Designer Mary McFadden on Fashion
Mary McFadden, international designer, spoke to a group of approximately 50 students and local community members shortly before the publication of her book, “Mary McFadden: High Priestess of High Fashion–A Life in Haute Couture, Decor and Design
Ms. McFadden has lead a very interesting life. She has traveled extensively and applied those visual experiences to some of her designs. However, most of her inspiration comes from ancient art. Her lecture juxtaposed images of ancient art alongside photos of her fashion and jewelry designs. Ms. McFadden began her career as a journalist and photographer. Some of her inspiration comes from nature. For example, the shape of a garden, or… a river, may inspire a pattern for embroidery or quilting. It’s clear to see how the, “Photographer’s eye” has played a big part in her design success. Her job description may say, “Fashion Designer,” but there’s clearly a photographer at the heart of this artist. It’s all about vision.
The lecture began as what seemed to be a quick course in ancient art, but flowed quickly and seamlessly into a talk that showed the audience how the end product was conceived. Mary McFadden said her dresses were like the beautiful Greek and Roman columns. She showed examples from the, “Book of the Dead” (1,000 B.C.) and spoke of how the Egyptian lines influenced her textiles. It is commonly thought that wearing horizontal lines makes you look fat. Ms. McFadden explained that a horizontal line used correctly can actually elongate the figure, and she showed examples of this. It was fascinating!
The ancient art images shown were familiar; yet they were discussed not for their place in an art history book, but from the perspective of their garments. They were shown for pattern, texture, drapery, style, etc. This made me think, “This is the take home message – learn art traditionally & use art untraditionally; take it to a new level; morph it into a form of your vision.”
The lecture came to a close with a question & answer session. Ms. McFadden said early on in her career as a journalist and photographer she was in Africa and had to make her own clothes. People began to buy the, “Clothes off of her back.” When she got back to the United States she had a fashion show with the help of a friend. There were only four samples, yet she sold $1,000,000 worth of clothes! That’s when she had a career change. Designer Mary McFadden said, “In order to get into a business you have to distinguish yourself from everybody else.” She also said, “You need to publicize your garment, get someone famous to wear it, and price it correctly to make a profit. Often people make the mistake of under pricing their garments, and then they can’t stay in business.
Mary McFadden: High Priestess of High Fashion–A Life in Haute Couture, Decor and Design
