{"id":4520,"date":"2018-12-26T22:26:06","date_gmt":"2018-12-26T22:26:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.wabash.edu\/magazine\/?p=4520"},"modified":"2023-05-24T17:56:14","modified_gmt":"2023-05-24T17:56:14","slug":"confidence","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.wabash.edu\/magazine\/2018\/12\/26\/confidence\/","title":{"rendered":"Confidence"},"content":{"rendered":"

Running from screaming girls on the streets of Paris, Eric Daman \u201992 found himself in a world he was not used to but one he helped to create.<\/p>\n

This was the worldwide phenomenon that was\u00a0Gossip Girl<\/em>\u2014a show about privileged teenagers from the Upper East Side of New York City that aired on the CW Network from 2007 to 2012. Everyone who watched wanted to be these characters. Even more, they wanted to dress like them.<\/p>\n

As a costume designer, Eric Daman had worked on other projects before. The design team he was on for\u00a0Sex and the City<\/em>\u00a0had won an Emmy. But for\u00a0Gossip Girl<\/em>\u00a0he created some of the most iconic looks of a generation. In 2010\u00a0Allure<\/em>\u00a0magazine named Daman one of the seven influencers of fashion \u201cwho could change everything about the way we look.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>\u201cFilming in Paris was really quite a moment, even more so than being featured in the\u00a0New York Times<\/em>\u00a0or being in\u00a0Allure<\/em>\u2014to have that experience and see how these kids, these stories, and these clothes were having an effect, I was thrilled to be a part of it.\u201d<\/p>\n

The fashion standard that Daman and\u00a0Gossip Girl\u00a0<\/em>created was exclusive and elite. Collections would come right off the runway and to the show, before being featured anywhere else. However, being from the Midwest, Daman knew that most of the show\u2019s audience couldn\u2019t afford Henri Bendel, Barneys, or Bergdorf, so he created a line with Charlotte Russe to give girls the option of high-fashion looks at lower costs.<\/p>\n

Standing outside of Freds at Barneys on Madison Avenue, Daman calls himself the Mistoffelees of menswear. It\u2019s a joke\u2014a play on the tuxedo-wearing \u201cconjuring cat\u201d from the T.S. Elliot poem adapted for the musical\u00a0Cats<\/em>.\u00a0But he might be right. Daman\u2019s choices for the male characters on\u00a0Gossip Girl\u00a0might have dazzled the world of men\u2019s fashion as well.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe availability of menswear has gotten so much better and the interest of it has gotten so high since we were doing\u00a0Gossip Girl. Putting a straight guy in a pink bow-tie on television was revolutionary\u2014and then you add a three-piece suit!\u201d<\/p>\n

Daman is now working on the Showtime series,\u00a0Billions,<\/em> currently in its third season.<\/p>\n

His advice for anyone wanting to put the style in their lifestyle?<\/p>\n

\u201cAdd a little bit of your own personality and your own personal flair wherever you can. Confidence in who you are and what you\u2019re doing is a person\u2019s best accessory.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Photos by Kim Johnson<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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