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TALK FASHION ARCHIVE
Wednesday, August 27, 2014
Fashion Shows: Life Backstage
Tuesday, August 26, 2014
5 Ways to Pick a Fashion Image that Is Yours
Friday, August 22, 2014
Photo Entry for Vanity Fair
Saturday, August 9, 2014
Frida Kahlo Exposed Through Fashion
"She has made stylistically a lasting impression on fashion and style in general because it had both: use of color and she was definitely an icon of the feminist movement,"
-Misha Nonoo (British designer)
FRIDA KHALO FASHION STYLE
Kahlo's distinctive uni brow, traditional mexican full skirts, loose peasant blouses, and her hair vividly adorned by colored flowers, was iconically "Khalo-esque". Her jewelry artistically bold, and the stacking of necklaces and rings were undeniably ahead of her time. Such projection of self identity gives off the impression of a powerful woman, full of confidence, energy, and life.
"She had a tremendous self-confidence. She was convinced that what she wore displayed who she was inside," -Alejandra Lopez, (Art restorer for Frida Kahlo Museum)
Her fashion style was powerful and full of color. A style that truly celebrated life. One would never expect such an individual would actually be living in such pain for most days of her life. Plagued with health problems, Kahlo's clothing was in many ways a form of "armor". Like her paintings, fashion was in many ways used to deal with the pain in her life, both physical and emotional.
As a child she suffered from polio, and at 18 she was horribly injured in a bus accident that would cause her physical agony for most of her life. For the earlier part of her life she wore masculine suits with her hair slicked back to cover her left leg that was thinner and weaker.
Under her feminine loose blouses, lie stiff corsets that locked her body and fought the shrills of pain that ran along her back.
"She described how she used her clothes to cover her body imperfections," -Circe Henestrosa
Kahlo, also faced much personal heartache, caused by her husband, Diego Riviera and his countless affairs, which even included her sister. Every break in their relationship could be spotted in her appearance, as she would chop off all her hair and refuse to wear any traditional mexican attire which her husband had adored. Gravitating to western attire, and darker colors, at these times, she would always return to her iconic style of "life and color" as her relationship with Diego would be restored.
Perhaps, the truest test of any artist, is time itself. Despite nearly 60 years since her death, her artwork and fashion style continues to inspire and influence the world.
Wednesday, August 6, 2014
ITALY: Top 5 Designers
The root of their aesthetic is largely inspired by eclectic, thrift shop Bohemia. Dolce & Gabbana's deeply colored, animal prints have been described as "haute hippy dom", taking inspiration from Italy's prestigious film history.
"When we design it's like a movie," says Domenico Dolce. "We think of a story and we design the clothes to go with it (Domenico)."
They claim to be more concerned about creating the best, most flattering clothes than sparking trends. D&G once even admitted that they wouldn't mind if their only contribution to fashion history was a black bra.
Once dubbed the "Gilbert and George of Italian fashion", D & G trademarks include underwear-as-outerwear (such as corsets and bra fastenings). Gangster boss pinstripe suits, and extravagantly printed coats.
Sunday, August 3, 2014
Fashion's Invisible Man: MARTIN MARGIELA
It would be logical to assume such a private man would be anti-social or cold, but quite the contrary he is quoted by Stella Ishii, as being very warm and sensitive. He is reported as being tall and classically handsome. He often wears a tight black sweater in the winter or a T-shirt in summer, with Levi’s and a dark cap pulled down low over his eyes. At the atelier, you can often find him describing his collections with passion and intellect, often even demonstrating his techniques. At his shows he is always backstage, styling, preparing, and perfecting.
As a graduate of Belgium’s Royal Academy of Fine Arts and a former assistant to Jean Pul Gaultier Paris, Mr. Margiela was among a group of designers from Antwerp who caused a shift in fashion in the late ’80s by tearing apart and reassembling garments at the seams, introducing techniques that would have a lasting impact on everything from streetwear to haute couture. The acceptability of shredded jeans, for example, is largely influenced by Mr. Margiela.
“Martin’s influence in fashion has been quite vast,” said Kaat Debo, the artistic director of the ModeMuseum, or MoMu, in Antwerp. “Often what you see in the mainstream today is something that Martin introduced 20 years ago, and in a shocking way. For example, the showing of unfinished clothes with frayed hems or seams on the outside, which he did years ago, are things today that are seen as quite normal.”
“It is a brilliant way of rethinking clothes with a very simple strategy,” said Harold Koda, the chief curator of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. "There is a weird tension that he throws into the clothes that is poetic, but it can also be unnerving in that it pushes you a little further. It’s not just pretty or simple clothing. It’s something that challenges you, even subliminally.”
In fashion, designers who achieve fame and success will reach a point where they will be approached to sell their business to a bigger fashion conglomerate. When you want success, money, power, creativity and artistry is the first price to pay. New changes means a new owner, which always brings guidelines, restrictions, and the inevitable progress reports, and marketing ploys. Helmut Lang, Ms. Sander and Tom Ford are just a few of many designers who have sold out creatively in exchange for global success. In Mr. Margiela’s case, he has had a hard time coping with these artistic restrictions, and the natural flow of how our current fashion world works.
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