V+A//DavidBowieIs

As part of my uni work we're looking at doing a Bowie themed photoshoot, looking at more his Ziggy Stardust persona so for some inspiration I decided to check out the Victoria and Albert's David Bowie Is exhibition. 

Sponsered by Gucci I was really expecting a lot and honestly it really delivered, it had so much information about him, pictures and videos with the addition of music and sound by Sennheiser - which was a lovely touch. 

Going as a research visit really was so much different to just attending normally, I wanted to look at designers and really focus in on the fashion side of his persona. One thing I noticed was the amount of times he actually had worked with and wore Kansai Yamamoto, especially during the person and time period I wanted to learn more about 

I really thing Kansai Yamamoto's designers are one of the major reference points from the Ziggy Stardust persona, alongside the make up he wore and the signature hair. I think that both of these things together really helped him create characters. 

One of the major phrases I remembered was him saying he could either be himself or lots of characters and for him it was easier to do characters. I think this is another reason Bowie is such an important musical, style and famous icon he really did consider himself as someone playing characters.

Also it was really interesting to help gather a real feel of David Bowie's past, looking at how he was where he came from and looking at how he's grown as a musician and artist. It was interesting to see all the various different reference points which also went alongside his work it really gave an insight into his mind. 

With looking at his costumes I really think that David Bowie has a fascination with shape, looking at different shapes playing around with his body. Looking at his silhouette and changing it morphing into something else. I also love how he has such an influence and is a part of the design especially, I thought he'd be more someone who just allowed pieces to be created for him.

Southbank//Light Show

So I'd been meaning to check out the Southbank Hayward Gallery Light Show and I knew it was popular because previously being told it'd be sold out for the day. I thought if I went I'd be able to book in advance, turning up only to be told there was no more advance tickets. I thought I'm never going to see this until a lovely man offered me a ticket for free because he had a spare student one!

I think living in London really makes you realise how kind people can be especially in situations like this! Anyway I have to say that it was one of the best exhibitions I think I've seen in a while, there was so many pieces I loved. My top five had to be:

Carlos Cruz-Diez // Chromosaturation 

 

Olafur Eliasson // Model for a Timeless Garden

Jenny Holzer // MONUMENT

Conrad Shawcross // Slow Arc Inside a Cube IV

Leo Villareal // Cylinder II

I think this is probably the best order for them all...I think, there's probably a joint first for Chromosaturation and Model for a Timeless Garden. Honestly though it was incredible, I don't think a piece of work has ever made me smile and be as amazed as Chromosaturation, I don't think i've sat and observed a piece as long as MONUMENT well that and Blue Purple Tilt but thats another Holtzer so its all the same, her work just draws me in. 

Model for a Timeless Garden is another piece I literally could have fell in love with, stayed for hours and just sat and watched and walked around. Both that and Chromosaturation in all honesty, I'd love a room like that just to feel emotion and have your senses confused and played with.

It really was a nice little surprise thanks to the kindness of strangers, to be able to go and see all of this and really experience it all first hand. One thing I've really wanted to do more of is go to more galleries and see more exhibitions, this highlighting why I love doing it!

Disposable//Models

Looking more into the rich list I decided to compare the current with the 2006 rich list and to my surprise something really interesting did come to my attention. In 2006 there was nine different models in The Fashion Millionaires list yet in 2013 there isn't any. 

Have we grown tired of Supermodels such as Elle Macpherson, Kate Moss, Naomi Campbell and Lily Cole?

Where do we stand with models as of this moment in time, personally I think we've almost turned modelling into a trend. For a while someone is huge and then they're dropped for the next star disposed of as if they were never even heard of. Personally I think it's the fashion industry trying to appeal to who ever has grabbed youths attention. 

We've seen it before Agyness Deyn, Charlotte Free and Cara Delevingne currently, for a moment they're huge you see them used by everyone. Youth go mad for them post about them idolise them and then drop them when the next person comes along. 

 

What is it about these models that makes them so easily dropped, is it that they have their quirk thats so new and fresh, we love it to the point of ruin and exhaustion. Have we created the disposable model ourselves by making having a fashion industry who will so easily play to our needs and desires. 

Also this isn't an insult to their modelling either its more so looking at their careers and longevity.  Models are no longer becoming such household names rather than flashes and fads we're eventually glad to see the back of. Has modelling become over saturated with talent and personalities and this is why we no longer hold onto our 'supermodels' and have the supermodels actually died out.

Is this the death of the supermodel and the birth of the disposable model?

OnlineConsumer//vs//LuxuryDesigner

With the release of The Sunday Times Rich list I really wanted to discuss some issues that I thought about looking at The Fashion Millionaires. 

One of the main points of interest was deffinitely Sir Paul and Lady Smith at 17 and Nick Robertson at 18. Here you have Paul Smith and Asos with just a difference of £2 million between them. Personally I really think its interesting to see how we have two brands from two different ends of the spectrum of luxury next to each other.

Does this mean that Nick Robertson and Asos are not as big as a luxury designer such as Paul Smith? Have we reached a point in which we're consuming more and more online and is this killing the luxury brands?

The Camden based online only company is the U.K's largest so is it a surprise that Nick Robertston made the list, not really. Asos has 2.3 million likes on Facebook compared to Paul Smith's 339,000 which is tiny in comparison. Perhaps we've reached a stage where appealing to the high street lower end of the market is actually more finacially beneficial than luxury designers?

With price differences for blazers as much as £150 is this really something we as consumers desire?

Do we just want the cheapest product and we will even ignore the step of trying its fit before purchase because of its price?

Paris Fashion//Continuity

Paris seems to be the hub of everything important in fashion, it's the home of couture after all. Paris being the romantic classic it goes hand in hand with fashion, you want to get lost in both of them and fall in love. Away from all of those dreams you have to really look and question the continuity of it all, is Parisian fashion genuine? 

Céline the prime example of French fashion, or not? Here you've got a brand with headquarters and heritage in France being driven by Phoebe Philo who's also been known for her work at Chloé. Born and raised in Britain by British parents Phoebe was only born in Paris, now working from her studio based in Cavendish Square London do we question her being creative director of Céline?

Honestly I think that to say because it is not created in France its not a genuinely French piece is nonsense, all you need to do is look at Phoebe's work and instantly those thoughts will be dismissed. I see her work and smart and elegant yet romantic and fantasy, basically something I'd expect from anything which was labelled 'French' or 'Parisian', I think she's really done well to bring life into Céline and bring back some of the love it dearly desired. If anything I'd have to congratulate her on creating something so magical and giving me a true vision of 'Parisian Chic'.

Street Style

Instead of doing a street style project in Brighton I had to do mine in London, after heading out with my camera I just generally tried to collect images of people who's style really stood out to me. 

I've almost tried to group them to see what really appealed to me about their outfits.

Layering was the attraction here, I love the different layers to their outfit choices and also I love how their outfits all seem to be really oversized as well. More so a personal choice but I think that trying not so specifically trying to fit the silhouette can always be something fun to work with.

 Pattern was key with these three outfits, I thought they all had something which really helped them shine whether it be trousers, cardigans or a shirt. I think patterns something really interesting to play with, adding to an outfit without overcomplicating it.

Styling as a general here was the main aesthetic, how they'd all decided to put an outfit together. The effortless cool really seemed to be a major theme here, it all just working together really helping to show their own style. 

Long White Cloud//Oyster

As part of my fashion stlying for the media individual brief I have to film a 20-30 second video all to promote the magazine aspects of the fashion magazine i'm making for a different brief. Moving image is somewhere I think I really struggle with concepts and ideas and a medium I'd love to improve in. 

I've done some film work for my moving image brief last term and I thought it might be clever to see what was out and released in terms of video content. I found this video filmed by Luke Bryne named Long White Cloud and fell in love with it. The music, editing and colours all of it, link/video below 

// Long White Cloud //

So I really wanted to start thinking about usin this blog as another way to express ideas and thoughts. Not only whats happening in and out of the fashion world but also a personal diary of where my thoughts and ideas are heading with uni work. 

So firstly I love this video I think the colours used when editing and the music just fit so perfectly onto each other. The way its edited to be double exposed almost is something I've played around with before and again loved its just a reall interesting way to work in my opinion, I love the comparison of the two different layers, one being background and one being people and subjects. 

I think theres deffinitely something really effortlessly cool about this video and the music and models really do help add to that. They seem less fussed about the video almost awkward about being on screen for close to 4-5 seconds.

O://By Tank//Fashion Scan

Something I really love and have tonnes of enthusiasm for is where fashion and technology meet, in my opinion it's a direction i'd love to see developed more than it already is. Something which really caught my eye when I bought TANK was their animated fashion supplient 'O:' by downloading the app Fashion Scan you're able to scan pages to see animated content.

This is honestly an idea I LOVE, if everyone thinks print is going to die out then is this not a new way to pump life into it? I've seen so much to do with augmented reality with video games so why not develop new apps to revitalise print? 

It's fun, image being able to get an invite to a fashion show you can't attend, you could have an app that allows you to see the show from anywhere in the world? Fashion week could be in the palm of your hands, all achievable through technology. I wanted to talk about this just because I think in the long term this is something which we'll begin to see more and more of and one day might be another direction we move in with regards to fashion promotion techniques? All I can say is bravo for someone deciding to blur the lines between print and animation and breathe new life into what some have refered to as a dead medium.

Also for anyone wanting to find Fashion Scan in the app store here is a link!

Fashion Scan on iTunes

Beyonce//H&M

 H&M have been really been working on hard on their promotion the past few months with various campaigns such as their David Beckham and Guy Richie viral video, which got them so much press and they've really continued this with their work on their Consious Collections. 

Their most recent announcement was obviously that they'd have Beyonce Knowles as the face of their new Summer collection and now they've revealed photos of the collections which she helped design.

I think for H&M getting big named stars such as David Beckham and Beyonce is something that really works for their brand. Being a highstreet brand which is affordable for everyone and having names like that in is something which their customers will react well too. I think H&M really need to keep up this marketing and keep their brand really fresh and attractive to customers.

Lacroix//Schiaparelli

With the recent news of Christian Lacroix designing for Schiaparelli I anticipate something amazing. I really love the work Schiaparelli did with Salavador Dali, my favourite of it all being the famous skeleton dress desgined in 1938.

I think the reason I love this piece so much is just the sheer simplicity of it and almost irony of it, the idea of a dress based on human anatomy is something so bizare. I love how a dress is something to cover skin, which is something which covers bones and flesh and here you have a dress displaying bone. It's almost the idea of a reverse skin, highlighting bone instead of hiding it as if to present the beauty and complexity of human structure.

Showing his 15 piece collection in July duriung Paris fashion week Lacroix is expected to be creating reinterpretations of some of Schiaparelli's most famous designs so hopefully there will be another take on this wonderful dress.

Brighton//Biba and Beyond

I went to Brighton to check out the Biba and Beyond exhibition that was on show at the Royal Pavilion and Museums. I thought that it was a really interesting exhibition about Barbra Hulanicki, it gave a really interesting look into her work through various illustration and garments. I thought that it was a really strong point that they exhibition had various video interview elements to it about that I adored, it really gave such an insight into where Barbra was with her concepts and thoughts.

In one of the videos Barbra talked about how she entered the Evening Standard competition with a design of her aunt's choosing but also with one of her own and won. Another stand out video was probably the one in which she described the various stores she had and the themes and decor of them all, which honestly sounded amazing.

On a personal level her work isn't really something I'd be drawn to but again it was really interesting to see where she got influences from especially to discover she got a lot from various film styles. I think to see some of the garments of such a big name was something really spectacular especially to see her twist on such classic ideas. One of my favourite parts of the whole exhibition had to that it really highlighted her illustrations alongside her fashion work, something I favoured especially since she had such a strong stand out style.

Promotion//Illustration

I thought as well as uploading my thoughts on fashion work I'd upload some work that I've done for uni as well. Here are some illustrations I drew and edited for a twelve page zine based on the 7P's of Promotion in reference to Kotler's theories. 

The task was basically to illustrate 7 P's: Packaging, Place, Promotion, Product, Price, Positioning and People. We had to put both the word and a definition to help us remember their releveance, we also had to use an illustrator from a list and take some inspiration from their work.

         

For my illustrator I chose Gary Fernadez, mainly because his work stood out most of all of the illustrators we had to chose from and he was more interesting than others. I also really wanted to try something new with regards to a drawing style but personally I think it worked really well and achieved what I wanted. I feel like my zine really reflects my personal style of working and that's what I wanted.