No Man is an Island

Time and time again we have been told by our tutors that you can't design in a vacuum. This year, more than ever, I have become aware of how true this is and how my designs are influenced by the world around me. My collection is shaping up to be quite masculine, and my good friend from Design Brain Bucket is actually designing menswear, so I've been thinking a lot more about what's going on in the world of men's fashion. Another friend posted on The View From Here an image from Lookbook.nu, which lead me to a site I didn't even know existed and down another rabbit hole to discover these quite beautiful, dandy-esque menswear photos by Francois Bouret.

images from lookbook.nu

This is a good opportunity for me to indulge in design with a completely different aesthetic to what I'm working on. It also shows me how important it is to keep sharing inspiration, you never know where it may lead...

Underwater Colour

Whilst trawling It's Nice That I came across a feature on Jill Greenberg's Underwater series. She's tagged "The Manipulator" because of her digitally enhanced photography which verges on surrealism. I didn't realise it but I actually knew a lot of her work- the crying children in End Times and the countless advertisments, fashion editorials and celebrity portraiture which always has an unsettling, if not sinister quality. However, Underwater is new to me and I think it piqued my interest because of the amazing colours (electric blue anyone?) and that the whole idea is layer upon layer of artificially enhanced nature. The pool is a man-made body of water, reflecting unnatural colours, and the subjects are manipulated and their movements stylised to an extreme.

(these images from Ambient Art Gallery)

(these images from photoshelter)

If these models look surprisingly co-ordinated it's becuase they are actually members of the American Olympic synchronised swimming team. To see more of her work, have a look at her online portfolio at Manipulator.com.

The Light Fantastic

I was looking up artists who use electricity and light in their works when I came across Pierre Huyghe. He's a french artist who explores some pretty complex ideas through a range of mediums, from video and digital graphics to photography and installation. A 2006 exhibition called Celebration Park was entirely white, with moving doors and words spelled out in fluorescent white light. He was playing with the ideas of a door being a threshold, by constantly changing their position within the space the "inside" and "outside" ceased to exist. (all images from PBS)

The Journey That Wasn't is a film by Huyghe based on going to Antarctica to search for a mythical albino penguin. It's about mental, physical and philosophical journeys. Did he really go to Antarctica with a group of artists and get stuck in the ice? or it is staged? It doesn't matter because the point is questioning, learning and creating.




Finally, this is one of my favourite stills from his films because it is serene and completely odd at the same time. Huyghe found a town under construction near New York, to be called Streamside. Everyone there came from somewhere else and there was no history to the town yet. So he organised "Streamside Day", complete with parades and speeches, creating a hyper-reality based on fact but a complete work of fiction.



It's pretty difficult to try and summarise his work into one post- so if you're interested in these ideas have a look at the Art 21 site, they have a decent bio and slideshows of his work with more in-depth explanations.

Electric Colour

There's a lot of talk about colour going on around the fashion halls at the moment. I've been a part of in-depth discussions about the virtues of cold greys with steel blue influences versus warm greys with a tint of mouse brown but without heading over to taupe. Skin comes in colours from nude, flesh, beige, powder pink to peach-but-not-peach, and my own variation "burnt flesh".

So I have colour on the brain. At the moment I just can't get over neon blue. Developing the colour palette for my final collection I started looking at the colours of electricity, neon hues of all sorts but particularly blue. This came from a recent obsession with Blade Runner (apologies to anyone who studied it for year 12-I only discovered it last year and so it hasn't been ruined). The movie showcases neon lights in all their glory. Contrasted with the derelict surroundings I found it a really powerful element in the film. That and blue smoke.

(image from Original Trilogy)


(image from Broken Projector)

There is just something so amazing about this almost turquoise, electric sea colour that makes it jump off the screen. However not so easy to concoct in a dye pot. One last electric delight is a restored neon umbrella prop from the Blade Runner, which I didn't even notice during the film but I think it's fairly amazing- partly due to the prop itself and partly because of this eerie photo.

(image from Blade Zone)

2 For 1: Deer Cape

In my internet travels today I stumbled upon this cape which is quite possibly the best thing I've ever seen. I had to put it up straight away, so I know very little about the designer Christophe Coppens- except the fact that he is Belgian (of course!). It was part of the "Art of Fashion: Installing Allusions" exhibition at the Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, Rotterdam along with experimental works by Viktor & Rolf, Commes des Garcons, Hussein Chalayan and Walter Van Beirendonck to name a few. (images from we make money not art)



The thing that got me about this cape is that I feel waves of emotion towards it. One the one hand, I think it is hilarious and amazing because well, I've just never seen anything like it before. Who would think of a cape that is shaped like a deer? Genius! But then I started thinking, what if other people just look at it and think it's just another ridiculous fashion indulgence because nobody would wear it? But why wouldn't anyone wear it? Why do designers have to tone down their "show pieces" for retail? If it still keeps you warm and you can move in it then what difference does it make if its plain black wool or checked and shaped like a deer? Then of course I start thinking that there is a lot of ridiculous fashion that I find disgusting, so maybe it's just personal taste. This is something I'm struggling with at the moment, finding the balance between beautiful avant-garde design and scary wearable art. I guess when it comes down to it I love this cape and I would wear it simply for the fact that it would make me laugh all day, and if fashion can't make you laugh then what can?

One last thing... a bit more digging found this image of songstress Roisin Murphy wearing the cape during a performance, and I think she looks pretty amazing. (image from sound bites)

Total Art Total Colour

EE [Total Art] are a Korean electro duo with high octane, club-catchy beats. Whether you love or loathe techno their lo-fi, psychedelic eighties film clips are a sight to behold. Bowie-style makeup, glittering costumes, fireworks, rainbow lighting and some old school post-production are the gaudy eighties at their best- which isn't saying much I know, but the lack of studio polish is refreshing. This, coupled with high energy and passion, produces a highly entertaining clip with a bit more soul than the usual MTV perfection. (clip from youtube)

Kids Get Colourful

With the exception of a few designers, this Autralian Fashion Week was decidedly lacking in colour. I'm not sure if it's a reaction to the GFC or if everyone just decided to jump on the Phoebe Philo/Celine bandwagon and go for the neutral simplicity which has been making waves of late- either way there was a definite trend towards beige, camel and pale grey. With that in mind, here are some of the more colourful highlights of RAFW 10/11. (all images from Vogue.com except Marni Skillings pic from Harpers Bazaar)

Both images: Romance Was Born

Fernando Frisoni

Marni Skillings

Camilla and Marc

Kirrily Johnston

Dion Lee

Starry Eyed at Ellery

Fashion Week strikes again with this amazing Zodiac-inspired collection from Ellery. From the very first look's insane ripped bell-bottoms and shimmering beads I knew this was going to be a standout range. Silver foiling and heavy beading (which I am usually vehemently opposed to) adorned the garments, turning the models into a shimmering sci-fi dream. They appeared through the rising smoke as if emerging from some post-apocalypic wasteland. I particularly loved the grey and blue tonal palette as the black pieces didn't give that "wow" effect on the catwalk. The cut-out jackets, double-looped belts and layering pieces show that underneath the extensive styling there are actually some amazing, wearable pieces- which is more than I can say for some designers. (all images from Vogue.com)

Camilla and Marc S/S 2010-11

The second day of Australian Fashion Week kicked off with a stunning show from Camilla and Marc. Set in a dimly lit, moody interior, this season the designers took us around the world with a exotic looks perfect for the glamorous nomad.



(images from Zimbio)

Their signature elements such as soft tailoring and beautiful frocks were a strong presence in the collection, however overall it signalled a definite shift towards colour and print. Cobalt blue, lemon and tangerine lit up the elegant palette of khaki, earthy greys and subdued pink. The tortoiseshell and sandstorm prints were perfect on draped georgette dresses, with one of my favourite looks working a featherweight safari-style shirt and baggy khaki leather pants.

(images from Zimbio)

Ethnic influences came through heavily in the accessories, which are so beautiful my only problem is deciding on the pieces I love the most. Rows and rows of layered chain jewellery adorned the model's arms, and continued to some amazing earrings which moulded around the back of the ear. The gold, rhino-head rings and luxurious leather turbans which topped some looks were absolute standouts and perfect for the exotic traveller.

(images from Vogue.com)

See the whole collection and backstage photos at Vogue.com.

Hyères Fashion Finalists

The Hyères International fashion and photography competition is one the most prestigious in Europe. The festival opened on April 30 and there is just so much creativity pouring out that it's hard to decide where to begin.

This year the judging panel for the fashion competition was lead by none other than Dries Van Noten, with Maria Cornejo (designer and founder of Zero), Olivier Lalanne (Vogue Paris and Vogue Hommes International), Sarah Mowers (style.com) and Nancy Rohde (fashion stylist) among the judges. Images from the catwalk show are out and I have to say the standard is amazing. It's especially inspiring for me to see fully realised collections like these when I'm just starting mine. The designers that really blew me away explored form and drape with perfect execution. Their collections are conceptual and experimental without becoming a fashion circus. (all images from A Shaded View on Fashion)

Designer Lucille Puton

Designer Tsolmandakh Munkhuu

Designer Jasper Sinchai Chadprajong

Designer Alexandra Verschueren (Grand Prix Winner)

Read more about the designers at the Hyeres 2010 website, or check out A Shaded View on Fashion for more photos from the catwalk and backstage.

Volcanic Beauty

I know the volcano in Iceland caused a lot of chaos for a lot of people, but at least it gave us some absolutely astounding images. The northern lights over the eruption is a pretty amazing sight to behold. The constrast between fiery orange and sublime green, shattering rock and ethereal cloud is nothing if not otherworldly. (images from smh.com)