Introduction
I’m a woman. I am a mother of two and an entrepreneur who has built a brand on positivity. And yet, as an ally of the LGBTQ community, I’ve had to fight for gender equality my entire life. In elementary school, my teacher’s bodies shamed me because they thought I was the only girl in class with long hair. In high school, when coming out became easier than ever (thanks mainly to social media), there was still no clear understanding of what it meant to be gender non-conforming or transgendered unless you were gay or lesbian but even then, there weren’t many places where people like us could go for support or guidance about how to live our lives as ourselves safely within society’s binary system of sex classification. Look at Elena Velez’s spring collection, “YR002: IN GLASS,” which was presented on Saturday afternoon in a Chelsea warehouse to a swarm of editors and admirers, incl, using Julia Fox and her son Valentino, if you needed any more convincing. Both were wearing custom-made bio-plastic latex outfits created by the designer and artist Caroline Zimbalist.
Playwrights Essay
Playwrights are a group of women who have come together to create a new kind of theater company. They are from the Dominican Republic, New York City, and the Bronx.
The playwrights’ essay describes their vision for this project: “To keep us alive, we must first be aware that our lives may end at any time; then we can begin to dream about what else might replace them.”
Performance Images
- The performance images are from the show.
- The dancers are displayed in the images, and while they are we have their costumes and performing choreography on stage.
- The set is also included in the photograph, and audience members are watching from their seats.
- Lighting is used to create a moody atmosphere for each image.
Director’s Note
Elena Velez, who has been modeling for over 15 years, is a woman who stands out. The Puerto Rican model and actress have the rare ability to make others feel comfortable in her presence. Her warmth and compassion are palpable; she is someone you would want to spend time with over coffee or lunch and not just because she looks great on camera.
In this film (which was directed by Lily James), we see Elena’s journey from being a Latina model to an international star who inspires people around the world through her beauty and talent on screen as well as off it.
Designer’s Statement
My father told me to “be yourself” as a child. It was an odd thing for him to say because he was always so busy trying to be someone else: an astronaut, a doctor, or even just an ordinary guy with three kids. He wanted us all to have confidence in ourselves and never feel ashamed of who we are.
The collection I created for Vogue Mexico is a reflection of this message; it celebrates individuality while still holding onto some commonalities between all women: our beautiful bodies and minds capable of creating magic when put together correctly!
Program Credits
- Director: Elena Velez.
- Choreographer: Elena Velez.
- Costume Designer: Elena Velez.
- Music Composer: Elena Velez.
- Photographer: Elena Velez.
- Video Producer: Elena Velez.
Clothing Suite is a fashion dance piece about the relationship between the body and clothes
The piece is about how clothes can change the way we think about ourselves. For example, when you put on a pair of jeans, you no longer see yourself as “just” being in jeans you’re now part of an identity that includes your body and all its colors. Similarly, when other people see you in those same jeans (or any other item of clothing), they’re able to project their ideas onto them: “She must be from New Jersey,” they might say; “She looks like she works at Whole Foods.”
The piece explores these themes through dance: Each dancer wears something different depending on where they stand within the space of clothing and then dances accordingly by moving around like an animal or acting out a character role based on what’s happening around them. In this way, each dancer embodies both herself as well as her surroundings while navigating through it all: She moves freely between two worlds at once!
Conclusion
As we have seen, Elena Velez’s Clothing Suite is a dance performance that explores the relationship between body and clothes. In the case of this piece, it is necessary to consider both terms within their broader cultural contexts. Clothing is more than just an item for concealing one’s body; it serves as an important part of identity formation and self-expression. Furthermore, fashion designers use clothing to communicate ideas about beauty standards and social values through different cultures (see Cottrell & O’Connor).
