McQueen and I

This weeks film club featured the documentary 'McQueen and I', this was the first time I had watched this film and I really enjoyed it. I feel that the documentary really gives an insight into not only McQueen as a brand but also as a person. I found what I learnt from the documentary regarding McQueen's childhood and life prior to his name becoming one of the grandest fashion houses in the world, particularly compelling and insightful. The glamour and high speed life you may link with McQueen was not so in his early life. McQueen grew up in Stratford, East London with his mother, father and 5 siblings where he led a very 'normal' childhood. His hobby, sketching garments inspired by birds of prey he saw from his bedroom window, thought to be the inspiration for many of his collections in his later life.

The documentary featured many of the closest people in McQueens life, his brother, closest friends, former boyfriend, former employers, and above all a companion that although he did not have a romantic relationship with, could only be described as a soul mate, Isabella Blow.

Blow, a fashion journalist was an extravagant, vivacious character, but below the surface had deep issues of her own. The 'I' in 'McQueen and I' Isabella Blow was described in the film as an 'aristocrat and fashion anarchist, lawless and irreverent'. She was sacked from both her jobs at magazine companies Tatler and American Vogue. February 1992 was when Blow first came face to face with McQueen's work which she immediately fell in love with, she spotted something particular and special within his designs. McQueen later sold his collection to Blow, which is the point I would say their companionship stemmed from. Blow took mcQueen under her wing and began marketing him to the press. Throughout their friendship the pair undeniably experienced their ups and downs, but it was made clear throughout the film that the pair thought a lot of each other. Blow described McQueen as 'A wild bird with a good silhouette'. I wasn't aware before watching this documentary that 'Alexander' was not McQueens name but in fact his middle name, his birth name being, Lee. Isabella explained she called him 'Alexander' as it made her think 'Alexander, the great' and she explained to him that his clothes were more likely to sell if he used the name 'Alexander'.

Now known as the 'Rebel King of Fashion' McQueen was a sensitive soul and often struggled to face the criticism he was dealt. It was made clear through the documentary just how much of a showman he really was, his fashion shows were always so captivating and theatrical but often spurred a lot of controversy particularly from the press. Many of McQueen's shows had a shock element to them, however two specific moments of his career which stand out for being controversially shocking which feature in the film, his S/S 1997 and Spring 2001 RTW collections. The 1997 collection was based on a 100 foot catwalk, the floor being swamped in water. The collection was inspired by puppet like dolls and in the image to the right, a supermodel, Debra Shaw walked the catwalk with a monocle, which McQueen explained was used in order to give her a jerky, mechanical movement. However critics saw connotations of slavery within this act and McQueen was accused of misogyny, not for the first time. I really do believe that it was this shock factor, that McQueen thrived on, which featured in so many of his shows, that has made him such a memorable designer.

Alexander McQueen - Spring 2001 RTW

Sadly following the suicide of Isabella Blow in May 2007, Alexander McQueen also committed suicide by hanging himself in his wardrobe after taking a concoction of pills including cocaine, sleeping pills and tranquillisers in February 2010. Thankfully his name, legacy and brand lives on.

If you have an interest in either Isabella Blow or Alexander McQueen or just have a general curiosity regarding the documentary 'McQueen and I' it can be found on youtube so to watch it simply follow the link below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fNK2mKT8n9o

Love, Isabella x 

Photo Credits: Google images 

Dior and I

As part of my university studies, we have 2 hours a week dedicated to film club where we will watch a fashion related film, this week we watched the film 'Dior and I'. I was really inspired by the documentary and as Raf Simons stepped down from his position as creative director within the company this week, I thought it would be particularly relevant to blog about.

The Film predominantly focused on Raf Simons and the creation of his debut collection for the company, from him meeting his fellow colleagues for the first time, to the catwalk featuring his debut collection for Dior couture AW 2012/13. Raf had just 8 weeks to create the collection, for it to be ready for the catwalk in time and the film captured this intense journey in such a captivating manner.

Something which stood out for me within the film was that Raf was often described as a 'minimalist'. However, I disagree with this statement and believe it to be a narrow minded view. Raf also disagrees with this statement and within the film explained that actually he is not a minimalist, he had just taken on a minimalist brand in the past. I think branding Raf as a minimalist is unfair, because previously he was working for a brand where he had to be, however that doesn't mean that minimalism is all he is capable of. Raf said he was now on a big stage working with Dior and he would step up, and oh he did, along with proving that he definitely isn't a minimalist.

I found having an insight into how Raf works really interesting. The film showed that he does not sketch like the majority of designers but instead he prepares files, which include inspirations and ideas etc. These files will then be presented to people who will sketch their perception of the files. Finally Raf will decide which designs he particularly likes and will then choose to use within his collections.

Christian Dior Couture A/W 2012/13

My favourite part of the documentary has to be the preparation of and the catwalk itself! The walls of the catwalk were completely floral, put together with one million fresh flowers. Orchids, roses and carnations (the list goes on) covered the walls of the five private salons. The catwalk was bursting with colour which made the show so captivating (visit the link at the bottom of this post to watch the full show).

This Thursday after 3 and a half years, Raf Simons resigned from Dior. Raf took over the position as Christian Dior's creative director from Bill Gaytten in 2012. In the official press release Raf stated that his exit from the design house was due 'personal reasons'. In a statement he said 'Christian Dior is an extraordinary company, and it has been an immense privilege to write a few pages of his magnificent book'. Thankfully Raf won't disappearing from the fashion world completely, in Antwerp his menswear collection still remains.

I would highly recommend watching 'Dior and I' particularly for those of you interested in fashion, whether it be design or any other aspect such as PR or communications!

To watch Christian Dior Couture A/W 2012/13 full show please visit;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6IL148Lo88

Love, Isabella x

Photo Credits: Google images 

The White Shirt - To Conform or Rebel?

I have been looking into fashion conformity, and have chosen to specifically scrutinise a classic garment, the white shirt. This garment is a staple item of the wardrobe, but do you conform or rebel in terms of the white shirt?

Conformity is all about belonging, fitting in with the norm, following trends, meeting expectations and overall being conservative. A conforming white shirt would be smart, symmetrical and is likely to have a standard, classic or semi spread collar, with a basic one button square cuff.

The White Shirt - Conform 

To rebel is about being different, an outsider, original, the maverick, an individualist, radical and challenging. Where a conforming white shirt is likely to have connotations of being smart, I found that rebelling white shirts were often more casual. The white shirts I believed to be rebelling included those which were asymmetric, cropped, pleated or backless, with features such as an unusual cuff or collar design or even no collar at all. I also came across a particular white shirt which had cut out lettering.

The White Shirt - Rebel

I began my research into the white shirt by creating two Pinterest boards (links can be found at the bottom of this post), one based on conformity and one based on rebellion. I then collected images of the white shirt which I pinned to the board I felt was appropriate. When categorising an image into either of the boards I found it was sometimes difficult to distinguish actually which board it belonged to. I think this is because the white shirt is so widely popular and worn and has been for a long period of time now, meaning it has been adapted and altered quite a lot. For example an oversized white shirt may seem rebelling when compared with the original white shirt, but in fact in my opinion this may actually fall into the conformity board, as an oversized white shirt has actually become so widely worn that it too has become a norm, a conformity.

If you're interested in the conformity/rebellion of the white shirt check out my Pinterest boards based on these themes;

https://uk.pinterest.com/ichriston/the-white-shirt-conformist/

https://uk.pinterest.com/ichriston/the-white-shirt-rebel/

Love, Isabella x

Photo Credit: Pinterest 

Dominant Trends

Last week for my personal studies I had been asked to go away at the weekend and look for dominant trends in six different fields, Colour, Garment, Pattern, Graphic design/illustration, Environment/Interiors and Message/Idea. My first uni seminar this week was based around this idea of 'dominant trends'. In groups we discussed what we had found to be the dominant trends in each of the areas we had been asked to research into and shared our ideas. I am lucky enough to have access to WGSN through uni, so this was a great resource when completing this task. I also used Vouge.com and a range of other magazines alongside WGSN to gather information.

In our groups we were asked to place each of the dominant trends we had found into categories.
Mega Trend: Global forces of development and evolution that impacts anything from business to cultures for example, urbanisation, recession or an ageing population.
Macro Trend: 'The most important trends', these are large scale sustained shifts in consumer change an example of a macro trend could be 'Healthy living', or 'The outdoors'.
Micro Trend: A small trend, which can involve just 1% of the population. A micro trend can often be part of a wider macro trend.  
Fad: A very temporary, short-lived trend. A fad quickly gains popularity however declines quickly also.

In this blog post I will share a few of my preferred, most interesting findings which I have displayed in a mood board-esque style.

I began looking into colour trends as I felt this would be the easiest and most obvious trend category to work with, after all colour is everywhere. My findings proved that momentarily blossom pink was a dominant trend colour. I feel it is the perfect colour to guide us smoothly through the transition from summer to autumn. I decided to place this colour trend in the micro trend category as I consider it as more than a fad, as this colour makes up part of the 'pastel' colour palette which is also a dominant trend which we have seen year upon year.

Colour Trend: Blossom Pink 

Next I began searching for dominant garment trends, to which I felt the turtle neck was a strong contender. This garment grew as a trend last year and often appearing on a chunky knit jumper, I believe the turtle neck will stay a dominant trend again this season, due to it being so practical during the cold months. I placed this garment trend in the micro trend category as although it gained popularity last year it has managed to remain popular into this A/W season, whereas a fad would lose popularity and interest in a significantly shorter time frame.

Garment Trend: Polo Neck 

When researching examples of trends which fell into the 'Environment/ Interiors' category I came across the pendant light. The pendant light has appeared not only within homes, but has also been a major trend within visual merchandising. I placed the pendant light trend in the fad category because I feel that it reflects the economic downturn, being a fad which has stemmed from the mega trend, 'the recession'. The pendant light is minimalistic and bare so became popular within the recession as it was cheap due to its simplicity. As we overcome the recession I believe this trend will begin to decline, hence why I have labelled the pendant light a fad.

Environment/Interior Trend: The Pendant Light

Hopefully I have managed to give you an insight into dominant trends and types of trend through this blog post. There are more trend related posts to come in the near future, so its worth keeping an eye out if trend is something you're interested in!

Love, Isabella x

Photo Credits: Google images, Pinterest

Military - Mini Trend Report

Khaki and Leather are two big trends we associate with 'military' that have seemed to dominate our wardrobes over the past few years, particularly our Autumn/Winter wardrobe where the khaki parka and leather jacket will be found.

Khaki and camo print dominated the S/S catwalks of 2015, luxury brand collections which showcased a military vibe included, Ralph Lauren (S/S 2015 RTW), Louis Vuitton (S/S 2015 RTW) and Paul Smith (S/S 2015 RTW). The military trend appeared on the catwalk again for A/W 2015/16 with Roberto Cavalli (A/W 2015/16 RTW) sporting the khaki parka, Ashish (A/W 2015/16 RTW) and not forgetting the king of military himself, Oliver Rousteing for Balmian (A/W 2015/16 RTW). I feel that Rousteing really did the military trend justice with his collection of gabardine jackets, drawstrings, gold detailing, heavy pleats and belts. 

Generally the military trend is surrounded by the idea of 'masculinity'', I feel the popularity of the boyish trend has stemmed from the idea of women rebelling from stereotypes. Women are trading cutesy pink for a dirty khaki based colour palette, maybe to demonstrate power and strength linked with fighting in the war. However, having said this I feel that we will now begin to see the military trend feminise. The Asish A/W 2015/16 RTW catwalk embraced the camo print... in the form of sequins and a camo jacket was styled with a sequin dress on Saint Laurent's S/S 2016 runway! I really admire how both Ashish and Saint Laurent have dared to combine such masculine, grungy prints and garments with sequins and dresses which have such strong links with femininity.

Not only have military themed products, garments and colour palettes become broadly popular, military themed fashion photography is also part of what makes up this trend. Props which would stereotypically feature on a military themed shoot include belts, knee pads, back packs, guns, aviator sunglasses and hats or caps. The models alongside these props often have a stereotypically male or 'unladylike' stance or pose which reflects the true nature of the military theme of the shot. Backdrops and locations are usually dishevelled and unkempt with a dusty, grungy feel to them. I feel that all of these aspects I have listed, locations, model stance and props all contribute to giving a military feel and even transforming a khaki product to a khaki product with a military feel.

Feel free to check out my Pinterest board based on military as a narrative;  https://uk.pinterest.com/ichriston/military-the-narrative/

Love, Isabella x

Photo Credits: Google images, Pinterest 

The Palm Tree Motif - Mini Trend Report

Vogue Latin America cover 

This year saw the return of the palm tree after the motif being such a phenomenon on the catwalks last year but not in the form of a Hawaiian Dad shirt. Designers who bought the palm tree motif to us in 2014 include Marc Jacobs (S/S 2014 RTW), Noon by Noor (Resort 2014 and S/S 2014) and Fausto Puglisi (Spring 2014 RTW). The motif reappeared for the 2015 catwalks, within collections such as Oskhlen (S/S 2015 RTW) and Nicole Miller (S/S 2015). Topshop, H&M, Missguided and Motel are a few of those amongst high street brands to showcase garments featuring the palm tree motif.

Forget Me Not spring lookbook 

Not only has the palm tree motif been used on garments throughout fashion, but has become a familiar feature of both photoshoot and runway sets. The palm tree has such strong connotations of relaxation, summer, happiness, paradise and has an overall tropical vibe, which is why I think it keeps cropping up, it's the motif epitome of the summer season! If you thought of the top three motifs which make you think 'summer' I'm guessing palm tree is in there somewhere? 

Anna Sui Spring 2016 RTW 

Tommy Hilfiger S/S 2016 RTW 

If you thought fashion had exhausted the palm tree, that is not the case, yet again the palm tree is set to show again in Summer 2016. The motif has already featured on not only S/S 2016 collection garments but also runways sets, both Anna Sui and Tommy Hilfiger (above images) opted for beach themed shows with palm trees making up their sets to display their collections, which also featured the palm tree motif on many of the garments.

To view Tommy Hilfiger S/S 2016 RTW catwalk visit; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PYk4McQ3w2g

This has been my first mini trend report I hope it has given you an insight into the trending palm tree motif, many more trend reports to come!

Love, Isabella x

Photo Credits: Vogue.com, Pinterest

Fashion Communication and Promotion

Hi! Seeing as this is my first blog post I thought explaining the reason behind my blog and a bit of background would be a good place to start. Okay so I've wanted to start a blog for a while now but have always been unsure of how to go about it and two weeks into my university life I have been asked to do so as part of my course, so finally I have come round to creating one! I am studying Fashion Communication and Promotion at Nottingham Trent University which so far I am loving. 

I've wanted a career in fashion for as long as I can remember, as this has always been where my passion lies, but fashion is a minefield when it comes to actually picking one path you want to take, theres just so many options, from design to styling and buying to visual merchandising. Even now, I'm not 100% sure of the career I want,  I have ideas (possibly styling, visual merchandising or PR) but I'm hoping my studies will highlight what I enjoy and where I excel, helping me to make this decision. When you tell people that you're studying fashion they automatically think you're a designer as if thats all fashion is about, in fact I chose to study Fashion Communication and Promotion because I didn't want to go into fashion design, I still wanted to do something creative, but with slightly more of a business slant to it. Being unsure about exactly which path I want to take within fashion makes this course so suited to me, its just SO broad, it covers so many different aspects of the industry, from styling to print and visual merchandising to journalism meaning I have the opportunity to learn about and explore so many features which make up the fashion industry. Being subjected to such a vast range of topics throughout fashion within my studies will give me the ability to make a well informed decision as to which fashion career is best suited to me. 

The fashion industry is so competitive so I felt it was important that the course I chose to study allowed me to cover a wide range of aspects meaning I was not limited with knowledge nor jobs at the end of the course due to only being qualified in one area. When trawling through the internet, researching into universities and courses last year it seemed silly to limit my self to study fashion styling alone when I had the option to study Fashion Communication and Promotion which not only covered styling but so much more! So maybe you want to study fashion but not design or you're not completely sure on what you want to study within fashion I advise you look into FCP. I think its a great course with many opportunities which could be exactly what you're looking for - I highly recommend! 

Love, Isabella x