Competition reveals sexual designs

The Bra!vado Breast in Show design competition came to an end Friday evening with a one-time chance to view the pieces submitted. Designers showcased their unique artistic designs centered around breasts and female sexuality. \n"The idea for the Bra!vado design contest came about when we were working together on 'The Allure of Clothing: Function, Fantasy, Fetish, Fashion' exhibit," said Abbie Anderson, curator of education at the Mathers Museum. "Kate Rowold from the Elizabeth Sage collection, who has many design students, was telling us about the flair and creativity a lot of them have and how much fun it would be for them to design something." \nThe first prize for "Breast in Show" went to a design team named Saffron, Magenta and Indiglo for "BYOB" or "Bring Your Own Boobage." \n"The Boobages were so ingenious and the packaging was so complete," Anderson said. "They had a whole concept. Each one of the Boobages came in a special gift bag. The whole presentation was so thorough it won a lot of us over." \nThe trio of bras were comical. One piece was designed with clown faces to cover the breasts, another had red lights on the front, and a third was decorated with gift bows and orange fringes. \n"Boobs are really funny. They really are. Men think boobs are a party. The whole idea was to have fun," said the artist known as Magenta, who asked that her real name not be used.\nThe pieces were judged in four main categories: functional underwear, functional outerwear, wearable art and other art objects. \n"I was impressed by the range, the diversity and the variety," Rowold said. "I thought the most fascinating part was some of things were so whimsical, they just really tickle your fancy." \nLandscapes pasties, designed by graduate student Jake Urbanksi, won second "Breast in Show" in the competition. The pasties were made out of photographs of the Indiana landscape and presented in wood boxes as a collection. Though the judges received different types of breast wear, they were hoping for a more common garment. \n"It was so much fun watching them (arrive)," Anderson said. "We were hoping we would get a corset, and we did."\nThe corset that Anderson received was made by C. Dixon Reynolds, the costume designer for the IU production of "The Cherry Orchard." He won the ethnographic award for his red corset with gold trim.\nNot all the pieces were as conservative as the corset. Some of designers were extreme in their sexual expression. \n"The most outrageous piece was the 'FunderWear' because it doesn't actually cover anything," Anderson said. \n"FunderWear," a black and white polka dot piece of lingerie, resembled a two-piece bathing suit from the 1980s. As viewers got closer, they realized the triangles of fabric were underneath the breast and attached to a ring with a triangle for the vagina. The piece revealed the breast, playing off the "Breast in Show" phrase. \n"The rings may symbolize the vagina or the anus," said Karen Franks, the designer of "FunderWear." "The show is about 'Breast in Show'. The triangle representing the pubus with the breast hanging is really about something sexual." \nOther designs were not as sexual in their expression but tackled social issues. Katie Pouch won the award for conceptual inspiration with her trio of bras. One titled "Butterfly Effect" was shaped like a butterfly knitted together with purple, yellow and pink ribbon, along with yellow ribbon straps. "Mystical Flowers" looked like two flowers covering up the breast, but it was "Questionable Social Status Structure" that caught most of the attention. The bra knitted out of measuring tape posed the question: Does the size of a woman's breast represent her place in the world or her social status? \n"The measuring tape had the energy to question the size of a woman's breast and her being," Pouch said. \n"It is quite a serious little concept. It is an interesting thing that something that can look so whimsical can really be based in so much serious, thoughtful contemplation about society and women's issues," Rowold said. \nRowold said she hopes to be able to do other competitions based on "The Allure of Clothing: Function, Fantasy, Fetish, Fashion" exhibit. She said the competition showcased each individual and his or her interpretation of what "Breast in show" actually means. \n"So everybody reading the same advertisement, the same announcement for the competition really came up with some very different types of entries," Rowold said. "Some of the entries are really aesthetic expressions and some of them have a good deal of political, philosophical background concept inspiring them." \n-- Contact arts editor Patrice \nWorthy at pworthy@indiana.edu.