The ALLOWANCE series is part of my ongoing love affair with the power of invitation, with finding out what happens when you ask people to unleash themselves. When you commit in advance to caring a whole bunch about what someone makes.
I worked with six designers in Knoxville over the course of 2022 for this series of self-portraits. I gave each designer creative freedom to make a garment specifically for me to wear. Once I had their pieces, I designed and painted eight-foot-square paper backdrops in response to their work and posed for the portrait.
The portraits appear in chronological order. All comments are mine unless otherwise noted.
ALLOWANCE No. 1
In collaboration with Macrame Momma
Because Victoria’s garment itself is handmade, I wanted to emphasize the sturdy-but-airy construction of macramé. I created this delicate border pattern, leaving plenty of room in the center to highlight the top’s dramatic fringe in action. This garment—made from vintage cord—is such fun to wear, and I wanted to reflect that in the design, using series of dots to create a light and lively feel.
ALLOWANCE No. 2
In collaboration with Santiago Ortiz-Piazuelo
Santiago’s notes:
The continuous line pattern is something I've been working with for many years.
It reminds me of standing so close to kudzu that it fills your field of vision.
The product of an intensely tedious process.
Like the visual static of leaves.
Blowing in the wind.
&X...
Amanda’s notes:
This was the only time I created the backdrop before receiving the garment. Santi’s streetwear line has an established style, so I was able to plan this hall of skull-like forms in advance using one of his signature colorways. In return, he created this explosion of texture, including irresistible skull teeth fringe at the midriff. This is such a generous garment, and I set it off against a high-contrast background whose boldness nods to the tradition of dramatic statements streetwear is so good at spinning out of comfortable gear.
ALLOWANCE No. 3
In collaboration with Beth Meadows
Because Beth often works with couture and advertising, this was an opportunity for me to display my own feelings about the seduction of so many of the fashion images I’ve connected with in the course of my life. And about how I still don’t think I’ve reified all that. It was also really joyful for me to be able to take advantage of the butcher paper in this way, to acknowledge some of the energy I’ve misdirected into consumption and reapply it to making my own fake-fancy world to play in.
ALLOWANCE No. 4
In collaboration with Hannah Bingham
Hannah’s notes:
Mimi Pond inspired breakfast dress from her graphic novel ‘Over Easy’ with handmade details by Hannah Bingham of High Five Hannie added to vintage thrifted dress. See you at the diner!
Amanda’s notes:
Hannah routinely charms the pants off me, and this dress is a perfect example of those skills. It’s so effervescent and whimsical that the only thing I knew to do in response was to have fun. So I anthropomorphized some diner food and danced. I regret nothing. Art is nothing if not world-building, and I really want people like Hannah and her imagination giving the rest of us permission to live differently.
ALLOWANCE No. 5
In collaboration with Konane Wildcraft
Konane garments transform people into a breathing celebration. There’s such a spirit of innocence and blooming in this dress, and I wanted to double down on that with my own abundance of wholesome and hearty blossoms and a lingering sweetness in the pose. Because Konane is piecing together vintage fabrics, I chose zinnia to echo ideas of endurance.
ALLOWANCE No. 6
In collaboration with Dale Mackey
Dale’s notes:
At the 1986 World's Fair in Vancouver, Princess Diana turned to Prince Charles and said, "Darling, I think I'm about to disappear." before she slid down his arm and fainted on the floor.
I found this sweater while I was packing up the house I moved into in 2009. It came with a pair of matching shorts but I'm not sure where those wound up.
The thing that looks like a bullet hole was just a regular hole that I made by accident. I stitched it up to make sure it didn't fray. I knew that using red thread would make it seem like I thought Princess Diana had been shot. Even before hearing the Princess Diana episode on You're Wrong About, the podcast where I heard this quote and for the first time found myself interested in anything having to do with the royal family, I knew that Princess Diana had died in a car accident and it had something to do with paparazzi. But the bullet hole still felt right.
I freehand embroidered the letters and hand sewed the fringe and feathers. I prefer this to using machines and drawing it out ahead of time because I like to see the thing develop. I like to surprise myself with how it turns out. I would have added more, but I ran out of time to do everything I imagined, as always, so this is what we've got.
I don't think Princess Di would like it, TBH. But I do, and I'm hoping at least three other people do, too. Let me know what you think: https://www.dalemackey.com/allaboutdale
Amanda’s notes:
Dale put a bananas amount of weightless ornamentation onto this sweater and balanced that with extremely chunky embroidery of this quote from the late Princess Diana Spencer, a comment preceding a public faint due to bulimia-induced fatigue. For this backdrop, more than any other, I leaned on my own body to illustrate the theme. This was a particularly satisfying way to close the ALLOWANCE work and take my inhabiting of these garments one step further to embody the tension between outward presentation and internal experience.