accentuate the natural shape of a woman. Passing by this store every day for the last thirteen years has been a blessing in disguise. In my eyes, the store represents confidence, courage, and femininity. As I entered to take notes for this project I immediately was amazed. As I entered the shop, I noticed the common red, blue, and yellow theme used to represent Colombia. The store aims to sell female clothing that accentuates the realistic body image of most girls. I noticed that majority of the woman who entered had a similar physique to the mannequins. Every customer that walked in when I was there spoke to the worker’s in Spanish and they seemed to put a lot of effort into fashion; I am under the assumption that they were Colombian due to all the Colombian flag clothing I saw being purchased.

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A common shoe many customers seemed to be wearing were wedges. Many women who entered the store were wearing pants that accentuated their butt’s by the precise cut of the jeans and the various designs embroidered on the back. Spanish music was playing loudly and every customer and worker in the store had a smile on their face. They sold several fitted and evening dresses at the boutique. They were very hard to miss since they consisted of bright colors and a lot of sequins.

screen-shot-2016-10-31-at-3-20-59-amThey also had a section devoted to a specific yellow Colombian soccer jersey. They had a wide variety of sizes for the jersey because they are very popular in the neighborhood. They also have a wide variety of Halloween costumes for adult women. They were not inexpensive and each item had a lot of detail. A large amount of the kids of the customers were drawn to the costumes and many had the urge to touch them. The store consisted of a lot of tight fitted clothing and bright colors. I love how the store and everything sold inside is able to draw attention. When walking past this store every day, I learned that embracing your culture is very important and woman of all colors and sizes should be able to wear whatever they want and feel confident in it.

– Julia Francione

Engagement Project – Gentrification of Fordham Road and Modell’s

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Fordham Center is one of the major shopping centers in the Bronx. The people that shop there are very diverse because, around Fordham Road, there are major NYC attractions like the New York Botanical Gardens, the Bronx Zoo, and Arthur Avenue. The transit there is effortless since Fordham has many bus and train lines including the Metro North. Throughout Fordham, the women fashion styles consist of tight jeans or leggings but different tops. Men, on the other hand, mostly wear sweatpants or sportswear. Fordham University students often wear clothing from Fordham University, many of their clothing has a large logo.
chipI witnessed the effects of gentrification in Fordham Road, although the change wasn’t too big it still had an impact. Gentrification started to occur when the pawn shops weren’t generating enough profits and they had to do clearance sales since many customers didn’t shop there they decided to keep these “clearance sales” going for years. These pawn shops closed down and were replaced with popular fashion stores like American Eagle or Macy’s. The restaurants here were mostly fast food burger/ pizza chains. After Fordham decided to open up more popular restaurants, there were an increased variety of choices, there were healthier options. As a result,  fewer people carried pizza slices as they were walking through the block. The people in Fordham adapted really quickly to this change since it was what the people wanted.
cbg8ldbwuaaeasmI went to Modell’s since it captured how dangerous the area was back then. This store was a victim of a major robbery. Although they recovered quickly it changed the way the store was set up, even after Fordham Road changed. A lot of the top sellers and other equipment were locked with padlocks and had the most advanced trackers to discourage robberies. If you wanted a specific product you had to refer to one of the staff members to unlock the rack and get the product. Although it doesn’t look appealing it the locks give the impression that it’s valuable.
The people that visit the store are diverse. They are those who are serious about sports, or the people (like me) wear their clothing cause of comfort. The clothing consists of mostly polyester or nylon fabrics for durability. The sneakers here aren’t really the designer sneakers you would find in major sneaker stores, but they have many varieties of sneakers based on certain sports. Their product placement is unusual since the top sellers are placed in the front of the store instead of the back. This is really interesting since many stores want you to go around and buy other products. Therefore the Modell’s I visited, showed a culture of a store that experienced a robbery.

All pictures were taken from Google Images.

 

Sarah Levin

Jamaica Estates, Queens is the neighborhood in which I was raised. It is an upper middle class neighborhood. It is located between Union Turnpike at its North, Hillside Avenue to the south, Utopia Parkway and Homelawn Street to the west, and 188th Street to the east. It is a beautiful neighborhood filled with oak, chestnut, maple and elm trees. Most of the houses are set back and old-fashioned tudors. On 179th street, right by the entrance of Jamaica Estates, there is a popular subway station. It is only feet away from Hillside Avenue, a popular and condensed avenue filled with shops. Despite the fact that it only blocks away from my house, I have never actually been to Hillside Avenue until this project. I felt that going to witness the stark difference of only a few blocks would be fascinating, and I was correct! It was only a five-minute drive from my house to Hillside Avenue, yet I was able to see the community drastically shift in terms of appearance, in terms of people and their ethnicity, and in fashion.

When I arrived at the subway station which is located on Hillside Avenue, and directly next to the Jamaica Estates entrance sign, I was confronted by homeless man asking for money. He wore jeans, a sweater, white sneakers, and a baseball cap. His clothing was tattered and dirty looking, he was holding a cup in his hands. After seeing this man I decided to go up and down the avenue to see the diversity of people and the way life was lived in this poorer socioeconomic neighborhood. I spent most of my morning watching people at bus stops and looking at the stores on the Avenue. The area was surprisingly quiet. It was nine o’clock on a Sunday morning yet almost all the stores were closed. The bus stops were filled with people though, all who appeared as if they were going to work. At the bus stop stood a man in a postal office uniform, a few men in hoodies and sweatpants or jeans, and men wearing suits and ties. I examined their clothing in order to see what kind of style these people possessed. I only recognized one brand; a young man wore Adidas shoes. At another bus stop I witnessed a construction worker, a woman in a hijab which is the head covering worn in public by a Muslim woman, and a young woman in jeans and a sweatshirt. The remainder of the people seemed to have dressed for comfort or profession; no people were dressed in modern day styles besides for the one fellow with the Adidas shoes. As I walked up and down the streets I realized that fascinatingly, there was only one clothing store within a few blocks radius. The storeowner was opening his shop as I walked by. He was an Indian man and was selling Indian styled clothing. The clothing was styled in bright and patterned designs, many of which were metallic and jeweled. The dresses on display were flowy and long, the pants were busily patterned as well. A lot of the tops were revealing and embellished. The clothing was stitched beautifully and detailed, although the owner was selling most of it for only ten dollars, almost every article of clothing was on sale. I went over to the owner and asked him a few questions, one of which was whether or not his store was popular. He explained that his business is not doing well at all, and that people rarely shop in his store. This surprised me considering that of the six beauty stores that I had seen, one had Indian words such as “radha,” (definition: success), and two of the stores advertized hennas on their front display. I assumed based on this that the populace is predominantly Indian, but he corrected me and explained that the neighborhood around Hillside Avenue is in fact extremely diverse. After I left his store, I observed some women walking to church, I saw a Halal meat store which attracts Muslims, I saw others walking around in Indian garb while some wore full hijabs or face coverings, I walked passed an Italian Pizzeria, and lastly saw a furniture store which emphasized that they had “global” styles. I learned that the people amid Hillside Avenue are in fact, from many different cultures.

I realized as the day progressed that most people there were focused on their ethnicity and cultural clothing. Therefore, most people were not focused on modern-day and in-style fashion. I realized that the Indian clothing store I went to is not successful because as a young man I met while observing explained to me: people there don’t care about modern styles, but rather concentrate on the comfort and familiarity of their inherited and generation old traditional clothing. It’s not that they don’t care about how they look, after all, there are six beauty salons in just a few blocks! In regard to fashion though, heritage is preferred. While Jamaica Estates is only a community away, its members are focused on the latest trends; people sport pom-poms, velvet clothing, trumpet sleeve shirts, booties, heavy scarves, and shoes of all sorts. Comparatively, people on Hillside Avenue are not only minutes away, but worlds away as well. Their focus is not on trends, but instead on the beautiful value of traditional and cultural attire.

er-1The subway station on Hillside Avenue.

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The house Donald Trump grew up in. It is a block away from Hillside Avenue.

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A homeless man next to the entrance sign of Jamaica Estates.

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People on Hillside Avenue waiting at the bus stop. (Different styles and outfits, more professional or comfortable)

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Halal food sold on Hillside and an Italian restaurant.

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The six different beauty Salons I saw on only a few blocks of Hillside Avenue.

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The Indian styled clothing store.

 

Williamsburg – Engagement

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Being from Long Island, my friend Mark and I were confined to social bubbles in our corresponding towns. Everyone behaved similarly, everyone dressed similarly, and any attempt to stand out and be unique was quickly looked down upon. As time progressed, Mark and I dared to always be different and always wanted to find somewhere where people not only appreciate art, but where the people themselves are part of the art. This demand of being different led us to the very well known area of Soho. Street art covered the walls, some people dared to be different, but still there was an absence. Soho has become a tourist attraction, and therefore there is a lot of individuals that are “visiting” the area, and are not from Soho. So we took to the streets to find what we were looking for.

Our endeavor took us to the Williamsburg Bridge, where we knew that we were going the right way. This behemoth of a bridge is riddled with graffiti, wheat pasting, paint splatter, and any medium that could be used to create art. After crossing the bridge, we stepped foot in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Here, we immediately found again walls of wheat paste, as well as commissioned graffiti. The area in general has its good and bad parts, but we decided to focus on the good parts for our peace of mind. The people that would walk in the opposite direction of you, beside you, sitting in a cafe, having a smoke outside of a bar, all had their own unique style. Anything from quilted pants accompanied with a white top, to skinny jeans and a bomber jacket for the women. The men were seen to walk around with again, anything from suede oxfords for shoes and cuffed chinos for their choice of pants, to a pair clearly custom designed sneakers that corresponded with a pair of joggers. There is a very “stress-free” vibe in Williamsburg and that is crazy to think about being that Brooklyn is in New York as we know. We are also aware that New York has a hustle and bustle, rise and grind kind of mentality. Eat. Work. Sleep. Repeat. A very cyclic lifestyle that makes life seem boring. The people of Williamsburg have a different outlook.

In Williamsburg, the area is littered with small scale coffee houses, cafes, restaurant, bars, but all on a small scale. There have been nights where walking past a bar and then a restaurant a few buildings down carried the same level of volume. Both packed to the brim, however there was no loud music, but instead a slew of indie songs at mellow volume. It seems as if time goes by at a much slower pace when we are here. The people are always very warm and welcoming, as if you are not in New York where the most interaction you would get would be getting bumped accidentally as someone impatient would be walking in the opposing direction as you.

screen-shot-2016-10-30-at-11-17-09-pmThere had been multiple times where we were stopped by strangers who were interested in the art we were making, and were very social with us; asking us about our art, while they spoke about their professions as well as any past art experience. One interaction was with a very friendly woman in about her late 20’s that approached us and began to tell us about walk-in art exhibits that were occurring that night, along with other art shows that were blocks away that would be open for viewing in the upcoming days. After we told her what we do, why we do it, and the message behind our pieces, she was just as intrigued as we were with her knowledge. This was a woman with quite the exotic hair who was wearing a knitted shawl along with a brown cardigan and a black dress; not exactly the person you would be comfortable speaking with if they approached you on the street. But thats the beauty about Williamsburg, there is nothing off putting or creepy about her attire and appearance, its just another unique representation of how each individual expresses themselves.

 

Engagement Project

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The area that I choose for my engagement project is Flushing, Queens. Flushing is very unique. One street would be full of houses and another would be full of run-down apartment buildings.  My neighborhood is very convenient. My elementary, junior, and high school were within a five minute walking distance from my house. There are multiple delis, supermarkets, pharmacies, restaurants, laundromats, and parks within a few minutes from each other. Queens is one of the most diverse places in the world. There are areas with Hispanics and African Americans There are plenty of Jews and Muslims.

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In the streets you can see women wearing a salwar kameez and girls with headscarves. Although there are different types of people living in my area, most people still wear similar street attire. People are no longer steeping out of their houses wearing bright, summery clothing. Everyone is rocking the latest fall fashions. Bomber and varsity jackets are in style. Girls are rocking new boots and ripped jeans. They have chokers on their necks paired with dark lipstick. Fur and velvet clothing are in. Men are wearing ripped jeans with camel colored boots and dark sneakers. Bomber jackets, sweats, and hoodies are also part of their everyday attire. We are all different, yet fashion always manages to bring everyone together.

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Engagement Project

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The ABC Super Store is in Jackson Heights, Queens. The store was placed here after Young World the store was moved further up the block. This store is located in Junction Blvd. It is located on 95th Street. The only train that runs nearby Junction Blvd. is the 7 train and the two main buses are the Q72 and the Q66. This area is populated mostly by Hispanics however most stores are ran by Asians but some are ran by Hispanics and all stores have Hispanic people working at the stores. A lot of the restaurants are Hispanic.

This store is mainly a clothing store however the store sells everything that someone can need for their home. The store mainly has all types of clothes. The store has long sleeve shirts and short sleeve shirts. The shirts are all types and are of all colors.

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The store also contains pants of kind which includes jeans, sweats, short pants, dress pants. The store has pjs., socks for both women and men, underwear for both men and women, sweaters and hoodies for both genders. Besides clothing the store offers chargers for phones of all types, fans, heaters, dishes, cups plastic and glass, forks, spoons, knives, toys, curtains and more. The area of the store is just right for this store because after people are done shop they have many choices where they can go eat. Some examples of the choices that they have are Dunkin Donuts which is located right next to the store on the left side, a pizzeria called Dream Pizza, McDonalds, Kennedy Chicken, DQ,  Jardin De China, Subway and Boca Chica which is a Dominican restaurant.

 

 

 

 

 

Engagement Project – Whitney Museum of American Art

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The Whitney Museum of American Art, colloquially known as “The Whitney”, is an art museum, as the name suggests. Once located in East Village, the museum has since been moved to ritzy Lower Manhattan, in the Meatpacking District. Surrounded by rustic store fronts and a surprising number of restaurants, the Whitney seems to be exclusively patronized by socialites, hipsters, the well-dressed, and the occasional tourist.
I had visited recently with some friends who needed to examine an exhibit for a school assignment. We had not expected the museum to be quite so fancy, so of course we stuck out like sore thumbs. The only piece of clothing we had remotely like what the other patrons were wearing was my newsboy cap. However, because of the stark contrast between our outfits and theirs, I was easily able to notice the fashions present.

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(A good example of the prevalent style of clothing)

The most obvious thing about the others patrons’ outfits was the surprising lack of color. Many of the other museum goers’ outfits consisted of black, white, or grey. The majority of the men and women present also wore similar clothing. Corduroy jackets and woolen overcoats seemed to be the order of the day, because you couldn’t wave your arms without hitting someone bundled up tight in those coats. The jackets reminded me of something I’d see in a commercial for a high-end clothing store, certainly nothing the average citizen would have on hand for an average cold day. Many of the patrons were also neck deep in accessories like scarves and gloves, despite the fact that they were indoors. A surprising amount of people were wearing big sunglasses, oftentimes emblazoned with a brand one might associate with exorbitant prices, like Ray Ban’s. It was apparent that my friends and I were lacking in fanciness. We had showed up in brightly colored fleece jackets and blue jeans, looking like a bag of skittles in an otherwise monochromatic setting.
Luckily, we weren’t the only fish out of water. New York, being the popular travel destination that it is, always has a gaggle of tourists somewhere. The ones at the Whitney, much like my friends and I, didn’t quite fit in to the fashion scene of the museum. They appeared to be dressed more for function, rather than fashion. They wore thick coats with fur lined hoods, or fleece jackets designed to keep warmth in. The brands they were wearing were instantly recognizable, popular names like The North Face and L.L Bean. Oftentimes, they also had backpacks, likely because the Whitney would not be their only stop during the day.
Of course, it’s not to say that one group of patrons looked any better or worse than another group of patrons. The most interesting contrast to me was that the most common demographic present at the Whitney was wealthy, younger people with a similar fashion sense. I can’t deny that they really did dress nicely though. Were it within my power, I would probably wear nothing but soft wool coats too. I did not take any pictures of the patrons because taking pictures of anything in a museum is largely frowned upon. Compared to my neighborhood, however, Lower Manhattan certainly dresses to impress.

Engagement Project

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In Huntington, Long Island, there is a mall called the Walt Whitman Mall. This mall is about a 30 minute drive from QC. It is also about 30 minutes away from my house in Selden. zara-walt-whitman-1At this mall, there is one store in particular that I love. That store is Zara. Even when I still lived in Canada I loved Zara. Zara sells a variety of things for men, women, and children. From clothes to shoes, even bow ties, Zara’s got it. They have a variety of pieces, from streetwear to suits. You could easily make several outfits just from shopping at Zara. While I like a lot of things that Zara sells, one area that I believe they excel in are jackets, specifically bomber jackets(see image below). The reason I believe this is because Zara has a wide selection of bomber jackets, coming in all colours and fabrics. Bomber Jackets were once used for military pilots, but as of late they have become a staple in urban fashion.

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Bomber Jacket