Before bumper stickers and t-shirts, many of the loudest personal statements did not come from the mouth, but from an artistic formation of fabric, straw or leather strategically worn atop the head. The hat continues to scream style, aspiration, status, and sense of humor. We can hide demurely under a black wide brim and sunglasses, evoking Holly Golightly in Breakfast at Tiffany’s, balance a fruit and straw creation on the dance floor announcing,”Step back, I’m Carmen Miranda and I’m fun!”, perch a pillbox elegantly a la Jackie O. We can look unflappable in 20’s-inspired flapper cloches, top notch in top hats, newsworthy in chic newsboy caps.
“Cock your hat - angles are attitudes.” -- Frank Sinatra
We can further our self-expression by choosing how to wear our hats. Our fedoras can tilt dangerously, our baseball caps can have a major league curl to the brim, our skull caps can slouch and sulk. One thing comes across loud and clear, however; hats talk. They tell stories. They reveal dreams. They tell lies. Don’t believe a word they say.
Visit Steve Marsel’s other sites: Steve Marsel Studio, the assignment site and flagship site of the Steve Marsel brand, Steve Marsel Stock, the rights managed digital stock library of Steve Marsel Studio, Steve Marsel Galleries, the private gallery site of the Steve Marsel Studio. Visit one of Boston Photographer Steve Marsel’s other blogs as well: Steve Marsel Studio Blog , the creative blog of the Steve Marsel Studio. Steve Marsel Galleries Blog, Steve Marsel’s blog that discusses the stories behind the photographs, and Steve Marsel Stock Blog, the blog of Steve Marsel’s rights managed digital stock photography library that discusses the stories behind the images on the stock site.
Steve Marsel is an award-winning advertising and editorial photographer whose Somerville photographic studio facilitates full traditional photography and digital imaging capabilities. His in-studio and on-location photographs have appeared in Rolling Stone, Time, Musician, Fortune, Spin, New York Times Sunday, Boston, and Bostonia magazines. Marsel has garnered more than 100 awards for creative excellence in photography including Clio Awards, Andy Awards from the Advertising Club of New York, Best of Show at the Hatch Awards from the Advertising Club of Boston, and awards from Communication Arts magazine, Print magazine, Graphis Photo Annual, The American Institute of Graphic Arts, and The One Show. Steve likes flea markets, cats and gin martinis.
Visit Steve Marsel’s other sites: Steve Marsel Studio, the assignment site and flagship site of the Steve Marsel brand, Steve Marsel Stock, the rights managed digital stock library of Steve Marsel Studio, Steve Marsel Galleries, the private gallery site of the Steve Marsel Studio. Visit one of Boston Photographer Steve Marsel’s other blogs as well: Steve Marsel Studio Blog , the creative blog of the Steve Marsel Studio. Steve Marsel Galleries Blog, Steve Marsel’s blog that discusses the stories behind the photographs, and Steve Marsel Stock Blog, the blog of Steve Marsel’s rights managed digital stock photography library that discusses the stories behind the images on the stock site.
Individuals 65 years and older represented 12.4% of the population in the year 2000 but are expected to grow to be 19% of the population by 2030. Along with this aging population come diseases of aging and their associated symptoms. Pain is a large unmet medical need in this group of individuals due, in a large part, to side effects associated with current treatment modalities.
The Race to Cure Pain - Hydra Biosciences
Opiods represent the largest product class used to treat acute and chronic pain conditions. The use of opioids, such as Oxycontin, and Vicodin are common forms of treatment for severe pain, and is accompanied by unwanted side-effects that compromise patient comfort, productivity, and provide the potential for addiction. In 2001, 4% of Americans had used opioids for non-medical purposes. 60% of opioid abusers hold prescriptions for opioids. Direct care health costs for abusers are 8-times higher than non-abusers and equate to a loss of productivity in the work place. Hydra Biosciences’ goal is to develop a non-opioid, small molecule drugs for the treatment of pain that would be non-addictive and non-sedative. Our work represents first-in-class non-opioid therapeutics with a novel mechanism of action.
Russell Herndon
Guest blogger Russell Herndon isthePresident and Chief Executive Officer of Hydra Biosciences. Mr. Herndon received a bachelor’s degree in biology from Barton College and is a graduate of the Management Development Program at Harvard Business School. Mr. Herndon came to Hydra with over 25 years of experience in the healthcare and biotechnology industries, with a proven track record in building successful business infrastructures, pioneering innovative corporate and regulatory processes and advancing products through development. His industry experience includes senior management positions at Genzyme Corporation and Antigenics Inc., where he led some of the companies’ most strategic and important initiatives.
Visit Steve Marsel’s other sites: Steve Marsel Studio, the assignment site and flagship site of the Steve Marsel brand, Steve Marsel Stock, the rights managed digital stock library of Steve Marsel Studio, Steve Marsel Galleries, the private gallery site of the Steve Marsel Studio. Visit one of Boston Photographer Steve Marsel’s other blogs as well: Steve Marsel Studio Blog , the creative blog of the Steve Marsel Studio. Steve Marsel Galleries Blog, Steve Marsel’s blog that discusses the stories behind the photographs, and Steve Marsel Stock Blog, the blog of Steve Marsel’s rights managed digital stock photography library that discusses the stories behind the images on the www.showerheadly.com site.
Although Mariano Fortuny took his silk pleating and dying techniques to his grave with him in 1949, his pleated “Delphos” gown was no secret to the fashionable a century ago.
The Com-pleat Magic of Fortuny
Worn by such legends as Isadora Duncan, Sarah Bernhard and Mrs. Conde Nast, and now fetching well over $40,000 at auction, his couture confections were one of a kind masterpieces inspired by his love for ancient Grecian styles and the creation of sumptuous textiles. A true Renaissance man, Fortuny was an exceptional painter, lighting designer, photographer, inventor, textile designer, architect and couturier. Some of his stage lighting innovations are still in use. If he were alive in this day and age, he would easily keep the same nickname, “The Magician of Venice” despite today’s headline-hungry press’ probable attempts to label him as “Wagner Groupie” (he followed composer Richard Wagner obsessively all over Europe) or “Venetian Eccentric” (he favored 16th century costumes while working in his palazzo, now the Museum Fortuny). One thing is for certain, however: every pleated gown designed today bears homage to the ever lingering magic of the great master.
Raquel Vidal
Guest Blogger Raquel Vidal is a NYC based fashion stylist, and a former fashion editor at Mademoiselle and Kidstyle magazines.
Visit Steve Marsel’s other sites: Steve Marsel Studio, the assignment site and flagship site of the Steve Marsel brand, Steve Marsel Stock, the rights managed digital stock library of Steve Marsel Studio, Steve Marsel Galleries, the private gallery site of the Steve Marsel Studio. Visit one of Boston Photographer Steve Marsel’s other blogs as well: Steve Marsel Studio Blog , the creative blog of the Steve Marsel Studio. Steve Marsel Galleries Blog, Steve Marsel’s blog that discusses the stories behind the photographs, and Steve Marsel Stock Blog, the blog of Steve Marsel’s rights managed digital stock photography library that discusses the stories behind the images on the stock site.
Many of us have gone through a “goth phase” at some point in our lives. For me, that phase started at the age of five. For this, I mostly blame the works of one Mr. Tim Burton, influential filmmaker, infamous weirdo, and master of the charming-macabre aesthetic that has colored an entire generation.
Like most arty types with a vision, Burton started out small, filming stop-motion shorts in his yard as a child. He attended the California Institute of the Arts and went on to work at Disney, where he quickly gained the attention of critics for short films he made, and continued to make after leaving Disney, such as Frankenweenie, an adaptation of the Frankenstein story told about a boy and his pet dog, which was one of my childhood favorites.
Burton’s first feature was Pee-wee’s Big Adventure, which was a box-office success and proved Burton could work his magic full-length films as well as shorts. It was Burton’s second feature, however, that holds a special place in my heart. Beetlejuice, released in 1988 (the year I was born), is a dark, twisted, hilarious little masterpiece that entrances me as much now as it did when I was too young to understand half the jokes. Perhaps it was the morbid, rebellious young heroine, or the idea of having ghost-friends who would levitate you to music if you got good grades, or perhaps it was the surreal cartoon-quality of the characters and the scenic design. Whatever it was, it colored my childhood, my life and my work as a designer indelibly.
After Beetlejuice came other greats, my personal favorites being The Nightmare Before Christmas, Batman, Sleepy Hollow, and the highly underrated Mars Attacks! Burton’s films have a cohesive feel that is unique and captivating, whether or not you’re a little goth kid like I was. His more recent films, such as Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Alice in Wonderland, do have a distinctly different flavor than “old school” Burton, I’ll admit, and many fans of his earlier works are on the fence as to how they feel about this new turn in his film making. Say what you will, but one cannot argue the fact that no matter how his films have changed, he is still doing what he did years ago: his films still transport the audience right smack in the middle of his own vivid and fantastical imagination, something we, as an audience along for the ride, can all appreciate. I certainly think my five-year-old self would approve.
Hannah Littell
Hannah Kittell graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design in 2010, and works in costume design for stage, film and television. She is a native of Warwick, RI, and lives in New York City. Her work can be seen on her website at www.HannahKittell.com.
Visit Steve Marsel’s other sites: Steve Marsel Studio, the assignment site and flagship site of the Steve Marsel brand, Steve Marsel Stock, the rights managed digital stock library of Steve Marsel Studio, Steve Marsel Galleries, the private gallery site of the Steve Marsel Studio. Visit one of Boston Photographer Steve Marsel’s other blogs as well: Steve Marsel Studio Blog , the creative blog of the Steve Marsel Studio. Steve Marsel Galleries Blog, Steve Marsel’s blog that discusses the stories behind the photographs, and Steve Marsel Stock Blog, the blog of Steve Marsel’s rights managed digital stock photography library that discusses the stories behind the images on the stock site.
Look in your closet – what colors do you see? Why did you choose those colors for your wardrobe and would it change if you were in a different part of the country? If you are in Boston, it’s likely hues of black and brown started overpowering your closet once the temperature outside dropped. If you’re in Southern California, your closet is probably full of white and other light colors. Why is this? And how does color affect how we feel?
The main reason why people in cooler climates wear dark clothes and people in warmer climates wear light color clothes is pretty straightforward – it comes down to balancing our own body temperature’s with the environment outside. Dark colors, like black, absorb heat, keeping us warm in cool weather whereas light colors, like white, reflect the light, keeping us cool. The color you wear is also affected by the culture around you. For instance, Miami is heavily influenced by Latin cultures, where bright colors are popular, so clothes there are usually in shades of orange, yellow, bright blue and purple. (continued below photo)
On a psychological level, how does the color you wear affect your mood? Research on this subject is limited, however some evidence suggests that color influences the pituitary gland, which controls hormone levels and thus our moods. There have also been studies about the affect of certain colors, like a 2008 University of Rochester study in which photographs of men and women wearing red were considered more attractive than in other colors. And around the world, colors have different meanings. For example, in America, white means purity and happiness, making it an obvious color choice for wedding dresses. However, in eastern cultures, white symbolizes death and is worn to funerals.
This is all consistent, for the most part, with what you see from the fashion and merchandising industries. For fall/winter, black is usually more prominent on the runway and in stores than bright colors, which are seen more in spring/summer collections. This all results in why a closet in Boston looks quite different from one in Southern California.
Kristen D’ Amour
Kristen D’Amour is the Founder/Owner of the clothing menu, a fashion blog and online boutique that supports independent fashion designers.
Visit Steve Marsel’s other sites: Steve Marsel Studio, the assignment site and flagship site of the Steve Marsel brand, Steve Marsel Stock, the rights managed digital stock library of Steve Marsel Studio, Steve Marsel Galleries, the private gallery site of the Steve Marsel Studio. Visit one of Boston Photographer Steve Marsel’s other blogs as well: Steve Marsel Studio Blog , the creative blog of the Steve Marsel Studio. Steve Marsel Galleries Blog, Steve Marsel’s blog that discusses the stories behind the photographs, and Steve Marsel Stock Blog, the blog of Steve Marsel’s rights managed digital stock photography library that discusses the stories behind the images on the stock site.
