Tuesday, April 6, 2010

Couture can do

Day of days: Introduction to Art History is over! Nooooo wayyy
Crazy stuff eh? I'm sad. The slide test was ehhh, mehh, blahh (Enter any kind of nondescript noise HERE). It was ok I guess. Modern art and I have a love hate relationship. On to fa fa fa fa fashion

Haute Couture refers to 'high dressmaking' or 'high sewing' and is the practice of creating special custom clothing for a high end clientele. While fashion is art, I interpret Couture asthe avant-garde of the art world. I want to take Couture creations and put them in museum exhibits because they challenge beauty and are just so breathtaking... It is a way for designers to channel their most difficult ideas into cloth and fabric and no be restricted by the ready-to-wear standards.

I found some of my favorite Spring 2010 Couture looks have roots in popular culture and art. Take a gander...

Alexis Mabille
While not a regular couture shower Mabille executes a neat new visual experience. These couture looks split the wearer right down the middle, from top to toe and are a perfect example of color blocking. The rich tailoring is evident in the neatly cinched suit jacket and streamlined pants and the dress is a wonderful A line shape.
I'm not going to lie, my immediate response to these looks was that it reminded me of 'Two Face' from the Batman franchise... Think I'm wrong?
Top to toe people... and Tommy Lee nails this.

Mabille also credits the Cubist movement as inspiration and funnily enough this Picasso painting (Demoiselles d'Avignon, 1907, Cubism) was on my slide test today...
Armani Privé

Ok, so it's pretty obvious that Armani was taking inspiration from the moon. Giorgio... please dress me. A palette of very light pastels and the staple black and white mixed with several shimmering shades of grey make this collection a breath of the freshest air.
Moony examples... (from top left) Curvilinear ruffles, crescent shaped bag, the same curved shoe and a crescent clasp on a jacket

This collection reminded me of another image from my slide list... Gustav Klimt's The Kiss (1907 -8, Symbolism). There is something light and feathery about this painting that I associate with feelings of the moon and romanticism and dreams. Yes, it's a different color palette, but the lustrous fabric reminds me of Giorgio's shimmering pant suits.

Givenchy and Valentino

Ok boys and girls... if you haven't seen Avatar yet, well don't worry it's even permeated the fashion world in the form of Givenchy's fantastical blue and green patterned suits and in Valentino's blue shoulders and colored eye makeup. Seems as though Pandora is on everyone's mind.




When I saw the blue pantsuit above I was immediately reminded of James Cameron's film and the tribal body paint.




At Valentino the blue shoulders were a big shout out to the epic film. The colorful dusting of the eyes also helps and looking at the gown on the top right I am reminded of startling plant life that seems slightly extra terrestrial.
A look at the Avatar characters (Go see it! It's a stunning visual)

-Life is good

Listening to: Florence and the Machine - 'My boy builds coffins' (It's fantastic!)
Observations: Last week of classes
Craving: Chocolate

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