The Ms. Adventures of One-Size
While conducting a photoshoot at Quarter Moon Imports in Tallahassee, a beautiful flowing golden-colored dress caught my eye. I was told that it was manufactured from recycled silk Sari scarfs, a traditional women’s garment in India and nearby countries. Thinking that it would look great on a friend who occasionally models for me, I asked the size of the garment and was informed that it was a one-size fits all. Although I expressed skepticism for such a claim, as we continued to shoot around the shop a germ of an idea began to take hold. At the end, I circled back and purchased the dress with the intention of seeing how it would actually look on several different models.
So began the digital art series The Ms. Adventures of One-Size as a simple proof-of-concept field test. After I had photographed a few of the women I became more impressed with the ability of it to “look right” on so many different people. I realized the design concept takes advantage of basic female structure which allows it to flow around the wearer in a way that flatters individual body shape, instead of trying to force the wearer to fit into a preconceived mold. Because this project has also been evolving during the national political debate on DEI and women’s healthcare rights, the dress became a metaphor in my mind of the need for simple policies and social support efforts which successfully accommodate diversity and inclusiveness without imposition on the rights of others.
The dress has so far been modeled by 15 different women ranging in age from 14 to 74 (with at least one representing each decade in between), in height from 4’ 11” to 5’ 11”, in size from thin to thick, and with widely varying bust sizes. The cast of models include family members, mothers and daughters, sisters, best friends, friends of friends, and a few strangers who reached out after hearing about the project. Ironically, each time I have sought to bring the series to conclusion, it seems to take off again when someone else asks to model the dress, and brings along a friend or two.