i'm finally employed (by a fashion wholesaling firm), and celebrated with some small purchases from Hello Parry and Molten Store online.
11.11.12
launch party for my fashion zine project
fellow Brisbane fashion enthusiasts may be interested in attending the launch party for a fashion + lifestyle zine that i have been working on for about a year now.. i wrote two contributing articles, and helped to style one editorial. the rest has all been written and photographed by fellow university students.
details can be found here.
details can be found here.
Andre Leon Talley is my spirit animal
my belated picks from the Margiela x H&M collaboration (which i was surprisingly impressed by..):
via.
via.
7.11.12
a secondary post, for good measure
‘The Language of Gender':
'the fashion media has a way of sensationalising trends - everything with a scrap of colour has been dubbed 'colour blocking' recently, and it only takes a couple of celebrity pictures before they start heralding the new must have bag, the new must have shoe that replaced the must have bag or of course the easy target of the 'new' black. the energetic language that enthuses over the next phase every season is part of what keeps the fashion cycles turning - of course red looks new when you’ve just seen a lot of blue and crisp pastels will look fresh when we’ve just filled our wardrobes with muted dusky tones. despite the fact that this can make for repetitive reading for the savvy consumer, it’s generally harmless, and simply a bit of over simplification for the sake of creating a story or pushing a product.
so it is mainly when gender is used as a trend or selling point that fashion language hyperbole goes into tricky territory. perhaps it has always been this way but it seems that of late there has been a particular focus on the trend of 'Masculine' dressing for women that raises some interesting questions. when the media start using masculine and feminine as adjectives to describe an outfit it assumes that the reader is going to associate all sorts of other attributes to the clothes. for example, when a journalist says that a shirt is masculine are they referring to anatomy, to a cut of clothing more suited to the male body? or are they using the word to recall the stereotypes that we have of what it means to be masculine?
often it seems that the terms are used to represent opposites that play into the stereotypes of feminine meaning soft, delicate, fragile, pink, sparkly as opposed to masculine meaning strong, bulky, large, tough etc. in the screen grabs of the Topshop newsletter and website above, the language used definitely reinforces the idea of feminine and masculine dressing being opposites. the feminine 'prim and polished' trends use the flowery language of 'sweet' and 'delicate' to describe pleats and prints. in contrast the masculine theme inspired by the mods uses 'sleek tailoring', 'rebellious' and 'outlandish' to describe the collection. it must be said of course that Topshop are going for a 1960s theme here, so it does play into more old fashioned ideas of what it means to be a man or woman. but this seems to be part of the problem..as soon as you start dividing fashion up into masculine and feminine, it does seem dated. the old notions of what it means to be a man or a woman has evolved so much that surely simplifying the description of feminine and masculine dress codes in this way is going to lead to a lot of misunderstanding? then there’s the problem of where you draw the line between what is feminine dress and what is actually masculine.
in the screen grabs above it seems that the definition for what constitutes masculine dress is now anything tailored - be it blazers, trousers, or halter neck jumpsuits. if it’s monochrome, oversized or drop shoulder, it’s possible that again you are probably dressing like 'one of the boys'. at the end of the day surely this is all based on context, and what we consider to be masculine or feminine dress today will shift season after season over the years ahead of us. and i’m sure that when women first began to wear trousers back in the 1930s and 40s perhaps it came as a bit of a surprise, but after seventy odd years wouldn’t you think that some of the garments such as trousers, blazers and shirts would have shrugged off their male only label? if this seems like a one sided article, then this is because this appears to be a largely one-sided problem at the moment. the guys seem to be able to get away with wearing pink, frills, or gemstones in their menswear collections without it being dubbed feminine.
this is also a problem that can be easily avoided - just don’t use gender to describe clothes. if a blazer is sleek, tailored, crisp, strong or boxy then there are plenty of words such as these that will describe the garment, without insinuating that a woman may be cross dressing by wearing it. it is equally true that every delicate, light weight or floral garment does not have to be dubbed feminine. there are many shades of what it means to be feminine or masculine, so it is a shame not to use the full scope of vocabulary to describe the dress codes of both sexes and to allow for all the grey area in between.'
'the fashion media has a way of sensationalising trends - everything with a scrap of colour has been dubbed 'colour blocking' recently, and it only takes a couple of celebrity pictures before they start heralding the new must have bag, the new must have shoe that replaced the must have bag or of course the easy target of the 'new' black. the energetic language that enthuses over the next phase every season is part of what keeps the fashion cycles turning - of course red looks new when you’ve just seen a lot of blue and crisp pastels will look fresh when we’ve just filled our wardrobes with muted dusky tones. despite the fact that this can make for repetitive reading for the savvy consumer, it’s generally harmless, and simply a bit of over simplification for the sake of creating a story or pushing a product.
so it is mainly when gender is used as a trend or selling point that fashion language hyperbole goes into tricky territory. perhaps it has always been this way but it seems that of late there has been a particular focus on the trend of 'Masculine' dressing for women that raises some interesting questions. when the media start using masculine and feminine as adjectives to describe an outfit it assumes that the reader is going to associate all sorts of other attributes to the clothes. for example, when a journalist says that a shirt is masculine are they referring to anatomy, to a cut of clothing more suited to the male body? or are they using the word to recall the stereotypes that we have of what it means to be masculine?
often it seems that the terms are used to represent opposites that play into the stereotypes of feminine meaning soft, delicate, fragile, pink, sparkly as opposed to masculine meaning strong, bulky, large, tough etc. in the screen grabs of the Topshop newsletter and website above, the language used definitely reinforces the idea of feminine and masculine dressing being opposites. the feminine 'prim and polished' trends use the flowery language of 'sweet' and 'delicate' to describe pleats and prints. in contrast the masculine theme inspired by the mods uses 'sleek tailoring', 'rebellious' and 'outlandish' to describe the collection. it must be said of course that Topshop are going for a 1960s theme here, so it does play into more old fashioned ideas of what it means to be a man or woman. but this seems to be part of the problem..as soon as you start dividing fashion up into masculine and feminine, it does seem dated. the old notions of what it means to be a man or a woman has evolved so much that surely simplifying the description of feminine and masculine dress codes in this way is going to lead to a lot of misunderstanding? then there’s the problem of where you draw the line between what is feminine dress and what is actually masculine.
in the screen grabs above it seems that the definition for what constitutes masculine dress is now anything tailored - be it blazers, trousers, or halter neck jumpsuits. if it’s monochrome, oversized or drop shoulder, it’s possible that again you are probably dressing like 'one of the boys'. at the end of the day surely this is all based on context, and what we consider to be masculine or feminine dress today will shift season after season over the years ahead of us. and i’m sure that when women first began to wear trousers back in the 1930s and 40s perhaps it came as a bit of a surprise, but after seventy odd years wouldn’t you think that some of the garments such as trousers, blazers and shirts would have shrugged off their male only label? if this seems like a one sided article, then this is because this appears to be a largely one-sided problem at the moment. the guys seem to be able to get away with wearing pink, frills, or gemstones in their menswear collections without it being dubbed feminine.
this is also a problem that can be easily avoided - just don’t use gender to describe clothes. if a blazer is sleek, tailored, crisp, strong or boxy then there are plenty of words such as these that will describe the garment, without insinuating that a woman may be cross dressing by wearing it. it is equally true that every delicate, light weight or floral garment does not have to be dubbed feminine. there are many shades of what it means to be feminine or masculine, so it is a shame not to use the full scope of vocabulary to describe the dress codes of both sexes and to allow for all the grey area in between.'
thank you for not mentioning the lens-less aviator frames so i could do myself that disservice
...how has it been that i haven't been on here in..over a month ? i think i didn't want to post when i was uninspired, but i think more than anything - uni took over my entire life. sometimes i feel like, if i am experiencing such overwhelming busy periods now, how on earth will i survive final year ? or a career in this industry ? hmm
we made shirts this semester for my design studio subject. we had to make them out of geometric shapes, rather than normal pattern pieces. but to ensure that it still resembled a shirt a little bit, it still had to include a collar, appropriate cuffs or shirt finishings and also an opening (eg. neck button opening). i used semi-cirlced. i'm not sure if i enjoy the end result too much..i think i actually like the toile the most ! the structured fabric (we had to do one structured, and one more flowy) was too heavy, so that didn't work at all. it was a strange stretch / denim hybrid..who knows.
during the presentations, i had a naff side seating position, so i missed out on really getting any cool photos, but i have included a couple below anyway..
we made shirts this semester for my design studio subject. we had to make them out of geometric shapes, rather than normal pattern pieces. but to ensure that it still resembled a shirt a little bit, it still had to include a collar, appropriate cuffs or shirt finishings and also an opening (eg. neck button opening). i used semi-cirlced. i'm not sure if i enjoy the end result too much..i think i actually like the toile the most ! the structured fabric (we had to do one structured, and one more flowy) was too heavy, so that didn't work at all. it was a strange stretch / denim hybrid..who knows.
during the presentations, i had a naff side seating position, so i missed out on really getting any cool photos, but i have included a couple below anyway..
28.9.12
some girls have all the luxe
10 Ways Project Runway (US edition) changed the fashion industry:
1. before Project Runway there was a perception that fashion was an insider’s industry, and would never work on television.
the Project Runway team had a vision for the show and were undaunted. Executive Producer Desiree Gruber: 'we knew how exciting it was. if you’re in fashion you know the drama that takes place to get things made. when you see a runway show it seems like the designer decided these things months ago. behind the scenes people in the industry know they might have changed their minds the night before and stuff didn’t arrive in time. they didn’t have enough leather to make a long skirt so they sent the models out in minis. there is a lot of last-minute preparation that has the power to change the entire tone of a show.'
2. Project Runway inspired thousands of kids to go to design school.
Producer Eli Holzman: 'a few years after Project Runway premiered i called the dean at Parsons to ask whether the show was having a positive impact on them. i was shocked by her answer. she told me their enrollment had practically doubled, and that, industry-wide, design programs had seen a huge influx of new students.'
3. Project Runway taught people what designers do, and that it isn’t easy.
Marchesa designer Georgina Chapman: 'people get a glimpse of all the hard work, inspiration, and dedication it takes to create a garment, and that really helps to show that fashion is an art form that should be appreciated.'
4. before Project Runway the average person had never heard of Fashion Week.
one of the show’s best rewards is the chance to show at New York Fashion Week. yet, before Project Runway brought it into people’s living rooms, most people didn’t even know it existed!
5. Project Runway is one of the only mainstream shows with a cast made up of a large percentage of openly gay people.
Michael Kors: 'i think Project Runway has had an effect on the gay community – big time. look at the wide spectrum of gay people who are on Project Runway – different ages, different looks, and different points of view. the majority of the men on the show are gay, so i think it’s revolutionary in that respect and it’s revolutionary in lifting the veil.'
6. Project Runway taught people that models can be smart as well as beautiful.
Producer Jonathan Murray: 'from day one Heidi has been a huge factor in the success of the show. she has great instincts about everything. she is not afraid to express what she thinks and is not afraid to show that she believes in someone. when Bunim/Murray stepped in to the show in Season 6 she was pretty seasoned. as new producers to the show we saw that what she had to say had a lot of value. just spending time with her you quickly see how good her instincts are.
7. Project Runway gives established designers a voice they seldom get.
Michael Kors: 'the interesting thing is you never get to hear designers talk. you can read what they say in an article, you see a still photograph of them, and you see their clothes and you connect the dots, but the missing part is hearing designers talk about fashion on a regular basis.'
8. Project Runway has taught us the power of being nice.
season 2′s designers went on a field trip to meet Fern Mallis, the creator of New York Fashion Week. they asked what advice she could give them. Fern Mallis: 'i said the most important advice i can give you is to be nice. they looked at me as if i had four heads. Tim just smiled from ear to ear. i explained to them that at the end of the day there are a lot of designers out there all doing good work. ultimately, we all want to do business with people we like. you can get much more accomplished by being nice. you don’t have to be a diva or a bitch to succeed in this industry. people remember and gravitate to the nice people. Tim was so appreciative that i said that. i’ll never forget right after that episode aired i went to a screening and Sarah Jessica Parker grabbed me and said, ‘i loved what you said to them. i loved it. that was the best advice i think that was ever given to them.’ i got great feedback from that over the years.'
9. Project Runway has brought fashion into the mainstream.
Marie Claire editor Zanna Roberts Rassi: 'it’s catapulted fashion to the middle of America and it’s made it accessible, achievable, and relatable. fashion was quite a scary, almost sacred world that no one knew about and you kept the lid on it.'
10. Project Runway introduced the world to Tim Gunn.
is there a more beloved television personality? Kara Saun (season 1): 'all the advice he gave was sincere and spot on. it was clear Tim was on the side of the designers and that he truly was invested and cared about the work and assisting us in being the best we could be.'
1. before Project Runway there was a perception that fashion was an insider’s industry, and would never work on television.
the Project Runway team had a vision for the show and were undaunted. Executive Producer Desiree Gruber: 'we knew how exciting it was. if you’re in fashion you know the drama that takes place to get things made. when you see a runway show it seems like the designer decided these things months ago. behind the scenes people in the industry know they might have changed their minds the night before and stuff didn’t arrive in time. they didn’t have enough leather to make a long skirt so they sent the models out in minis. there is a lot of last-minute preparation that has the power to change the entire tone of a show.'
2. Project Runway inspired thousands of kids to go to design school.
Producer Eli Holzman: 'a few years after Project Runway premiered i called the dean at Parsons to ask whether the show was having a positive impact on them. i was shocked by her answer. she told me their enrollment had practically doubled, and that, industry-wide, design programs had seen a huge influx of new students.'
3. Project Runway taught people what designers do, and that it isn’t easy.
Marchesa designer Georgina Chapman: 'people get a glimpse of all the hard work, inspiration, and dedication it takes to create a garment, and that really helps to show that fashion is an art form that should be appreciated.'
4. before Project Runway the average person had never heard of Fashion Week.
one of the show’s best rewards is the chance to show at New York Fashion Week. yet, before Project Runway brought it into people’s living rooms, most people didn’t even know it existed!
5. Project Runway is one of the only mainstream shows with a cast made up of a large percentage of openly gay people.
Michael Kors: 'i think Project Runway has had an effect on the gay community – big time. look at the wide spectrum of gay people who are on Project Runway – different ages, different looks, and different points of view. the majority of the men on the show are gay, so i think it’s revolutionary in that respect and it’s revolutionary in lifting the veil.'
6. Project Runway taught people that models can be smart as well as beautiful.
Producer Jonathan Murray: 'from day one Heidi has been a huge factor in the success of the show. she has great instincts about everything. she is not afraid to express what she thinks and is not afraid to show that she believes in someone. when Bunim/Murray stepped in to the show in Season 6 she was pretty seasoned. as new producers to the show we saw that what she had to say had a lot of value. just spending time with her you quickly see how good her instincts are.
7. Project Runway gives established designers a voice they seldom get.
Michael Kors: 'the interesting thing is you never get to hear designers talk. you can read what they say in an article, you see a still photograph of them, and you see their clothes and you connect the dots, but the missing part is hearing designers talk about fashion on a regular basis.'
8. Project Runway has taught us the power of being nice.
season 2′s designers went on a field trip to meet Fern Mallis, the creator of New York Fashion Week. they asked what advice she could give them. Fern Mallis: 'i said the most important advice i can give you is to be nice. they looked at me as if i had four heads. Tim just smiled from ear to ear. i explained to them that at the end of the day there are a lot of designers out there all doing good work. ultimately, we all want to do business with people we like. you can get much more accomplished by being nice. you don’t have to be a diva or a bitch to succeed in this industry. people remember and gravitate to the nice people. Tim was so appreciative that i said that. i’ll never forget right after that episode aired i went to a screening and Sarah Jessica Parker grabbed me and said, ‘i loved what you said to them. i loved it. that was the best advice i think that was ever given to them.’ i got great feedback from that over the years.'
9. Project Runway has brought fashion into the mainstream.
Marie Claire editor Zanna Roberts Rassi: 'it’s catapulted fashion to the middle of America and it’s made it accessible, achievable, and relatable. fashion was quite a scary, almost sacred world that no one knew about and you kept the lid on it.'
10. Project Runway introduced the world to Tim Gunn.
is there a more beloved television personality? Kara Saun (season 1): 'all the advice he gave was sincere and spot on. it was clear Tim was on the side of the designers and that he truly was invested and cared about the work and assisting us in being the best we could be.'
crying doesn’t indicate that you’re weak. since birth, it has always been a sign that you’re alive
i will never really be able to handle this mind-blowing campaign (Dolce & Gabbana A/W12):
21.9.12
i hope the last page of your 800 page novel goes missing
- Bridget Foley & Dennis Freedman
= Trade Editor & Creative Director
'the trademarks of both W and WWD are the well-written essay, coverage of breaking news, and concise reportage; thus the team can afford to be brazen and obsessive in the search for the utmost in scintilating images.
'one of the most meaningless words to describe fashion photography is 'edgy'. 'provocative' isn't new, either. what i look for in photographs is a quality and an honesty, not images that are provocative for the sake of being provocative,' Freedman says.
W is a laboratory for the avant-garde, and the team's missionary-like zeal has led to controversial results. in the late 1990s, W was pilloried for what appeared to be a promotion of 'heroin chic.' however, W did not intend this depiction of street chic to be cultural commentary or endorsement; it was pure, hard-edged, documentary observation.
Foley states, 'W's editors are passionate about fashion. there are so many levels on which fashion can be enjoyed and deliberated, debated and dissected. in the grand scheme, fashion provides a way of reading social history, but in the most basic sense you also have to put on clothes to leave the house. fashion is the convergence of all kinds of disparate elements - from street culture to rarefied haute couture.''
- p87
- Melodie Weir
= Outrageous Runway Makeup Artist
'considering the future of fashion, Weir speculates, 'people do not want to live in an austere, sterile environment.' she predicts a rebellion against minimalism: 'people want to surround themselves with comfort and colour.''
- p141
- Susan Forehand
= Trunk Show Impresario
'Forehand defends the sophisticaion of her souther customers. 'we get it. we aren't living in Tara without electricity. our clients are world players,' she comments. 'in fashion, there is a tendency to think of any city outside New York as very provincial. this is especially true of the perception of the South. our major women travel the world, run major corporations, and act as patrons of the arts in a thriving city.' Forehand must constantly remind designers of this fact: 'i'm an advocate for my clients. i make bringing them the world's very best my mission.''
- p148
- Zendy Rapoport, Alexandra Lapegna & Afrodita Badescu
= Shoppers Personal and Otherwise
'most of the world encounters fashion only while shopping. the shopping experience is the single indispensable fashion moment, the instant when the designer's vision must communicate itself. in the store - small boutique or enormous emporium - these messages are explicated by chicly clad sales associates.
gone are the days of minimum wages and meager commissions. talented in-store personnel now receive benefits, vacation packages, and impressive salaries. in a world where customers have less and less leisure time, the salesperon's role - preselcting and editing - is more critical than ever. professionals like Lapegna at Les Copains in New York make the buyer's life far easier.
'the day of the accidental shopper and impulse buyer is gone. you have to buy for specific customers and keep meticulous records in your client book.''
- p160
- Roberto Jorio Fili
= Exporter of Italian Style to the World
'during his tenure at Calvin Klein, Fili analysed the emerging predominance of American sportswear, which has taken centre stage from French and Italian couturiers such as Christian Lacroix and Giorgio Armani.
he notes, 'America often stays ahead of Europe not necessarily in terms of fashion but in the way it interpets lifestyle. American designers such as Ralph Lauren are more pragmatic and more free.' 'today there is a completely new type of consumer,' states Fili. these consumers have the aspiration but not the means to afford luxury. he contrasts this group to 'the consumers at the top of the pyramid'; he plans to 'transfer our expertise to design and create other products that have the same sensation of quality but at a lower price.''
- p184, Style Makers: Inside Fashion - Marcia Sherrill & Carey Adina Karmel (2002)
= Trade Editor & Creative Director
'the trademarks of both W and WWD are the well-written essay, coverage of breaking news, and concise reportage; thus the team can afford to be brazen and obsessive in the search for the utmost in scintilating images.
'one of the most meaningless words to describe fashion photography is 'edgy'. 'provocative' isn't new, either. what i look for in photographs is a quality and an honesty, not images that are provocative for the sake of being provocative,' Freedman says.
W is a laboratory for the avant-garde, and the team's missionary-like zeal has led to controversial results. in the late 1990s, W was pilloried for what appeared to be a promotion of 'heroin chic.' however, W did not intend this depiction of street chic to be cultural commentary or endorsement; it was pure, hard-edged, documentary observation.
Foley states, 'W's editors are passionate about fashion. there are so many levels on which fashion can be enjoyed and deliberated, debated and dissected. in the grand scheme, fashion provides a way of reading social history, but in the most basic sense you also have to put on clothes to leave the house. fashion is the convergence of all kinds of disparate elements - from street culture to rarefied haute couture.''
- p87
- Melodie Weir
= Outrageous Runway Makeup Artist
'considering the future of fashion, Weir speculates, 'people do not want to live in an austere, sterile environment.' she predicts a rebellion against minimalism: 'people want to surround themselves with comfort and colour.''
- p141
- Susan Forehand
= Trunk Show Impresario
'Forehand defends the sophisticaion of her souther customers. 'we get it. we aren't living in Tara without electricity. our clients are world players,' she comments. 'in fashion, there is a tendency to think of any city outside New York as very provincial. this is especially true of the perception of the South. our major women travel the world, run major corporations, and act as patrons of the arts in a thriving city.' Forehand must constantly remind designers of this fact: 'i'm an advocate for my clients. i make bringing them the world's very best my mission.''
- p148
- Zendy Rapoport, Alexandra Lapegna & Afrodita Badescu
= Shoppers Personal and Otherwise
'most of the world encounters fashion only while shopping. the shopping experience is the single indispensable fashion moment, the instant when the designer's vision must communicate itself. in the store - small boutique or enormous emporium - these messages are explicated by chicly clad sales associates.
gone are the days of minimum wages and meager commissions. talented in-store personnel now receive benefits, vacation packages, and impressive salaries. in a world where customers have less and less leisure time, the salesperon's role - preselcting and editing - is more critical than ever. professionals like Lapegna at Les Copains in New York make the buyer's life far easier.
'the day of the accidental shopper and impulse buyer is gone. you have to buy for specific customers and keep meticulous records in your client book.''
- p160
- Roberto Jorio Fili
= Exporter of Italian Style to the World
'during his tenure at Calvin Klein, Fili analysed the emerging predominance of American sportswear, which has taken centre stage from French and Italian couturiers such as Christian Lacroix and Giorgio Armani.
he notes, 'America often stays ahead of Europe not necessarily in terms of fashion but in the way it interpets lifestyle. American designers such as Ralph Lauren are more pragmatic and more free.' 'today there is a completely new type of consumer,' states Fili. these consumers have the aspiration but not the means to afford luxury. he contrasts this group to 'the consumers at the top of the pyramid'; he plans to 'transfer our expertise to design and create other products that have the same sensation of quality but at a lower price.''
- p184, Style Makers: Inside Fashion - Marcia Sherrill & Carey Adina Karmel (2002)
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