克城消息

浦瑛開講：學習戲服設計的Elaine

   Elaine Yuen, who was born and grew up in an international city combined both eastern and western cultures, Hong Kong. She is also surrounded and affected by plenty of Japanese cultures since she was young. She is currently pursuing a dual degree of MFA in Theater Studies with a major in costume design and Master of Fashion Industry Studies at Kent State University.
   Having a mother who always urges her travels for further improvement and a husband who loves exploring history and culture, Elaine was lucky enough to be supported by them to envision her dream to study abroad since high school.

   Elaine quitted her fashion design career, which she has worked for ten years in Hong Kong and readapt to academy life in the United States with all the unknowns in Fall 2017. Her husband joined her journey four months later in Spring 2018, and the couple continues their knowledge exploration and life adventure in the United States.
   The study of costume design is a new experience for Elaine, in which she enjoys the historical part of the costume a lot. After working as a fashion designer for years, she knew that fashion trends were based on the modification of authentic costume. To add a story for a meaningful fashion collection, you must understand the evolution of fashion history. She keeps recalling an idiom in her mind that "review the old and learn the new." The fondness in fashion history is one of the main reasons that she looks for a degree in costume instead of fashion.

   This study experience also develops her interest in teaching. While being a graduate student and an instructor, Elaine often considers her students' learning process in her priority. She treats the instructing, not as a job, but as a knowledge succession that allows history and culture to continue. As an Asian, she loves to share funny cultural stories with local students, especially the difference in costume use.
   She appreciates the dual degree that she is seeking allows her to review and merge the antique with technology through her research and innovative design.
   In the left pictures, she used the digital knitting machine in Fashion School to program a knitted bustle dress based on her research on the Japanese evolution of costume from Kimono to Bustle dress in the late 19th century.
   Elaine was lucky to meet several fabulous professors in the United States. They not only inspire her thoughts and study but also assists her in different levels of challenges. She would like to special thanks to Cynthia Lundeen, who guides her in different unique millinery techniques. She appreciates the support and encouragement from Cynthia on her fashion thesis, Exploring the Essence of Headwear in the 21st Century Fashion Outfit: Inspiration from East to West, which is preparing for her final year.
   During the time in the United States, Elaine and her husband haven’t stopped their interest in exploration. Internationally, they joined professors in the theater department and visited Greece in the Spring 2019 for cultural on-site research. Locally, they enjoy watching the NBA game of Cleveland Cavaliers.

   Elaine 出身及成長在一個混合中西文化的國際城市,香港。她從小受日本文化的薰陶,加上工作的關係,她對日本的歷史及文化產生濃厚的興趣。她現正在肯特州立大學攻讀碩士課程,主修戲服設計及時裝企業。
   Elaine從小受母親的影響很喜歡時裝。’讀萬卷書不如行萬里路’一直是Elaine母親的口頭禪。加上一位喜愛歷史及文化的丈夫,很幸運地Elaine可以實現她從小的夢想到外國留學。
   在2017年的夏天, Elaine辭去了她從事了近十年的時裝設計工作,重新拾起書包到美國留學。隻身在他鄉四個月後,她的丈夫也加入了這個留學旅程,準備迎接他們的另一個人生挑戰。
   戲服設計對Elaine來說是一個新嘗試。在眾多的課程中她特別喜歡鑽硏有關歷史的戲服或民族服裝。Elaine時常將”溫故知新”這句成語掛在口邊,這也是她選擇挑戰這個對她來說嶄新的學系而不選擇跟時裝有關的學系的主要原因。她明白時裝潮流大多都建基於歷史,如果想設計一系列有意思的時裝,設計師應該熟讀時裝的演變過程。
   在戲劇學院的學習經驗中,她發掘了他的另一個興趣,敎學。作為一位碩士生及指導老師的這個雙重身份, Elaine會將編制學生的學習過程放在首位。她覺得敎學不單只是工作的一部份而且是知識的盛傳。在敎學的過程中,她最喜歡與學生分享中西文化的不同之處,特別是戲服的運用。
   在肯特州立大學的第四年,她很高興這個雙碩士課程讓她可以學習服飾歷史的同時,可以利用嶄新的科技,透過硏究創造出獨特而新穎的設計。左圖中的針織設計是Elaine 利用時裝學系的電腦針織機加上她在日本文化歷史的硏究,重新編寫電腦程式織出的一件代表日本女性在十九世紀末從和服到西方套裙的演變過程。
   Elaine覺得自己很幸運在美國遇到不少資深的敎授,她們不但啟發Elaine的學習和思考模式,還不是幫助他渡過學習上的不同挑戰。Elaine特別感謝Cynthia用心指導她不同造帽的技巧和她對自己在準備畢業論文過程中的鼓勵及支持。
   在美國的時間, Elaine和她的丈夫沒有停止他們的探索。在2019的春天,他們聯同戲劇學院的敎授到訪希臘作實地的文化硏究。在平常的週末,他們最愛觀看克利夫蘭騎士的籃球比賽。