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July 23, 2015 - Image 6

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The Michigan Daily

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From theater to threads:
alum Jonathan Parkey

FASHION FEATURE

University theater

alum finds his footing
in the fashion world

By CAROLINE FILIPS

Summer Senior Arts Editor

Most collegiate thespians set

their sights on New York City after
four years of classes, rehearsals
and high-energy performances.
And that’s just where Jonathan
Parkey ended up after his SMDT
undergraduate career, but rather
than the Garden Theater, Par-
key found himself in a different
Broadway bastion — fashion label
Proenza Schouler’s showroom.

After graduating from the

University in 2009, Parkey took
the customary course of incipi-
ent actors — taking odd jobs
to make ends meet in the city.
Along with juggling auditions,
shows and stints in children’s
theater tours, he was a part-time
personal assistant and waiter at
Hillstone Restaurant.

But his initial foray into fash-

ion
occurred
serendipitously,

over dinner with an ex-coworker
from the restaurant. Eight months
prior, she had traded the wait-
ressing life to be the studio man-
ager at Proenza Schouler. She
had recently been promoted and
offered Parkey her old position at
the womenswear brand.

“I was definitely hesitant to

begin,” Parkey said. “The nice part
about being an actor is you can
always pick back up where you left
off. That’s what I told myself when
I started at Proenza — if I hate it in
six months, I can go back to audi-
tioning, no harm done.’”

Parkey assumed the studio

manager position while also serv-
ing as executive assistant to the
CEO. He was almost immediately
recognized for his auspicious
work ethic.

“My boss quickly was like

‘you’re really smart; you’re really
talented; you just have to stick it
out in this role for a year and then
we’re going to find your way into
the company,’ ” Parkey said.

The CEO was true to her

word, and as Parkey spent the
year taking on extra hours run-

ning the studio, making what he
considered pennies, he eventu-
ally rose up in the company and
became a collection coordina-
tor — his first experience on the
wholesale account.

“With that I was sort of a brand

ambassador to speak with clients,”
he said. “I would bring in new
samples for stores and say ‘here’s
all of the collection your buyers
bought for you, this is how you
wear it, this is how you style it,
this is what’s exciting about it.’ ”

Shortly after, when Proenza

was opening their flagship New
York store, Parkey was promoted
to be retail operations manager.
Last April, he bid a fond farewell
to the company that gave him
his fashion footing as he tran-
sitioned back into wholesale for
Thom Browne.

“When I told the CEO I was

leaving for Thom Browne, I think
she said it best when she said ‘It’s
sort of like you’re graduating from
high school,’ ” Parkey said. “Each
office and working atmosphere is
very different. I think that was
the biggest shift for me, start-
ing fresh at a company where the
familial atmosphere was some-

what missing.”

Parkey spent a mere eight

months at Thom Browne, serving
as the women’s wholesale man-
ager along with running women’s
international wholesale distribu-
tion. During his short time with
the brand, the Proenza CEO
introduced him to Rosetta Getty,
the LA-based socialite with a
then-emerging fashion label. She
offered him the position of wom-
en’s wholesale director, an offer
he said he couldn’t refuse. The
first Rosetta Getty collection he
worked with was pre-fall 2015,
which showed in December of
last year.

“Rosetta is one of the cool-

est people and bosses,” he said.
“She provides a very LA energy
to the team. She’s very laid back,
very cerebral, super smart and
one of the chicest people on the
planet.”

Though the label has Califor-

nia roots, Parkey works from
New York. He frequently trav-
els to Paris for work and consid-
ers it a home away from home.
Along with the jetsetting life,
Parkey loves being apart of the
small, close-knit luxury fashion
community. As far as his future
plans go, nothing is for certain.

“I think the next part for me

may be going back and getting
my MBA, maybe going back
and preparing myself for a little
more high level executive posi-
tion,” he said.

Should Parkey return to the

classroom, he’ll surely set the
style curve.

‘Amy,’ exposed

By CHRISTIAN KENNEDY

Summer Managing Arts Editor

We knew Amy Winehouse, musi-

cal artist; we knew Amy Winehouse,
tabloid fixation; now, we have the
immense pleasure
of knowing Amy
Winehouse


incredibly talented,
incredibly troubled
young woman.

“Amy”
offers

an unfettered look
into
the
newest

member of the “27
Club.” It features
footage of Wine-
house’s
private

life and interviews of friends, fam-
ily and coworkers interspersed
with extraordinary musical mon-
tages in which Winehouse’s lyrics
float across the screen — visually
achieving the hauntedness which
always saturated her sound. “Amy”
achieves the single aspect that can
make or break a documentary: bal-
ance. Director Asif Kapadia master-
fully balances Winehouse’s life: the
public, the private, the professional
and the personal.

Beneath the facade of addic-

tion, Winehouse was sweet. She
ducks behind a pillow as her friend
attempts to record her in the back
seat of a car. Despite her seem-
ingly careless demeanor at perfor-
mances (during some of which she
was booed off the stage), she cared
— maybe too much — about her
musical craft. She frustrates her-
self during a recording session with
Tony Bennett, revealing her true
youth and insecurity. These touch-
ing moments reveal the real Amy.

Possibly even more important

than the subject herself, the film
moves viewers into seeing the tox-
icity of modern society through the
experience of “Amy.” It subtly criti-
cizes. It showcases how it became
OK to joke about her eating disor-

ders and drug addiction. One of the
most poignant moments occurs
at the 2005 Grammy Nomination
announcements
where
George

Lopez announces Amy’s nomina-
tion for Record of the Year, after
which he tells the audience to wake
her up to let her know.

Furthermore, it subtly touches

on greed. The objectivity of the film
upset Winehouse’s father, Mitch,
as he believes he was painted to
be a villain. However, “painted” is
not fitting. “Woven” expresses the
manner in which a viewer’s feelings
toward Mitch Winehouse prog-
ress. The lyric “I ain’t got the time
/ and if my daddy thinks I’m fine”
fails to hold any of the lightness the
chord progressions once presented.
Now, after two hours of witness-
ing Winehouse’s struggle and four
years after her death, it’s hard not
to ask the obvious question: Why
did you think she was fine? Maybe it
was pride. Maybe he truly believed
she was “fine.” Maybe his book deal,
television show and constant push
for a never-to-be third album tell a
different story.

Ultimately, “Amy” is heart-

breaking. Despite containing a
plethora of chill-inducing and
heart-wrenching moments, one
scene manages to encapsulate the
film. Amy Winehouse has just won
Best New Artist and she accepts
her award from the UK (she failed
a drug test, thus rejecting her visa
application to attend the awards).
Immediately after Tony Bennett
announces her name, she looks up
in awe — a moment so beautiful and
pure it sends chills up your spine.
Then, a friend recounts Amy stat-
ing later that night, “This isn’t fun
without drugs.”

“Amy” isn’t an easy watch by any

means, but it is certainly reward-
ing. In my mind, a documentary is
meant to expose what hasn’t been
known. I now know Amy Wine-
house … and miss her dearly.

6

Thursday, July 23, 2015
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
ARTS

A

Amy

On The
Corner
Films

State Theater

UNIVERSAL MUSIC

What kind of fuckery is this?

COURTESY OF JONATHAN PARKEY

It’s Dior Homme, not Dior, homie.

MOVIE REVIEW

As far as future
plans, nothing

is certain

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