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Couture NYC Artists Deconstructed Satin&Cotton American Flag Skirt Cape c1998
About the Item
This unique handmade deconstructed cotton and satin cape that is convertible as a wrap skirt was created in 1998 by radical New York City artist-and-architect collective ORFI. The communal design lab was led by then twenty-somethings Don Hearn, Scott Kruger and Ana Gonzalez, whose retail-and-library destination and welcoming studio called Hotel Of The Rising Star was located near Soho.
In October 1998 in an article titled Design Theory, The New Yorker profiled ORFI, an acronym for Organization for Returning Fashion Interest. Positioned as a large group of creatives also including sculptors, stylists and musicians "rebelling against fashion's cult of ego", all the producers contributed ideas to the store so that no product was an independent act of design. They sought intimacy with artisans and craftspeople during the production process as a way of designing community. The staff writer Malcolm Gladwell, who notably hosted a podcast at the time "Revisionist History", quoted one of its members: "We feel that architecture, fashion and city planning are all part of the same project."
Our cape-cum-skirt is a perfect example of this philosophy! They used the red-white-and-blue symbol of the American flag, which every U.S. city plans to prominently display among public architecture, and made it fashionable. Given the way that it is hand textured and intentionally distressed, it has the aura of historical importance as if it had been a weathered battle flag of sentimental value.
The one-size-fits-all unisex garment can be adjusted with two sets of oversized silver snaps. The cape or poncho can otherwise be worn over clothes as an apron or alone as a wrap-skirt with a dramatic leg-baring opening.
- Dimensions:Marked Size: one size fits all (US)
- Style:Deconstruction (In the Style Of)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Chicago, IL
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU3244228436952
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