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At The Valentine's Costume and Textile Mini-Symposium, local artist Mo Regulinski shared the process of her latest series, “Regalia: Healing Avatars.” (Photo courtesy The Valentine)
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Photo courtesy: The Valentine
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Photo courtesy: The Valentine
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Photo courtesy: The Valentine
A couple of weeks ago, I spent my Friday afternoon at The Valentine for their Costume and Textile Collection Mini-Symposium— a total treat for a fashion and art history nerd like myself. There were three speakers: FIT’s Associate Curator Colleen Hill spoke about the school’s upcoming Fairy Tale Fashion exhibition; Caroline Rennolds Milbank took the audience through a tour of fashion’s past in her talk “what we romanticize when we romanticize the past”; and local artist Mo Regulinski shared the process of her latest series, “Regalia: Healing Avatars.”
Mo Regulinski was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes at age three. Instead of allowing this chronic illness to define her life, she’s used it to inspire her art. “Regalia: Healing Avatars” is a badass and beautiful fashion exploration of what it means for a woman to be confident, strong, healthy and feminine. Using her discarded diabetes paraphernalia, Mo has created some seriously cool, whimsical dresses that showcase not just her artistic talent but fashion sense as well.
I especially dig “Needles,” the first Avatar Mo completed in her series. It looks tough enough to arm even the most fierce Roman empress (is that a thing?) but feminine and stylish enough for a cocktail party. The coolest part? Each panel is lined with the 30,000+ needles Mo has used as part of her diabetes regulation- I can only imagine how empowering that kind of reappropriation would be.
Mo was such an engaging, positive and funny speaker; she totally captured the audience’s attention and left me wanting to know more about her incredible work…so I asked her! Check out our chat below. You can find more information about each Avatar in the series on Mo’s website.
blvd: What was your relationship to fashion before you started this series?
Mo Regulinski: I used to be the pattern designer for the Cleveland Playhouse in Cleveland, Ohio. Since living in Richmond, I’ve worked with the students at St. Catherine's and St. Christopher's Schools and as an artist-in-residence for Ampersand where I interpreted fashion in scripts (so, basically costume design). I currently work with Teens at the VMFA in the Teen Stylin' Wearable Art program. I am just finishing a fashion program with Art 180 called Inside Out in the Neighborhood where students designed a "look" for the community partner. The exhibition will be in January at Atlas.
blvd: Have you had any style revelations since starting the Regalia series?
MR: My biggest style-related revelation was getting comfortable with being a non-fashion-industry size. As I worked daily with a dress form padded to mimic my body dimensions, I became comfortable with my actual body dimensions instead of thinking I "should be" something else.
blvd: Do you plan to create more Regalia for this series?
MR: Yes, I plan to continue to do more! I feel that women have been cheated the adoption of masculine triumph wear. Women have contributed so much to humanity. I want to honor that in future work through contemporary fashion women love to wear and embellished pieces that tell a story.
blvd: What do you think women who do not live with a chronic illness can glean from it?
MR: I want women to know that we can stand in our power and still be feminine. An overall theme for everybody is that a shift in perspective changes everything. Even our darkest moments teach us something about living a fulfilling life. By loving and accepting ourselves in each moment, we can love and accept others more fully.
