MARKGONG Fall 2025 Ready-To-Wear

Dress by Félix

c. 1885

France

Chicago Historical Society

Dress

c. 1800-1820

unknown maker, American

Newfields

Evening Dress

Pierre Balmain

1949

Museum at FIT

Viviano Fall 2025 Ready-To-Wear

do you know much about creating and maintaining an artificial biotope? More specifically, how does bacteria help in maintaining these ecosystems in the long term?

Hello, thank you for the marvellous question! Biotope is a very broad term but generally refers to an area where environmental conditions are the same/quite consistent, or a small ecosystem. Fish tanks are a good example of this.

I have not tried to create one and unfortunately cannot provide much information from my research, but it’s worth thinking about what bacteria normally do in ecosystems. Breaking down organic matter, nitrogen fixing, chilling out and getting me sick…they may also have symbiotic relationships with other organisms, like how humans have microbes that support our immune and digestive systems (I’m NOT explaining the complexities of the microbiome here, this is a huge simplification).

How you do it will also affect what you need to do — is it a butterfly garden interacting with the great outdoors? Is it an aquarium? Is it one of those sealed terrariums? (very cool, I want one). All these will have different things to consider.

Sorry I can’t be of more help! I hope you’re able to find some answers soon — and please let me know if you do! I’m also very interested in bacteria ecology.

Janelle Monae at Met Gala 2025, in custom Thom Browne

Janelle Monae at the Afterparty

Thom Browne Lunar new year collection 2025 (for future reference - I do NOT have the money for anything from this collection unfortunately but I might use it for sewing reference later down the line)

Yueqi Qi Fall 2025 Ready-To-Wear

The thing about parrots is that they will fuck with you for fun. On the outside a parrot is a small flying dinosaur with bolt cutters on its face. On the inside a parrot is a toddler with a GED who you might have unwisely trapped in your house. Humans are usually the most entertaining thing in a parrot's environment (aside from other parrots).

My parrot knows all the words for his favorite foods: peanut, berry, carrot, and noodle are the most frequently requested. I often demonstrate how good he is at naming foods when I have guests over by saying, "Ripley, what is this?" And Ripley, seeing a roasted, unsalted peanut in my hand, will answer, "a peanut." He does this for many foods, multiple times a day, knowing that if he answers correctly I'll give him several of whatever he can name.

I also offer my houseguests a chance to participate, holding a treat about a foot away from Ripley and asking him what it is. Ripley is always very gentle when treats are involved. But for the past few months, when someone he doesn't know attempts this trick with him, he deliberately gets the answer wrong.

"What is this?" my friend asks Ripley as she holds out a peanut. He confidently answers, "a berry." We laugh. "No, what is it!" she tries again. "A berry." She laughs.

I hand her dried cranberry. "What's this?" she asks, holding it up. Without hesitation Ripley answers "a peanut." She holds up the peanut again. "What is it!!" "A berry," he answers. Both my friend and my parrot laugh. Apparently this joke is worth more to my bird than getting the treat.