HOW THE MAGIC HAPPENS Top sketches : The idea for a cover " coat " evoking UC San Diego evolved into a voluminous and varied dress , modeled by Saura Naderi ’ 07 .
Bottom left : At the costume shop , draper Elena Ham ( pictured ) and stitcher K Joy Lehman worked alongside MFA student designers to turn their drawing into a wearable garment .
Bottom middle : ( L – R ) Costume shop manager Jannifer Mah ’ 98 and MFA students Barshow and Toscano discuss plans at a pre-fitting in the shop with Triton ' s managing editor .
For the cover of this issue of Triton ,
how would we ever capture the many facets of “ fashion ” that make up the university ? From the laboratory to theatrical stage , the world ’ s poles to ocean depths , and not to mention the art and style of our alumni — the UC San Diego community is a talented bunch . Just weeks before the onset of the coronavirus , we first thought a talented student designer could sketch out a motley sort of dreamcoat , but then we figured — why not go all the way , cut and sew and actually make this thing ?
Professor Judy Dolan introduced us to two of her MFA costume design students , Daniella Toscano and Natalie Barshow , who together had the skills , patience , and daring to collaborate on such a one-of-a-kind garment .
We met at the UC San Diego costume shop , a shared space with La Jolla Playhouse , then buzzing with seamstresses and design students working with needle and thread , fitting fabric to dress forms . At a table piled with swatches and sketches , we planned out the elements for our garment , which was swiftly becoming more complex as our stories came to life . Zac Monday ( p . 18 ) was crocheting us a dramatic sleeve . We wanted Bobby Hundreds ’ “ Adam Bomb ” graphic ( p . 26 ) included somehow , and could we maybe work in part of a wetsuit ?
“ The project contained so many puzzle pieces , it was helpful for me to think of it as a collage , an art piece ,” says Toscano . “ Mostly we try to capture the
mood of a period , but it was really quite fun to see what we could create here with such varied and disparate pieces .”
Days later , the students had an initial sketch . What was once envisioned as four panels of a short coat had become a full-length dress , complete with an ornate and flowing skirt for our theater program , wetsuit pants and fur-lined arctic hood for oceanographic research , a lab coat with the UC San Diego crest , of course , and half of a Hundreds ’ hoodie for the streetwear style . As for how this would all come together — literally and figuratively — we relied on Jannifer Mah ’ 98 , the shop manager , to lend her team of seamstresses and their decades of experience advising and training design students . They often work right alongside the students , interpreting their designs , sharing their expertise , and offering a hands-on education .
36 TRITON | WINTER 2021