Performance Art

Lingerie Set. 2014

Made lingerie that is ideal for summer. The material is very soft rayon, almost like knitted silk. The bra's lower edge is trimmed with black peaked elastic (detail photo below). The straps are made of the same. Elastic is hardly a sexy word though the type used here is just that.

It has been a process, figuring out how to photograph undergarments. A useful tip came via information about stylebookapp: lay clothing out as it looks when one is wearing it. Kind of obvious in retrospect.

In the morning I am running an errand on foot in the neighborhood. It is quiet before local shops have opened for the day. I walk a couple level blocks then turn to head up the hill. At the first corner I wait at the curb for the traffic light to change. A black SUV is stopped at the intersection with its front windows rolled down. (These early days of summer the air is a tonic.) The driver's gaze is turned away from the road. He is looking over the empty front passenger seat staring at me through the open window. I wonder, maybe it is only in my general direction? The signal changes in his favor. The SUV lingers.

From the dimly shaded interior I hear, “Can I borrow that hat?’

I grin. The driver has the height and mass of a linebacker. The hat I'm wearing is enormous--21" wide. It is made of woven straw with a downward sloping brim. I've lined it in pleated folds of geranium pink silk. He’d look phenomenal. “Sure!” I reply. Gesturing to the SUV I lob back, “May I borrow that car?”

Laughing he agrees. The deal established he drives away at a leisurely pace. As I walk on I'm envisioning making another of these hats. Maybe I'll use a different lining, one befitting a linebacker with a sense of humor.

Detail: Elastic (and more accurate color)