The new series use beads, metal findings and bright colours. I like using text on these so if you think of anything you'd like to see, let me know!
Don't forget my Christmas in July Sale finishes Sunday 24th July (that's tomorrow!!). Use coupon code july10 to get 10% off your cuff order :-) But hurry!!
I am finally home! I finished my 10 month contract on my current cruise ship, changed over the cast and got home safely. I was charged an obscene amount to get my bags home though, but that's another story :-)
Before I left New York I got the chance to see the Alexander McQueen exhibition, Savage Beauty, at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
In short it was spectacular.
Alexander McQueen is one of my heroes. His work combines soft and hard, tailored and draped, ordinary and fantastical, printed and plain. The exhibition was beautifully put together, staged in well designed spaces that reflected the feel of the pieces within.
Each section of the exhibition had an excellent and well informed introduction and included quotes from Lee throughout. These ranged from informative to profound to just plain funny! Here are a few of my favourites:
I spent a long time learning how to construct clothes, which is important to do before you can deconstruct them.
I want to empower women. I want people to be afraid of the women I dress.
When you see a woman wearing McQueen, there's a certain hardenss to the clothes that makes her look powerful. It kind of fends people off.
Britain always led the way in every field possible in the world from art to pop music. Eve from the days of Henry VIII. It's a nation where people come and gloat at what we have as a valuable heritage, be it some good, some bad, but there's no place like it on earth.
As a place for inspiration it's the best in the world... You're inspired by the anarchy in the country.
Someone wrote that [the watch chains - from Highland Rape A/W 1995-6] were tampons... that's not even perverse; it's just gross.
I want to be the purveyor of a certain silhouette or a way of cutting, so that when I am dead and gone people will know that the twenty-first century was started by Alexander McQueen.
As I was reading the last quote, two girls were next to me and they laughed at it... but it's true. The styles that have been started by Alexander McQueen have seeped into the high street and been watered down for the general consumer. These people have now idea how influenced by him their wardrobes are!
This exhibition was profound and very sad for me. Alexander McQueen was a real artist and genius. His work and words speak to me on so many levels it is hard to explain. Seeing his work on display almost brought a tear to my eye as I remembered that he is no longer with us to create such great work. Sarah Burton will continue his legacy well, but the House of McQueen will never ben the same without Lee.
If you are in New York you need to go see this exhibition. If you can't make it get the book, every piece has been beautifully photographed and there is even stuff in there not in the exhibition.
You can see more photos from the exhibition on the Met's Flickr photostream here
The second exhibition I went to see at the Muesum of Fine Arts, Boston was Scaasi: American Couturier. This small exhibit showcases the designer’s made to measure work through four of his clients, including Barbra Striesand.
I am ashamed to say I had not heard of Scaasi before, however several of his pieces were recognisable. His use of fabrics really caught my eye. He was not afraid to use bold colours or textures in his work. Several of his pieces from the 1980s oppitimised the time and styles of the period. His pieces for Barbra Striesand emphasised her character and quirkiness while still being elegant and stylish. Scaasi was also not afraid to use new materials of the time. Several of his dresses display plastic beading and metallic lace.
Though there were few pieces in this exhibit I enjoyed it immensely. I have discovered a new designer that I must research further. His combinations of fabrics and trims were inspired and I am a particular fan of his bold use of colour.
Currently my ship is in Dry Dock. This means they take the ship right out of the water and make improvements and repairs to it. My ship is about 6 years old now so this is a routine dry dock, not an emergency or anything!
Luckily for me, we are dry docked in Boston, one of my favourite places! I also discovered that the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston has three exhibitions going on at the moment that I really wanted to see: Avedon Fashion 1944-2000, The fashion photography of Richard Avedon, Scaasi: American Couturier, select fashions by Arnold Scaasi and Embroideries of Colonial Boston: Samplers, a selection of Samplers from the 18th Century. I will post about each one individually, so lets begin with the fashion photography of Avedon.
Avedon began his photographic career in the army taking id photos but after World War two he was thrust into the work of fashion. He has photographed covers for Haper’s Bazaar and Vogue and was the first resident photographer for the New Yorker. His use of light and focus is astounding. Most of the work on display was tradition black and white, which Avedon used to his advantage emphasizing shapes and silhouettes on the models. His photos of Suzie Parker are always playful, showing real people, not just models.
He was challenged to show the original beauty of Paris while it was still in its post-war stages, which he did to remarkable effect. His photos in the Moulin Rouge, Cirque D’Hiver and on the street brought Paris back to life.
One of my favourite sets of photos in the exhibition was one of the most modern. In colour and using a live model and a skeleton, Avedon photographed haute couture against a wasteland backdrop. The pieces are lingering and emotional in an unspeakable way.
Most of all Avedon’s work is simple and clean. His shots are not always in focus, but that is part of their beauty, capturing the movement of the woman inside the fashion. His pieces bring out the inner beauty of his subjects to compliment themselves and what they wear.
My current cruise ship is out of NYC and while running errands and wandering around I get the chance to see some interesting stuff. Here are a few photos I took while on a walk a couple of weeks ago that I wanted to share.
Macy's has some of the best window displays I've ever seen. Often they have displays in tribute the Broadway shows, but on this day they had Glee windows! The Nationals display above was my fave but I also liked how they were promoting regular clothing by showing it as the costumes from the show below:
After Macy's I went to Mood fabrics, my favourite fabric store in NYC. It's quite hard to find but well worth it if you're in the city. On the way I found this painting on the side of a building and thought it apt:
I like finding old signage particularly in cities like New York. I was having a costume and fashion filled day when finally I stumbled upon this display along Broadway:
Sidewalk Catwalk is an exhibition of fashion all the way along Broadway for all to see. Some pieces are more sculptural:
While others show actual clothing:
And others are just plain interesting:
I had three stand-out favourites of the pieces I came across. The first was a combination of natural fibres and traditional African style:
I like the odd use of materials and the exposure of the understructure. Though not necessarily actual fashion, Kenneth Cole's contribution is my second favourite:
Profound statement in the traditional black! Finally, my favourite of them all was this piece by Naeem Khan:
It is made from chain mail style metal links juxtaposed with an intricately embroidered body. The simple silver contrasts with the brightly coloured stitching on fine net:
I found the combination of soft and hard working together in this piece very interesting and was particularly taken with the pattern embroidered on the body. The colours are bright but not overpowering and work well with the silver of the metal.
I ♥ NYC!
While I was in New York I made a visit to the Metroplitan Museum of Art. I went to see their latest exhibition - American Woman: Fashioning a National Identity. If you are in the area I urge you to go see this exhibition. It celebrates the addition of the costume collection, formerly housed at the Brooklyn Museum, to the Met. There are some beautiful pieces on display including my favourite - a rare sweater from 1895 with mutton sleeves!
The exhibition shows clothing from the 1890s to the 1940s displaying them in 'character' groups It begins with the heiress which consists of evening gowns made by French designers, the most famous and prominent being the House of Worth. I took the time to sketch my favourite gown from 1900 - lavender silk satin with lace and tulle sporting a wheat-ear embroidery decorated with beads sequins and rhinestones.
Next came the Gibson Girls with their leg of mutton sleeves and practical linens. I particularly liked a bathing suit in this section that was very nautical in style. Next came the Bohemians with their floating gowns and art deco patterns. One dress dated 1909-11 from France used strands of beads in sections for decoration.
The Suffragists and Patriots were next. I want to research further the buttons and ribbons worn by the Suffragists. Their united colours of gold, purple, white and green and later purple, white and gold interest me and I would like to incorporate it into my work some how. There were several gorgeous beaded flapper dresses to follow. Those dresses are so intricate but so delicate that I hope my $20 donation will go towards properly storing them when the exhibition is over. The final section of the exhibition was dedicated to screen sirens. This section was full of what I consider true American style. Slinky satin dresses cut in the bias with twists and pleats to emphasis the figure. My favourite was by a costume designer called Travis Banton from the movie Limehouse Blues. The gown is a combination of a Chinese cheongsam with a high collar and side opening and a Belle Epoque era dress with a train. It features a huge dragon motif made of gold and silver sequins that sweeps from the neck all the way down to the train.
My only complaint about this exhibition was the wigs used on the mannequins. I am used to displays that have period correct wigs or representations of such. These were not period correct, nor did I think they were even well executed. I expected more of the Met in this department but for the most part it didn't distract from the gorgeous costumes on display.
Go see it - find out more at the Met website here
Well now, It's been a while since I got chance to post because it has been super crazy at work. But finally I can sit at my computer and send you something interesting. This issue has popped up on a couple of the sites I frequent so I thought it would be good to mention it here also.
Apparently our love of handmade has now gone designer! Sublime Stitching's Jenny Hart reported on her website of a Fendi handbag that comes as an embroidery kit. It is a plain canvas bad which you can embroider yourself. However, because of the designer label the price of this kit is $995!! I'll have two of those please, one for the week and one for the weekend!
Recently, Louis Vuitton was asked to stop using a new line of ads by the Advertising Standards Agency. The ads showed models working on the products and claimed that they were 'handmade'. The ASA said "We had not seen evidence that demonstrated the extent to which Louis Vuitton products were made by hand, we concluded the ads were misleading". In response Louis Vuitton sttod by their advertising, saying that they were merely an homage to the artisans that make such products.
What do you think about big names such an Fendi and Louis Vuitton getting in on the handmade action? Are they pulling the focus away from us independent designers or are they making a larger market aware of the possibility to buy handmade?? Leave your comments to let me know!
Interesting links:
Sublime Stitching's post of the Fendi Bag
UK Handmade's post about Louis Vuitton
More info on the Louis Vuitton situation on Stylite
