Onto a Gender Fluid Future

It has been more than 30 years since Jean Paul Gaultier first unveiled his monumental collection entitled “When God created Man” featuring big, brawny men in exceptionally tailored skirts. What was first interpreted as a severe provocation to the status quo, Gaultier helped revive the already established masculine legacy of the garment - which was worn by macho-men throughout history, from the Ancient Egyptians and Romans to the samurais and the Scots - for a post-modern era. Our connotation of the “man skirt” has shifted throughout history from ultra-masculine to ultra-feminine and is only one example how neither garments nor fabrics posses gender; gender codes are in the eye of the beholder.Symbolism and gender identities are constructed by temporal and spacial context, dependent on society and collective culture. Hence, clothing in itself is not gendered - our society is, where we collectively mould boundaries and artificial limitations onto the codes of fashion. Pink is not inherently feminine, neither are ruffles and lace - they are simply embellishments and neutral.

It is worth remembering it is us - the consumer- who defines fashion codes, not fashion which defines us.While Vivienne Westwood, Giorgio Armani, John Galliano, Rei Kawakubo, Yohji Yamamoto, Kenzo, and Marc Jacobs have consistently promoted a gender fluid vocabulary, the shift towards non-gendered fashion has become even more commonplace throughout today’s global fashion industry, catapulted to the mainstream conversation due to an Instawoke generation. As a consequence, institutions such as the CFDA have newly added the “unisex/non-binary” category to New York Fashion Week earlier this year, while half of the recognised designers at this year’s LVMH Prize shortlist exhibited gender-neutral collections including Ludovic de Saint Sernin and Charles Jeffrey. Delphine Arnault, founder of the Prize and leading talent at LVMH stated that “gender-neutral fashion, already present in former editions, has gained considerable ground, thus proving that the Prize echoes the recent evolutions in fashion.”

Equally, the Spring 2019 collections solidified the industry’s acceptance for gender-neutral fashion. Notably, Nicolas Ghesquière of Louis Vuitton offered a piercing presentation of exaggerated androgynous silhouettes and sci-fi prints. His futuristic vision of genderless fashion coincides with other creatives when imagining the (both utopian and dystopian) future. Think only of The Matrix which features super sleek sunglasses and floor skimming leather coats; the distressed blue coveralls of 1984; the rigid, metallic jumpsuits featured in countless sci-fi blockbusters worn by protagonists exploring the depths of galaxies far, far away. When lookingahead, futuristic fashion is arguably defined by utilitarianism, leaving distinctive gender codes behind.Another buzz worthy gender fluid Spring 2019 collection was Celine - sans è- reimagined by Hedi Slimane who added menswear to the roster through sharp New Wave tailoring. Slimane’s first press release for the brand stated “The entire wardrobe worn by the male models is unisex, and therefore will also be available for women.” Additionally, creative director John Galliano of Maison Margiela exhibited a gender bending collection dubbed “Co-ed” where deconstructed garments were worn by both men and women. Women wore zoot suits, while men donned skirts and dresses.

While visually stimulating, the collection provoked the question of why is it that when a woman dresses like a man, wearing a tailored, sharp suit she is perceived as powerful whereas, as seen here at Margiela, if a man wears a dress he looks as if he is wearing an attention grabbing costume? Despite all of the progress made in society regarding gender equality, a woman adopting male coded garments is accepted; a man adopting female coded garments is rejected and ridiculed.The most compelling brands offering gender fluid fashion steer away from gimmicky theatrics and instead stay true to a powerful well defined aesthetic. They radiate an authentic message which intellectually goes beyond gender constructs. One poignant example of successful gender fluid design is Louis Gabriel Nouchi, a graduate of the Ecole des Arts Visuals de la Cambre and winner of the Camper and Palais de Tokyo Prizes at the Hyères Festival 2014. With a predominant focus on knitwear and jersey, Nouchi offers a contemporary take on cut and silhouette merging crisp tailoring and leisure sportswear defined by function and craft. Through a refined lens on youth infused grunge, the brand disregards gender norms and lends male and female consumers the freedom to wear what they wish.

While I argue, there is still a purpose and beauty in traditional codes of men's and womenswear, embracing the tide of unisex fashion gives the consumer ultimately more choice over their identity and what they wish to communicate. The consumer holds the power to craft their own image, and holds the power to reject or accept design suggestions. Additionally, unisex fashion makes business sense by linking men’s and women’s shows together, thus offering a singularity in vision. However what does this mean for brands such as Louis Vuitton who have both a high profile men's (Virgil Abloh) and women's (Nicolas Ghesquière) wear designer? Will we see increased consolidation? Surely creative and managerial strategies will need to adapt. If the future of fashion is regarded as unisex, the future is indeed now.

From Fashion #Ad to a Post-Ad World

This season of September issues was exceptionally fierce, sending an important long overdue message for increased diversity at fashion’s forefront; most notably Beyoncè featured on the cover of American Vogue, shot by Tyler Mitchell, the first ever black photographer to shoot a Vogue cover. The relevance of a September issue is that it sets forward the moment’s dominant trends - culturally and sartorially- for the upcoming months, inspiring a myriad of consumers to turn to a fresh page and approach a new season with the confidence to define or perhaps evento reinvent oneself. It therefore is no surprise that September issues typically outweigh (literally) other issues due to the sheer volume of material, most of which, being advertising campaignsfound at the start of a magazine to persuade or influence the audience in some form.

Judith Williamson (1993) has called advertising campaigns as “one of the most important cultural factors moulding and reflecting our life today” and can be seen collectively as a “privileged discourse for the circulation of messages and social cues about the interplay between persons and objects” (Leiss, Kline, and Jhally, 1990).Having read my fair share of September 2018 issues cover to cover, there are several defining fashion advertising directions which have ultimately triggered the question of have we actually evolved into a Post-Ad world? The Ad as Entertainment Fashion films show no sign of slowing down, with today’s most renowned photographers such as Nick Knight or Sølve Sundsbo really pushing ground in this medium. For this season, it was Steven Meisel who captured the Givenchy moment at a bustling club (maybe Berghain in Berlin?) inviting the audience to partake on a crowded, darkened, glitzy dance floor through a cinematic lens. Also, Jil Sander publicised on Instagram a surreal 3 minute film by Wim and Donata Wenders, composed of repeating scenarios where the protagonists wear different looks from the Jil Sander autumn 2018 collection. Film excerpts were featured in print.

The Ad as Engagement Arguably one of the best “Ads” of the season would be from JW Anderson who earlier this year, held an open call for young photographers to partake in its Your Picture / Our Future initiative. Participants were asked to submit examples of their own work, with competition winners invited to shoot the AW18 campaign. After over 2,000 entries, Julie Greve, Simons Finnerty and Yelena Beletskaya were ultimately crowned the winners. Working together with Anderson, each young photographer was given an edit of the women’s and menswear collections, in order to bring their unique perspectives to the project.

The Ad as Editorial The most striking observation regarding this season’s fashion ads would be the blurred integration from commercial campaigns to creative editorials. Most obvious: the cover of American Vanity Fair September 2018 featuring the actress Michelle Williams against a blank maroon backdrop. Williams is an official ambassador to Louis Vuitton, and therefore appears in a variety of their own ad campaigns and typically wears the luxury brand on magazine shoots, as seen here. The shtick of the matter is that the cover is shot also by Louis Vuitton’s current campaign photographer Collier Schorr. So - the cover of Vanity Fair features 1) Louis Vuitton full look 2) Louis Vuitton brand Ambassador and 3) shot by Louis Vuitton Campaign Photographer. If it walks like a duck…Publications continue to blur the lines between commercial and editorial content however this cover may have just erased those lines completely. A Louis Vuitton spokesperson has labelled the brand-cover incident “a happy coincidence” speaking to the NYTimes, however a just as jovial coincidence has now been spotted on the freshly released October issue cover for Vogue China. The cover features Chris Lee wearing a Gucci dress and shot by Gucci muse, model andGucci campaign photographer Petra Collins.

Should we as consumers and aficionados of fashion be worried about this increased intersection between church and state?Sure there is the argument that we are losing creative integrity and the unique point of view ofindividual publications. But on the flip side, with the tidal wave of imagery - campaign, editorial, etcetera…- we are exposed to every day, is not everything essentially an #Ad?As brands increase in power, they do lend a voice to remarkable individuals such as a Collier Schorr who was one of the few photographers in fashion to speak out against Harvey Weinstein or a Petra Collins who is redefining the female photographer’s “girl gaze”. We are moving away from Ad’s in the traditional, dictating sense and moving to composed messages which span across all mediums, which inspire and entertain, and which directly engage with consumers and rising talent.Always look on the bright side, eh?

Resort 2019: Back to the Roots

Since the presentation of resort collections first catapulted into the mainstream fashion system a little over 10 years ago, they have evolved into becoming something of an arms race with brands fiercely competing on who can stage the grandest fashion spectacle in ideally the most exotic location. Therefore, it came as a surprise when it was announced that the most influential french maisons - including Chanel, Dior, and Louis Vuitton- chose to keep their presentations local. Was keeping local in France a natural response to global uncertainty? Or perhaps a clear signal of confidence in President Emmanuel Macron and the direction he is leading France?

Last October Macron threw a celebratory reception for French fashion designers at the Elysée Palace declaring his own support for the industry which may have inspired the decision.Even Gucci, the Italian powerhouse, chose to present in the Southern French town of Arles, staging a haunting spectacleupon an Ancient Roman burial ground. Its confidence in France was underlined by the decision to uproot from Milan and present its Spring 2019 collection instead in Paris this coming September. Although not straying afar geographically, the shows were still presented in extravagant measure: Chanel at the Parisian Grand Palais which featured a massive 300 foot ocean liner named La Pausa, Louis Vuitton at the Fondation Maeght in St. Paul-de-Venceat, Dior at the hippodrome of Chantilly. By all means, these experiences were not quaint, but they did lend a sense of authenticity rooted in their own tradition.

This tradition was best when combined with other cultural influences such as Maria Grazia Chiuri for Dior drawing upon Latin American heritage. Kicking off the Dior presentation, was a fearless team of eight Mexican escaramuzas riding sidesaddle on horseback in lightening speed, weaving in and out throughout the entirety of the venue - the pulse of the audience escalating along with the accompanying rock music. What was to follow was a cautious yet beautiful collection based on fine equestrian tradition from both Latin American and European roots. The fusion of natural cotton lace, unassuming frills, and delicate embroidery lent an overall earthy and folkloric aesthetic. For me, the show-stopping element of the collection was featured primarily on dresses; the heavy use of toile de Jouy - a favourite of Chiuri - featuring tigers and bears, giraffes and monkeys and a plethora of other creatures invited to a magical jungle scene. Dior typically represents dresses to dream about, but when worn with rubber combat boots to stomp though the mud, they become very grounded. Tempting earthly delights.

Although some argue that the trend is dead, various themes emerged, supporting preceding collections of Spring and Autumn 2018. Firstly, there continues to be the shift towards gender fluidity, most explicitly championed by Alessandro Michele for Gucci. Here, English checked tweeds, heavy velvets, flamboyant pattern, flared groovy pantsuits, and glitzy retro based accessories suited everyone in equal measure. Secondly, fashion’s love affair with the 1980’s continues where for Louis Vuitton, Nicholas Ghesquière offered oversized silhouettes, a tangy mix of artificial colours, excessive pattern and a healthy dose of hand-painted acid-washed denim. He presented one of his best collections yet balancing architectural structure with the lightness of youthful spontaneity, exhibited for example in a cropped shirt dress slashed at the midriff in a provocative shade of punchy pink. The colour shares the same rebellious freshness as millennial pink, but rather than confused or idyllic it connotes assertion and confidence. Spotted on the major runways, the colour played a leading role in the Chanel collection which benefited from the lively hue.

The colour was also seen lighting up the Prada collection, which pulsed a strong minimalist undercurrent foreshadowing a return of less is more.Overall, resort collections continue to excel by quenching the consumer’s search for luxury experiences. At their worst, they capture marketing at its finest, at best, they bring a brand to life, transcending material boundaries to something more lasting and poetic. Trends have blended together and so have the seasons, with Pre-Fall collections now designed for a range of climates and the everyday, opposed to only catering for that sun-soaked “resort” holiday as they were originally intended. Now there are additional capsule collections such as Chanel’s newly launched Coco Beach and Coco Neige, filling the gap for specific performance and occasion wear. And so it goes, each year seeing more collections, more product.Is it escalating our desire or dilutingoverall meaning?

Social Media Influencers and Hyperreality

“The media represents a world that is more real than the reality that we can experience. People lose the ability to distinguish between reality and fantasy. They also begin to engage with the fantasy without realising what it really is.” ― Jean Baudrillard, Simulacra and Simulation

Since the seismic shift from a passive Web 1.0 to an interactive Web 2.0, ambitious fashion bloggers have evolved into fully-fledged influencers, dictating trends with the same (or arguably higher) level of authority as their traditional print-media counterparts. The success of fashion blogs rose from their often aspirational lifestyles, authentic approach and diverse viewpoints opposed to an often standardised, predictable offering by mainstream media. However, the fashion blogger’s online following has since migrated to Instagram due to “simplicity and ease of use” and are consuming images at an increasingly rapid rate.

Defined as independent third party endorsers who shape audience attitudes through blogs, tweets, and the use of other social media, Social Media Influencers contribute in creating trends, sharing news and personal opinion, and spreading information through on and offline word-of-mouth. They have evolved into significant players in shaping the direction of marketing communications, and have the ability to reach millions around the world almost immediately dependent on their respective followings. Hence, implementing influencers “can be more cost effective and more targeted than other forms of advertising” justifying why in 2016 brands spent an approximate $1.5 billion on influencer marketing (Gagliese, 2016). Within the luxury fashion segment, 66% of brands plan to increase their budget for influencer marketing over the next year (The New Face of Luxury, 2017). Despite alterations to the Facebook privacy policy disrupting practices of SMI marketing, influencers are not going away. However, they and their means of influence are evolving, blurring the boundaries between reality and make-believe.

*Enter the rise of CGI Avatars*

One of today’s most popular Insta-famous fashion influencers is named Miquela Sousa, a Spanish-Brazilian American model, who is additionally a singer and activist. She is also computer-generated. Sousa currently boasts a following of over 1 million on Instagram and has worked directly with Prada, Pat McGrath, and Proenza Schouler. Then there is Shudu, labeled “the world’s first digital supermodel”. Her image is based off a combination of physical features from Lupita, Duckie Thot, Nykhor, and the South African Princess Barbie and has attained more than 100k Instagram followers (and counting). Leading brand’s such as Fenty Beauty have voiced praise for her.

Casting CGI models too has been adopted, most notably, by luxury maison Louis Vuitton for its SS16 advertising campaign which featured the heroic, pink-haired figure “Lightening” from the cult game Final Fantasy. Louis Vuitton’s creative director Nicolas Ghesquière justified the unorthodox decision by explaining how the collection was predominantly inspired by video games.

“We’re all confronted by the digital world in a good way and we’re influenced by cyber, influenced by the images that make us a dream or judge,” said Ghesquière of the collection. “But at the same time we have this real life. And we’re all managing to have this real dimension. And that’s exciting. It’s a real reality influenced by the virtual world.” 

“Lightning is the perfect avatar for a global, heroic woman and for a world where social networks and communications are now seamlessly woven into our life… She is also the symbol of new pictorial processes. How can you create an image that goes beyond the classic principles of photography and design? Lightning heralds a new era of expression.”

Consumers are however being confronted with a new set of literally unattainable standards to aspire to - way beyond the retouch of Photoshop. What are the consequences of aspiring to unreachable, non-human qualities? In Simulacra and Simulation (1981), Jean Baudrillard, argued that human beings are now unable to see the world as it really is. Disruptive technologies and mediatisation have blurred our perception of the “real” and the constructed to the extent where we can no longer distinguish the two. The state where reality and illusion morph into one is called “hyperreality.” In combination with a sea of fake news and ever disruptive technologies, CGI avatars such as Miquela represent a point in history in the midst of a very complicated identity crisis. An identity where the unreal has become real.

Virgil Abloh takes charge at "Louis Vuitton"

LVMH has appointed Virgil Abloh as artistic director of Louis Vuitton menswear with immediate effect where his first show for the maison will take place in June during Men’s Fashion Week in Paris. After months of speculation (ever since the collaboration between Supreme x Louis Vuitton), it is a huge move in the industry - completing the merger between streetwear with luxury, and hype with longstanding tradition. A disruption to the establishment. The American designer behind the streetwear label Off-White succeeds Kim Jones, who recently left the role to join Dior Homme, replacing Kris Van Assche.

Louis Vuitton’s Chairman and CEO Micheal Burke stated: “Having followed with great interest Virgil’s ascent since he worked with me at Fendi in 2006, I am thrilled to see how his innate creativity and disruptive approach have made him so relevant, not just in the world of fashion but in popular culture today.”

“It is an honor for me to accept the position of men’s artistic director for Louis Vuitton. I find the heritage and creative integrity of the house are key inspirations and will look to reference them both while drawing parallels to modern times,” says Abloh (37).

As well as having earned a degree in Civil Engineering and a Master's in Architecture at the Illinois Institute of Technology, Abloh is additionally an artist, DJ, creative director, designer and uber-collaborator, having for example worked as Kanye West’s right-hand man overseeing multiple projects including stage shows and concert merchandise. Abloh’s brand Off-White c/o Virgil Abloh™️ was launched in 2012 as an artwork titled “PYREX VISION”, then known for screen-printed logos onto Champion t-shirts and dead stock from known designers including Ralph Lauren.

Since 2015, Off-White has presented seasonal men’s and women’s runway collections during Paris Fashion Week where the brand has led the charge in combining luxury with streetwear. The Off-White aesthetic stems from a range of influences, often combining sportswear references and performance fabrics, bold logos and graphics, and industrial details, including heavy-duty workwear straps. Made popular due to the dominance of “candid” street-style photos and a fanbase including supermodels Kendall Jenner and Bella Hadid, Off-White has gained a whopping 3.1m followers on Instagram and is hailed as one of the fastest-growing brands at retail.

Despite not having any formal training in fashion design, Abloh has mastered the art of “hype” and smart communication - designing for an Instagram generation where image is everything. While as a designer he does not bring originality, he has the expert ability to re-contextualise any innovation in any cultural field, which has sparked smash hit collaborations with the likes of Ikea, Jimmy Choo or Nike. What distinguishes his work from a sea of others? Those defining air quotes capturing words others have said, but in his own voice - naturally in Helvetica Bold font.

In our communication-driven times, the move in hiring Abloh, makes a lot of sense, where he himself is a media personality boasting 1.8m followers on Instagram. But one has to ask if hiring creative directors based on social media followings and designing for hype is sustainable in the long run? Critics and fashion insiders have mixed responses with Stavros Karelis stating "I couldn’t imagine anyone better than Virgil to carry on the legacy that Mr. Kim Jones left” while Style Zeitgeist's founder and editor Eugene Rabkin, responded to the appointment with an article entitled:

Louis Vuitton’s New Appointment Marks an Important Victory for Marketing Hype Over Design.

Abloh’s appointment at the most valuable luxury house in the world confirms that the traditional route in becoming a creative director - based on craft mastery, qualifications, and cultural cache - has vanished. A natural evolution from couturier to artistic director? Perhaps, yet I fear we are approaching a slippery slope, where “success” is based on online social media followings, “creativity” is constrained by short-term hype and “fashion” a short-sighted marketing exercise.

No matter. Who isn’t excited to see this new direction of “Louis Vuitton”?

Paris Fashion Week SS18: The Boom is Back

And so, another season is behind us. The marathon which is fashion month is complete and the time has finally come to take a well-deserved breather, prop up those blistered and sore feet and reflect on a creatively rich month. The magic of “fashion month” lies within the culture of each fashion capital each possessing its own strengths and weaknesses, where designers and houses celebrate their own local creative scene.

This season, New York made way for a new generation of talent as established designers fled to the other side of the Atlantic, London protested against the political turmoil through vibrant colour and bling, Milan too rode the wave of resilience being upbeat and joyful, and now Paris, bursting with pulsating energy and ingenuity. SS18 was a particularly strong season, offering a range of diverse viewpoints. As per usual the mise en scène of established houses continued to impress, however unlike more recent seasons the collections of big designers were not overshadowed by the grandeur and pomp of theatrics. Best examples of the “big guns” included Louis Vuitton, Saint Laurent, and Chanel.

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It is almost a given that Karl Lagerfeld presented in an over the top location - the season, bringing the jagged cliffs and powerful waterfalls of the Gorges du Verdon inside the Grand Palais… I mean, if you can’t bring the man to the mountain… This artificial presentation of nature interacted beautifully with the parading army of models clothed in clear PVC - plastic boots, hats, capes, and gloves - all to protect the delicate tweeds underneath. While a synthetic taste lingered on your tongue, you realise how appropriate the collection was in this moment of excessive materialism. However, important to note - the sun’s rays stretched into the Grand Palais and created a real rainbow in the man made waterfall. A sign of hope from the heavens? Nature overshadows all? Make what you will, but stunning beauty was accomplished.

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Speaking of beauty, Nicolas Ghesquière at Louis Vuitton and Anthony Vaccarello at Saint Laurent both presented their strongest collections for their respective houses. Ghesquière creative director of a brand synonymous with travel, played on this notion however not geographically speaking, but through time travel. Capturing the sprit of 18th century Louis Quatorze and a modern day gym bug (one who wears a Stranger Things t-shirt none the less) was a playful take on the paradoxes of “high -low” “old- new” “male-female”, and this was very exciting. Vaccarello, who has previously struggled to fill the shoes of his predecessor Hedi Slimane, finally succeeded- presenting a collection of merit through excessive silhouettes and a return of YSL sensual “left bank chic” doing the runway underneath the twinkling lights of the Eiffel tower justice.

(However, leaning on heritage and brand value is not enough, which was sadly the case for Dior who is shamelessly capitalising on a feminist “trend” without backing it up with substance.)

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Personally, best in show was, master of tailoring, Thom Browne. Not only had Browne claimed the strongest show of the season, but presented a collection which will be remembered in years to come. The American in Paris focused on fairy-tales where The Little Mermaid, Sleeping Beauty, and unicorns all played important parts. Elongated silhouettes and epic amounts of tulle were used thus producing an emotional, mystical, couture-like moment. Additional favourites included, John Galliano for Maison Margiela with experimental deconstruction, Dries Van Noten’s rich brocades, Paco Rabanne’s club-kids, Undercover Lab’s ode to Cindy Sherman and of course Pierpaolo Piccioli for Valentino. Piccioli even received a standing ovation from an overjoyed audience and fashion press hailed the collection as a triumph - which it absolutely was. Valentino Garavani, one of the most influential figures in fashion in the 20th century has found a very worthy predecessor and if there was even a shred of doubt before, this collection made the point that Piccioli is continuing to lift the brand to new highs.

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Most accurate in representing today’s youth zeitgeist was Balenciaga, Y Project and Koche. Balenciaga not only conjured up the shoe of the season - the elevated croc platform - but inspired a younger generation on style notes. Accurate in a sense, as most “millennials” cannot afford the Balenciaga offering, but they do indeed purchase vintage in order to imitate modern high fashion and here Balenciaga gave opportunity to others not necessarily in their target audience. Additionally, Y Project, the IT label of the season, rooted in 90’s rave culture, is becoming the uniform for cool  kids, thanks to an counterintuitive aesthetic and meticulous draping. Koche as well continues to evolve, where this season they challenged the relationship between “high society” and football culture with tremendous  success.

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The Paris collections also provided the debuts of Clare Waight Keller for Givenchy and Natacha Ramsay-Levi for Chloé. The oomph factor was no doubt missing at Givenchy, which focused on femininity with a (semi) subversive edge albeit without a zing. For Ramsay-Levi, you could see her signature (from previously working with Ghesquière at Louis Vuitton) due to the sharp angular shapes, steering a once whimsical Chloé into a less forgiving frontier. At Chloé, gone are the days of running through wheat fields- this new Chloé gal has more important things to do, like fighting her way to the top and conquering her dreams. (Note to Dior: now THIS is a feminist collection!)

Fashion, like all industries (and areas in life), goes through booms and troughs, and this season in Paris we saw a boom offering a sense of  much needed escapism and designers looking forward to a future with hope and optimism.

Is Fashion Art? Ft. Balenciaga and Anna Sui

One of the many perks of living in London is being spoiled with world class exhibitions, celebrating many of the world’s great visionaries. This particular weekend saw the opening of two such visionaries - both very different in their own ways - Anna Sui and Cristobal Balenciaga. Interlinked with Sui drawing influence from Balenciaga, and both sparking food for thought.

London’s Victoria and Albert Museum recognised the 100th founding anniversary of “The King” of couture with a retrospective “Balenciaga: Shaping Fashion” (until 18 February 2018). The fabled  Spanish designer has been considered by Christian Dior as “The Master of us all” and by Coco Chanel “as a couturier in the truest sense of the word… The others are simply fashion designers.” Being such a pivotal figure for modern fashion shaping design, the expectations were high to do his creations and visions justice.

Having pre-booked my ticket for the exhibition’s opening, I wasn't anticipating the mass of other visitors which resulted in a bit of a push and shove fest on the very cramped floor level which featured the designer’s original designs. I found it a shame that these iconic pieces were squashed in this tiny space. To read the information plaques, everyone was peering over one another’s heads to catch a few phrases for context. Nevertheless it was a joy to see these sculptured pieces up close, appreciating each meticulous detail. The X-Ray images of two evening dresses by Nick Veasey added an excellent layer of appreciation in regards to craftsmanship and the talent of the pieces’ creator revealing the intimate secrets of the dress' unusual shaping. It also was fascinating to see the pieces ordered by Balenciaga’s loyal customers, reminding us of a extinct time when luxury meant true luxury. Again, it was a shame to cramp these iconic works of art.

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In contrast, the upstair level of the exhibition was gigantic in comparison, featuring designer’s work who were either mentored by Balenciaga himself, such as Hubert de Givenchy, Pierre Cardin, or Paco Rabanne or influenced by his work such as Molly Goddard, and Rei Kawakubo among others.  Naturally, pieces by Balenciaga’s successors Nicolas Ghesquiere and Demna Gvasalia were featured emphasising that design house codes are alive and well even today. Yes, it was nice to see the comparisons of original Balenciaga and those influenced by him (even loosely), however the exhibition curated by Cassie Davies-Strodder struggled to fully capture the essence of one of the original fashion greats.

On the other hand, “The World of Anna Sui” at the Fashion and Textile Museum carefully led the audience onto a psychedelic journey, to follow the footsteps of one of America’s great designers - from her early inspirations, to mood boards from this season’s collection. Curator Dennis Nothdruft truly brought the spirit of the designer’s rock and roll romanticism into the museum tying everything together beautifully. The exhibition was a complete narrative from Sui’s inspiration as a young girl growing up in Detroit to her rapid accent to success in the early 1990’s to her reigning influence today. As the collections were not behind glasses displays, you felt more connected to them as they became part of your own world and not something separate - like the clothing Anna Sui creates. Her eclectic punk (with optimism) brought unity to each display (including Nomads, Hippies, Punks, Surfer, Androgyny to Rock Star) and made you appreciate that it's not the tailoring of techniques themselves, but the lifestyle and spirit Sui exhibits. Pure unfiltered happiness and unabashed “what you see is what you get”.

I personally did not know how much Sui shaped the aesthetics of the early 2000s. Her interpretation of punk was adopted by pop culture icons including Panic at the Disco, Simple Plan, Avril Lavigne and even my 3rd grade idol Hilary Duff  sparking a real #TBT moment. How strange to now look back at youth with nostalgia.

After the exhibition, I treated myself to a delicious gelato from Borough Market (chocolate and mango flavours), strolled across Millennium bridge and processed the significance of fashion exhibitions. Is all fashion art? Is some fashion art? Are fashion and art two separate mediums? *SPLAT* [as the chocolate gelato drips onto my blouse]

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Apart from these curated exhibitions, a recent example imposing this art/fashion question is the recent collaboration between Jeff Koons and Louis Vuitton producing scarves, key chains, small leather goods, and of course hand bags. The collaboration featured five of the most famous paintings in history, including the “Mona Lisa,”  Fragonard’s “Girl With a Dog,” and Van Gogh’s “Wheat Field”. These masterpieces - priceless in their cultural value - are plastered on Louis Vuitton handbags such as the “Never-full” with each bag decorated with bling-age: fat gold or silver letters spelling the artist’s name similar to icy-fresh hip-hop jewellery. One bottom corner features “JF” - Koons’s initials and in the other corner  Louis Vuitton’s logo, with Vuitton icons sprinkled across the rest of the “canvas”. The result is at best a tacky souvenir from a museum shop.

The collaboration has in my opinion been best described by Vanessa Friedman of the New York Times:

“On one hand, Vuitton is exploiting art for its own gain. On the other, an artist is selling out. In the middle, consumers are being introduced to great art as if it is disposable.”

Nothing else needs to be said on the Koons x LV subject.

This example makes the case that fashion simply leeches off art, crunching raw human emotion and interpretation into calculated commercial outputs. However, when seeing the structural draping of  a Balenciaga, the marriage of fashion and music of an Anna Sui, the silhouette revolutions championed by a Dior of a Chanel, or the paradigm shifting provocation by a Martin Margiella, Yves Saint Laurent or Alexander McQueen - fashion and art are synonymous, they are one and the same. Oozing expression with imaginative purpose. But with short term profits overshadowing long term value, I fear we will see more Koons x LV and less Cristobal Balenciaga’s. Let's hope I’m wrong!

Resort 2018: Oh the Places You Will Go

As the sun spreads its rays again across the northern hemisphere, hinting at the delicious promise of summer, fashion’s most respected brands present their holiday inspired resort collections. What intrigued me most with this season was not necessarily the clothes themselves, but I found myself questioning the role of place and its influence within fashion (and on ourselves).  While Dior and Louis Vuitton jetted off to exotic locations, to our surprise Chanel and Prada stayed home - a tangy antithesis to the concept of “resort”.

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Chanel presented on their home turf, the Grand Palais. However instead of celebrating local Parisian style similar to its pre-fall Metier’s d’Art collection, Karl Lagerfeld sent his audience back in time to the natural opulence of Ancient Greece. I found it clever to bring “Greece” to Paris, transporting the mind to an exotic place and time through the execution of narrative transportation. Lagerfeld, notoriously one never to dwell on the past, took us back to the foundation of democracy or how he put it “the teenage years of our world”. It was a convincing thought, revisiting the bedrock of a democratic society - a welcome reminder amidst such a chaotic political climate.

Lagerfeld stated one must sometimes go back in order to move forward.

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Ms. Prada, although much opposed to the commercial crux of cruise collections, returned to the pre-collection calendar after a 5 year hiatus (most likely in response to the struggling financial performance of Prada s.p.a). It was a poetic gesture, showing her collection five stories above the original Prada store, opened by Miuccia Prada’s grandfather Mario Prada in 1913, at the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, one of the world’s most magnificent and oldest malls.

The building itself shaped the collection, through its industrial modernity and ornamental elegance. The borrowed influence resulted in a collection regarding the complexity of the female force, with a focus on athleisure emphasising feminine strength and eloquence. I personally liked the idea that the “resort” collection was presented over the heads of the many thousands of eager tourists unaware of the luxury spectacle taking place: a collection ironically intended for the luxury traveler- presented everywhere and no where.

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Dior and Louis Vuitton however fully embraced the rush of heading abroad. Maria Grazia Chiuri, her first resort collection for Dior, headed West. The Wild West that is. Above the glitzy town of Calabasas (home to the rich and famous), lies the wild prairie frontier of the Upper Las Virgenes Canyon Open Space Preserve. The open space and rolling pasture extended relentless freedom to a thematic collection based on the visions of Georgia O’Keefe, ancient cave paintings, and “California Dreaming”.

Nicholas Ghesquiere for Louis Vuitton, on the other hand, headed to the far East along the outer boundaries of Kyoto, Japan: to the Miho Museum designed by I.M Pei. It was the most futuristic modern building imaginable, almost as if it were built by some extra-terrestrial philocalists which too influenced the futurist aesthetics of the collection.

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While many remain skeptical by the true commercial intentions of “resort” collections* it is important to appreciate how place and its culture influences each respective collection.

In 1966 Maurice Broady, a British planner, invented the term architectural determinism: a new term for the architect’s lexicon describing that design solutions have the ability to change behaviour in a predictable and positive way. Also, the greats of the Renaissance including Leon Battista Alberti was convinced that place and beautiful urban planning would benefit all aspects of society as it has the ability to positively affect behaviour. For example, in a beautifully built city the thought was that the super rich would be inclined to spend time in town, not within their private property and all citizens would be encouraged to act communal, respectful and maintain order as we felt a sense of pride for our surroundings.

Buildings and place shape our lives, moods, and as seen through these collections influence design and fashions. If the awe of “place” has the ability to reduce mood disorders of citizens, as well as influence fashion does that mean that fashion too can influence our minds and opinions for the better?

I am very convinced it does.

*Like Louis Vuitton, Chanel will present its pre-fall collection in Japan later this month (for the second time) again affirming luxury’s continuous attempt to impress the Japanese consumer (Japan is the second-largest luxury goods market in the world, you know!)

Paris Fashion Week SS16

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Day 24- 28

(Our reviews will be posted shortly) 

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Day 23

Dior

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Words cannot describe my admiration for Raf Simon’s work and his creative direction at Dior. He keeps with the label’s rich heritage and addresses the style of the “Dior woman”  but always pushes forward, staying in context of the present. Thousands upon thousands of delphiniums decorated the Dior entrance on the Rue de Rivoli, kind of leading us into a magic world. An Alice in Wonderland moment if you will, foreshadowing a collection perhaps at one with nature and with *pure imagination* - cue Willy Wonka singing voice. The show was a much needed breath of fresh air especially now at the tail end of fashion month, where we’ve witnessed the resurgence of the maximalist trend and patterns screaming on top of one another, the race to have the most Instagram likes based on who has the wackiest streetstyle and kookiest key chains, the endless chase of the paparazzi hunting for a shot of Kendall Jenner, show venues  only getting bigger, louder, sparklier… In this equation, is the role of the clothing being undermined?

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Simon’s focused on fashion and let the clothing do the talking, not their “retweet” factor. The collection was simple and soft, eloquent whisper in comparison to the flamboyance of other  shows. Transparency was also central at Dior, layered on top of scallop-edged doily cotton tops and little shorts looking like light victorian underwear or lingerie if you will (ooh, scandalous!) It was refreshing to see that Raf actually took into account the possibility of warm weather in spring/summer 2016 (unlike many designers we’ve already seen) and we can enjoy these pieces in the great outdoors, maybe even finding ourselves in a field of delphiniums.

The clothing was beautiful. It was pure. Authenticity is possibly one of the greatest challenges for a designer (be authentic to themselves, to the brand, to the inspiration) and Raf seemed to accomplish this with poise.

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Day 22

Balmain

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Long gone (way gone) are the days of Balmain being the heritage Parisian maison dressing ladies who lunch. Olivier Rousteing is crossing all the boundaries of tradition tearing down the walls of one look, one aesthetic and one girl proven by his diverse range of looks and the fact that he is bringing out a capsule collection for H&M suitable for all price points.

While Balmain celebrates diversity and the individual, there is one common denominator between the dazzling front row and the strutting models: amazonian, fearless, power women.

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Each look is almost tailor made to stand out in any photograph or to be instagrammed #BalmainBeauty #BalmainArmyBurnt.

The collection had an African energy with the spicy burnt oranges, tangy mustards and embellishment of emerald and rich blues. The detail and handwork put into each skirt and dress was extremely impressive, especially the ruffles, sequins, ruffles, open weave, and criscrossing  on tight bandeau dressing looking very suitable for any Kardashian. (The family and the label have almost become synonymous).

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Day 21

Dries Van Noten

Do you remember "Norm Core"? Based on last season and proven this season - minimalism is no more! On point is Dries with an exceptional collection radiating a maximalist vibe with clashing colors, wallpaper patterns, tattoo prints all in decorative fabrics such as lush brocade and rich shot silk. (Clearly, Dries and Alessandro are winning at the zeitgeist and that means means...MORE!) The girls looked like modern day, old school, sophisticated Hollywood Divas also with a slight asian undertone. But let's just have a think. Fashion reflects society. What does it say that fashion today is reminding us of the 1940s..? Turn on the news and it fills you with tears at the state of our world - war, mass migration chaos, uncertainty... How will next season look?

Eccentricity was on par with this 1940's Hepburn-esque (Audrey) glamour, a prime example being the hot pink bra on top of a blouse looking very Gautier-for Madonna-late-80s! The pink however wasn't the only shocking color which stood out: pressed violets, mustard yellows, watermelon, and dark turquoise provided the dated inspiration (1940s) with vivid technicolor where you could almost feel the color therapy.

The sweater vest is back, ruffles are a must for SS16 and sheer is continuing to bask in its pride and glory of being the "it" fabric of the season. Dries delighted us with a flamboyant, fearless, and fizzy collection which we can't wait to wear (maybe not on a beach getaway with the girls but for cocktails, smart/casual, date night, and crazy, go to bed when the sun comes up parties.  Cheers to that! 

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Day 20

Jacquemus

The collection was dubbed “Le Nez Rouge” - the red nose - referring to the outcome of this summer where the immensely talented designer Simon Porte Jaquemus had been sick and going through personal problems. This troubling and emotional undertone to the collection made the audience feel that this was more a cry for psychological relief or in more colloquial terms a “shrink session”, as symbols including a gigantic red laundry ball, a (real) white horse, a (real) small child, and the (real) designer himself took to the stage - I mean runway!Therefore the season’s leitmotif was a red circle referring to the time of hardship and it sprung up throughout the collection, which was how I would describe like the corporate businessman attire dissected and reassembled (with sometimes even the use of cotton tape) patchworks of crumbled white shirts, sliced half-blazers, and gray cloth of1980’s bland secretary dresses. Some pieces were worn back to front like a grey flannel jacket here worn as a dress, some sideways like tied on white blouses, some shirt dresses slipped on completely restricting the movement of arms (a motif of a suit was outlined on this like a forensic outline - does this mean the suit restricts freedom?)“You know, my collections are normally about the South of France and the beach and happy things? Well, now the Jacquemus girl is not smiling,” the designer declared after the show. We hope she will soon.[/av_textblock][/av_one_full][av_social_share title='Share this entry' style='' buttons='' share_facebook='' share_twitter='' share_pinterest='' share_gplus='' share_reddit='' share_linkedin='' share_tumblr='' share_vk='' share_mail=''][/av_social_share][av_comments_list]

Louis Vuitton x Palm Springs

The Resort collection attendee is 1) very privileged and 2) very jet-lagged: on Monday we saw Chanel present in Seoul, next week we head to Nice for Dior, Rome for Valentino, Dolce and Gabbana in Portofino, and London for Versace Versus. But before we get ahead of ourselves, let's discuss yesterday’s Louis Vuitton Cruise collection shown in Palm Springs. Venue: Bob Hope’s $25 million Space ship mansion designed by John Lautner, which seemed to fit in perfectly in the out of this world moonscape Southern California setting. The location carried the melody of the collection which echoed the fantasy of the desert and a futuristic character.

So- lets get right to it shall we?

Most outstanding were the intricate details of each piece, which I think was shown well through the diverse prints. We saw rich stained glass patterns reminding me of something very Valentino, and bubbly paisley jumping out at us. Organic tribal prints evoked the tranquil spirit of the Cahuilla Native Americans (along with fringes and tanned leather dresses) which juxtaposed with the harsh, cold, industrial prints of linked chains seemingly inspired by Urs Fisher. Chains were also made 3-D and tied around the waist of models. Don't these concept make us think of oppression- on one hand a group of people oppressed and on the other hand chains literally restricting us- but the models break them loose as shown through the revealing naked patch of the belly emphasizing that these aren't models-  they are warriors!

Aha! So now we have discovered the theme of the show. I would argue Pseudo Female Warrior aesthetics all mixed together throughout history. We have the Native American, as discussed above, we see medieval references of metallic shoulder pads and jackets (shining armor?), romantic Edwardian-style dresses, nylon quilted duster coats, worn by the typical 1950s American housewives, the 70’s jumpsuit, and sci-fi space rangers ready to battle it out with their chunky boots and Tevas shoes and backpacks ready for anything. No one can combine and redefine so many time periods into one collection and make each historical references feel so modern as Nicolas Ghesquiere.

Returning to a more literal note- this cruise collection substituted the A-line mini skirt with itsy-bitsy hot pants, experimented with both rigid and flimsy collars, and took textures to a new galaxy. Ghesquiere played with Studio 59 like color blocked sequins, patinated leathers, dramatic, glossy snakeskin, and perforated lambskin. Also, the silhouette combined hard-as-concrete architectural structure and lines with frothy pants and skirts, two opposing forces sometimes zipped together literally enforcing that jumpsuit image.

However the zipper moment belonged rightfully to the red floor grazing masterpiece in crimson leather, with it’s ruffled neckline and LV monogram cutouts. Provocative. California Cool. Grunge. Wild West. Strong. Why make a night gown out of chiffon if one can use leather?

If anything justifies transporting 550 guests to the middle of the desert, Ghesquiere’s  idyllic vision on Resort 2016 takes the cake.

The Warriors: