CULTUS Oct 2013
Modern Art floods the runways
Collections Review
CULTUS
editor’s page Increasingly, in recent years and worldwide, fashion has been given a platform in spaces where art is traditionally showcased. Museums now display fashion with as much consideration as they do art. The hugely successful exhibition “Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty,” at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York firmly placed a fashion designer among traditional artists like the painter Claude Monet and gave as much prominence to evening gowns as to ancient art objects from centuries ago. Does it automatically follow that fashion can be considered an art form? As with art, the cultural relevance of fashion as a mirror of the habits and tastes of times past needs no proof. Fashion as an artefact of culture teaches us about our and other societies’ histories. However, the line between fashion and art becomes more blurred when we look to more current instances of how fashion is presented. Exhibitions, like the particular case of Martin Margiela, are evidence of this evolution in the reception of fashion. By making a notoriously conceptual designer more accessible it exposed the underlying message that any exhibition carries, whether it is about art or fashion. It has the power to renew our view of the word and lets us experience it through visionary eyes.
conor
cronin
contributors
Our designer and art director of the month is Conor Cronin. He creates eye-catching solutions for brands including mobile phone company Vodafone, fashion label Tommy Hilfiger and Parisian boutique Colette that use colour as a striking feature. Born in South Africa, educated in Ireland, and now working for *S,C,P,F…, an advertising agency based in Barcelona, Cronin’s portfolio is full of simple ideas executed to the highest standards. His recent work for Barcelona City Council with photographer Paco Peregrin uses cyan and citrus yellow with stunning results. The soft, subtle beauty of photographer Alessandro Dal Buoni‘s work first came to our attention in an issue of Oyster magazine a few years ago and since then his name has been emblazoned in my mind. Alessandro is the first artist to be featured in New Wave, our showcase of up and coming talent – the people working behind the scenes to create the imagery that awes and inspires us.
NEW WAVE OF ART
alessandro Dal Buoni
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Editor’s Page Fashionable Art
Contributors
Allessandro Dal Buoni and Conor Cronin
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cont
Roberto Cavalli 2014 Spring Collection Critiques and Reviews
Martin Margiella
interviewing the most promising conceptual designer.
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Horst Diekgerdes
Introduction to on of the Top 50 Industry Photographers
TNT
Elizabeth Von Thurn und Taxis takes on Paris Couture
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Elizabeth Von Thurn und Taxis takes on Paris Couture
Fashion Week What to expect!
Roberto Cavalli
2014 Spring Collection
When I designed the new Roberto Cavalli Spring Summer 2014 Collection I wanted to create dresses that make those occasions even more special… a collection that enhances your natural sensuality… for sophisticated women to dream on…! Every occasion should be a special one… for this collection I used embellished fabrics, unique workmanship, crazy, beautiful, seductive, without being flashy. I chose shades of black, white, from silver to pale pink through ethereal green. Making this collection gave me a great satisfaction and the applause and reactions of the audience, which I followed from my last-row position, gave me their confirmation. I want to send a heartfelt thanks to all my staff and to the external collaborators who contributed to the success of this collection!
Roberto Cavalli offers his thoughts on his collection the way American editors in Milan want to be served Italian food at the end of a long day: generously and without interruption. This season the designer did so in a collection filled with high-wattage glamour. He channeled old Hollywood in a way that was, if you can envision it, boho-rock-chick time travels back to the 1940s for a screen test. Picture a cast of a thousand models in intricately beaded chiffon dresses—from mini to floor-length, long-sleeve to spaghetti strap—with fur stoles dripping off their shoulders and long tassel necklaces. Then imagine chain belts slung low and python pattern beading. It’s what happens when Cavalli meets Gatsby. And it was really quite nice, especially in the soft and romantic shades of seafoam and blush. Here’s the other thing. With so few conventional evening dresses being shown on the runway these last few weeks—conventional being a relative term—here were endless options for women needing something for straightforward black tie. That goes for stars on the red carpet and those who just want to feel like one..” – Emily Holt, Vogue
Roberto Cavalli’s spring/summer 2014 collection was titled ‘The Projection of a Dream’. Even before the first outfit emerged – a gold crocodile jacket, tapered gold snake jacquard trousers, gold heels, gold bag – we knew what we would see. Roberto Cavalli doesn’t do ‘subtle’ interpretation, so just by looking at the set, decked out with giant movie lights, we knew we were heading to Hollywood. Cavalli being inspired by the silver screen is as predictable as bread and butter. The Roberto Cavalli woman is the Goddess of a sensual revolution where images shine in the gowns just like in dreams.’ But before we got to those dreamy gowns, we were treated to a medley of signature Cavalli fabrications: gold and silver patchworks of python, iguana, crocodile and denim were rendered in narrow jackets, tapered trousers, short flippy dresses and flowing kaftans, washed with soft hues of powder pink, pearl grey and mint. Then came the dreamy goddess gowns. Long, figure-contouring and exuding more than a hint of 1930s glamour were strappy bias-cut, floor-sweeping gowns, many of them cut away to reveal great swathes of naked back. The fabrications were exceptional, in some instances pieced together from fine chevrons of lace and jet beads that resembled the finest armor.” – Rebecca Lowthorpe, Elle UK
“The set was a soundstage, studio klieg lights bearing down on the catwalk. The first look was as silvered as a celluloid image from a silent film. Welcome to Cavalli-wood. It was a clever conceit, a way to gloss a collection that was, in essence, a retread of classic Roberto Cavalli tropes. Which is to say, this collection was technically masterful, commercially savvy, and seductive in ways that render showbiz queens powerless. It might have been the deep backless swoop on a second-skin bias-cut gown; or the clingy, webby weave of knit and lace; or the repurposed reptile in a tiny jacket or skinny jean; or a sinuous stretch of baguettes illuminating the obvious. The Art Deco caftans, the piano-shawl fringing, the lithe goddess columns all had the exhibitionist shimmer of a young Norma Desmond. Aside from those second-skin things, it actually felt like everything floated away from the body, articulated, suspended on punky little chains. But whatever edge there might have been to that notion was diluted by a faded, has-been color palette. The silver-screen dreaminess of the result fell into place when the models walked out en masse at the end of the show. At that point, it became perfectly clear that Cavalli-wood was a director’s dream world. And there he was, center stage.” – Tim Blanks, Style
A word from the critics....
MORE SENSUAL THAN EVER…!
BACKSTAGE BACKSTAGE BEAUTY REPORT A Healthy Dose of Moisture at Roberto Cavalli
Quote of the show: “A PLACE WHERE DREAMS BECOME REALITY”
RUNWAY REVIEWS
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lamorama is now and forever the Cavalli métier, but for Resort, the house looked to India to leaven its usual animal prints and party dresses. The leopard doesn’t change its spots, but the result looked positively boho, which freshened up the collection considerably. Indian-influenced embroideries and inset mini mirrors sweetened longer, looser flowing dresses. The most elaborate among them in the evening passage were impressively detailed yet steadfastly uncorseted. Jeans and moto trousers came in for the same treatment— the former getting emblazoned with what the house called a Gujarati print—and the leather pants that were once a staple of the house made their return after several seasons away in an ethnic-inflected version. Opening looks layered animal print on animal print to reassure longtime Cavallites, but the finest of the lot were the gauzy embroidered dresses. That, and a cotton-canvas embroidered jacket that looked ready for tropical temperatures (and not necessarily those of the nearest packed discotheque). Cotton, in fact, was one of the dominant fabrics of the collection overall. It’s true what they say: Travel changes you.
INITIAL REACTION: Silver screen sirens from the 1920s collide with a Cavalli edge. ACCESSORIES: Aviator ‘Bombshell’ sunglasses, antique looking rectangular silver box clutches and intricate lace-up sandals dripping with silver chains. STAND OUT LOOKS: The heavily embroidered slip dresses, heaving with silver embellishment, contrasted with patchwork skin trousers. REFERENCES: All screen goddesses from the first half of the 20th century - Marlene Dietrich, Jean Harlow, Clara Bow - and old school cinematography. ATMOSPHERE: Hollywood Studios in its heyday with mirrored backdrop and studio lights looming over the catwalk. SOUNDTRACK: Rousing cinematic scores including Abel Korzeniowski’s Clock Tick from the Single Man soundtrack, rounded off by Marilyn Manson’s cover of I Put a Spell on You.
“I JUST WANTED THE GIRLS TO BE NATURALLY BEAUTIFUL,” said the makeup artist Diane Kendal, who used nourishing products to give models a healthy glow for Roberto Cavalli’s show today in Milan. “The skin is well moisturized with a very light foundation.” Kendal then used her fingers to apply M.A.C.’s creamy blush in improper copper to the contours of the face before dusting a pink powder blush on the cheeks. She continued with M.A.C.’s moisturizing lip pencil for a soft pucker, and topped the fresh-faced look off with a thin line of black liner close to the lashes.
Martin Margiela K
nown as one of the most conceptual, unusual and elusive designers of his generation, Martin Margiela launched his label Maison Martin Margiela with Jenny Meirens. The designers’ refusal to be photographed and insistence on communicating with the media by fax only, became the brand’s trademark. With oversized volumes, exposed hems, visible stitches, recycled materials, monochrome fabrics, logo-less clothing and unusual interior designs, the universe of Maison Martin Margiela is unlike any other. In the 1990s, Maison Martin Margiela launched several collections. He invented a clever system to classify and identify each collection in May 1997. Each item has a white label with a circled number between 0 and 23 , which corresponds to the item’s collection. The 0 is circled if the clothing collection is handmade, six for womenswear, ten for menswear, 22 for shoes and 13 for accessories and collectibles.
Between 1998 and 2003, the designer worked as the artistic director at Hermes. This collaboration pushed Maison Martin Margiela from the insider scene to the world spotlight. Within six years the label grew from seven employees to a few dozen and opened multiple boutiques in all big capitals of the world. In 2003 Maison Martin Margiela was purchased by the Diesel founder, Renzo Rosso, who became the major shareholder of the label. In December 2009, the departure of Martin Margiela from his company was made official. Ever since, a creative design team whose identities are carefully kept secret, work collaboratively to design collections. In 2010, collection 3 - Perfumes - was launched by Maison Martin Margiela who launched his first fragrance in the spring of that year, (Untitled.
The Interview
by Filep Motway Filep Motwary: 20 years of Martin Margiela. What was the goal of the House, when it first started out and how it has changed in comparison with today? Maison Martin Margiela: We view our work as a proposition to wear what we feel at any given moment. FM: How difficult it was for a Belgian brand to break into the Parisian bourgeoisie considering that the Margiela heroine is far from bourgeois? MMM: At the beginning, it was just Martin and Jenny (Jenny Meirens was the co-founder of MMM) starting a company in Paris. Then, the team started to grow as the company developed. Today, Maison Martin Margiela is a team of more than 70 persons from 19 nationalities in Paris’ headquarters only. Does that make MMM a Belgian brand? FM: Martin Margiela dresses in the past ten years evolved into something more than ready-to-wear. What motivated the team into conquering couture, menswear and design objects? MMM: We leave the interpretation of our work to others. As for ‘couture’, we have always shown handmade garments as part of our ‘artisanal’ collection (line 0) where we rework/transform vintage and used garments of many varied époques to form unique pieces that are
made available to our customers around the world. Though certainly not to be considered ‘haute-couture’ as it is understood today – our artisanal production can maintain certain crafts involved in the production of hand made individual garments that have been alive for many centuries and that are difficult to keep within the industrial methods of clothing manufacture today. Over the years, all the other lines (please see our flyer as per attached) came naturally as a complement to the original ones as the company was developing. FM: In the early years the brand tag on Margiela items was less visible than it is today. Could you please analyse the transformation and the importance of the signature visibility. MMM: The four white stitches only appear on unlined garments. They were devised so as to, realistically and ideally, offer the option to those confronting the garments for the first time to react to their form and energy, and not just the idea of “brand” as expressed via a label. What most people consider as our logo – the four stitches in the back with the white label inside the garment – had in fact the opposite purpose: it was meant to be cut off so the garment would be without a label and logo! It has not changed at all except that before the label was completely white and with the cre-
ation of new lines, we added the numbers and circled the appropriate number of the line the garment is part of. FM: Why is the Margiela team and boutique staff dressed in white? MMM: Original idea: Unity. An expression of team. A reference to the working ‘Atelier’/ Studio’s of the past and present, those ‘blouse d’essayage’ that models wear between fittings at couture Ateliers. Accidental plus point: A way of quickly recognising each other amid the fray of a fashion show. We approach white as an expression of our union as a team and also as an evidence of option, an option of expression, be that ours or that of those who choose to wear the clothes we propose. FM: What is the philosophy of a MMM boutique? MMM: That it represents as best it can the spirit of our work and home. We wish our shops bring an atmosphere of intimacy, calm, encouragement, stimulation and ease. We want that those who visit any of our stores feel as at home there as we do. Though all spaces inhabited by the Maison share common themes, no two are alike in form, theme or decoration. Great care is taken to respect each building’s unique structure and original use. The atmosphere of each shop, adapted and decorated by Maison Martin Margiela, also draws on the prolific and iconographic use of whites – of furniture, objects, fabrics and textures, old and new – typical of the spirit of the Maison Martin Margiela’s Paris premises, a former school of industrial design. Furniture and architectural
elements salvaged from shops and houses across the world are brought to build on the space’s personality. FM: What has MMM achieved in its 20 years of existence? MMM: You are in a better position to answer this question than we are. FM: To what extent is MMM connected to ART? MMM: We prefer not to interpret our work, preferring to leave that up to others better placed to place our work in an overall context. We all have work that we love, though, possibly regrettably, as a team we have no real connection to the Art world. Fashion is a craft, a technical knowhow and not an art. Each world shares an expression through creativity though through very divergent media and processes. FM:Paris radiates its own platform when it comes to fashion. Why is the city of light so relevantly fashionable? MMM: At this stage, the inertia that this town has amassed over the years.
“Modern is an abused notion that became meaningless…” An inertia that draws creativity and those attracted to it into its core. Yet Paris is not essentially different from any other great city ‘of personality’. It stands as itself in much and the same way as New York, London, etc. Almost a ‘brand’, its ‘branding’ is of a town that embraces a more individualistic creative expression. Those wishing to begin in fashion tend to start and show here because of the concentration of fashion professionals passing through town throughout the year (that inertia again!). FM:Would the House wish to link again with another like the past connection you had with HERMES? MMM: Such collaboration was a personal project of Martin Margiela, not of Maison Martin Margiela. FM: Today there is a blossom of pseudo couture, a lot of designer get credibility without actually deserving it. Many faces come and go in a glimpse of an eye…Everything is moving so fast.. What does it take for a HOUSE to remain in charge in such times? MMM: Courage and instinct.
FM: What are the differences between your men and women customers? MMM: Gender! FM: How is sex appealing in the MMM collections? MMM: It is to others to interpret. FM: Has MMM experienced relevant tragedies like the recent worlds financial crisis? MMM: No FM: What is the most valuable moment in the History of Fashion and why? MMM: More often than not we are so close to our work it is genuinely impossible for us to define the ‘how or why’ and especially, experience tells us, to predict the ‘buttons it will push’ in those who are confronted by it. This is as true of the reaction any individual will have to a garment hanging in a store as it is for the professionals of our industry to a fashion show. FM: What serves to inspire you the most?
MMM: Our main inspiration has always has been the extremities and changes of daily life. Our work is solely a proposition to wear what it is we like to create, a presentation of a way in which we see things at a given moment. As a team we all share so many interests and sources of inspiration, these are all very varied and would take far too long to list here. It is often hard to quantify or describe inspiration. It is often more by osmosis than an active decision. Each member of our team seeks to explore their own stimulation, be that visual or another. Such stimulation and dialogue varies in direction and importance for each of us. FM: What is modern? MMM: An abused notion that became meaningless…
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erman photographer Horst Diekgerdes started his professional career in Paris before moving to London. Working internationally across the U.K., Europe, the U.S. and Asia, he is currently based between Paris and Zurich. His editorial work is regularly featured in renowned publications the likes of Another, Another Man, Arena Homme+, Self Service, Vogue UK and Vogue Japan, Numero, Numero Homme, Harper’s Bazaar, Teen Vogue and GQ Style. Amongst others, Horst has collaborated with Fabien Baron, Work in Progress, Peter Saville, ARNYC, David James, Becha Achermann, Alex Wierderin and Robin Derrick. His fashion and fragrance advertising clients include Miu Miu, Chloé, Sonia Rykiel, Thomas Burberry, Burberry Blue Label, Allessandro Dell’Aqua, Kenzo, Levis, Rochas and Hermes. Horst also works with Louis Vuitton, Lacoste and Bergdorf Goodman on an ongoing basis.
Highly celebrated by exhibitions at the ICA in Boston and The Winterthur Museum for Photographie and Migrosmuseum in Switzerland, Horst Diekgerdes continues to inspire with a personal approach and timeless modernity.
Horst Diekgerdes