The Most iconic fashion moments in film (Pulp Fiction, Blade Runner etc)

Not too long ago I created a post that specifically looked at the fashion in iconic 90's films and TV shows such as Clueless, Romeo and Juliet and Empire Records. It's unquestionable that the 90's was truly one of the best decades for film fashion however, I thought for this post I would explore a lot further and look at the film industry on a whole at some of the best outfits of all time across the different decades. Obviously some of these films were still created in the 90's so I do apologise for slightly going into that era again but with fashion moments like Mia Wallace's dance scene with Vincent Vega in Pulp Fiction and Julia Robert's unforgettable fashion in Pretty Woman, the 90's topic is unavoidable!


Mia Wallace in Pulp Fiction
The outfit worn my Mia Wallace completely and utterly symbolises her character in the film and I am pretty sure is one that you may or may not have contemplated stealing for your Halloween costume. Although Wallace is a fierce, bold character which is represented by her combination of a masculine tailored blouse and black cropped pants, the costumer designer Betsy Heimann also wanted to communicate a vision of Wallace being a 'do not touch' item since her husband was not the man to mess with in the film. However, with the suppressed waist and harsh unbuttoned design Heimann was able to translate an essence of seduction sex appeal and a bad girl vibe Wallace's look. Arguably, you could even suggest that Wallace was the true Femme Fatale of the 90's film industry due to her hypnotic connection with John Travolta's character Vincent Vega.




Pretty Woman
Julia Robert's style in the 1990 film 'Pretty Woman' simply embraces everything the title intended to represent. From her polka dot dress to this stunning blushing red ball gown, Robert's wardrobe signifies the image of a young girl embracing her femininity and becoming a woman in a far fetched manner ofcourse because what other plot could turn prostitution into a fairy-tale storyline. Some may argue that certain choices of outfits were hideous and some may say that Vivian's attire was truly spectacular. One thing is for sure is that it was memorable in its own way and definitely counts as one of the most iconic fashion moments in film history and a role that put Robert's on Hollywood's A List for life.


Blade Runner

Ridley Scott's Blade Runner epitomizes the concept of the dystopian future and cult noir film fashion in a weirdly wonderful way. Sean Young who plays Rachael wears this iconic fur coat on the streets of LA which is set in the year 0f 2019.  However, one thing that is clear is that although the fashion is meant to be set in the future, there is a key mash up of 80's style which communicate a sort of retro-futuristic look. Even the power suit worn by Rachael represents an element of retrospective fashion due to the bold large shoulder pads and tailoring which in 2016 and three years away from 2019, we are yet to see the return of.

Atonement

If there is one dress that has sparked a craze within the world of fashion and film, it is this emerald green dress worn by Keira Knightly in the 2007 film 'Atonement'. Although the dress which was infamously worn in the library scene of the 1930's set film, missed out on winning an academy award, it was voted the best costume of all times by Sky Movies. Not only is this dress designed by the costumer designer Jacqueline Durran a complete work of art, but it is also so fittingly to the narrative of the film with an element of old Hollywood fashion at the same time. The colour green arguably symbolises both Cecilia’s mood at the onset of the dinner party and her sister Briony’s envy which ultimately led to others and her downfall in life. The colour also arguably represents Cecilia’s cursed existence later on in the film.

Lolita
Although the plot of Lolita, just like Pretty Woman, was insanely far fetched and in this specific films case a little uncomfortable, the fashion worn by the main character, Lolita is memorable for it's symbolism of young girls aspiring to be older and throwing away their youth. Although the film caused quite a lot of controversy due to its sexualisation of a young girl which was based on the original 1955 novel by Vladimir Nabokov, the movie has since had great influence in forming the Lolita style movement in Japan. This Japanese style consists of grown women taking on board a child-like hyperreal style and gives connotations of inappropriate child adult relationships. However, deviation away from such serious themes, realistically in Japan, the Lolita style is more about covering up than exposing inappropriate flesh to others. It is also about escapism and self-determination in the Japanese society where gender codes are arguably stricter than other western societies. Therefore, the Lolita style represents a more 'dressing up box' style rather than the expected outrageous, unfitting style for an underage girl that we seen in the film.



Annie Hall

As for 'Annie Hall', the fashion in this 1977 film is a real representation of the formation of androgynous gender fashion in the seventies and women becoming more assertive and expressive over their lifestyle, attitudes and choices of clothing which the character of Annie signifies extremely well. It was even believed that the role of Annie Hall was created specifically for Keaton to play as they both shared traits of being articulate, serious career goals of being a singer and she even the clothing worn in the film were outfits from her own wardrobe. Her eccentric menswear style consisting of vintage men's clothing, baggy trousers, pantsuits and fedora hat's which became a huge trend for women after the films release.



The Great Gatsby
If there is one film that was able to translate the glamour, fabulousness and art décor style of the 1920's onto our screens, it was definitely Baz Luhrmann's 2013 adaptation of F.Scott Fitzgerald's 'The Great Gatsby'. With eccentric pearl embellishments, flapper girl style and rich fabrics of velvets, silk, satins, the film exemplifies everything about American society before the great depression of the 30's when individuals had disposable income that they could by material goods to express themselves with to indicate their levels of prosperity.

 

The Fragrance Brief: Task 2 (Testing my insights for the Big Idea)

As part of task 2 on our fragrance project we had to take our three insights and through research test and evaluate whether there was a necessity for them in the fragrance market. To read about my three insights you can follow this link to my blog post discussing each one of them and where I received inspiration from for the insights.
 http://katefergvson.blogspot.co.uk/2016/03/task-1-find-your-story-new-ideas-for.html

However, since I have already discussed the three ideas in my last post, I thought I would share with you the idea that my group and I have decided to go ahead with and the reason behind our choice.


For the fragrance brief we have chosen to pursue Insight 1 as our Big Idea which focusses on the trend of Health and Fitness and creating an alternative product for young millennial consumers who are frustrated with their current deodorant and are in need of something new, to leave a long lasting fresh scent whilst they perspire at the gym.

Personally, I chose insight one because I believe that the sporty archetype is one that is becoming increasingly large due to the Health and Fitness trend. Furthermore, there is greater demand for a product which would have the long-lasting effects that deodorants cannot provide in comparison to relaxation or energising products which are already being created in various forms by competing brands. In further support of insight one, in regards to the hygiene of the human body there is much more demand for a newer deodorant format than a digital scent which realistically, is still too far in the future to develop. In terms of developing insight one and taking inspiration from the artist Lucy McRae’s ‘Swallowable Parfum’, we could create a scented product which could be swallowed in the form of a liquid or capsule with effects that would enable the human body to emit a genetically fresh, natural scent which would gradually excrete through the skin surface as a person perspires during intense exercise.


"A product that releases perfume whilst the wearer sweats could be of great interest." (Mintel's Report Healthy Lifestyle-UK July 2014)

Lucy McRae's 'Swallowable Parfum' is a cosmetic capsule that allows human skin to emit a genetically unique scent with personalisation qualities and a signature representation of our own
identity.
Once swallowed via the capsule, the skin becomes a platform for the perfume to break through. Then
a biologically enhanced second skin is synthesized directly from the natural processes of the body, redefining the role of skin and projecting the scent for the wearer and others around to smell.
Therefore, fragrance molecules are excreted from the skin surface during perspiration to leave small droplets on the skin and emit a unique odour. The force of the scent is determined by the wearer's body and their responses to temperature, sweat, exercise, stress and sexual arousal.

To read more about Lucy McRae's Swallowable Parfum you can follow this link..
http://swallowableparfum.com/

The style icons shaping youth and female culture

So as generations pass more and more teens are taking over our magazine front covers and forcing us to constantly press the like button on Instagram who actually are these social media superstars and what is all the fuss that there creating with their vintage revived clothing, art kid identity and zany jewellery. So to answer those question's I've put a little post together about my five favourite icons at the moment who are really shaping the youth culture of this generation and who are doing a pretty good job at it. I am sure Dazed and Confused magazine and iD would agree with my choices.


Sky Ferreira


Sky Ferreira has been one of my favourite style icons ever since she released her song 'Obsession' back in 2010 which was pretty much played on every single teen American drama you can imagine. Her style and identity is a mix of riotous rock culture, dark pop princess and true free spirit which she combines in such an effortless idiosyncratic way. Her style is a sense of expressionism which reflects the state of trend in the 21st century where people can create a hybridity of identities without necessarily going against the norms of society due to the freedom and scope for individuality. Barely even into her twenties, Ferreira already classes herself as a Masochist which is one reason behind the name of her new album which is set to be released in Summer of this year. Although this term can be taken in different contexts, Ferreira implies that she truly believes in the idea that if you don't feel some sort of pain or struggle when your trying to achieve your dreams, do you really deserve it at all? Therefore in her new album she is trying to communicate this sense of determination and ambition in a powerful way whilst still maintaining her indie synthpop sound.







Petra Collins
Straight out of the world of art, Petra Collins specialises in all things photographic, creative and liberating. She is known for her revolutionising way of thinking and feministic behaviour which she confidently promotes across social media platforms to stand up for her gender. Although she does enjoy photographing others around her, she stresses the importance of creating your own personal image. “The selfie, especially, has revolutionised the way that we are able to represent ourselves. It makes it possible for people who have little representation to create images of their own, and because of social media we have platforms for them.”
Collins has also recently wrote her own book called 'Babe' which includes passages by some of the art world's leading females. However, Collins has made it clear that whilst she discusses the term 'babe' and its association with females, using a feministic approach she does not want to link it to sexuality and make her readers believe that feminism is completely associated with just sexuality for that matter. Instead the book offers a series of images exploring notions of camaraderie, alienation, nostalgia, and social media.












Lily Rose Depp
Many may say that her fame was achieved directly from the popularity of her father in the film and showbiz industry. However, that has not stopped Lily Rose Depp from making a name for herself in the fashion world on her own.  “Art is such a personal experience, I really try to make my own thing.” - Lily Rose Depp told Vanity Fair
 At the young age of sixteen Lily Depp has already modelled for Chanel and the popular Australian magazine Oyster. Although she has already worked with one of the biggest brands in the world in the fashion industry, Depp has made it clear that she wants to enjoy her childhood and teenage years while she can to allow her to stay grounded and enjoy her youth. Arguably, as technology becomes increasingly advanced and applications such as instagram and snapchat expand, were seeing less and less teenagers and children live the same childhood as those of an older generation would have twenty years ago. We've seen the model start to make her break in the acting world but its possible that she is set to become a bigger star on our screens once she has at least finished school.




Tavi Gevinson
Tavi Gevinson may only be nineteen but her youth is definitely not stopping her having an opinion about the way girls around her should act in society. However, Tavi understands that you do not have to always be a feminist to stand up for female rights which she confidently confessed to Dazed and Confused magazine, “While 
I’m happy to talk about feminism and I’m happy that I’m a girl, I do sometimes feel like, ‘Why does everything I do have to be viewed through a lens of feminist or not?’
Tavi may be well known in the fashion and social media world but she also spreads her talent into other creative industries as she has also appeared in shows on Broadway and on our TV screens to pursue her passion for acting.


This may not directly be a person but another aspect of the fashion world which is heavily influencing youth culture right now is the online teen magazine Rookie, which Tavi Gevinson was founded by Tavi Gevinson who is the current editor and Chief.
http://www.rookiemag.com/




Coco Gordon Moore


Although she has similarities to Sky Ferreira due to her style of music, Coco Gordon Moore is making it in the pop culture industry in her own way and is trying to steer away from living under her parent's limelight whilst doing so. Everyone expects Coco to follow such strong feministic views since her mother was such a dominant feminine icon, however it seems she is actually moving in an opposite direction or at least not tried to have too much say on the issue due to the fact that there is so much complication behind the matter and too many views on how to resolve it.
Coco has even been referred to as the ultimate millennial girl of our time due to her mysterious attitude. It is even found that her generation may be the first generation that doesn’t want to be famous, since being well-known now means being torn apart by the media and allowing everyone to know your every step at any time of the day.







Another style icon who is having an extremely strong influence within the culture of youths nowadays is Arvida Bystrom. To read more about one of the queens of Tumblr and the hipster photography world follow this link to one of my older blog posts.....
http://katefergvson.blogspot.co.uk/2015/11/fashion-icon-arvida-bystrom.html

Top fashion illustrators to follow in the industry

Fashion illustrators have existed for decades however, as social media advances and applications such as Instagram and Snapchat are becoming an even greater part of our lives, we are able to access and enjoy this sort of artwork globally in a matter of seconds. Therefore, some of the biggest fashion illustrators of our time are bringing these endless fashion moments to the screens of our technological devices. However, they are leaving a lasting effect by creating images with longevity, stylishness and a detailed representation of the most luxury high end brands on the scene. Lets have a look at who is sketching some of our favourite collections straight off the runway by Gucci, McQueen, JW Anderson and many other luxury designers right now.



GILL BUTTON
Instagram: @buttonfruit
www.buttonfruit.com
Not only is Gill Button known for her artistic talent but she has also contributed to the creation of Dries van Noten's AW16-17 fashion show invitations alongside many other artistic collaborations. Her work is beautiful, intimate and glamorous as she captures the clothing of the most desirable fashion designers in a painterly manner through fluid brushstrokes and confident confrontation with current style. She sketches each model in an immaculate yet imperfect way to depict a true vision of those who strut down the catwalk. However, the colours in her work do the real talking as she mixes up a complex vivid colour palette to bring life to her work and to enjoy the seasonal hues and trends of the specific time of year.



Although Button takes pride in her stylish work she does not classify herself completely as a fashion illustrator as she said to Dazed and Confused magazine recently, “I’m a painter rather than a fashion illustrator as such, which is why my approach perhaps differs. I’m simply painting portraits, and sometimes my subjects wear amazing clothes!”






Dries van Noten hand painted invitations designed by Gill Button



RICHARD KILROY
Instagram: @richardkilroy
http://www.richardkilroy.com/


Richard Kilroy is another successful fashion illustrator in the industry however, unlike Gill Button, Kilroy mainly illustrates male fashion and has even created his own magazine called Decoy which is entirely devoted to the contemporary world of male fashion. Furthermore, Kilroy also created his own book in 2015 which was called Menswear Illustration which was published by Thames and Hudson and explores the different styles of male fashion and the versatile creative talents around the world who have sketched images for editorial, advertising and brand communications. The illustrator has worked for the likes of Christian Dior and worked on the exhibitions René Gruau And The Line Of Beauty.


“When I use colour and line I want it to be more suggestive and about satisfying shapes, I don't enjoy working with colour in extreme detail like I do with graphite,” says Kilroy. “Getting the balance of these is where I find satisfaction; taking photorealism away from the notion of being a ‘human photocopier’ with no space for interpretation, seeing it as more of a collage of realist and suggestive elements.”




NICASIO TORRES
Instagram: @nicasio_torres
http://www.nicasiotorres.com/


Nicasio Torres has recently been famed for his relationship with the fashion film website SHOWstudio, (founded by Nick Knight) who he has collaborated with to deliver illustrations of the Milan Menswear shows. Similarly to Kilroy, Torres also explores the beauty of male fashion and how the silhouettes can differ to female attire in an innovative and experimental way. He also revealed during a interview with Dazed and Confused magazine that he ideally likes to focus on the structure of the body to form his work. “The body’s representation is one of my favourite artistic themes, so I feel very familiar with fashion illustration. For that reason, it’s an ideal pretext for me to develop my work. I don’t try to represent all of the visual characteristics of an image, I just illustrate the aspects that move me.”



Illustrations of Milan Men´s Fashion Week AW16 for SHOWstudio







Although his expertise are in male fashion, Torres has developed some drawings of the recent female collections by Stella McCartney and Saint Laurent for AW16.



Illustrations of Women's Fashion Week AW16










UNSKILLED WORKER
Instagram: @unskilledworker
http://unskilledworker.co.uk/


Unskilled worker has also been known to have had worked with Nick Knight's website SHOWstudio on the unforgettable exhibition Savage Beauty which was in awe of Alexander McQueen's late work and was shown at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. The illustrator has even created a cover for the Business of Fashion which that in it's self proves the popularity and creditability that Unskilled Worker has obtained within the industry. As an illustrator, her work has the mannerism of the work of an innocent child's however, her drawings possess such darker and daring concepts to draw attention to both fashion and emotion in a moving way.


Unskilled Worker's style is so distinctive and recognisable that she was even approached in 2015 by the Italian fashion house Gucci to make a series of portraits inspired by the work of Alessandro Michele who is the current creative director for the fashion brand. The collection of work was debuted in Shangai at the Minsheng Art Museum.

The Future of Fashion with Alexa Chung (Vogue Series 2)

Alexa Chung is teaming up again with Vogue but this time she is crossing the waters and looking at fashion in a different cultural surrounding and what better place to visit than the Big Apple; one of the stylish cities in the world for fashion and home to one fourth of the industries fashion weeks.

This series Alexa Chung has made it her plan to look into the business side of fashion. And this is exactly what New York expertise in comparison to the industry of Paris which is all about couture and London which is all about the art.



Similarly to the words of Christophe Kane in the previous series, Chung found whilst interviewing Lindsay Butler, creative director and CEO of the SOHO based brand Veda, that a strong partnership is key and can help build the foundations for enterprise when entering the business side of fashion. Other brands such as Altuzarra are prime examples of this work ethic as Joseph Altuzarra joined up with CEO Karis Durmer to launch his clothing line in 2008. Both their skills work harmoniously together to make the best ideas rise to the top and success in the industry.

During the series, Chung also met up with the creative director and CEO's behind one of my favourite American New York based brands, Opening Ceremony. Not to mention but Carol Lim, part of the Opening Ceremony duo, is also a CEO for the Asian high end luxury brand Kenzo. Although Lim works alongside Humberto Leon she is just one example of a female CEO which is found to be something the industry is extremely short of due to the dominance that males have in this powerful role. Especially considering, stereotypically, fashion has always been an interest which has been associated with women, yet it seems men are the driving force behind the business of fashion and creatively directing it.




Chung also briefly talks to the minds behind the concept of Normcore which has arguably replaced the social identification terms of hipsters and indies in the past couple of years. Normcore was even found to have been the most googled fashion trend of 2014 at a time when this movement of styles was occurring and people were starting to opt for a more average minimalistic look but one which was still hardcore and revolutionary in it's own unique way. Normcore clothes include everyday items of casual wear such as t-shirts, hoodies, short-sleeved shirts and jeans which are normally sold by brands such as GAP who value a laidback chilled out look. The creative minds and trend forecasting brand behind this term, K-Hole imply that Normcore is a unisex trend but one that can also refer to a persons attitude and not just their dress code.

In the third episode Chung visits Susan Scafidi. who founded the Fashion Law Institute at the Fordham Law School in New York. Back in 2006 this was a subject that never existed at all however, fast forward ten years later and this course has become so successful that Scafidi found herself having to extend her class sizes. Another interesting fact about Scadifi's job is that she helped create the Model Alliance which protects females or males in the industry who are treated badly by a model agency and they focus on giving these individuals protection in New York in regards to the hours they worked and how much they were paid.

In the last episode of Alexa Chung's four part series she actually interviews one of my favourite role models in the fashion industry ever. Leandra Medine. Although I will not go into great deal as I have a full blog post about the blogger which you can read by following this blog (http://katefergvson.blogspot.co.uk/2015/11/man-repeller-leandra-medine-book-review.html) Medine speaks about what influenced her to start her successful fashion blog, Man Repeller and why she is so different to everyone else. Medine's blog Man Repeller is so different because unlike many fashion bloggers in the industry she adds her own hilarious touch to the most current news and trends in the industry. Therefore, she certainly doesn't take herself too serious and manages to communicate to her audience that you can be determined, hard working and still have a sense of humour whilst working in the industry.

The Future of Fashion with Alexa Chung (Vogue Series 1)

As fashion students its pretty certain that the majority of us have either read or at least own a copy of IT by Alexa Chung which we've purchased from our local Urban Outfitters store. She was the IT girl of the noughties and is still today having an effect on the fashion industry in her own way, especially in the world of Vogue to be specific. Therefore, in this post I wanted to talk about the short online documentary 'The Future of Fashion' starring Alexa Chung who we see visit different parts of the industry, to talk to experts about what they do, how they got there and what it takes for regular students like myself, to go far in the industry. She even discusses some of the jobs in fashion that many people wouldn't think about doing but now due to the expansion of the industry and new in depth courses available which aren't necessarily fashion design, there is so many more diverse roles for aspirational fashion students to take on such as PRs, buyers, retailers, social media managers and event producers. Even fashion psychology is an area which more students are having access to which could create new potential careers for future fashionistas to delve into.

As for Chung herself, she has worked in the fashion industry since she was fifteen as a model and has experience within photo shoots, editorials, presenting and being one of Britain's biggest style icons to ever exist in the 21st century.

We see Alexa Chung, interview the likes of Christopher Kane, Paul Smith, Olivier Rousteing and students of the top fashion school Central Saint Martins (University of the Arts) who all explained what interested them in fashion. One thing that specifically stood out for me was that Olivier Rousteing, the creative director of Balmain who took on the role at the mere age of 24, had never intended to go into fashion at all. Instead, Rousteing went to Law school with the intention of working within the professions of legality one day. However, he quit in order to follow his dreams, explore his style identity within the industry and create major success for one of the leading French high end brands in the world. Although the brands maintains a vision of French aesthetic, Rousteing has added various oriental and Asian flares to the identity of the brand to reflect the nature and origin of a huge part of the brands buyers.
If Olivier carried on his studies of Law would the Kardashians have the Balmain wardrobe that they own today? My guess is probably not!

We also see Chung interview the British Fashion Council journalist Sarah Mower who is a great idol of mine as I find myself endlessly reading the articles that she writes for Vogue magazine every so often. During the conversation between Chung and Mower, Mower even confesses the unbelievable fact that the fashion industry exceeds the automotive business by far due to its worth of £28 billion in the UK. Saying that everyone needs to wear clothes don't they?

Whilst on the subject of the British Fashion Council, Mower also explains about the crucial role that the council plays in young individuals lives as it actually focuses giving these individuals the opportunity to study fashion and embrace their creativity via scholarships so that the talents of the future can be birthed into the industry without the fear of going into debt or being unable to afford their desirable education.

Upon meeting Christopher Kane, the designer explained to Chung that having a determined team behind you is the key to going far in the industry and is one that worked extremely well for Kane and his sister, Tammy who is the co-creative director and collaborator of his brand.

"It's all about having this depth of knowledge behind the scenes. Me and Tammy have all these amazing ideas but how do we get there? I know how to draw bags and handbags, but I don't know how to make them! Practically you need those amazing, key knowledgeable people that are really hard to get but once you find them they're like gold dust."   Christopher Kane

Another thing that interested me was that whilst she visited the University of Arts London, Chung briefly discussed the list of short courses within the university which individuals who are interested in fashion can study. I was actually lucky enough to study one of these courses for ten weeks during my gap year which covered the area of brand management. Considering I had just came from A Level subjects, this course definitely opened my eyes up to attributes in the industry which I was not aware of and provided me with knowledge to compliment my current study of Fashion Communication and Promotion at Nottingham Trent. Therefore, if your looking at advancing your already knowledge of the fashion industry or wanting to start somewhere, I would definitely recommend enrolling yourself onto one of these courses as it helped me so much.

Armani goes 100% Fur Free

As the fashion industry expands, we are constantly searching for new innovations, however, this week Gorgio Armani revealed some moving news which is perhaps changing the way we look at the high end industry and how it is starting to take a more ethical, eco-friendly approach to fashion. As of Tuesday the brand confirmed that their collections will no longer include garments made out of animal fur after their recent Autumn/Winter 2016/2017 show in Milan. With intentions to protect animals and the environment across the world and providing attention to critical social and political issues, Armani are following in the steps of other super high end brands such as Hugo Boss, Tommy Hilfiger and Ralph Lauren to raise awareness about this cause. Furthermore, by joining this movement, Armani is marketing their brand towards a wider eco consumer who can have creative freedom and luxury without necessarily supporting animal cruelty. Every single high end brand may not be jumping on the bandwagon just set but it is definitely proof that more and more compassions and innovations are entering the fashion industry and shaping a more positive future for it.

Armani have also suggested that they would rather use technological processes to create their clothing rather than join in on the cruel act of killing and taking fur from innocent animals to selfishly use as materials for their clothing line.

The brand has been reported to commit this new policy to their Giorgio Armani, Armani Privé, and Emporio Armani collections after working alongside the Fur Free Alliance who focus on putting an end to fur trading through their 40 different animal protection organisations. The activist and animal rights organisation PETA even suggested that the movement was a 'remarkable victory' by the brand ending their relationship with the material.


"Mr. Armani has been a trendsetter in the fashion world for decades and this latest announcement is proof that compassion and innovation are the future of fashion." Joh Vinding, chairman of the Fur Free Alliance

To read more about the Fur Free Alliance follow this link!
http://www.furfreealliance.com/

Armani A/W 2016/17 Collection in Milan
Whilst on the topic of Armani, lets have a quick look at the recent Autumn/Winter 2016/17 collection in Milan. The collection consisted of black velvet with crystallization, laser cut florals laces and watercolour textures for the perfect representation of a fantasising starry night for evening attire.



(images courtesy of Vogue)

Prada's collaboration with Chemin

So I was recently scrolling down the Business of Fashion page and came across an article which really intrigued me. This article was about the recent collaboration between the high end brand Prada and the French artist Christophe Chemin. As a lover of all things artistic, cultural and obviously fashion, I couldn't be more obsessed with a collaboration that put all three of my favourite things together to explore new innovations. Therefore, this was definitely a bit of industry news that I could not just scroll past or not make comment about!

The collaboration of artists and fashion dates all the way back to the libertine days of the 1930's and 40's in France when bohemians took over the cafes of Parisian society. Artists such as Marcel Vertès were imagining whimsical prints for Elsa Schiaparelli’s designs, whilst Salvador Dalí was accenting them with zany hats and lobster dresses. However, fast forward to 2016 and this creative flow is still commencing in new alternative ways and the taste makers of the 21st century are trying their best to challenge the likes of Warhol, Man Ray and Van Gogh who are only a few whose art has been continuously used as a muse in fashion.

The collaboration between Prada and Chemin was showcased at Prada's Fall 2016/2017 collection this year in Milan and communicated a combination of visions channelling psychedelic dreams, fantasy, mythology and history.

The first painting used by Prada explored the classical contexts of European mythology and the history of art through the symbolism of Greek god's and goddess's which was communicated through Giotto-style still life works, a Fassbinder-inspired fake movie poster ‘Impossible True Love’ and a dystopian fantasy of Noah’s Ark.  This iconic piece of art can be found amongst the designs of both the male and female collections which were embedded onto silhouettes of 1950's styled short-sleeved bowling shirts and baggy sailor shirts for the men and shift dresses, full skirts and brocade overcoats for the women.

As for Prada's second use of Chemin's designs, Miuccia took inspiration from the artists interest in bringing the French Revolution alive through complex seasonal colours. Some of the clothing even had writing across the material saying words such as titles ‘Fructidor’, ‘Floréal’ and ‘Pluviôse’ which all linked to harvesting, the weather and the different times of the year. Therefore both Chemin and Prada's work is not just a collection but a natural experience which tells a story of fashion, art and historical context.


“The artwork was done from the beginning with the knowledge that it would end up being used on clothes. I don’t like the word “prints,” because they are not “prints” — they are artworks that I related to Miuccia’s visual universe and vocabulary, mixing very personal obsessions of mine with ideas that were directly inspired by her. If you look [at] them up close, there are a multitude of Prada references that I incorporated and played with. There was this consciousness of doing something specifically for her: a direct inspiration. For me, it was an extremely emotional experience to see the artwork on the clothes: used, reframed, layered, cut out and patched. The results are very dense and complex, but still accessible. The clothes are extraordinary.” Christophe Chemin



Although this was not Chemin's first ever collaboration with the fashion industry, as the artist has already worked on art performance pieces in Paris with the likes of Sebastien Meunier who is the creative director for Ann Demeulemeester, this was definitely the most public collaboration the artist has taken part in.

Christophe Chemin's 'Impossible True Love' (2015)

Taste Makers of the Fashion Industry: Marchesa Casati and Sarah Bernhardt

Marchesa Casati

Also known as Luisa Casati, Marchesa Casati was one of the greatest creative muses for the fashion industry during the 19th and 20th century due to her notorious and eccentric personality and style. Not only did she pave the way for freedom of style and individuality but she also inspired many icons in today's society who are also known for their questionable, attentive style.

Marchesa Casati was definitely not called the most scandalous woman of her day for no reason. During her time in the limelight she was possibly the most artistically represented woman to exist after the likes of the Virgin Mary and Cleopatra. There were that many portraits, sculptures and photograph made of Casati to fill a whole gallery which had been taken by only the best artists and photographers of the 20th century such as Man Ray, Cecil Beaton and Giovanni Boldini. In terms of fashion, Casati had made an unforgettable impression on the legendary designers Elsa Shiaparelli, Coco Chanel and Colette arguably shaping many of the visions of their collections and their brand identities which women of that generation would begin to follow and incorporate into their wardrobes. Obviously Casati's choices of accessories and attire were extremely over exaggerated with outfit completions such as her pet Boa constrictor, cheetahs and snakes wrapped around her neck. However, the idea of a woman during the early decades of the 20th century who wanted to break free from social norms and traditional dress codes and be remembered for it at the same time excited the fashion world and influenced people to also experiment with the way they identified themselves.  Casati was so different to other women that ordinary clothes would have simply looked abnormal on her and would not have matched her zany, frivolous character. We thought Lady Gaga's meat dress at the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards was crazy, but it seems Marchesa was already laying the foundations for stars like Gaga back in the twenties when she was known to have worn light bulb garments and peacock dresses lathered in fresh chicken blood for a 'finishing touch' to her look.

Adding on, Marchesa has also had great influence over current fashion brands such as Alexander McQueen and Tom Ford who have used her as a muse for some of their collections. Georgina Chapman also named her brand 'Marchesa' after the heiress and socialite to communicate brand values that reflected Casati's confident nonsensical attire.


In terms of physical appearance, Casati was never classed as the natural beauty and instead made herself remembered for her looks in an unconventional, bizarre way. She had hair which was cut short and dyed a fiery red colour, her skin was bleached white with powder to draw attention to her features such as her pupils which were dark with doses of belladonna and her eyelids which were rimmed in thick black kohl and false eyelashes.

Sarah Bernhardt

Sarah Bernhardt was once named "the most famous actress the world has ever known" in the 19th century and nearly a century after her death, she is still notable for her distinctive identity and approach to the popular culture world. Bernhardt's style is very similar to Marchesa Casati's in the way that they both enjoyed accessorising themselves with earthly, rather grotesque things such as dead bats and they both had pets that were definitely not fit for household lifestyle. Bernhardt had her own pet alligator which she was known to have accompanied her around America whilst she travelled.
Another fact which differentiated Bernhardt from the rest of society was that the French actress slept in a coffin at night which was a gift bought for her by her coterie and something she had always declared she wanted.


Rather than dressing in accordance with fashion, she made fashion, wearing belts that dipped below her hips and which had all kinds of jewels hanging from them. She never dressed like anyone else and since she didn’t behave like anyone else either, she fascinated the entire world. One specific feature of Bernhardt's which fascinated and caught people's attention was her insanely thin figure. In comparison to the social problems of anorexia and health issues that commence in society today, Bernhardt's weight does not look too worrying in the photographs of her however, for the specific era when women were well developed, it was obvious that Bernhardt's weight was a prominent matter.