Day 14 - Fashion on Film, Dior

Yesterday I went to the Barbican in London to see a showing of Dior & I, armed with a camera with no battery, (I know, not my finest moment). If you've never been to the Barbican it's this huge 1960's complex in the City of London (mostly banks and offices just east of the main tourist bit) dedicated to the arts. Fashion, music, installation, film, education and art events are shown year round and I thought it would be the best place to see a cultural film like this. 

Dior & I follows Raf Simons as he makes the move from ready-to-wear at minimalist brand Jil Sander to the feminine extravagance of couture Dior, and the design and production of his first collection which has a deadline of 8 weeks, only a fraction of the amount of time usually taken to create a show of this calibre. 

I'll get my only negative out of the way first, I wouldn't necessarily recommend this film to anybody with dyslexia as fair proportion was French with English subtitles that were on the screen so briefly that I couldn't read and watch at the same time, which I found frustrating.

I felt that the film captured so many of the struggles and joys that come with the work openly and honestly. The language barriers, the roles of different employees within the house, the extra hours which have to be pulled to get garments ready for shows, the history of the house and being a newcomer in such an established atelier. There was a large focus on the seamstresses producing the toiles in the ateliers which I found fascinating, it's wonderful that such skill remains in such a fast fashion world.

I don't want to use the term "character" as he is a real man, but I found the personal story of Raf Simons fascinating. Shy and anxious at times yet still dedicated and determined to do the best to fill the shoes left for him. The contrast between this man and some of the fierce or extraverted personalities which are often depicted in fashion is very evident, he seemed almost, and I'm scared to say it, normal and likeable.

Most importantly however it was inspiring. Simons repeated a number of times how excited he is for the future, which is just such a good attitude to have. Learn from the past but always be looking forward. The workmanship and level of perfection on the clothing was just phenomenal, and the finished garments themselves were stunning. Although perhaps that goes without saying - it is Dior after all.


Find showings where you live here:
http://www.diorandimovie.com/screenings/

Day 13 - Exhibition Time

One of the benefits of being home for the Easter holidays is being able to do things with my Mum. While the overlap of our interests is small we still manage to find things today, and yesterday I chose to see a collection of Vivienne Westwood's work which is being displayed at the English Heritage site of Danson House, only a 10 minute walk from my house.

The majority of the items are on loan from the V&A. If you're not familiar with the way museums work, the collections which you see on display are often only a tiny fraction of what is held, restored and maintained by them. So while the Victoria and Albert does have a case of Westwood's designs on show in the fashion and costume room on permanent display, they will have many more pieces of hers in storage, which is where these items will have come from. 

The collection shown here was wonderful. I've already studied Westwood enough times to be familiar with her work, but I've never seen any of it up close as this show allowed me to. There were a good selection of pieces, from the iconic Sex Pistols 70's punk Seditionaries, through T-Shirts and corsets to huge gowns. Being a primarily local exhibition space meant that the traffic they were expecting through was fairly small, so a number of items were just out in the room standing on plinths rather than behind perspex. This allowed me to get up close and personal, seeing details which otherwise would have been lost.

The information boards they had out were surprisingly un-wooly, containing quotes from Westwood about each piece about her inspirations, why the pieces were successful and so on. I also appreciated the graphic way in which these boards were presented. If I had one criticism it would be the female bias; I feel as though there could have been more menswear, which is a common issue in fashion exhibitions.

How cool is this candle holder?

The setting of the exhibition in Danson House was also been inspiring, having been restored to its original state in the mid 1800's from old records. No, it's hardly Versailles, but then it's not meant to be. Seeing how wealthy non-aristocrats lived is quite a rare thing, often money is only put into the restoration of stately manors which are inhabited by distant relations of the royal family, so to see the setting in which the wealthy merchants lived was very interesting.

Another lure is that Danson is only a 5 minute walk away from the Red House of William Morris, so you could give the trip a double purpose. I would highly recommend making the trip to see this if you live in the South East, it's open until October 2015, and especially as a fashion student it's such an important part of British Fashion History that you can't afford not to go.

Tickets are £8 or £6 concessions (incl. students with valid student card)

http://www.bexleyheritagetrust.org.uk/dansonhouse/vivienne-westwood/

Day 5 - Clothing Haul

I don't usually like the term 'haul', to me it gives connotations of unneeded spending, just buying for the sake of it, but on this occasion that's the exact opposite of what I was doing. As I mentioned vaguely in my mission statement I've barely been shopping in over 2 years, and while more and more clothes are making the charity shop pile, nothing is coming in to replace them. So back home in London and armed with some left over student loan (a phrase you don't hear very often), I braved Oxford Street.

As usual I spent a questionable amount of time in Topshop flagship. If you've never visited, it's 5 floors of Topshop/Topman, and on one of the first times I visited I got legitimately lost, accidentally left the store using a tiny side exit and walked off in completely the wrong direction. Now, being a seasoned pro, I managed not to lose my way and left through the main entrance with the most beautiful blue (polyester) suade pleated skirt that makes me immensely happy, alongside a couple of other bits and bobs including the perfect white shirt.

Having spent half of my budget in one store, I decided to do further damage by purchasing a merino wool top in Cos. In my justification it was 30% off and so incredibly soft and bright that I couldn't let it go. The same factors applied to the socks. I rarely purchase anything that's not in a cheap high street store because I usually can't afford it, but the care taken in packaging, the lush carpeting in the changing rooms and the neat civilised store layout is a change I could get used to.

Now, significantly over budget, I decided to tone it down, spending the rest of my time in Forever 21 and Pull & Bear. The dress from F21 is not my style but worn under the blue skirt it looks like a bodysuit and would save some dignity if the skirt were to blow up in the wind. The three tops from Pull & Bear are in a quite thin summery jersey and the perfect length to wear with high waisted jeans, but long enough to tuck into my new skirt, as long as you don't have to reach for something on the top shelf. All in all a successful trip.

In other news, I am now posting the day after as it gives me more time to compile a post, and Amazon has delivered me a memory card!

Topshop

Skirt - here

Socks - pink, black and rust

Top - here

Shirt - here

Book - here

Knickers - maroon and black

COS

Top - here

Socks - here

Forever 21

Dress - here

Pull & Bear

Tops - hate everyone, London underground and motorbike

Day 3, Magazine Review - Porter

The cover of the Spring 2015 issue reads "Modern Heroines", and unlike you would expect in, say, Cosmopolitan, none of the Kardashians have made the cut. The modern heroines in this magazine are women at the forefront of their fields, hard workers who we can look up to. 

Being an advert in itself, the baby of Net-A-Porter doesn't need to fill it's pages with ads as Vogue or Marie Claire do, although the use of the word advert to describe it seems insulting. 

If you are looking for fluff pieces on ten ways to make him love you, or bedroom antics he wishes you knew: what men REALLY want, you're in the wrong place. You are more likely to find designer profiles, performance art reviews, or in depth pieces on fashion history. This journal is written by, well, writers, in intelligent prose, using sophisticated vocabulary, and with no whiff of bubble writing text speak. 

Admirably, Porter stands apart in the world of fashion journalism, there is nothing in this issue which I have read that is gender or sexuality specific because they recognise that fashion has nothing to do with sex, but more culture and beauty. I believe that anyone could read this and not find it excluding of them. It's for humans who are interested in fashion.

It has a remarkably French air about it, this standing on culture. Fashion is presented as part of the arts rather than something cheap and throwaway, which of course is in line with the ranges that Net-A-Porter carries.

Trends are reported, but somehow it doesn't seem as forceful as when other publications present them. The "Fashion memos" are written in a way which doesn't make you feel as if what you currently own is incorrect, they are just informing you on what is new and why it's there so that you can adopt it if you so choose.

The message is not 'you will look better if you do this' but rather, women can be confident, beautiful and intelligent, and nothing needs to be compromised. Be powerful and allow your clothing to be a reflection of what you feel like on the inside. The fashion displayed is beautiful, yes, but to me that's almost beside the point. It's the attitude of this print which has enchanted me.

Porter, powered by Net-A-Porter. 

UK price £5 per issue.

http://www.net-a-porter.com/Content/portermagazine

Day 2, Trend Thoughts

from Tumblr. Do you like it because it's fashion?

I had another post I was planning on writing today, but this is more relevant to what I'm feeling this afternoon.

British fashion is dominated by the highstreet; there are very few successful boutique stores available outside the cool parts of London. Fashion in this country moves at speeds so quickly that it's impossible to keep up, I remember seeing Sir Philip Green of Arcadia (Topshop, Dorothy Perkins, Wallis etc.) in an interview on TV once saying that the turnaround time for seeing a style on the catwalk to having a version available in the stores in his group is 3 weeks. 3 weeks!! To re-design, pattern cut, send samples to and from Asia and London, source fabrics and components, teach factory workers how to make the garment, prepare for website, set into production, iron out kinks, transport across the globe and be hung up in stores. It's baffling.

This fast pace means that every time you go into Primark or Miss Selfridge there is always something new on the shelves, we as consumers have come to expect that. From the perspective of the designer, this means that there is pressure to continue to come up with new product, new concepts, new everything, but the fact is that there are only so many trouser silhouettes or skirt hemlines in the world to choose from. Trend recycling is something that has always been a thing, but now it seems forced. It seems like the highstreet is moving too fast, we need to re-evaluate what women want to wear, rather than forcing trends on them at such a rate that it's simply impossible to keep up.

Flared and bootcut jeans went out of fashion just over 5 years ago, but now just as people are settling into skinnies and embrace them as a way of life, bam, psych! Go buy something new. Well I don't want to. Not just because I think ankle space is unnecessary, but because as soon as I've got used to wearing them the style will change again, so what's the point? I wonder how many people actually want to feel controlled by fashion like this? Last year it was the 90's, this year the 70's... It's getting desperate. I'm only just starting to get into 90's dressing, things should slow down and evolve naturally rather than be dictated and changed as they are.

I have the hugest respect for people who ignore fashion but have amazing style. People who could be walking down the street in any country in any year and still draw in attention because they look amazing, whether that style is classic and feminine, boho layering, sportswear inspired, or an exhibit of a collection of pieces from across the globe.

Don't be a slave to the changing dictatorship of fashion, just own your style and let it grow organically. Feeling pressured into wearing what Tumblr is full of just because it's there even if you don't like it won't make you feel awesome in your clothes.

On a side note, you should take a look at this video, it's about a very strong, stylish woman and more people should hear her message

Day 1, Re-working The Old, OOTD

Today instead of settling into my ordinary work day routine of staying in my pyjamas as long as is possible, usually until I realise I've run out of milk and have to go to the corner shop, I decided to make the most of the clothes I already own.

The sun is just starting to make an appearance again here in the midlands, and while this outfit may never be seen outside due to my thrilling schedule of work, I see no reason to retract back into comfy winter jumpers and jeans when it's not needed.

I've used a safety pin to clip my kimono together where the neckline of a regular top would fall creating a lightweight shirt. I found my skirt in a my favourite vintage shop, the Covent Garden branch of Rokit, about 2 years ago now in their Rokit Recycled range. It's slightly short at the back but I can get away with it as long as there's not too much wind around.

I love the way the wide shoulders and volume of fabric in this kimono mirror out the shape of the skirt creating an hourglass.

Hair and make up is also something I've let go in the past few months especially. It's become more of a chore than anything else, and while I won't be curling my hair every day (split ends!!), it's nice to make the effort.

Shoes - London Rebel at TK Maxx 

Skirt - Rokit Recycled

Belt - Topshop (old)

Kimono - Dorothy Perkins (old)