From coast to coast, from art to the everyday; the tie is the iconic symbol of class, style, and sophisticated fun. Versatile across all occasions the tie can be worn anywhere: on an island vacation at the beach, or at a high-rise art gallery opening in Manhattan. Like a masterpiece painting, these ties are the culmination of a work of art –the staple of an outfit. The art of wearing the tie, though delicate; is limitless in application and can transform any look –no matter how casual- into a true work of art: a masterpiece of fun fashion, bold color, and exquisite taste.
The inspiration behind my project was the relationship between fashion and art. I have always had a strong passion for fashion, and in this photo series I really wanted emphasize the artistic quality of fashion by expressing a new perspective of this relationship through a literal visual metaphor. My concept was to express the ‘art of the tie’ by literally placing various ties into impressionistic artistic scenes. In this way, my aim was to covey the notion that the ties themselves, and not just the paintings, are works of art. As a commercial photography project, the audience I had in mind for my photo series was a fashion magazine ad campaign, and as such the aesthetic that I was aiming for was more conceptual editorial. Often, it is common practice for runway fashion collections to begin with an abstract avant-garde garment and end with a wearable outfit which embodies the same principles and concepts that were more artistically expressed in the first. This allows the fashion line to tell a story to the customer beginning with the artistic inspiration of the line, and ending with the tangible product. In a similar way, I photographed my collection of tie images beginning with my most abstract image and ending with the photo that I anticipated would be the most relatable to the client. In the first image my intention was to create an abstract theme of water and the ocean by arranging the three ties in fluid wave like forms against a wave painting and including elements of sea glass, sea shells, and flower statues which reminded me of water lilies on a fluid surface. The three middle images were meant to be literal interpretations of each individual tie as a work of art. In the last image the theme of water is repeated, however, this time the expression is more practical. In the photo, the wave painting background is fully visible and the scene reads as more high-end coastal: portraying either the fun of different tie choices on a relaxed island vacation, or of an individual choosing what to wear in a sophisticated, but fashionable lifestyle. The tie is truly versatile across all dress occasions, and like the ties themselves, the art of wearing them can be a personified work of art.
