4 — Wednesday, February 22, 2023
Arts
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Dear Pinterest,
I still remember the day that
you and I first met. I couldn’t have
been more than 12 years old. My
aunt had told me all about you —
“It’s like an online bulletin board,”
she described — and showed me
around her own profile. I had
never seen so many pictures,
appropriately dubbed “pins,” in
one place before. I could save these
pins to a board, or multiple boards,
and organize them in whatever
way I liked. I knew that I had just
discovered something magical.
You were my first taste of social
media. I wouldn’t be allowed
to have Instagram or Snapchat
accounts like most of the kids my
age until many years later, but it
didn’t matter. You filled that void
for me. I created collaborative
boards with my friends where
we saved pictures and posts that
reminded us of our inside jokes.
Through you, I first met and
interacted with people I didn’t
know, too. You know what they say
— “don’t talk to strangers on the
internet” — but everyone I talked
with was so kind. I was a member
of a collaborative board for a band
I liked, and someone once posted a
pin that said something along the
lines of, “Repost this and see what
nice things people say about you!”
The comments of that post were
quickly filled with compliments,
reminders to never give up and
lyrics and inside jokes related to
the fandom. I can’t say whether
I would have found that level of
kindness on other sites, especially
since I was so young, but I found it
there, with you.
You give me a space to celebrate
the things that I love. The boards
on my first account (yes, I have
several accounts) were dedicated
to specific fandoms I was part
of: Harry Potter, Disney, “Doctor
Who,” different bands I listened
to and YouTubers I watched.
Those fandoms have reappeared
and evolved on my more recent
accounts too, as I have gotten into
shows like “Gilmore Girls” and
artists like Taylor Swift. You’re
like a time capsule of my life — no
matter which account I am using,
you allow me to reflect on my life
thus far through the figures and
stories that shaped me. You have
never made me feel embarrassed
to show off these interests as parts
of myself.
You have always encouraged me
to be creative in countless ways.
Whenever I have a new idea for a
story, you are there with writing
tips,
character
artwork
and
prompts to play around with. My
profile is filled with storyboards,
most of them abandoned before I
even wrote a full page, but should
I ever come back to those ideas, I
have a virtual database to spark
my motivation again. You’re a
great outlet for all other kinds
of art as well. Whether it’s shots
from movies I love, calligraphy
styles I want to try, drawings and
paintings I find pretty, tattoos
I might get or outfits I’d like to
recreate, you appreciate art in its
many forms just as much as I do.
We’re such a great fit for each
other.
You help me take care of myself
and plan for my future. The idea of
planning a wedding on Pinterest
has become a bit of a joke, but do I,
like countless others, have a board
dedicated to this special occasion?
You bet. There’s no telling whether
I’ll actually use it — it will probably
all be outdated by the time I get
married — but you possess a wide
array of knowledge and ideas that
could someday serve me well.
You’re also the first place I go when
I’m looking for new meals. My
recipe board easily takes up most
of my attention when I’m perusing
your pages. It has sections based
on mealtime and geographical
location,
although
Christmas
cookie recipes, in particular, have
their own board. Any time I try
something new that I’ve found
from your recommendations, I’m
reminded of just how well you
have come to know me.
You offer my future self advice
that is more relevant to me in this
current moment than a perfect
wedding or a recipe repertoire.
From hours of scrolling through
your subjects, I have found helpful
tips, from apartment hunting
checklists to how to boost my
credit score to the best way to
secure my graduation cap on my
head. My ever-approaching entry
into “the real world” is nerve-
racking, and while I’m lucky
enough to have people in my life to
help guide me, I know that others
don’t have access to the kinds of
knowledge that more experienced
people have acquired. You have
advice that people might not think
to ask for, and you welcome us in
to receive it.
Our relationship has had its ups
and downs. Just as I have grown
over the years, so have you. But
despite all of this change, you
are still known as the “positive
platform” I always knew you to
be — the one that “help(s) people
connect with things that bring
them inspiration…avoiding a lot
of the toxicity that you would
find elsewhere in social media.”
There have been times when I
have gone several months, even
years, without typing your name
in my search bar or clicking on
your app icon. I don’t know how
that makes you feel — I know that
you can’t truly feel because you’re
not actually aware or human, but
your content is so representative
of myself that it’s like I’m looking
into a mirror. Every time I return,
I rediscover just how organized,
imaginative and inspiring you are.
I hope you know that I have, and
will, always come back to you.
New
York
based
designer
Sandy
Liang
has
a
strong
track
record
in
successfully
modernizing
traditional
feminine fashion; from ballet
inspired footwear, to dramatic
ruffled skirts to delicate corset
tops, her past collections have
given exciting new takes on
classic womenswear. Her fall/
winter collection, which debuted
last Friday at the beginning
of New York Fashion Week,
definitely
lived
up
to
this,
showcasing dark feminine looks
complemented by soft yet bold
makeup and accessories.
Liang
is
no
stranger
to
delivering
gorgeous,
unique
looks at the semiannual event.
Her
latest
spring/summer
collection, which debuted at
NYFW in the fall, reinvented
the idea of the uniform, turning
it into mature and powerful
pieces. This year, her show
matched
this
inventiveness.
The runway, decorated with
wooden bookshelves and antique
chandeliers, set the tone for
the show with a dark, vintage
energy suitable for a fall/winter
collection. The bright windows
and brass vent covers at the
venue added to this, creating an
atmosphere that exuded New
York City interior design —
perfectly fitting of a collection
showcasing the individual and
authentic nature of New York
fashion.
The collection uses bows as a
central aspect of its looks. Many
tiny pink and black bows adorned
the models’ hair and were
stuck onto the models’ midriffs,
surrounded
by
small
gems.
Additionally, larger bows were
used to tie another model’s hair
back. Bows are also abundantly
used in this collection’s clothing
— covering the front of tops and
dresses as well as puffer jackets,
in a variation of sizes. These bows
are a perfect example of Liang
using
traditionally
feminine
accessories in unexpected ways,
giving them a new purpose in
modern fashion.
Lace and mesh also made small
yet
significant
appearances
in the models’ looks. Mesh
eye coverings featuring roses
embellished some of the models’
faces, creating a masquerade-like
appearance that complimented
their dresses. Similar mesh roses
were also featured on a choker, a
very ’90s accessory choice which
made the more modern cropped
cardigan that it was paired
with feel more timeless. Mesh
tops and dresses composed of
lace contributed to the vintage,
angelic feeling of the collection.
The silhouettes of the pieces
pointed
towards
vintage
feminine styles as well. Long
and mid-length ruffled skirts
and dresses, Victorian necklines
and puffy sleeves reminiscent of
styles dating back to the 1800s
somehow still felt modern and
fresh paired with accessories
like athletic leg warmers and
sneakers. Tighter-fitting long
sleeved tops and skirts mirroring
more recent vintage fashion
maintain the collection’s classic
elegance while paired with high
boots, ballet flats and large bows.
The rich, fresh color palette
brought an edge to the softness
of the collection as well. Scarlet,
black and neutral gray/browns
added a layer of harshness to the
soft pieces. On the other hand,
pastel pinks, light blues and
white maintained the themes of
styles associated with traditional
youthful femininity. The colors
create a perfect balance of
youthfulness and maturity in the
pieces.
Within all of the looks, the
models’
makeup
contributed
greatly to the collection’s special
feel.
Light,
bleached
brows
gave an otherworldly look to
the models, paired with glowy
soft eye makeup and light-pink
shimmery blush. This was often
balanced by bold, dark lips in
shades of purple, black and red.
The balance of the dark lips
and light, glowy eyes reflected
the
collection
perfectly,
complementing the dark and
modernized
takes
on
soft,
established feminine clothing.
Overall, Liang succeeded in
creating a vintage-esque style
that never felt dated. The team
gave the looks a soft element
through
flowers
and
bows,
flowing silhouettes and pastels,
while maintaining their modern,
unprecedented
edge
through
darker colors, cropped styles
and pieces such as puffer jackets
which establish and hold their
place in present-day fashion.
This collection points to the
future of current styles rooted
in ballet and dancewear, taking
a step further into reinventing
pre-existing styles and similar
subsets of fashion. Sandy Liang’s
New York Fashion Week show is
a strong indicator of how today’s
styles will evolve over the year,
giving
exciting
insight
into
which trends are to come.
A love letter to Pinterest
Design by Emma Sortor
Sandy Liang brings stunning FW23 looks to NYFW
HANNAH CARAPELLOTTI
Daily Arts Writer
CECILIA DORE
Daily Arts Contributor
This image is from the official website for Sandy Liang.