During my four months abroad in Rome last semester I had my fair share of visiting churches, temples, museums and other impressive buildings. Almost immediately I recognized how much I was looking “down,” versus “up” at the historical attractions that captivated my peers attention. I was looking down at the beautiful marble floors, which were competing for my gaze. I found myself feeling inspired by the bold and visually striking nature of the marble; no pieces were the same! I loved how organic and naturally beautiful the colors and composition were. It baffled me that this beauty was one of nature, not of man. The marble inspired the color and surface details of this collection; but as for the silhouettes, their inception came from an unsuspecting creature.
Cicadae or “cicadas” as we refer to them, live underground for two to seventeen years; during the summer they burst from the ground, emerging from the dirt. They shed their exoskeletons, called “nymphs” and unfurl their beautiful translucent wings. They have strong ellipse shaped bodies that I incorporated into my silhouettes. Their act of shedding their skin inspired the cut outs and sheer paneling found within my collection. I loved the concept of my collection having “shells” and interesting layers; beautiful garments at face value while having interesting qualities underneath; similar to cicadas during their hatching period.
After juxtaposing the bold and strong qualities of marble with the light and delicate traits of the cicada life cycle I created the name Marmoreal Emergence. Marmoreal is defined as “marble like” and emergence makes reference too the hatching of cicadas, and in turn, the emergence of the body within the clothes.
