Day 1: London Fashion Week SS13 reviews

Caroline Charles

SS 13 -: ‘Set on Tropical Island, where there is an Embassy tea party on the lawn, the tropical setting as its backdrop.’

The show started with a red back light illuminating the cat walk like a rising sun the feeling of a tropical setting was immediate then out came a fusion of bright colours, floral print motifs, tropical fish print and patchwork dresses matched with long trailing neck scarves.

My favourite look was more tailored, high waisted black flare trousers juxtaposed against tucked under hot pant style shorts, her use of extremes of height made the collection accessible to a wider demographic. I also loved how she mix matched a draping side cut black flowing evening skirt with t-shirts knotted on the side; it gave a relaxed but formal look.

The overall style of the collection I feel has a relaxed, fun and modern approach for the seasoned traveller. The use of colour, motifs and accessories such as fish net bag bring a humour to her designs.

Corrie Nielsen

SS 13 -: ‘Has strong botanical influence, will feature my trademark sculptural shapes.’

The first hint to her botanical influence came with the music soft sounds of the rainforest could be heard, birds tweeting and water cascading down. The catwalk was illuminated by white light as the first model entered her shadow lit up casting white light onto the catwalk creating a glow behind and in front as she walked.

Sleeves were dramatic they came in sculptured shapes of full sleeve, puff ball cap sleeves, ¾ tailored sleeves and restrictive against the models bodies creating a distorted shape of the arm. The sculptured element of the garments was also seen in full body bubble skirts, oversized bow detailing around collar, layering tulip effect of dress over long train and use of tulle creating three dimensional shapes around the body. The body became distorted with concave shapes at back of dresses as well as dramatic shoulder lines.

The sculptured dramatic element of her designs was juxtaposed against the use of soft, ethereal colouring of creams, gold, white and sheer fabrics. The botanical influence was not the usual stereotypical fauna motifs but the feel and mood exhibited was one of contented relaxation with the environment.

Bora Aksu

SS13 –: ‘Inspiration came from Queen Victoria’s grand daughter, Marie who became the Queen of Romania in 1922 and the love she had for her botanical garden in Balchik.’

The models had a regal inspiration with tall head dress similar to crown structure the other inspiration that could be seen as a constant in models is the use of patterned tights the markings looked like vine leaves running up their legs, taking the botanical influence.

Collars was the main trend I saw in the collection there was embellished collars, lace, high collars, over sized asymmetrical collars and stand alone collars as statement jewellery pieces. Layering was another key trend and contrast of fabrics, sheer and lace. The sheer layering draped down and gave the garments a mystical quality of breezing along especially in the A line dresses which were layered over silk shift, the dress became alive and breezed offset against the body.

The colours used were mainly purple and blues but with the layering and use of different fabrics the colour palette varied as model walked against the light. Overall the collection had regal manner but one of haunted consequence it was as the models were portraying lost monarchs who could only retreat into their botanical dreams.

Jean-Pierre Braganza

His collection had futuristic musical influence I thought. The beat of the track that played as models walked was echoed in the computerised graphic design print on his garments, the tie dye effect on the collection was sharp and had angular points it was as a beat on rock/trance soundtrack.

His collection had an angular approach the angles was asymmetric on the dresses reaching a triangular point at hem. Dresses were also cut into with use of different colouring they appeared to have contrasting sides, the fabric flapped and flayed over one another giving the dress three dimensional movement.

It had masculine feel there were low waist harem style trousers but they had impression of work man pants with heavy belt. The use of tailoring mixed with cut out details softened the masculine edge. I liked how his graphic print jump suits had none of the playfulness of the seventies but I feel he had re-invented in cool, hard edged manner by use of bold graphic print and sharp tailoring.

Felder and Felder

SS13-: ‘Harmony with disharmony creates illusions: expect the unexpected we are intrigued with contrasts.’

It kicked off with hard metallic guitar solo then the light went up to reveal girl on side of catwalk on top of box singing grunge/metal songs. That set off the feel off the collection, one for the young and cool.  Coloured leopard print dresses, skirt and crop top combos revealed slashes of skin be it by cut away dress revealing leg or top the mid riff. Tops were slashed at neck or high neck but all were cropped. The backs of dresses were low and V shaped, the contrast came with the front which was high neck.

My favourite look was sheer layered trousers over cropped shorts which went into high necked jump suit with the back revealed. The combination of different fabrics, length and skin exposure made the garment feel modern and not overly sexy but understated cool and fresh approach to the conventional jumpsuit, it was as three separate pieces in one.

Behind the Boosh, Photography by Dave Brown



Collage of some of the photographs from exhibtion.

Oriel Colwyn, 01.09.12-16.10.12

Dave Brown also known as Bollo the Gorilla from the Mighty Boosh had a photography exhibition at  gallery 'Oriel Colwyn' in which photography of props, backstage scenes, shots from tour and scenes from the TV series was shown all in which he had photographed from the start of 2004 with the first series of Mighty Boosh right through to the tour and ongoing series.

The photographs were all in black frames giving a simplistic and modernist approach the whole environment had an intimate room the exhibition was in a small room at the back of the theatre. As Dave Brown was the photographer the images have a personal feel and don't look staged it is as he is shooting his friends and span over the twelve years of the Boosh they provide a unique insight into the characters behind the Mighty Boosh.

Inge Jacobsen

Artist Inge Jacobsen is painstakingly turning over saturated commercial images into ones of couture status. Her methods include hand embroidery, cutting, cross stitching and collage of well known commercial images, magazine covers and fashion advertisements into hand stitched unique, individual creations.

Her style is highlighting the image saturated society we play a part in and by breaking the image into its cross stitched design she redefines the image and in turn I feel embeds the image with fresh connotations away from its previous mass produced into individualism.  

 

Her use of cross stitching over the face of the model in both the magazine cover and fashion editorial shoot shows how the imagery we see doesn’t depend on the individual look of the model as we are accustomed to a pre-defined over saturated image of aesthetic beauty so by removing the details of the face we do not lose the appeal of the image. Jacobsen is allowing the imagery to become unique to our own perspective by removing the aesthetic ideals of mass produced images by her individual cross stitching.

I like how Jacobsen is allowing fashion imagery to become back to its routes of individual style rather than that of over saturated replica imagery.

Some other examples of her work -:

 

Pre-Raphaelite Femme Fatales

Lady Lever Art Gallery, Liverpool
‘A Pre-Raphaelite Journey,’ Eleanor Fortescue-Brickdale, 1 June to 4 November 2012.

Lady Lever Art Gallery current has an exhibition of Eleanor Fortescue-Brickdale work who was known as one of the key figures in the last phase of Pre-Raphaelitism, a generation younger than the original Pre-Raphaelites (1848) she helped to revive their style at the end of nineteenth century.

The Pre-Raphaelite style of heightened colour and hyper real detail was known for in their images of telling a story of mystical religiosity and femme’s fatales, it was of the Victorian era where Shakespeare and medieval quests was a source of inspiration.

The Lady Lever exhibition was a labyrinth design of three rooms showcasing in chronological order Brickdale’s work as painter, designer and illustrator. The walls were painted lilac with the images in gold mounted frames and panel boards in each room with background information on about that time period. Overall I wasn’t enthralled by the design as there was no variety in display techniques used or colour was not emphasised it was not in keeping with the Pre-Raphaelite style of heightened colour and mystical story telling. I think in the exhibition plan there could be more definition used between each room/time period of emphasising the key highlights of that period via use of colour and texture.

The aspect of the exhibition that I was interested in was how Brickdale showed women she celebrated their beauty as a scene of nature and women were not seen as just ethereal creatures to be adorned and adored but who had control of their own destiny by their own natural beauty and how it could be used to disarm and distract men.

 The little foot page, 1905.

In this image Brickdale showed a woman cutting her own hair to disguise herself as a man so she could follow her lover as he rode on horseback as not to be discovered by him. By her cutting her hair it is symbolic of the lengths women would go to trick their lover as in the Victorian period long waving hair was a sign of aesthetic beauty. The woman is shown to be cunning and scheming in following her lover, it highlights the differences that women are showing as the Victorian period progresses from the previous images of ethereal delicate creatures to now being connoted as devious in controlling their own beauty for their own gains.

Vivien and Merlin, 1911.

In this image Brickdale shows how Merlin the wizard is beguiled by Viviens beauty, it shows the power of women as a seductresses as she is disarming him in taking control of his magical powers. She is shown as a serpent like figure with emerald green cloak it is the use of animal analogy and the use of natural colours in showing how women could be seen as part of nature and animalistic in their qualities for their own self preservation by the tightness of her dress it has sexual connotations and how use of their feminine charm and dress can be used to disarm and distract, it shows Vivien as a femme fatale.

Recently photographer Ellen Von Unwerth photographed model Eniko Mihalik for July 2012 Vogue Italia in a shoot named ‘So full of dreams’ it is inspired by the Pre-Raphaelites but unlike Brickdale it goes back to the earlier stages of early nineteenth century and shows women as ethereal creatures to be adorned and adored in this case by lightweight dresses and sparkling jewels all by Chanel. It shows how when we think of the Pre-Raphaelites we like to imagine beautiful, delicate women but I like how that as the Pre-Raphaelite period ended at beginning of twentieth century women were now seen as more than having just aesthetic charm.

 

 

 

Some of my favourite images from Walker art gallery, Liverpool.

Lucien Freud – ‘Interior at Paddington,’ 1951.

 

The man in the image is Harry Diamond a well known photographer of the bourgeois London 60’s scene and Freud’s friend. I like that even though he is a close companion he captures him as wearing an ill fitting coat, mood of depression and anxiety by clenched fist and how he is focused on the plant which seems out of proportion to himself as though he is self consumed in his own feelings. I feel there is a comical element to the image of Freud denoting his friend as a moody, self consumed character.

 

Harold Gilman- ‘Mrs Mounter,’ 1916/17.

This image is of his landlady Mrs Mounter she is represented as a specific real character and is not glamorised in the process, the use of colour I like as is a balanced composition of her face against background I feel that the colours all blend nicely together to accurately represent Mrs Mounter in her own surroundings. Also the use of thick brush strokes re-immerse that she is a real character and is not highly staged to appear neat and exact but in true likeness to the character.

Paul Cezanne – ‘The murder,’ 1868.

Cezanne was an important figure in abstract art and cubism movement but this is an example of his earlier work I like how it is so different to his later work it is as his use of dark subject matter of anonymous violence as cannot see attackers faces and desolate surroundings is an indicator of his mind process of his confusion of trying to determine his style and his turmoil over the process by his blurred background and thick brush strokes used of bodies which is so different to his later style.

Frederick Sandys – ‘Helen of Troy,’ 1867.

This image I love as is an example of the Pre Raphaelite favoured style of beauty of her rosy cheeks, full lips and pale complexion. I think it is slightly humorous as well by her sullen and guilty expression by her eyes being out of focus it is as she is withholding a secret glimpse at someone, she was described as having fatal beauty which I feel this image represents by the juxtaposition of her sullen expression versus her features it is as the burden of being so beautiful comes at an expense.

Paulus Bor – ‘Mary Magdalene,’ 1630-39.

I think this image is dramatic, theatrical and emotional by the use of strong lighting effect above her head to illuminate her face of the repentant sinner. The use of colours and her posture all work by encapsulating on the story behind the image and it made me have an emotional sad response as you feel for her, it is very typical of the dramatic style of Baroque era.

The little artists, John Cake and Daniel Neave, ‘Hirst’s shark tank,’ 1994 and ‘Emin’s bed,’ 1999.

The conceptual artists Lego representations of Hirst’s and Emin’s work I feel is comical and a light-hearted reprimand to the effect of art as a commodity as is a humorous look at the power of the original art work and is showing how art is now a commodity.

Birgit Dieker, ‘Bad Mummy,’ Blue coat Liverpool.

Birgit Dieker 2005 sculpture ‘Bad Mummy’ was showcased as part of DaDaFest at Bluecoat in Liverpool the theme of the exhibition is questioning what it means to be perceived as normal and the codes of looking we establish in creation of a system of ideals that we as a society measure ourselves against.

‘Bad Mummy’ is a solid black leather form of a pregnant woman with obtrusive spiked pins and needles. The use of dark leather is symbolic as it is normally classified as fetishistic material so it is questioning the opposing ideals of sexual fantasies and motherhood. Leather also has associations with bondage and sexual dominance/submission so by being a pregnant limbless woman it raises the question that once a woman has given birth is she now just supposed to be submissive to her child at the cost of her own freedom and self identity.

‘Bad Mummy’ also works I feel in its setting it is perched high on metal stool and in the corridor against the white wall it connotes a feeling of aloneness as well as strength  of its impact on the passing visitor.

Contemporary Welsh Artists

Welshness as a theme conjures for me imagery of a rich cultural history and landscape which work by juxtaposing against one another creating a mythical dream like imagery, connoting the hardness of the industrial past coupled with majestic scenery

Contemporary Welsh art is unifying the past and landscape but also cementing that as the past in becoming more visual in display techniques not to just display history of Wales but also its innovative techniques.

Lois Williams - 'A reconstructed thing'

This has many connotations for me the way it is hung on the wall in equal distances from one another suggests the conformity of the past with its draping down and becoming more thread bare it reflects hanging onto past routes which are systematically falling away through time. I like how you can visually become part of the history of the production and its effect over time as metamorphosing into something which was not how maker intended, which is symbolic of holding onto Welsh national past.


Huw Jones - 'Tom Jones,' oil on canvas

The surrealist quality of the image appeals to me by choosing to portray Tom Jones an iconic Welsh personality it gives a comical approach it has a hyper-real quality by the displacement of background it is as he is floating, it looks Margritte inspired. I enjoy how the only real life like of the image is portrayed in Tom Jones face it is as he is laughing at the absurdity of his surroundings and his pposition as celebrity position, it acts as comical metaphor for the increaseness of the role of Celebrity importance played in society.


Tim Long - 'Dyffryn 1'

The initial reading I take is the connotation of subverted ugliness versus beauty balance as by the placement of displayed face against an aesthetically pleasing background of flowers it is challenging the notion of how we analyse beauty and the collage 3D effect of the face is demanding attention against background, it is as the subverted face is challenging the person reaching towards the flowers. For me his mix of colours works by blending the piece together but the redness in the face is obtrusive and reflects to viewer a harshness that remains behind our perceived values of what constitutes as beauty.