Lost time Spring summer 2018

Lost time Issue 1

1

2

Lost time Contents FASHION Forgotten treasure

6

Pearls

12

Yesterday

38

An icon

22

Treasure

94

INTERVIEW Olivia Vintage

28

Sara: Waiste

32

Claudia Wrzecionek

56

Suzie and Victoire

66

ART AND HISTORY Sharon Tate

14

Bridget Riley always modern

16

Chanel No.5

20

Classism and Couture

84

Diptyque 50 years of revolution

88

Editor-in-Chief KATIE WOODWARD

3

Guest list: Abby Fogle Working towards her Master’s degree at the Courtauld Institute of Art, Abby investigates the history of classic fashion. In an excerpt from her MA dissertation she explores the interconnectivity between art, classicism, Grecian sculpture and clothing. Immerse in academia on page 84

Bonnie Langedijk Collecting treasure is not always easy, but it can be when you stumble upon it unexpectedly. Bonnie shares her find on page 95

Alice Codrea Looking back to the noughties doesn’t seem that far away, but the year 2000 was almost 20 years ago. Logomania has captured they eye of Alice, and she is transported back to IT bags and paparazzi shots of Paris Hilton. Learn about logos on page 22

Claudia Wrzecionek The vlogger and intsagrammer with a penchant for 90s vintage explains her desire for childhood nostalgia on page 56

Mr Abby The stylist who can navigate our ancestor’s fashion into 2018. Her composition ‘Yesterday’ is exampled on page 38

Olivia Muñoz Her journey into vintage began at a flea market in Barcelona. Selling her forgotten pieces, her love for pre-loved and history accumulate into fashion that can be worn today. Read her story on page 28

Samira Eugster Product photography is not her only vice. Fashion portraiture bathed in natural light is her forte, demonstrated in ‘Yesterday’ on page 38

Sara Thomas The blogger and stylist behind the vintage boutique, Waiste tells the story of her bohemian approach on page 32

Sofia Ippoliti The worth of an object is dependent upon it’s beholder. When inheriting an heirloom, it’s value is immeasurable. Sofia shows hers on page 96

Suzie and Victoire Building a brand is simply child’s play for this pair. They select, scour, travel and tour the world together, and offer their worldly treasures to you, collated into collections by country.

They discuss their ethos on page 66

4

5

Forgotten treasure

Words and Photography KATIE WOODWARD

6

The beaded bag Spring’s

new

accessory

is

not

new.

It looks like something you would try to weave at school, only more complex and a lot more elegant. Its details glisten like crushed crystals, beads decadent and iridescent. The beaded bag can be single handled and small, inspired by those clutched back in the 1960s.

The Mauidator, as it is also known, is a bag that equates to a jewel. For many women, it was an evening accessory that carried their essentials, or simply used as an extravagant handheld statement. To act as an emblem of style, the complexity of its composition is also telling of its wearers guise for flamboyance or not.

7

8

The golden cigarette case Although smoking is outrageously outdated, there is something about a golden chainmail cigarette box that is intoxicating. You could find a lipstick concealed in this metallic casing. Rolls of cash sitting next to a travel size bottle of your favourite perfume.

An emergency hair pin. All will display your penchant for necessity. Not only should these items suffice, an entire range of day-to-day essentials could fit into this old-age, new-day, hand-held clutch purse.

A small note book could all too easily slot into this glamourous box, it’s shape the perfect oblong and size. Rows of mascara, eyeliner, lip liner and a stick of concealer will have it serving as a beautiful makeup box. It could be the new evening handbag.

Coming not quite as small and as invisible as a card wallet, yet not as large and bulky as a bodystrung bag, it will operate as well as both, fitting with ease at the small of your hand. There are a multitude of reasons to carry this golden case. You could be the creator of conversation: a modern day millennial serving an innovator of old design. It could be yours given to you as a gift of your mother’s youth; but forgotten for these modern days and the naysay of smoking. At the centre of its allure is the fact it does not hold a specific use, it is something to

be

filled

with

anything,

if

nothing

at

all.

So, while yesteryears trend for cigarettes has expired, there is always room for a flicker of imagination to utilise such a gleaming design.

9

The Dancing shoe Repetto’s classic Cendrillon ballerina pump has been declared as a piece of modern art

by The Museum of Modern Art in New York city. The shoe’s design came about in 1956, when Rose Repetto created the flat pumps for the French actress Bridget Bardot, offering her a red pair to wear in the movie Et Dieu créa la femme. Today they are available in an assortment of colours and leathers, even toe capped and pointed. It is with little wonder this shoe profusely popular today: Each pair are made in Repetto’s factory in France, utilising the shoe maker’s stitch and return technique to ensure that each shoe retains its aesthetic and durable qualities.

10

11

BRUSH AND COMB

12

P

earls

Sleek and dainty. Natural and classic.

Bulbous and large. Modern yet traditional.

Words KATIE WOODWARD Photography SAMIRA EUGSTER

They sit upon the lobes of the most iconic.

The classical painting ‘Girl with a pearl earring’ is a quintessential example.

Next could be Audrey Hepburn and her rounded studs in the 1963 movie ‘Charade’. Queen Elizabeth II wears hers on almost every outing. But, the biggest pair belonged to the Ancient Egyptian Queen Cleopatra, her pearls so large that their value was immeasurable.

Spring 2018 saw pearl earrings decorated throughout Phoebe Philo’s final collection at Céline. They dangled repetitively, either perfectly smooth or as imperfect nuggets. The gem’s age-old association to simplicity allowed them to sit alone, as one earring did, it hanging with modesty upon a single ear within Juergen Tellers’ ss18 advertising campaign for the brand. The pearl earring also works perfectly as a pairing of two: it’s moon-like luminosity framing the face.

It is their rarity that makes these marine treasures so precious. They were the first jewel found to possess natural beauty, their perfection coming well before the man-made brilliance of a cut diamond. Pearls are the only gem formed by a living creature: the oyster.

In Ancient Greece, pearls were symbolic of purity and femininity. It was thought that their white and minimal form was perfectly fitting to be worn by the youthful woman. According to historical myth, the gem was created by Greek goddess of love, Aphrodite. The story tells that they were created from the liquid droplets that fell from the goddess’ seawater drenched hair, turning into pearls.

Pearls have long been idealised to be white and round. But, there is an entire spectrum of pearl colours, probably as diverse as the rainbow. There are pink pearls, lavender pearls and blue pearls.

Most noticeable could be the Black pearl, a specimen that is much more scarce than white. Black pearls are as too inherent to the rainbow: ranging from multi-tonal peacock hues, blue-green and silver.

Different pearls are born as different forms. They can vary in size from being tiny and seed-like, to gigantic and pingpong ball in size. Most of us understand the pearl to be rounded, however, this is not the only shape of this gem. They can be tear drop in shape, while some are cloud-like as Baroque pearls. Others

look like miniature baseball bats – named Blister pearls – and are just as special, but not as rare, emerging naturally within the inner crust of a shell.

Céline introduced the puffy baroque pearl as an earring in 2015. Seen again this season, these pearls oppose the impeccable types, due to their blemished exterior.

Some were attached to golden clasps, others were strung upon golden hoops.

More were studded with citrine or aqua rhinestones.

On the other hand, another fashion house Chanel, is known for its continuous use of pristine appearing pearls. First introduced by it’s founder Gabrielle Chanel herself, she would have multiple strands of genuine Japanese seawater pearls extravagantly laced around her neck; worn purposely to contrast her simplistic dress of crew neck sweaters.

Prior to Chanel, her wealthy acquaintance Sara Murphy would wear ropes of pearls to the beach while holidaying in the French Riviera. Her reason, she said, was because her pearls “wanted sunning” 1. Alike to Chanel she was a member of the ‘Lost generation’, a group of people who came of age during World War 1, well known for their lavish attire and extreme parties. Murphy’s prescription of this jewellery helped pearls to gain their modern iconicity of free-flowing wealth and ease of wearing, and when both ideals were combined, could express un-necessity and excessive extravagance.

Today, faux pearls are regularly interpreted at Chanel, and are most often obnoxiously large. Repeatedly, they are teased as buttons and brooches, and in 2012 they were experimented as hairclips.

For ss18 they are worn classically as an earring, studded with an accompanying hanging glass globule.

Before these modern iterations pearls were worn during the 15th century of Renaissance Italy when Eleonora of Toledo was one of the first women to confirm that pearls meant wealth and power. She had married the Grand duke of Tuscany in 1939, and was regarded as the first ever First lady of the time. In celebration of their marriage, she was gifted with pearls. Accordingly, they were the jewel of her favour, and so she would wear them excessively, further making them an icon of power. Portraits show her

13

adorned with them, netted together as an extravagant lace, covering her hair and neckline. They also hung from her ears and around her neck. Finally, she was even buried in a veil that was embellished with pearls.

In more modern times, another First lady to wear pearls was Jackie Kennedy.

In the 1960s while she was married to the US President John F Kennedy, she would frequently appear with triple strands of pearls strung tightly around her neck, flanked by two matching medium sized pearls that sat at her ears.

It was the 20th century that brought a change in how pearls are worn. No longer were they scattered here and there, but they were attested as costume jewellery, and rapturously placed at the throats and ears of housewives to display their social status and husband’s high income.It was Hollywood actresses who originally delineated them as the show-worthy jewellery, frequented by names Grace Kelly and Lauren Bacall.

And then, as it is now, such a pearl most often would be the ‘cultured’ kind.

This is the type of pearl that is most often worn by those movie stars, modern first ladies and shown at Céline. These should not be mistaken as fake, as they are genuine pearls – yet are artificially grown, mostly in Japan where the process was developed 125 years ago by Kokichi Mikimoto.

Marilyn Monroe also made them iconic, after her new husband Joe DiMaggio gifted a string of them to her in 1954. Today over 90% of pearls sold are cultured.

Synthesized pearls too are nothing new. The earliest are said to have been crafted in 13th century Venice, out of glass beads that were coated with silver paint.

These days, synthesized pearls are often composed of plastic and coated in fish scales, or powdered sea shells.

And to tell a real pearl from a fake pearl does not require specialist equipment or a meticulous process.

Simply rub a pearl against your teeth, and the one with the grainy surface is often real; a one that is smooth is likely faux.

1

An extract from the book ‘Coco Chanel The

legand and the life’ written by Justine Picardie .

Sharon Tate Once upon a time in history August 9, 1969 brought tragedy to Hollywood. The onscreen siren Sharon Tate was rendered a tragic heroine, her life taken by a hateful cult.

Approaching half a century since her death, Sharon’s name continues to be whispered through Los Angeles, as today swirling reports promise that her life will be portrayed in film. ‘Once upon a time in Hollywood’ is confirmed to be directed by Quentin Tarantino, featuring actors Brad Pitt and Leonardo DiCaprio, with blonde beauty Margo Robbie rumoured to feature as Sharon Tate.

Tate was regarded as a natural beauty of the 1960s, her simplistic bohemian appearance identifying her as an individual amongst the overwhelmingly graphic looks of swinging sixties.

And many compared her to a realistic Barbie, an ideal that happened to come true when in 1971 the toy manufacturers Mattel created the doll Malibu Barbie, apparently inspired by Tate.

It was her free-falling Mink blonde hair, symmetrical features and wide eyes, that permitted this connection to be made and continue to locate her as trailblazer of inspiration in the present

Words KATIE WOODWARD

day.

To prove that her the impression her looks have not been lost in history, make up ideas seen on the catwalks have not been able to resist referring to Tate’s distinctive feathered eyelashes and heavy lids. Dior referenced Tate this season, when the ss18 fashion show made sure that all the models wore plain make up, with darkened lined eyes.

Miu Miu’s collection was another. Miuccia Prada’s assortment for spring boasted a parallel take upon the iconic cornflower blue dress Tate famously wore outside of Café de Flore in 1966, with a dress featuring white lapels mentioned the era’s trend of oversized collars.

Her existence is also alive for the New York brand Khaite. The snowy haired model who is at the face of brand is inextricably similar to Sharon: tan skin, fluid hair and feline elegance. The brand also cites the actresses’ style through their designs, where whimsical blousons, sexy summer-time slips and simple striped knits, revere towards outfits that she was photographed to have worn.

14

Sharon Tate and her husband Roman Polanski photographed

Sharon Tate photographed in 1965, Left in 1968

15

Bridget Riley Always modern Words KATIE WOODWARD

Bridget Riley, Fall 1963, Tate: Purchased 1963 © Bridget Riley

16

Back in Autumn winter 2015, Pierpaolo Piccioli and Maria Grazia Chiuri, the then creative designers of the Italian fashion house Valentino, harked to the 1960s. Monochromic abstract illusions were printed onto A line dresses, serving as clear references to the Optical art movement of the mid 20th century.

After departing Valentino, and now working alone as the creative director at Dior, Maria Grazia Chiuri once again celebrated the op-art code for spring 2018, using checker board prints as a reminder of the op-artist Bridget Riley’s iconic 1961 painting Movement in Squares.

And acting as another archivist this season, Jean Paul Gultier also referenced Bridget Riley’s works in his designs. This time these interpretations came as an honour to his former employer, Pierre Cardin’s designs, – who back in the 1960s also took inspiration from the op-art movement. In Gaultier’s Spring summer 2018 Couture show, he mis-matched black and white tights to copy those of Cardin’s iterations, these completed with swirling neck pieces and sculptural hair. Bridget Riley’s illusionist art further materialised, when graphic dresses of repeated monochrome swirls replicated her original distortive effects.

Bridget Riley’s career began in 1961 with her innovative painting “Kiss”, this a vast of black canvas divided by a horizontal curved strip of white. Few years later in 1965, the British artist’s monochrome works were featured at ‘The responsive eye’ exhibition held at the New York museum of modern art. This event propelled her works into public view, and established the op-art movement as a reputable artistic style that quickly grew as an emblem of contemporary art and fashion.

In recognition of her intriguing artworks, fashion designers of the era would borrow the unintentional patterns that she had created. To reproduce the same disorientating affects, graphic shapes of black and white patterns were set upon A-line silhouettes by Yves Saint Laurent, Mary Quant, André Courrèges and John Bates.

Graphic mini dresses were also famously incarnated by the French designer Pierre Cardin, who transformed geometric shapes into modern patterns. Another classic example of the time was Ossie Clarke’s optical lines: The print was imposed upon a padded jacket-dress, and iconically worn by Chrissie Shrimpton in the 1964 portrait captured by David Bailey.

These interpretations were very much suited to the emerging mod fashion of the 1960s, with futuristic patterns and rule breaking visuals being in-keeping with new-age counter-culture youth. The patterns gained fast approval by the era, and became a symbol of Swinging London and its hypnotic psychedelia.

Once coined as a “new perceptual art” by Vogue in 1965, the optical illusions of the Op- art movement were truly modern for

the time. This revolutionary painting technique manipulated flat areas of space and shape, to trick the eye and visually fool the mind. One of its spearheads was Bridget Riley. Her use of abstraction created fascinating visual effects for the observer, forming motion and flowing ripples upon one dimensional and stationary forms.

But, it was well noted that Riley did not approve of the commercialisation of hers and others work. In 1965, after seeing her prints being reconceptualised by mainstream fashion and pop culture, she declared this appropriation as being “vulgarised in the rag trade.”

Yet, this did not prevent the continuation of her works being hyper contextualised from canons of art and into the realms of commodity based fashion. Throughout the decade and further into the 20th century, op-art persisted to be a display upon clothing. Most notable was the ‘Paper Caper’, a disposable A-line dress emblazoned with an op art print and retailed at just £1 in 1966.

Riley’s art pertains to inspire modern culture, where she continues to create full scale paintings today. This time, she uses colour as part of her artistic process – a venture that she made in the late 60s. This passage from monochrome proved to be successful for Riley, and she has since painted using tonal variation to captivate her viewer. Her artwork focuses upon how the eye not only interprets shape, but is motivated by hue and tone, which has prolonged her colourful interpretations of abstraction.

Recently, some of Riley’s contemporary works have been shown at David Zwirner’s Mayfair gallery, where earlier this year, her warmly coloured dots in ‘Measure for Measure’ (2017) brought her praise.

And from 23 May to 3 December, an exhibition at the Tate Modern, the museum of modern and contemporary art in London, will celebrate her work by displaying a collection of her historical coloured paintings, including ‘To a Summer’s Day 2’, ‘Nataraja’ and ‘Evoë 3’, as a demonstration of Riley’s affliction towards the relationship between sight and colour.

In another display later this summer, her works will be included within yet another exhibition held at the Tate Modern.

This display titled ‘Shape of Light’, will gather abstract photographers and artists alike, to celebrate their modern influence upon the art world. The showing will mark a century of innovative artwork, and explore the interconnected relationship between photography and painting, proving that these crafts are not so separate, while displaying the beauty between their corresponding development.

17

Gallery

Bridget Riley La Lune en Rodage – Carlo Belloli, 1965 Screenprint 12 1/2 x 12 1/2 in : 31.9 x 31.9 cm From the edition of 200, signed, numbered and dated by the artist Editions Panderma, Basel

Bridget Riley Winged Curve, 1966 Screenprint 22 3/4 x 24 5/8 in : 57.8 x 62.5 cm

Scott Paper-Caper Op Art Dress, 1966 Paper (wood pulp, rayon mesh; patented as Dura weave) screen printed dress

Bridget Riley Circular Movement, 1962 Screenprint 10 11/16 x 10 3/4 in : 27.3 x 27.4 cm

Bridget Riley Right Angle Curves Study No.4, 1966 Gouache on paper 22.3 x 39.4 cm : 8 3/4 x 15 1/2 in.

Signed and dated lower left, and titled “Rt Angle Curves study no 4.” in pencil

Bridget Riley Evoe, 2003, Screenprint in colours 46.0 x 100.0 cm: 18 1/8 x 39 3/8 in.

Exhibited: Bridget Riley: Black & White, Karsten Schubert, London, May 29 - Jul 14, 2001, no.8

18

Bridget Riley Measure for Measure 14, 2017 Acrylic on canvas 140.5 x 140.5 cm © Bridget Riley 2017, all rights reserved.

Courtesy David Zwirner, New York/London

Bridget Riley display runs from 23 May to 3 December 2018, at TATE MODERN: BOILER HOUSE LEVEL 2 EAST, Bankside; London, SE1; United Kingdom Shape of Light exhibition runs from 2 May to 14 October 2018, at TATE MODERN, Bankside; London, SE1; United Kingdom

19

C H A N E L N °5 Reinvention is often a catalyst for disaster.

Fortune is present for this golden fragrance: it’s liquid remains near to untouched for almost 100 years.

20

Words and photography KATIE WOODWARD

From this April, 900 millilitres of the precious No.5 perfume will be available to purchase in one gigantic bottle, sold exclusively at Chanel’s Bond Street boutique in London. Usually, the historic fragrance is available in 35ml, 50ml and 100ml, but these dainty sizes have been re-proportioned, and distilled into a bottle of colossal measure.

Chanel No.5 was invented in 1920, and released in 1921 with its formula remaining approximately the same today.

It a perfume based upon chemicals and florals, containing 80 ingredients consisting of aldehydes and organic scents: a combination leaving its ingredients almost un-identifiable.

It is warm and non-toxic smelling, and as fable would have it, is as modern today as it was upon release.

The idea of the fragrance belonged to Gabrielle ‘Coco’ Chanel. Her aim was to devise a new scent for the modernising times of the 1920s. Her intention was to create an effusion to ‘smell like a woman’, not a rose or a flower, a desire to create a modern perfume for the modern woman.

“Coco Chanel extolled the virtues of wearing perfume directly on the skin wherever you might wish to be kissed.”

Perfume historian Stephen Nelson says.

“She kicked off a new modern era of perfume wearing.”

And to cast this new era, Chanel required a new scent that rejected the standard florals of the late 19th and early 20th century. She completed her mission, by devising an advanced feminine smell for the time, a one that was free from the pungent florals that she felt too often populated women’s wrists of the period.

Chanel articulated this essential mantra to the perfumer Ernest Beaux in 1920, who she had enlisted to craft a series of formulas for her to select from as her debut fragrance.

And from her guidelines, Chanel had prepared the ideals of a new modernist era. She was one of the very first perfume developers to blend natural oils with synthetic elements, and so forth became known to be an innovator of perfume design.

Yet, the specifics of No.5’s ingredients were taken for granted upon its inception.

According to the legend, Chanel had selected sample number 5 out of the 80 in which Beaux had created for her, providing its name. And this selection also did not have too much in correlation with Beaux’s formulated scent either, as it was more relative to the apparent symbolism it held.The selection of sample number 5 was a result for Chanel to gage with her lucky charm: the number 5.

Even further, it was a choice that came with the intention to align with the showing of Chanel’s fashion collections.

These would routinely occur upon the fifth day of the fifth month of the year.

Subsequently, the perfume was released on 5th May 1921 in the Chanel rue Cambon boutique.

Before this, the actual formula of No.5 itself was near to unintentional.

An accidental excess of chemicals had entered the perfume samples: an error on the behalf of Beaux’s assistant.

It was this mistake that established the powerfully distinct and undefinable fragrance that is No.5, and why its scent explodes upon the slightest spritz. This is thanks to the mysterious essence that is aldehyde.

The chemical nature of the fragrance also came as major influence to the container’s design. A bottle of Chanel No.5 would not look mistaken between shelves of laboratory flasks. Adorned with only a white label inscribed with ‘N°5 Chanel - Paris - Parfum’, and stoppered with a simple cut glass plug, it brings no artistic visual or flamboyant message, only it’s notion of modern femininity. As such, the modern science of the early 20th century is a concept very much contained in this bottle.

At the same time, the bottle’s design is said to have been inspired against the Art Nouveau styles that dominated the early 1900s – another rejection of mainstream trends by Chanel. She favoured the creative influence of contemporary cubism and new-world art, over the typical ornate perfume bottles that sat upon countless dressing tables.

Instead, the anti-fashionable bottle was inspired by the square shapes of her preferred art movements. It was also designed with Chanel’s lover, Arthur ‘Boy’ Capel in mind, and based upon the cuboid whisky decanter he would drink from.

And so, the bottle reflected all of Chanel’s desires: simplicity, masculinity, and essentiality. “What Coco Chanel wanted was an invisible bottle,” says Historian Tilar J. Mazzeo, in her book The Secret of Chanel No.5.

No.5’s honey colour liquid remains to sit within a signature square cut glass falcon today. It is a design of great modernity that has gone relatively unchanged since day one.

The only significant change occurred in 1924, when the original, slightly curved shoulders of the bottle were re-designed into a strong square bevel cut.

Although, it should be noted, that this change to a cleaner lined design was not the result of aesthetic desire, but of pure logistics. Following the initial launch of the fragrance, No.5 had received overwhelming success and had multitudes of demanding customers to be sent to. But it’s beautiful, yet fragile bottle proved too delicate for distribution, and hundreds upon hundreds of bottles of No.5 smashed and spilled during transport.

As an alternative, a robust model was required, and thicker glass with a diamond like edge was integrated into the design of the bottle. It is this stronger interpretation that is much alike what be purchased today.

21

Coming to a head, what can be found is that a wealth of imperfections surround the extraordinary fortune of this formula; from No.5’s superstitious beginnings to chemistry mishaps, it is apparent that this fragrance’s fate has been tried and tested throughout its existence.

But for some, the fortune of No.5 does not lie within its scent, and is rooted within these mythical tales that surround the perfume. “To me Chanel No.5 is not the most iconic scent, even if it’s the bestselling.” Says Perfumer Olivier Pescheux to Hunger magazine in 2013. “Chanel No.5 survives on a myth.”

This can be exampled by chemically similar perfumes available that smell remarkably similar to No.5, but are less famed. “Je Reviews, and to a lesser extent Blue Grass compares. Chanel No.22, closely compares, which is a more full bodied rosy pink version of the No.5 formula. And any perfume described as aldehydic,” perfume writer Brian McCubbin recommends as these close counterparts.

He attributes No.5’s success to the use of new and revolutionary chemistry of early 20th century. “Like any successful new class of molecule developed by organic chemists, aldehydes allowed perfumers to achieve interesting new effects.”

But, one cannot neglect the art of florals running within this perfume.

Subliminal notes of natural jasmine, rose and sandalwood are the underlying dispositions throughout the scent, which then correspond to its synthetic heart. “It is a great classic, and highly influential in the history of Western perfumery.”

McCubbin adds.

To this day, each 30ml bottle of Chanel No.5 will contain approximately 1,000 buds of Jasmine, which for this perfume are exclusively grown in the French fields of Grasse, and have been since 1987. And with the 900ml bottle containing 30 times the amount of jasmine flowers than its smaller counterpart, a small field could be contained within this great bottle.

Over the past 30 years it is has been the responsibility of one family to provide the flowers that are involved within every Chanel fragrance. The Mul family have been growing florals for the Chanel brand for these past 3 decades, and are as central to the fragrance as the ingredient they grow. This is accredited to their hand picking of every rose, where approximately 40 kilograms are selected from the French fields each day.

Now, it is a scent that personifies the woman, and is the most popular selling perfume of all time. It has been advertised by tropes of Hollywood glamour, from Marilyn Monroe to Catherine Deneuve, and in 2011 by masculine iconography Brad Pitt. It was his advertorial appearance that could prompt the idea that Chanel No.5 may not only smell like a woman, but of a man wearing a woman.

22

the

f endi

baguette

23

the

B alenciaga city

24

25

the

D ior

saddle

26

an

I

con Logomania. So 2017. But is it?

Logos have been the buzz word that every one in fashion has had on their lips.

Dior, Fendi, Gucci, Monogram; Brand – LOGO. But what happened to the icon?

All of these words mean such a word. The definition for icon: ‘a person or thing regarded as a representative symbol or as worthy of veneration.’

Are all these words not of a description of the above?

It could seem so, when the once tacky overprint, in your face pattern of a logo is now taking up over 20 percent of net-a-porter’s bag range.

Brand name worshipers alike are forgetting their restrained demeanour for impertinent, blasé showings of their brand loving nature; with their vintage Fendi printed baguette bags slung over a Fendi printed skirt. Or it can be seen that re-claimed Dior saddle bags are being worn as a contrast to a usual pared back demeanour.

“Anything printed with DIOR will sell out instantly,” Alice Codrea, a logo obsessive, and founder of the vintage handbag boutique Ajutor Vintage confirms.

But it is not only printed handbags that are symbolic of an icon. Remember the Balenciaga City bag that was one of the most lusted bag of the noughties?

This bag is back in business, as the logo trend has transferred an obsession onto brand display via IT bags.

“Back then it was like all what people in Sex and the City were wearing. It was all about Paris Hilton, Nicole Ritchie and Lindsay Lohan. Everyone had ‘IT’ bags, and I just loved them.” Alice reminisces. Today they are again “really cool” and “work with any outfit.”

This sentiment has been exacted by the sales of Balenciaga. Kering, the company who owns this lust worthy brand has seen bag worshipping expand, as sales of handbags have flourished by 19 percent.

Rekindled City bags are also increasing their iconicity, as included within the luxury res-ale website Vestiaire Collective’s top selling bag list.

So, wear your MONOGRAM or IT bag as a symbol. Who said a logo had to be a print anyway?

Words KATIE WOODWARD Photography ALICE CODREA

27

OLIVIA VINTAGE

28

“When I see something, it is very strange, I have to fall in love with the piece�

29

30

Olivia Vintage began as a hobby. The Spanish Instagram based

Olivia’s curation includes single handled pearl bags from the 1960s, these remarkably comparable to the current day brand Shrimps, but her original bags may have exclusively rare extras of golden clasp closures and floral rose embroidery.

“There is something very weird that was invented with fashion and how it is all about coming back and forth.” Olivia says. “You can follow a trend but it is not the same, because it is not the same bag that everyone is wearing. When the trend has gone, you can keep wearing it.”

So, is vintage a doorway to escape from the look-alike, identity lacking nature of fast fashion? “People are running away from what everyone else is wearing and to find quality pieces. It allows you to wear a trend, but differently, you can wear something that not everyone else is wearing,” is Olivia’s reply.

And according to Olivia, the process of how vintage fashion was created is very different to the items of today’s fast fashion. For one, fast fashion is often composed to be worn in unity with trends, to then be forgotten about by the time the season ends. Whereas vintage fashions, she says, were devised with an opposing notion behind them.

“Vintage is something that was made to last–it is timeless. You can wear it this year, or next year because it is not going to be out of fashion, because you are not always following the fashion, I have vintage things that are 20, 30 and 40 years old.”

And while vintage fashion can relay both better quality and personal style, the reclaiming of used items also plays another important role. “Sustainability is very important, because vintage is not only fashion, it is a way of life.”

And logically thinking, it cannot be overlooked that vintage fashion is a straight up method of recycling: a message that lies within every purchase of a vintage garment. This is a responsibility that Olivia recognises, and one which she denotes as an integral philosophy behind the success of her brand.

“People are trying to run away from fast fashion because more people are conscious about what they buy, and so they are more interested in second hand – it is psychological because you are recycling.”

And with fast fashion, the clue is in the name: Fast. These items are not made to last a life time and so they probably will not. It is when something is quickly churned out to make room for the next upcoming trend, costs are cut, and quality declines. It is because of this issue why Olivia highlights the dangers of today’s fashion industry.

“Clothing is one of the biggest agents in current pollution at the moment. When we think about pollution we think about cars, and oil industries, but clothes in the fashion industry are highly contaminated, so there is a need for sustainability.”

But, if people remain dubious about wearing vintage, Olivia encourages that they should think of it as responsible and ethical consumption. “Think: where things are made, is it in accordance with the environment? Is it environmentally friendly? Have vintage as an option,” she says. “I know a lot of people reject things that have been used before, but apart with everything to do with responsible consumption and how it is a way to recycle, vintage is affordable too” Moving away from ethical responsibilities, and to the more artificial side of fashion, according to Olivia, buying into vintage will allow you to make an indulgent purchase. “Vintage today is luxury, because everything on the high street is produced in masses.” she says. “There are just a few things that are handmade today, so to be able wear something handmade, where someone is involved in all of the process behind making it, and they have made it for someone.”

And today, curated, contemporary vintage Instagram stores like Olivia Vintage are on the rise, where instead of opting for full headto-toe vintage outfits, they offer vintage clothing and accessories to incorporate into a contemporary wardrobe. “It makes it easy to wear vintage without looking out of place.” Oliva says. “You can look current, but with something else. You can mix vintage with your style which is richer.”

With a fresh approach towards old and forgotten fashion, Olivia is casting a new light and purpose into time’s passed styles. As she says, if it was made to last a lifetime, make it do so: “Vintage is another way to understand fashion, vintage was meant to last. It is like a work of art, vintage is not old.”

boutique selling curated vintage fashion was first conceived as a flea market stall in Barcelona. “Contemporary vintage” is how its founder, Olivia Muñoz, describes her brand.

Oliva’s pieces are both elegant and subtle, yet rich and eclectic. Silk shirts that date back to the 1970s rub shoulders with polka dot tops from the 1940s, while usually smart tea blouses are reconceptualised, tucked into a pair of high waist Levi’s.

The success of Olivia’s stall came as a surprise to her. She first set up her miniature business as a way to sell her excess vintage items that she had been collecting for years. “I have been doing vintage since I was 15 years old, and I have always had a passion for it,” she says. “One day I had too many things and I decided to try selling vintage.”

After having perused a career as a sales woman, this new business venture arrived as an unplanned dream and a turning point in her profession. “This was mine, it was something that I wanted to do and something that I liked to do,” Olivia explains. “I was amazed at the initial reaction of all the people. People liked my collections, so I thought that that this was an opportunity, and decided gradually start it by selling at more markets.”

That was 4 years ago, and today, the evermore relevant social media platform, Instagram, largely influences how Olivia sells her carefully collected vintage. Each item Olivia sells is not simply positioned on a podium or suspended from a hanger, but is styled into a contemporary outfit – most often bathed in golden sunlight and ready for its new lease of life.

“I sell things that you can adapt to your style,” Olivia says. “I do not like a total look. I like to mix things because it is richer, it is more authentic and more unique.”

For Olivia, personal style is an integral part of why she personally collects and wears vintage. “For me fashion is part of your expression.

I think ‘how do I feel today?’ and I dress in accordance. I always wear something vintage, that I mix with contemporary, but mainly my whole wardrobe has always been vintage.”

When selecting vintage to be sold in particular, she will always employ a similar feeling. “When I see something, it is very strange. I have to fall in love with the piece, and I have to visualise it. Sometimes it can be the romantic style, sometimes maybe it is in a little detail. And with Olivia’s passion for vintage, she continues where she started by selling at specialised vintage markets across Spain. “Online it is not the same; people like to touch it and they want to see the whole range of everything that I have.”

Certainly, her market stall serves as a way to fully connect with her vintage curation, but it also invites a gender-neutral audience by serving as a blank canvas for her customers: this a contrast to her Instagram store, where the vintage on offer is modelled by women. “I have some men customers, they are like why not? We are going with the times with the genderless style.”

Floral shirts and fur coats are her most popular items to be picked up as sexless. But Olivia admits that she will not specifically select menswear to sell, as she says, it is so difficult to find. “It’s really hard to find men’s vintage clothes, I don’t know if it because they have less clothes than women?” she queries. “So if men use it more, and at the end they have to ditch it because they are not wearable anymore?”

If this is the case, the proliferation of excess women’s clothing has worked in Olivia’s favour, and has provided her with a wealth of vintage treasures for her to unearth and give a new life, which for Olivia is an important element towards contemporary dressing.

From here, Olivia believes that vintage fashion is a luxurious option in today’s growing wave of fast-fast fashion. “There are just a few things that are hand made today, so to have something handmade, that someone went through all of the process behind it, and made it for someone, those are my favourite pieces.” she says. “I have a weakness for handmade things. In the 1970s, and especially the 1940s, a lot of things were hand made, and I melt at every time I see this because there is a story behind it.”

Last year her collection was heavily influenced by 1970s France, when handwoven basket bags alike those worn by Jane Birkin were a top seller. This year, a new trend of elaborate beaded bags has appeared. “Beaded bags were very popular in the 60s, and suddenly they have done a comeback.”

Words KATIE WOODWARD Photography OLIVIA MUÑOZ Instagram @olivia_vintage

31

32

SARA THOMAS: WAISTE BOUTIQUE

Sara Thomas is the eye behind the bohemian vintage boutique, WAISTE. Singlehandedly she has perused her love of fashion, and formed a captivating viewpoint through her conservation of the past. At the fore of her vision, is the magnetism of a bohemian era, where eclectic prints, girlish dresses and tumbling hair can be defined as the girl who wears WAISTE’s curation.

Interview KATIE WOODWARD Photography KAYE FORD

33

34

SARA THOMAS: WAISTE BOUTIQUE

70s, and it has to fit the shop aesthetic and be in good condition – no holes, and no weird smells!

Who is Sara Thomas?

I’m 28 years old, I grew up in Stoke on Trent, but I moved as soon as I turned 18. Stoke on Trent does not have much of a fashion scene and I wanted to travel, so I currently live in Brighton. I went to Birmingham University to study fashion design, but dropped out, and I have been working in fashion ever since.

Where do you source your products?

Everywhere and anywhere, we usually travel abroad to hand pick vintage. Los Angeles is great for vintage shopping.

Do you have any advice when it comes to finding vintage pieces?

How did Waiste begin?

Always keep an eye out wherever you go. You’ll never know where you might find incredible pieces. Get hunting in your Mum or Nanas, or even your dads wardrobes, charity shops, and car boots are always a great one too.

I styled a shoot of my favourite vintage pieces to start selling online, and it sold out straight away! It all went from there really.

I’ve now built it up to be a strong online brand and I also have my own store in Brighton. I want to start my own label designing my own things, and get another store in the future.

Who do you envision wearing your pieces?

What draws you to the bohemian style?

I would describe my style as quite whimsical and girly, I’ve always wanted to look a little different to anyone else and I like to interpret vintage style in my own way.

Girls who aren’t afraid to be unique and creative with their style and stand out from the crowd.

You openly document the stress of your work-life balance on your blog, how is this going?

It’s a constant struggle because I have so many jobs, it’s easy to become overwhelmed. Something I’ve found that is helping at the moment is setting to do lists and daily goals.

Why did you decide to curate vintage?

It’s so obvious when vintage shops ‘blind buy’ meaning there’s just a whole lot of quantity over quality, there’s no thought process or USP (unique selling proposition). I’ve always hand picked all my vintage pieces so they are unique and special and fit a certain aesthetic which I think stands out.

What do you love most about your job?

One of the things I love about buying vintage is that I don’t have to create collections or stick to ‘fashion rules’ or seasons as such, that’s the beauty of it. I can just head off vintage buying never knowing what I might discover on that day and that’s one of the most exciting aspects of my job, never knowing when I’m going to find that one piece of incredible vintage history.

How would you explain your your styling process?

With lookbooks, there is usually a theme I want to explore then it’s a case of collecting vintage and waiting until I have enough similar products to suit a theme. With blogging I get sent a lot of pieces and it’s all about incorporating them into my personal style.

Can you tell me about a recent vintage find?

I recently found an incredible 1970s Afghan coat that fit me perfectly and perfect condition, a very rare find indeed!

Is there anything that inspires a certain theme for your lookbooks?

Just whatever I’m inspired by or into at the time, I use Pinterest to create mood boards for the direction I want to take the shoot.

Who is your ultimate vintage style muse?

There’s loads, I would probably say Jane Birkin, as she has just such timeless and effortless style.

What specific qualities you look for when searching for vintage pieces?

Finally, what is on your current wish list?

Floral maxi dresses for summer, anything embroidered and anything fringed!

I hand pick everything that goes onto my website and in my shop, and I tend to stick to specific kind pieces from mainly the 60s and

Spring summer collection available at Waiste.co.uk

Sara wears printed flare trousers designed in a collaboration between HARLEY AND J and FLARE STREET

35

36

37

Photography SAMIRA EUGSTER Creative direction KATIE WOODWARD Styling MR ABBY Model MICHALINA KICINSKA 38

YESTERDAY Are we getting too ahead with time?

The past is not a concept, it belongs in the present. Borrow from both and it can last a lifetime, or more.

39

1980

POWDER BLUE BLAZER

DOLCE & GABBANA

40

Blue blazer vintage DOLCE & GABBANA, cropped trousers vintage, white leather shoes TOPSHOP, metal hoop earrings ZARA

41

42

Embellished bag circa. 1920s vintage

43

1980

SUITING

CHRISTIAN DIOR

Two peice skirt suit vintage CHRISTIAN DIOR, earrings ZARA

44

45

2018

TRENCH COAT

ZARA

Trench coat ZARA, belt vintage, camisole (worn underneath) H&M, earrings ZARA

46

47

48

49

1970

VINTAGE BOLERO

BERNSHAW

Silk bolero vintage BERNSHAW, trousers vintage, necklace models own

50

51

SHIRT

VINTAGE

Chambray shirt vintage, camisole H&M. cropped trousers vintage, earrings ZARA

52

53

1960

NIGHTSLIP

VINTAGE

Bolero vintage BERNSHAW, nightslip vintage

54

55

Claudia Wrzecionek Aged 21, Claudia Wrzecionek’s wardrobe is often older than her. She is a novice at finding vintage and thrifted treasures, her youthful eye easily bringing old-style wares into the 21st century. And now, the aspiring architecture student, boutique owner and selfproclaimed stylist, continues in her pursuit to assemble timeworn aesthetics for herself.

Words KATIE WOODWARD Photography CASPER KOZIOL

56

57

Polo shirt RALPH LAUREN (thrifted), mesh long sleeve top (thrifted), pinstripe trousers (brand unknown, thrifted), suede platform trainers ZARA (not current season), pearlescent blue clutch bag (brand unknown, vintage) 58

C

laudia’s love for the 90s is more than palpable. Her Instagram feed is abuzz with pointed leather boots, small-mid face sunglasses and matching cheetah prints. “Being a 90s kid that style era is just a real part of me.”

There are numerous things, she says, that provoke how she dresses.

Architecture, the subject she currently studies at college in her hometown Toronto, and browsing through old fashion magazines are both regular stimulants. “Often, I’m just inspired or in the mood to try new shapes, proportions, colours and combinations, and I think that comes from a range of my architecture, arts and fashion backgrounds,” she says.

Along with many girls, her interest in fashion began early on: she was another young girl who enjoyed dressing up and the idea of clothes as costume. “I remember I would dress up in my mom’s clothes as a kid and force my family to watch the resulting fashion shows all the time.

There was something special about clothes and styling that struck me,” she says.

However, her affection for fashion petered off as she grew older, and her interests began to change. Like many people’s do at that age, some girls continue with their girlish inhibition’s, and some rotate to a more boyish ways and others look to music, she chose the latter two. “My style has always been rather tomboy and edgy,” she confirms. “I’ve always been into a range of rock music, whether punk, indie, alternative, soft rock – they’re my go-tos and this hasn’t really changed!”

Her interest in fashion came back a short while later, but not too long had passed from her childish sensibilities. It was in 9th year of schooling when fashion returned to her life, this thanks to a new-found friendship: “When I met my best friend, we had a huge connection through art and fashion.”

Right now, vintage fashion is an integral part of her activity. She actively vlogs her most recent vintage finds ‘try-on-hauls’ as she calls them, alongside her personal styling edits – curated fashion filmography: best thought of Instagram looks in motion.

Busy Vintage, her online boutique selling thrifted fashions, is another of her current projects, although this is still at infancy while she discovers how to progress it into a fully formed business. Up to now, the project is at the stage where she is selling her own hand picked vintage finds, which reflect both her style and current trends.

“I’m still working out what I want to do with Busy.” She tells me.

“I found that because I have so many related interests, it would be amazing to do something bigger and combine my ideas, like create theioverall Busy brand. Something that would represent my style, writing, photography, and collaborations I’m a part of.”

Otherwise from career outlooks, thrifting for clothing and accessories is a consistent past time for Claudia. “I can’t help but wonder who owned it before me and how they may have styled it.” she muses. “It also lets me fill my wardrobe with a variety of cool pieces with a lot of character, almost like one for any mood or event.”

Her thrifting journey began not too long after her second-time venture back into fashion. She began second-hand shopping in her final year of school, a time when many adolescents find their own style and want to define this. The same was true for Claudia, when she began to feel that mainstream fashion was limiting her expression of personal style.

“I decided to branch off from what everyone else was wearing and try my own thing.” She explains. “I figured no one else would have these pieces, and it was satisfying. It opened a whole new world of vintage fashion for me, and I really got to explore clothing and accessories in a unique way.” continues page 62

59

jeans RALPH LAUREN (vintage), Subaru tank top (thrifted), alligator jacket (thrifted), white leather boots (thrifted), sunglasses MAUI JIM (vintage)

60

61

“all of my favourite pieces are from the 90s because that’s the era I was born in.”

But notoriously, thrifting for these pre-owned treasures can feel near to impossible. How does Claudia fill her almost her entire wardrobe with vintage and second-hand? “I’ve learned to check all the racks, even ones I doubt I’ll be interested in because that’s where the gems typically are!”

And one tip she gives is: to look in the most unexpected of places.

“You certainly have to be patient and willing to search the entire store, the last time this happened I found a Harley Davidson bag in the CD’s and records section!”

According to Claudia when shopping for vintage you must also keep your style in mind. “I look for pieces with real character, whether it’s texture, colour, fit, or sometimes brand. The key thing is to find what you love most about them and emphasize it,” she advises. “If it’s a red snakeskin patterned jacket for example, wear a black top or pants to let it do the talking. If you have a belt or shoes that are super similar, challenge it. Mix and match!”

Importantly, not forgetting about the existing items in your wardrobe, she says, is another way to win the battle of thrift shopping and to rouse inspiration. “I think looking up to styles that you adore is often inspiring in itself, sometimes it is as simple as seeing a blazer that is similar to the one hanging in your closet and reimagining how it could be styled.”

This philosophy is one to consider when feeling overwhelmed at a vintage or second hand store, or feeling low on inspiration. “I think we tend to forget how versatile some vintage pieces really are.” she says.

And trends also inform how she shops for vintage. With the current

logo mania craze of monogrammed sweaters, handbags, and shoes all being at the height popularity this spring, Claudia hasn’t missed out on this movement. She has incorporated a few logo pieces into her Instagram feed, and in-keeping with her thrifting and vintage habits, these include an original Versace vest top, an Espirit turtleneck knit and DKNY sunglasses.

As more of these items from different decades continue to pop up amongst re-sale sites and thrift stores, logos will not be escaping from her watch anytime soon. “I’m dying to find some great high-end vintage pieces! A Fendi purse or monogramed pants would do!”

But, which decade would Claudia wish most to travel back to for original fashion inspiration? “There’s so many styles that I ‘d love to experience first hand from the 70s and 80s” she says. “Being so young, of course, I feel like I missed out on some of the great styles that I see in photos of my parents, or in fashion photography and movies.”

And her birth-time decade, the 90s is also a moment in history that she would like to return to, but this time not as an infant – as many of so often us would revel at the chance to return to childhood – but for her as a young adult. “I find that pretty much all of my favourite pieces are from the 90s, which I love, because that’s the era I was born in.” she says. “It would be so cool to go back and revisit it all, to see the original style icons do their thing – and to beg my mom to keep more of her clothes would be amazing!”

Whatever reason it is that Claudia enjoys about vintage fashion, she proves that nostalgia is always a popular motive, and that the past is growing somewhat closer to the present than before.

62

63

64

Brown velvet top (thrifted), denim shirt (thrifted), plaid trousers (thrifted), trainers NEW BALANCE (thrifted), monogram bag FENDI (vintage), sunglasses DKNY (vintage), hoop earrings and necklace (claudia’s family hierlooms) Instagram @Claudiawrzec

65

Prologue vintage Prologue vintage is a worldly kind of vintage.

Suzie and Victoire are the French duo behind the name. They both travel the globe to seek out the vintage treasures of different countries. Their aim is to open creativity and show the wealth of various vintage that can be attained. And from where each item originates will belong to it’s own designated collection, based upon the country it was found. It is this way, that they have outlined how each country has a style, that can be followed or mixed.

Interview KATIE WOODWARD Photography SUZIE and VICTOIRE

66

67

68

TRAVEL DIARY: the collections 69

Paris

70

71

ISTANBUL December 2017

72

73

Italy Roma and Capri 74

75

76

77

78

IERAPETRA South of Crete, April 2018

79

80

81

Suzie and Victoire: Who are Victoire and Suzie?

ilable to all.

Victoire is 23 and comes from Carcassone in the South of France, and Suzie is 26 and comes from La Baule in West coast of France. Suzie studied advertising in Paris and Victoire starting a business school but had the opportunity to travel in Asia for one year after her final exam. We both live in Paris.

We met at Kiliwatch – the biggest vintage store in Paris – two years ago when Suzie was in charge of Communication, and Victoire was in charge of the womenswear vintage department. We are very lucky because we share the same interests of photography, travels and vintage fashion!

Can you tell me how and why Prologue began?

The first goal was for us to inform consumers about benefits of vintage fashion but in a

There is a real desire of an international

playful and original way. We wanted to go

community behind our brand identity.

further than pure sales. So, we started to shoot the items in the streets of Paris. From there,

What do you like about vintage fashion?

the idea of building collections specific to a

What we love about vintage fashion is the fact

city came.

we can wear incomparable and unique items.

Through our identity and our selection of

We love the quality that vintage has, that

vintage we want to show the modernity of

is really hard to find in contemporary shops

second hand clothes and make consumers

nowadays. Another important point is the

aware that they can buy clothes of better

timelessness. You can easily wear clothes from

quality, that is cheaper while adopting a

50s, 60s and 70s and most of them never look

responsible behaviour [of clothing purchase].

old-fashioned. And of course, no production,

We started by posting our first photos

no environmental and social impacts - we

on Instagram and two months later, in

haven’t yet found any disadvantages of

September 2017 we opened our shop on

vintage.

Asos Marketplace. It was a real opportunity that brought us our international customers,

What do you look for when searching for vintage?

we have now our shop and sell in Europe,

Most of the time, we select clothes when we

United States, Asia, Australia, Japan, even in

have fell in love with the piece. But, as our

Greenland!

main goal is to show that vintage clothes are easily wearable nowadays, we choose items

How do you source your vintage pieces?

with a contemporary style and sometimes we

Last year we did a crowdfunding campaign

follow fashion trends especially the ones that

that allowed us to go to Istanbul in December

we have a crush on.

on our first vintage hunt, and then to Italy in February for the second one. We

What inspires Prologue vintage?

brought back 100 items that we shot on

The travel, which is a part of Prologue DNA.

site. To make the project global and bring a

We both travelled a lot and lived in several

social dimension, we decided to donate 15

cities

percent of the benefits of each collection

wherever we go. Each city brings us a little

to

the

Emmaüs

Alternatives

so

naturally

we

draw

inspiration

association

more creativity and ideas from the culture and

for social reintegration, HIV research and

the meetings we make over there. Open your

homelessness.

mind to the world! This is how we develop our desire to go further, to see bigger, but also to

How would you describe the concept of Prologue?

see differently.

The concept is to make vintage world fashion

`

accessible by creating collections specific to

Can you tell me about your different collections?

each country visited. We started Prologue

To us, vintage clothing is the witness of the

with one motto: “Let’s spread vintage” and

geo-political culture of a country. As each

we are so pleased to see that it works like that

country is different from another, travels are

today. We have always visualized Prologue as

then an integrant part of our vintage hunt.

global, we are looking for vintage treasures

We select clothes that evoke this story through

around the world to make available to all.

ages and systematically take pictures of them

82

on the spot. Our photos give a contemporary

Do you have any advice to give when looking for

reflection of the atmosphere of the country

vintage treasures?

which point is essential to us.

You have to be patient and be ready to look for hours and hours. Another piece of advice: be

Why is sustainability important to Prologue?

a good negotiator. The first price is never the

Sustainability is clearly the future. As we are

cheapest one.

now faced with globalized overproduction – that is so synonymous with uniform style

Could you tell me about a favourite vintage item that

and loss of quality, wearing vintage is an

you have found or own?

alternative

to

committed,

more

is

more

During our vintage hunt in Turkey, we met an

and

more

old woman, the owner of a little shop lost in

ecological. We do not produce, we give a

the heart of Istanbul. She allowed us to come

second life to the garment. A lot of people

into her attic where clothes from her mother

ignore that consuming vintage eliminates

and grand mother were stored. We found the

the consumption of water and energy that is

most beautiful dresses and bags form 20s to

necessary to create a new garment. It is a fight

50s. But the most beautiful thing was how we

against fast fashion industries.

felt ourselves seeing those treasurers. We were

consumption. transparent

It

able to feel a special atmosphere as if we were Who do you envision wearing your vintage pieces and

a part of her family.

who is your customer?

This is also what we do love in vintage fashion,

This is the magic of vintage clothes. Since the

it is not only about a good shape or a great

beginning, we don’t have a type of customer.

quality, it is also about feelings.

We could sell to a man in Peru who is looking for a leather coat for his wife, or a teenager

What do you hope the future of buying and wearing

from London or Brooklyn.

vintage fashion will be?

We also receive orders from mothers who have

We hope the demand and supply will carry

known Prologue thanks to their daughters.

on more and more. There is a real awareness

This is because people who buy vintage are

about sustainability and it grows day by day

clothes lovers, and have their own sense of

even if in France we are late compared to

relation to the garment that they’re buying.

others countries in the world. We hope people will change their state of mind and stop

Vintage fashion is becoming worn in a more

devaluing vintage clothes.

contemporary way, rather than era imitation outfits, are your thoughts of this change?

What are the future plans and goals for Prologue?

We are pretty sure that people wear more

The main goals planned for our baby

and vintage clothes in order to escape the

Prologue....We hope in less than two years

standardization of style due to fast fashion.

to develop our concept of one city equals

It is a good point, extremely important to

one collection, by setting up concept stores

us. We talk a lot on our social networks and

and also young designer shops in the world

our manifesto about the fact you can express

through pop-up stores of Prologue Vintage.

yourself

The second goal is to create a menswear

and stylistically through vintage

collection. We noticed there is a real demand

clothes.

from men who feel more and more concerned and attracted by vintage fashion.

Another goal that is extremely important to us is to develop our humanitarian activity.

Today, we have a partnership with Emmaus Alternatives, but we want to work with new associations in the world with a common goal of sustainability.

Visit Prologuevintage.com

83

Classicism and couture Abby Fogle is currently writing her dissertation for her Master’s degree at The Courtauld Institute of Art. It is an investigation exploring the intersection between art and fashion.

‘More Than a Backdrop: Fine Art in the Fashion magazine of 1930s-1950s’ will research how the fashion magazine is a designed object, studying how image, text and layout work together in fashion magazines to construct ideas of femininity as well as national identity for the reader. So far, Abby’s research has found that many art historians dismiss the use of art in fashion magazines, rendering fashion’s use of fine art to be used as a backdrop to sell clothing. This dissertation aims to to assert that art and fashion work together to create significant aesthetics and messages.

Abby’s writing will focus upon classicism and couture of the 1930s, this topic being a result of Abby’s fascination towards classicism and the influence of Greco-Roman antiquity in modern culture. The text will analyse how modern art and contemporary fashion intersect, and look upon art and fashion within magazine editorials. Each editorial that she has analysed will reveal how the fashion magazine is able to construct ideas of femininity, while displaying how ephemeral forms of culture create lasting aesthetics and narratives.

Words and Imagery by Abby Fogle

84

Figure 1

85

Part one Classicism & Couture Social historian Morris Dickstein maintains that the 1930s, bookended by the devastation of the Great Depression in 1929 and the anxiety surrounding the outbreak of World War II in 1939, “offer an incomparable case study of the function of art and media in a time of social crisis.” 1 Paradoxically, this age of crisis sparked an optimistic popular culture marked by a revived creative energy and interest in craftsmanship. Although abstract art and Surrealism were two important artistic trends of the period, the revival of classicism dominated art and design. 2 The return to ancient ideals such as naturalism and purity, provided an antithesis to the rational principles of the machine age. European elites embraced the timelessness of antiquity which supplied a sense of stability and civilization in the wake of World War I and amidst the turmoil of the Depression.

The introduction to a volume of photographer George HoyningenHuene’s portraits written by H.K. Frenzel and published in Germany in 1932 demonstrates the classical enthusiasm which permeated the 1930s: “The ancient world celebrated its entry into Montmartre to the beat of jazz.

Ionic columns rose alongside of factory smoke-stacks, Greek temples alongside of railway tunnels and depots. Monte Carlo became Hellas, Hellas became Monte Carlo; and the ladies and gentlemen from Paris, London, New York, and Biarritz enjoyed the sunshine among pedestals from which the gods of ancient Greece looked down in naked silence, between snorting stallions and muscular heroes.” 3 Frenzel stresses the links between classical civilization, high capitalism, the social elite of the thirties and the cult of the classical. Leading American fashion magazine Vogue echoes classical aesthetics in fashion editorials throughout the 1930s, invoking the classicized attitudes Frenzel describes and tying its American readers to the revival of antiquity occurring in Europe.

Fashion scholars have explored classicism and couture, such as Bruce Boyer and Patricia Mears’ exhibition Elegance in the Age of Crisis” at the

Fashion Institute of Technology in 2014, but this relationship has not been addressed in the context of the fashion magazine. 4 The combination of haute couture designs and motifs of antiquity on the pages of the magazine create an aesthetic framework through which the reader might negotiate a more complex relationship between French couture, American identity, and the female form. This essay examines the use of classicized artistic motifs, classically inspired couture dress, and text in a Vogue editorial layout to reveal how the magazine shapes national identity and culture for its readers.

Part 2 American Vogue, French Couture and Classicism, 1931 Describing Vionnet’s modernist view of classical source material during the twenties in his book The Glass of Fashion, Cecil Beaton writes, “women dressed by her were like moving sculptures.” 5 Indeed, nowhere is the coming together of antiquity and modernity on the page of the fashion magazine more evident than in the Vogue November 15, 1931 editorial entitled “Bas Relief by Vionnet,” where the model is a human embodiment of a Grecian-style bas relief sculpture [Central image Fig. 1]. The black and white Hoyningen-Huene photographs feature Vionnet’s favorite model Sonia dancing in silk crêpe evening pyjamas against a dark backdrop. 6 The dress’ long shawls and bias sashes establish a classicizing intention and create the illusion of movement, replicating the graceful dance moves of goddesses painted on Greek vases. 7 These images, which appear on the cover of the Costume Institute’s 2003 exhibition catalog Goddess: The Classical Mode, are often referenced as the quintessential example of couture and classicism.

However, little scholarly attention is given to the accompanying text, which shares in the powerful photographs’ aesthetic importance. The editorial text relates that timeless beauty crops up in classic manifestations and does not cease to excite, asserting:

So when in the year 1931 a designer named Vionnet makes a garment called a pyjama, and a woman with a long, graceful, leggy figure puts it on, we look at those classic lines, that eternal grace, and get the very self-same thrill that the Athenian populace must have had when they went to look at Citizen Phidias’s new

86

achievement, the Parthenon. 8 Thus, Vogue’s text emphasizes the modern garment’s link to antiquity and correlates the creation of French Couture to that of the Parthenon. Calling upon the reader to admire the model’s graceful body and the dress’ classic lines, the text asks its audience to partake in the celebration of “eternal grace” and the invocation of the past, which situates the reader within the modern cult of classicism.

This fashion spread’s focus on a single Vionnet garment is significant because Vionnet’s marriage of haute couture, avant-garde, and classical ideas make her the ideal designer to represent the cult of classicism in the pages of Vogue. Vionnet’s bias cut, classicallyinspired “goddess” gowns associated her designs with the craftsmanship, purity, and “naturalism” celebrated by the classical revival. In addition, classicism reflected Vionnet’s personal desire to free the female body, her interest in health and hygiene, her humanism, and her commitment to her craft. 9 Vionnet, who frequently visited the Louvre to study Greek art, said, “My inspiration comes from Greek vases, from the beautifully clothed women depicted on them, or even the noble lines of the vase itself.” 10 However, Vionnet does not aspire to present an academic understanding of the classical forms she quotes. Rather, Vionnet’s designs and HoyningenHuene’s photographs create an idealized, imagined past where the aesthetics of classical Greece at once represent the timelessness of antiquity and the ephemerality of modernity. As Fashion Historian Rebecca Arnold illustrates, “Vionnet’s work seeks to weave new mythologies around the body, adding to the meanings that art has attached to the classical body, by linking her designs firmly into the contemporary modernist, rather than seeking to replicate classical dress precisely.” 11 Indeed, the classical past and the modern meet in both garment and photography in the Vogue 1931 editorial. Vogue highlights this significance in the editorial itself, writing: “Photography is the newest of artistic mediums; pyjamas are the newest of sheaths for the female form; and yet the one has taken a picture of the other, and the combination gives us a result that is

not new or old, not modern or classic, but ageless.” 12 Thus, the camera is an active and integral participant in the invocation of the past. The text validates the coming together of the modern and antique and the radical simplicity of HoyningenHuene’s photograph, celebrating the harmony of image, dress, and classical aesthetic. This editorial demonstrates the way in which fashion photography plays a deeper cultural role, highlighting the artistry of Hoyningen-Huene’s modern craft, while reflecting the classical zeitgeist of the moment.

The combination of HoyningenHuene and Vionnet in the 1931 Vogue “Bas Relief ” editorial is an important example of the way in which the fashion magazine presented French couture and the European interest in classicism for an American audience. During the aftermath of the Great Depression and the looming anxiety of the interwar period, this editorial represents timeless craftsmanship, the mythologized stability of Western culture, elitist ties to the classical past, the glamour of modernity, and, ultimately, Vogue’s

renewed relationship with Europeanism.

First, the emphasis on haute couture which is both materially and aesthetically connected to the classical past embodies the revived interest in craftsmanship.

In Chaos & Classicism, Kenneth Silver quotes contemporary Max Doerner who urged, “‘Craftsmanship must again be made the solid foundation of art. There is no other road to lead us out of chaos.’” 13 Therefore, Vogue’s spotlighting of a single, couture garment produced by a couturier who applies her personal interests in classical art to the creation of her designs, fits into the 1930s’ celebration of craftsmanship.

Additionally, the text’s conflation of modernity and antiquity and the suggestion that Vionnet’s pyjamas represent timeless beauty suggests a yearning for a mythologized past and that this aspiration can be worn on the body. The purity, harmony, and gracefulness expressed in Vionnet’s garment and Hoyningen-Huene’s photographs are emblematic of the cultural mythology tied to classicism.

The cult of classicism which existed in the 1930s “reflects a desire to believe in stable ‘golden ages’ of the past as a

means to find hope in the present. It is telling that classical reference points often resurface in periods of political and economic turmoil.” 14 The 1931 Vogue editorial’s glamorization of the classical past is evident of the role historicism played in the West’s formation of its modern identity.

Given the catastrophic change brought about by the machine age and the First World War, classicism, a signifier of the eternal, provides the ideal framework reconnecting with the West’s classical origins while also reviving the aristocratic practice of celebrating and invoking antiquity. Asserting the association of classicism with wealth, nobility, and taste, classicist Michael Greenhalgh argues that historically classicism, “is dependent for its development, nurture and survival on prestigious patronage from rulers or the aristocracy. It is at no time a popular movement, for it often relies of involvement in the linked worlds of scholarship and collecting, as well as education – that is, on the leisure that only money can provide.” 15 As the H.K. Frenzel quote from the Introduction of Hoyningen-Huene’s 1932 book demonstrates, the social elite

References 1

Morris Dickstein, Dancing in the Dark: A Cultural History of the Great Depression (New York;

London: W.W. Norton, 2009), p. xvii.

2

Bruce G. Boyer; Patricia Mears, eds., Elegance in an Age of Crisis: Fashions of the 1930s (New

Haven; London: Yale University Press, New York: Fashion Institute of Technology, 2014), p. 64.

3

H.K. Frenzel, Hoyningen-Huene: Meisterbildnisse (1932), translated from German in William A.

Ewing, The Photographic Art of Hoyningen-Huene (London: Thames & Hudson, 1986), p. 39.

4

See also Jemima Klenk, “A Process of Reorganisation: The Construction of Modern Classicism

as a Social, Fashionable and Political Response to Modernity 1930-1939” (MA Dissertation, The Courtauld Institute of Art, 2011).

5

Cecil Beaton, The Glass of Fashion (London: Cassell, 1989), p.183.

6

Rebecca Arnold, “Vionnet & Classicism,” Judith Clark Costume: Vionnet (2001), p. 4.

7

Harold Koda, Goddess: The Classical Mode (New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2003),

p. 72. Ironically, the gown and pose were meticulously styled, as Sonia lay motionless on a fabriccovered slant board while being photographed from above.

8

“Bas Relief by Vionnet” Vogue (New York Vol. 78, Iss. 10, Nov. 15, 1931), p. 44, 45.

9

Boyer & Mears, Elegance in an Age of Crisis, p. 64.

10

Zehn Frauenbildnisse, Jo Ann Ammers Kullerm Aus dem hollandischenubertragen von Eva

Schumann, C. Shunemann/Bremen, Bedeutende Frauen der Gegenwart, 1935, translation by Gabriele Hessman in Betty Kirke, Madeleine Vionnet (San Francisco: Chronicle Books, 1998), p.41.

11

Arnold, “Vionnet & Classicism”, p. 2.

12

“Bas Relief by Vionnet” Vogue (New York Vol. 78, Iss. 10, Nov. 15, 1931), p. 44, 45.

13

Max Doerner, The Materials of the Artist and Their Use in Painting, (Munich, 1921), trans.

Eugen Neuhaus (New York, 1934) quoted in Silver, Chaos & Classicism, p. 16.

14

Arnold, Vionnet & Classicism, p. 3

15

Michael Greenhalgh, What is Classicism? (New York: Academy Editions/St. Martin’s Press, 1990),

p. 10.

16

Koda, Goddess: The Classcial Mode, p. 23.

87

88

Diptyque

50 years of Revolution The air was filled with the scent of youth, freedom and revolution. It was 1968. The flower power generation.

The Beatles topped the music charts, students and workers rebelled and dreamed.

It was the year that Diptyque created its first genderless perfume.

89

L’eau was the fragrance; the first personal scent created by the perfuming house Diptyque in 1968. Infused with roses, cinnamon, orange and clove, it was a revolutionary genderneutral effusion.

The fragrance can be said to have reinvented the gender divided perfume landscape of the sixties, as the first ever nonbinary perfume. Created for both sexes, it established that women should not only have to wear the scent of blooming floral bouquets, and that men should not have to opt for woody oils.

50 years of fragrance have now passed, and Diptyque have since gone on to create over 50 fragrances in total, being either unisex, feminine or masculine. To celebrate this semicentennial anniversary, Diptyque have released two new genderless perfumes: Tempo and Fleur de Peau. Both pay homage to the decade that Diptyque was born, by using scents that are very much reminiscent of the time – Patchouli and Musk.

And looking back to the 1960s, Diptyque’s newest perfumes aim to tell the tale of an optimistic and liberated lifestyle. The 1960s was fuelled by youth and political revolution – the post war baby boom of the 1940s had eventually brought with it rebellious teenagers, who had the freedom and supremacy to think and do what they pleased.

With this turn in generation came sexual liberation and marijuana smoking, a result of erotic teenagers and their quest for love and peace. Diptyque’s celebratory perfumes are suggestive of both of these ideas.

Firstly, Tempo. This effusion contains notes of earthy patchouli, lightly mimicking the aroma of cannabis which coincidentally was the decade’s drug of choice. For the writer of the scent guide ‘Essential Oils’, Susan Curtis, when one immerses within the patchouli ingredients of Diptyque’s Tempo, this can “evoke a mood of warmth and a relaxed style of living.”

Secondly, within Fleur de Peau, its musk notes copy the scent of carnal activity, evoking the smell of musky, lovers skin. Additionally, in a research study conducted by Yale university it was found that musk elements hold a strong ability to trigger memories.

“A huge factor in wearing fragrance is comfort, and the earthy feel of patchouli and softness of musk factor very well into that equation,” says perfume journalist Carla Seipp. “In a world of instability and uncertainty, sometimes all we want is to be enveloped in a warm, cosy fragrance to make us feel better.”

These mood evoking smells point towards political times that the 1960s brought, namely civil unrest and citizen protest. Today, as times feel similar with the fight for feminine

equality being as potent as ever, it is fitting that Diptyque’s newest fragrances renounce both personal liberation and gender equality simultaneously.

“The rise in gender awareness and fashion’s move towards an asexual image has helped the perfume market to develop personalised fragrances,” perfume reviewer Amanda Carr, of We Wear Perfume explains. “Diptyque understood this and built a range around great scent. Fragrance does not have a sex and today’s consumer is able to see through marketing hype much more astutely than ever before.”

The rising popularity of personal and unisex fragrances can be revealed when looking at the behaviour of perfume sales. Over the past seven years, since 2011, the sales of genderless perfume has almost trebled; whilst in 2017, the premium unisex fragrance market grew by 19 percent.

“All scent is personal, it’s not about the individual note, it’s about the whole formula construction, so you need to find a perfumer who has done a great job with the individual notes to affect your mood.” says Carr. “Fragrance is becoming less about how something smells, and more about how fragrance makes the wearer feel.”

This disposition towards selecting a personal scent proves as testament to a new age of perfume wearing, where the typical gender controlled perfume market is being left behind as a dated ideal.

“It is always difficult to gauge exactly who will wear a scent. Not only do we all smell notes differently, but [how they develop] are dependent on how the composition reacts with your skin chemistry,” Seipp points out. “It also varies according to the other notes incorporated into the scent and someone’s mood and style preferences.”

Perfume therefore offers another way to appear in the world. A perfume wearer can select a fragrance, as they would clothes, hairstyle or jewellery – and as long as it is of their personal choosing, a sense who they are, and how they feel can be put on display.

“Perfume is almost quite literally a second skin that we wear,” confirms Seipp. “It can be worn to invoke memories past, compliment an outfit, or simply be worn for the sheer fun of it.”

These ideas are supported by the market research publisher Euromonitor, where it has been identified that the majority of perfume wearers no longer reach for one single scent to define as their own particular fragrance, but as research finds, consumers “increasingly eschew signature scents for fragrance wardrobes.”

And Diptyque offer this wardrobe, by not only creating genderless perfumes, but by providing a huge range of perfumes to be selected from dependent upon one’s olfactory continues page 93

90

91

92

preference. “The intangible nature of scents is what makes it such an exciting medium, and the fact that there are millions of compositions out there to try.” says Seipp.

Diptyque have certainly made the most of these innumerable options, with a vast selection of over 50 fragrances that offer scent enthusiasts to select one to suit their mood of the day, and to clarify their identity at the moment they wear it. It is convenient then, that Diptyque have launched these two extra mood-evoking scents simultaneously.

“I see patchouli as being associated more with the hippie movement in general, given the fact that its smell is very true to nature and what some people would deem as free-spirited,” says Seipp.

On the other hand, Fleur de Peau’s light musky notes point towards an almost invisible perfume trend, where an individual’s natural scent can permeate through the fragrance. “Millennials enjoy musky fragrances as they are being formulated as ‘not quite there’ fragrances,” Carr says.

“The gentle blandness is easy to wear and not too scary.”

These developments in perfume formulation have led to even more scientific revolutions, where lighter fragrances are being produced as stronger formulas, removing the typical concern of: ‘How long will this scent last?’ Instead, as Carr highlights, “we’re seeing the re-emergence of fresh colognes, powered up at Eau De Parfum strength.”

And, Diptyque’s new fragrances serve as confirmation of this change in perfume trends, where in previous years one would often select a thick and overpowering fragrance.

Take Thierry Mugler’s rich and feminine fragrance, Alien, it dominated perfume sales in 2015, ranking within the top 10 best-selling perfumes in Europe that year. But, with current new inventions and trends, potency need no longer be the strongest alternative.

“Fragrance is going through a lighter, more joyful moment,” says Carr. “Diptyque’s lighter perfumes celebrate a new direction for perfume wearing. Consumers want a more optimistic, hopeful story from their scent.”

And while perfume trends are taking influence from the smells of the past, the fashion industry is said to be part of this influence. “The growing use of the marijuana note in fragrance might be due to fashion’s inability to move on from the 60s and 70s,” Carr explains.

One only needs to look at Dior’s spring summer collection

filled with A-line dresses and 60s style Go-Go boots for evidence. This was also a fashion collection that displayed a poignant tribute to the 1970s , the time of Linda Nochlin’s pivotal feminist essay, ‘Why Have There Been No Great Women Artists ?’ – this famed question in particular being inscribed upon striped sailor tops.

But, returning to perfume, yet staying with fashion, this year Chanel has taken its classic Mademoiselle fragrance, and has provided its traditional formula with an extra addition of earthy patchouli. And the rose scented powdery perfume of the French fashion maison Chloé, has also received an introductory dose of sensual musk within its newest scent: Chloé Nomade.

This nostalgic direction of the perfuming and fashion worlds alike, serves as a poignant reminder of the inextricable link between scent and identity. “Perfume mirrors fashion as an outwardly expression of one’s inner state,” says Seipp.

And, all the while, Diptyque continually confirm this, with their lengthy provision of genderless fragrance – guiding its wearer to select a scent they personally associate to, and are not gender-ly associated to.

Photography FLORENT TANET for DIPTYQUE Set design ELLA PERDEREAU Artwork DIPTYQUE

93

TREASURE Programmed to be found, the impeccable quality of vintage treasure is a result of the finder who sees it. In the wrong place it may not dispense the meaning that it possesses, but in the correct hands, and by rightful ownership, its sacristy can be held. For when this treasure should be sought may not be planned, as the defining moment of treasure hunting may be of the pure bombardment of internal lust for an item, whose impact could not have been precedented.

94

VINTAGE TREASURE:

Bonnie Langedijk, Stylist

Top handle faux crocodile bag “While visiting my parents in The Netherlands, I found this gem hidden in a corner of a vintage shop. Naturally, my mother was surprised with my excitement for an item my grandma used to carry.

Then again, she was unaware of Céline showing a new take on this timeless classics on the spring runway, and also how there hadn’t been much else on my mind since. With its perfect size, it has become a wardrobe staple I often pair back with other minimal pieces by Jacquemus, Céline or Acne Studios. Top-handle bags with this kind of closure, might remind you of women of a certain age, but for me it oozes modern simplicity. The simple design and lack of branding makes it one of those pieces that carries on over generations.”

95

Golden hoop earrings

“They belonged to my

mother when she was a girl like me. For her, they were not just any pair of earrings, because she bought them with her first salary. It was one day, while she was walking in our little Italian village, when this pair of shining earrings caught her eye from the inside an old jewellery store.

And just a few weeks ago my mother gave them to me.

In that moment I completely understood the value

Sofia Ippoliti, Physiotherapist

and the meaning of vintage, which is of preservation and protection of the history and the past of the item.

In a world when many of the only important facts about things are their perfection and prices, vintage items

oppose

this

process

and

become

precious,

thanks to their imperfections. This is the reason why I love vintage and why I will always take care of these earrings, and I will often wear them when I’m in total white outfit, to elate their brightness.”

96

Spring summer

MMXVIII

97