A Field Guide to Fabulousness - 9th Oct 2020

madison moore
Discussion
Link: https://chicagofashionlyceum.com

Chicago Fashion Lyceum: Fashion at the Periphery 2020

Keynote: madison moore
“A Field Guide to Fabulousness”

This keynote explored the queerness of sequins, glitter and other accoutrements of “fabulousness” and how these pave the way for alternative, peripheral methods of being in the world. We explored fabulousness as a survival tactic, a worldmaking strategy that queer and trans people of color use to create vibrant elsewhere. We explored recent developments in social media and popular culture to think through how fabulousness offers an escape hatch from the anxieties of a culture that works tirelessly to keep multiply marginalized people at the periphery.

This event was moderated by Rikki Byrd. Following the keynote and discussion, the Chicago Fashion Lyceum screened a fashion film by Byron Edge that explores the idea of fashion at the periphery set to a soundtrack by Chicago-based DJ Shaun Wright.

This project is partially supported by the Fashion Studies Department and a generous grant from the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at Columbia College Chicago.

To find out more about Fashion at the Periphery 2020 and the Chicago Fashion Lyceum visit: https://chicagofashionlyceum.com

To find out more about madison moore visit: https://www.madisonmooreonline.com/

Fabulous: The Rise of the Beautiful Eccentric by madison moore

https://yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300204704/fabulous

An exploration of what it means to be fabulous—and why eccentric style, fashion, and creativity are more political than ever

Prince once told us not to hate him ’cause he’s fabulous. But what does it mean to be fabulous? Is fabulous style only about labels, narcissism, and selfies—looking good and feeling gorgeous? Or can acts of fabulousness be political gestures, too? What are the risks of fabulousness? And in what ways is fabulous style a defiant response to the struggles of living while marginalized? madison moore answers these questions in a timely and fascinating book that explores how queer, brown, and other marginalized outsiders use ideas, style, and creativity in everyday life. Moving from catwalks and nightclubs to the street, moore dialogues with a range of fabulous and creative powerhouses, including DJ Vjuan Allure, voguing superstar Lasseindra Ninja, fashion designer Patricia Field, performance artist Alok Vaid-Menon, and a wide range of other aesthetic rebels from the worlds of art, fashion, and nightlife. In a riveting synthesis of autobiography, cultural analysis, and ethnography, moore positions fabulousness as a form of cultural criticism that allows those who perform it to thrive in a world where they are not supposed to exist.

madison moore, PhD, is a cultural critic and DJ whose writing has appeared in Theater, The Paris Review, Crack Magazine, Journal of Popular Music Studies, Aperture, Thought Catalog, Out, Splice Today, and Interview. Born in Ferguson, Missouri, madison currently lives in Richmond, Virginia, where he is an Assistant Professor of Queer Studies at Virginia Commonwealth University.

ISBN: 9780300204704
Publication Date: April 17, 2018

280 pages, 5 1/2 x 8 1/4
21 color (insert) + 7 b/w illus. in text