CULT [kuhlt] noun : refers to a cohesive social group and their devotional beliefs or practices, which the surrounding population considers to be outside of mainstream cultures.

INDIVIDUALITY [in-duh-vij-oo-al-i-tee] noun : the state or quality of being an individual; a person separate from other persons and possessing his or her own needs, goals, and desires.

CULT OF INDIVIDUALITY : A group of people with the same ideals of being true to themselves by not doing, acting, or pursuing what others think they should. Reaching that level of comfort with self where you can acknowledge, respect, and appreciate other people's tastes and styles, while never imposing your own judgement. Belonging to a crew where diversity and being different is not only welcomed, but encouraged.
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Thursday, February 23, 2012

A Picture Worth A Thousand Words... Or At Least A Few

One of the most celebrated ways Designer's spread word of their current collections are through the much anticipated Fashion Show.  Every season around the world, cities designate about a week in which all designer's showcase their upcoming collections, in hopes of catching the eyes and hearts of its market.  Since there is limited space at a show, access is granted mostly to the movers and shakers in the industry, including celebrities, designers, stylists, buyers, forecasters, and of course fashion's bridge to the public, the media.

Designer's rely on a variety of media resources to spread the good word on their collections. The internet alone provides multiple sources to catch a glimpse of these collections, including videos, reviews, images, articles, interviews, social media sites and blogs.  Appreciators of fashion have had to entrust fashion bloggers, authors, and reviewers to provide them with a vision so vivid, that the pictures provided are only complimentary to illustrative piece.  Cathy Horyn, writer for The New York Times covers the paper's major fashion news, including fashion week coverage for shows taking place all over the world.  Her work is a perfect example of how creative language can clearly convey a complete vision of the collection without picture.  I've attached a Horyn article from today, regarding garments featured from both MaxMara and Fendi Collections, during London's Fashion Week.  To grasp the hints of imagery disguised within Horyn's article, "With a Bustle, Milan Turns Somber", I've pulled key words that rendered the visuals in your head.  Look it over and then tell me, can you truly imagine what the collections look like?

Luca Bruno/Associated Press - Fendi, fall 2012.

With a Bustle, Milan Turns Somber

http://runway.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/02/23/with-a-bustle-milan-turns-somber/#more-18463
Feb 23, 2010
Max Mara, fall 2012.
Valerio Mezzanotti/NowFashion.com 
Max Mara, fall 2012.

Before the Fendi show today, I ran into the stylist Charlotte Stockdale in the jammed backstage area. We were surrounded by models with braided hair, furry shoulders and eyelids streaked white with powder. “Snow on branches,” Ms. Stockdale explained. The allusion was to Karl Lagerfeld’s winter forest colors. Or, as he wrote in the press notes of the deep greens, soft browns and wine reds: “The sparkle of the dark, miles away from classic black…” Shoes also had a dash of white.

You might say the mood of the Milan fall collections, which began on Wednesday, is rarefied and rationale rather than conservative or classic. Bauhaus architecture and the movies of Fritz Lang were inspirations for MaxMara’s relatively clean shapes punctuated by a single sharp detail or contrast, like a wool coat with a skirt of sheared fur or wool jersey tops banded in crocodile-stamped leather. There were also good-looking wool dresses and jackets with draped backs that recalled a classic couture shape, and a terrific update of the jumpsuit, now as an illusion of a cropped wool jacket with slim trousers. Shoes were silver heels and outfits included gaiters.


Fendi, fall 2012.
Luca Bruno/Associated Press 
Fendi, fall 2012
At Fendi, while I was chatting with Ms. Stockdale, a dresser was buffing a model’s wide patent leather belt, the oval front piece about the size of a small serving tray. Fendi was an engaging mixture of textures and modern shapes that nonetheless hinted of the past, or what Mr. Lagerfeld imagines from the past. You can’t connect anything he does to a specific reference, though. He sees a forest — maybe in France, maybe in Germany — and out comes an ivory sweater with a front covered in long brown and cream fur. Or it’s a shapely black leather shift with puffed cotton sleeves, or a sleek gray wool coat with fur sleeves worn over leggings in a pattern that mimicked a stingray’s skin. Some skirts had a bustle effect, with a pleated panel. Round shapes played off hard-edged ones, and shoes and laced-up booties were usually a composite of materials, including flannel and crocodile. A long-haired fur coat in chromium yellow, with a brown striped fur down the front, could be a nod to early abstract painters or just a light in the Lagerfeld forest.


1. Silhouette & Design:
 - Bauhuas architecture (A school of design established by Walter Gropius in Weimar in 1919, known for its designs of objects based on functionalism and simplicity)
- Clean Shapes
- Draped backs
- Cropped Wool jacket
- Slim Trousers
- Modern Shapes
- Bustle Effect
- Sleek

2. Details:
- Furry Shoulders
- Sheared Fur
- Single Sharp Detail
- Contrast
- Mixture of Textures
- Long haired Fur
- Puffed Sleeves
- Pleated Panel
- Laced up Booties
- Wide Belt/ Oval Front Piece

3. Color:
- Winter Forest Colors
- Deep Greens
- Soft Browns
- Wine Reds
- Dash of White
- Silver Shoes
- Ivory Sweater w/ long brown & cream
- Grey
- Chromium Yellow

4. Fabric:
- Crocodile Stamped Leather
- Wool 
- Sheared Fur
- Wool Jersey
- Patent Leather
- Black Leather
- Cotton

5. Creative Jargon:
- Classic Couture Shape 
- Rarefied
- Rationale
- Movies of Fritz Lang

3 comments:

  1. I really liked this article, but it's interesting how they consider it "somber." Was it not 4 years ago that Marc Jacobs released a fall/winter collection that was supposedly so relevant to the economic situation we are in? I feel as though the writing style was acceptable, but a little bit overdramatic, if you ask me.

    Somber would be if they didn't money for a runway this season.

    - chloeandcoke.tumblr.com

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  2. I completely agree with your statement "Her work is a perfect example of how creative language can clearly convey a complete vision of the collection without picture." I really admire Cathy Horyn's writing style and cannot emphasize how much I believe her selection of words and creative jargon makes her articles come to life. I'm so glad you feel the same way too!

    (side, yet important note) You have once again impressed me with your blog entry, and more importantly...you're writing skills! You'd totally give Cathy Horyn a run for her money!! I can't wait to see your post next week!

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  3. Vanessa, I also loved your post. I was firstly very interested by its title "A Picture Worth A Thousand Words... Or At Least A Few" which I totally agree with. And you are so right about all the information given about Cathy Horyn's article, her vocabulary about trends is very rich and understandable!
    Thank you!
    Aurélie

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