Scene: Walter King, my dad-in-law, left with buddies, WWII Army Air Force vets. At the 11th hour on the 11th day of the 11th month World War One formally ended in 1918. Thank you to those who are serving, and to those who have served their country.
Comic Relief
Scene: Cosplay at New York Comic Con. Cosplay is short for costume play. A performance art in which participants called cosplayers wear costumes and accessories to represent a specific character or idea that is usually identified with a unique name. This subculture is centered on role play. The characters chosen to be cosplayed may be sourced from any movie, TV series, book, comic book, video game, music band, anime, and manga characters. Some cosplayers will even choose to cosplay an original character of their own design or a fusion of different genres. Cosplay is generally considered different from Halloween and Mardi Gras costume wear, because the intention is to replicate a specific character, rather than to reflect the culture and symbolism of a holiday event.
Once upon a time, the 2014 fall season, fashion fell in love with magical places, legends, folklore, and fairy tales. The collections of Alexander McQueen, Dolce & Gabbana, and Valentino exhibited this romance. Live in make-believe. All your dreams could very well come true.
Scene: Batman’s 75th anniversary! To help celebrates this superheros anniversary — the U.S. Postal Service, special-edition stamps featuring DC Entertainment’s Dark Knight Detective will be released in November. And, :Chocoolate in collaboration, celebrates Bruce Wayne’s alter ego with a limited collection of goods. The simple collection consists of two t-shirts, a crewneck sweatshirt, and experimental stadium jacket outfitted with small ears at the hood. Check it out. I want the jacket!
Scene: Abolitionista, by author and creator Thomas Estler, with Sandra Salander. Thomas’s passion for fighting human trafficking is energized in this manga comic, which is directed to tweens teaching them how to recognize danger. Eden, the 12 year old protagonist in this comic, is worried about her best friend, Delilah, who disappears. All the clues lead to the dark, underground world of modern-day slavery. An FBI contact of Estler’s estimates 200,000 American born children are trafficked every year into the sex industry. Abolitionista is a comic for a cause.
Scene & Heard: Jumpin’ Jack Flash, written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards. The Rolling Stone’s live performance from 1968. It appears Mick was a forerunner of cosplayers based on the outfit he wears in this video. Happy Halloween!
Summer Was
Scene: Trends that defined this summer’s wear — pairing soft pastels with vivid brights. Orange was a highlight; purple, yellow, red, and hints of pink were in the mix. I saw a lot of high intensity green, and blue was everywhere in every shade. Whether in all black, or broken up by contrasting whites, black is here to stay. Mirrored lenses, iridescence, perforated lace patterns, the fit and flare dress, the double breasted jacket on men, and neon trainers (sneakers). Floral prints were a true winner, tropical prints, polka dots, stripes, with new interpretations of camo. Athletic wear from the gym to the street to the runway in hi-tech fabrics and sports mesh. Transparency.
Scene & Heard: Summer is almost over. The autumnal equinox tomorrow, September 22 at 10:29 EDT, ushers in the fall season.
“It is the summer’s great last heat, It is the fall’s first chill: They meet.”
— Sarah Morgan Bryan Piatt
Happy Autumn!
The Eleventh
Scene: The New York Times article by David Dunlap,
“Fred J. DeVito, sees the World Trade Center wherever he looks.
This has nothing to do with illusions or phantasms. Rather, it has to do with the keen eye he has developed over 20 years as an art director and graphic designer in Manhattan.”
View the slide show and the video, To World Trade Center: all Times, which premiered at the Big Screen Plaza in Manhattan on the 10th anniversary.“A photographic documentary by Fred J. DeVito about the enduring image of the World Trade Center in visual culture.”
Chronogram Magazine, Brian K. Mahoney, Editorial Director.
That day, always in my heart.
Zoe
Scene: Alex Gyunn, Zoe Shewer, Jared Jacobs, and Alyssa Puccinelli at Zoe’s going away party hosted by her parents. Family, friends, and colleagues gathered at The Leadbelly to say adieu to Zoe before she headed off to Denver to be a special education teacher with Teach for America. This organization’s mission is to ensure that kids growing up in poverty get an excellent education.
Teach for America looks for individuals who show leadership potential and have other traits that are found in their most successful teachers.
Succeeding as a new teacher in any context is extraordinarily challenging. All corps members attend a rigorous pre-corps training institute for two years. Zoe has been involved with teaching underprivileged children since high school. She attended Vanderbilt and New York University. And, Zoe recently finished an internship with the Clinton Global Initiative.
Scene: Zoe Shewer, Ken and Susan her parents, and her brother.
Scene: Scott Band and Alexis Krugman.
Scene: Isabelle Feldhaus and Michael Dean.
Scene: Olivia Berry, Susanna Moller, Justina Ray, and Isabelle Letaconnoux.
Scene: Marilyn Moller and Melissa Cohn.
Scene: Alyssa Puccinelli, Karin Shewer Krugman, and Sabrina Puccinelli.
Scene: Steve Puccinelli, Phyllis Weaver, Gary Gerstein, and Ken Shewer.
Scene: Alyssa Puccinelli, Zoe Shewer, Rebbeca Balsam, and Doug Blacker.
Scene: Michael Dean, Libby McCarthy, and Magnus Lorentzen.
Scene: Javi Guzman and Susanna Moller.
Scene: Jared Blake and Zoe’s brother.
Scene: Beth King DeVito, Susan Winberg, and Kenrick Block.
Scene: Guests.
Scene: Kelsey Block, Laureen Block, and Sophia Altholz.
Scene: Kyle Garson, Michelle Watanabe, and Chuck George.
Scene: Dylan Meek who played piano during the evening.
Scene: Susan and Mickey Winberg.
Scene: Danielle and Michael Krugman, Scott Band, and Alexis Krugman.
Scene: Susan Winberg, Marilyn Moller, Dick Berry, Lucy Commoner, Gina Roose, and John Moller.
Scene: James Henman, Brianna Welsh, George Oz, Jack Dadswell, Magnus Lorentzen, and Michael Dean.
Scene: Jennifer Sanduski, Brianna Welsh, Kristen Miller, Alaa Itani, Carolina Medina, and Zoe Shewer.
Scene: Gabe Smith who was one of the bartenders that night.
Scene: Guests.
Scene: Sabrina and Steve Puccinelli, and Karin Shewer Krugman.
Scene: Rebecca, Jeff and Lauren Altholz, Susan Winberg, Ken Shewer, and Mickey Winberg.
Scene: Rob Scher and Joan Kagan. Have fun and good luck, Zoe!