Editors Letter
I think there is an inescapable truth that fashion is worn on the body and therefore becomes part of the fashion dialogue. It’s all about expression; it boosts our ego and makes us feel great. I mean, who doesn’t love showing off their favourite outfit? That’s what I thought. Seeing our favourite models, celebrities, and even our friends on Instagram posing in cool, quirky photos is something that captivates us. Captivation- think back to the ‘Flapper’ style of the 1920’s, WW1 had ended and femininity could finally be expressed again; but this time instead of changing the body shape with corsets, the body shape was supported and embraced with loose fitting dresses. Ideal for dancing to jazz music which was birthed in the late 1910’s. This style found it’s way back on the runway in Gucci’s Spring 2012 collection by Frida Giannini. Or the birth of the ‘Hippie’ in the 1960’s, a movement started in reaction to various struggles happening in the world such as the Vietnam War. This movement wore tie-dye, hip-hugger bell bottom jeans and peasant blouses which expressed this loose, almost carefree body language almost like they’re rebelling against the norm. This was found on the runway for Chloe Spring/Summer 2016. Finding, the word that I think most describes fashion-expression. You may look at how other people express themselves but on YOU can find your true expression.
Editor-In-Cheif William Edwards
During our London trip, we visited the borough, Hackney. Tired and exhausted, I followed my friend’s intuition to find a store called ‘Present’. This shop was notorious for selling Stone Island clothing. Upon arrival, I was confronted by a variety of colors almost jumping into my eye sockets. In contrast to this migraine-inducing palette, my eyes shifted to a darker corner of the room. Intrigued, I walked over to explore. Which is when I discovered it.
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It was C.P. Company. Whilst flicking through the clothing rail like a big book, I observed a variety of ‘Goggle Jackets’ and practical workwear. Other than the price, my knowledge of C.P. was limited but discovering these items of clothing, prompted me to further my understanding of the brand.
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1988, the year that Osti made his most iconic piece. The ‘Mille Miglia’ Jacket or the ‘Goggle Jacket’ you might know it as today. The ‘Mille Miglia’ (‘Thousand Miles’), was an open road endurance race that took part in Italy. Massimo Osti had been studying designs of protective hoods, specifically ones worn by the Japanese civil defence. The idea of sewing protective lenses into the fabric of a jacket became his main focus, he made several prototypes all inspired by protective hoods used by the army such as anti-gas hoods. This became his main inspiration for sewing lenses into the hood itself. C.P. Company agreed to sponsor the race in 1988, broadcasting his jacket on the drivers of the race. From an outside view, it looked like the jacket was made just for the race but actually, Osti felt that his latest innovation represented his vision of an ideal jacket for any adventure. The shell protected the wearer from the rain and mud whilst still being able to maintain vision and variety of pockets allowed them to carry a full range of necessities. This to me was an example of a radical designer as Massimo Osti’s AW’82 collection and The Goggle Jacket brought an extraordinary amount of success, changing the face of the brand and creating a legacy that future designers were inspired by such as Alessandro Pungetti who took over and was creative director of C.P. Company from 2001-2009. Massimo Osti also had a vision and stuck with it, the reason his clothing is so valued even today is that he took his time. After he released these iconic peices, he kept them in his future collections fine-tuning them by experimenting with different colours and fabrics. This information is supported by a quote from the man himself. “Only by thinking about clothing in terms of years rather than seasons can one guarantee a quality which will win over the crisis of excessive consumption” – Massimo Osti.
C.P. Company was founded in 1975 by Massimo Osti who was also the founder of Stone Island in 1982. Originally called ‘Chester Perry’, the brand’s name was changed to ‘C.P. Company’ in 1978 following a lawsuit filed by another brand Fred Perry. Following this Osti became known for his iconic innovative skill of taking old fashion garments and redesigning them. For example Dutch police jacket, Osti was inspired by a once fashionable jacket that had since been lost and went on to design a whole variety of the jackets for his Autumn/Winter 1982 collection. This included a series of reconstructable jackets that had removable sleeves and collars. What excited me about researching this collection was Osti’s eccentric skill to experiment with material combinations such as oiled canvas, leather, suede, and knitwear. The popularity of the brand rapidly began to grow as it gained recognition in the press from L’Uomo Vogue’s 1982 July/August issue and the demand for the garments increased. The most iconic piece of the collection was a poplin jacket, with the fabric treated to make it waterproof whilst sustaining its natural look. Another one of Osti’s amazing ideas was to add brown calfskin, green goatskin, and red sheepskin.
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To be straight to the point, it was amazing. What I love about Balenciaga’s work is it’s so timeless. Instead of starting with a sketch and then seeking out material, he would begin with the fabric and design around them. This was a very creative way of working and it inspires me because you never know what the outcome will be. ‘It is the fabric that decides,’ he said. Known as one of fashion’s most iconic innovators, Cristobal Balenciaga changed the way in which we perceived the human silhouette by radically changing it. For example, the T-shaped kimono cut dress, Balenciaga so simply innovated his own style to this piece by incorporating an invisible, internal ribbon which runs along the inside seam of the sleeves. The material is then manipulated to create dramatic folds. Vogue described it as having the ‘sculptured, direct beauty of a Roman toga’.
Balenciaga - Shaping Fashion Exhibition
Another thing that enticed me is the eccentric curation process in this exhibition. The V&A collaborated with X-Ray Artist Nick Veesley to highlight the inner foundations of each garment. These X-rays were printed large scale and put alongside Balenciaga’s original garments enabling the viewer to cherish the beauty of the garment whilst also comprehending how it was constructed. Overall, considering I already appreciated Balenciagas innovative designs, this exhibition really gave me a feel for how the dresses were made and the time it took. We all love looking at photos of clothing but when you see these radical designs in person, the ones that shaped fashion forever you really understand the effort that was put into these garments.“Haute couture is like an orchestra, for which only Balenciaga is the conductor. The rest of us are just musicians, following the directions he gives us.” – Christian Dior. This quote sums up perfectly the impact Balenciaga had on fashion as we know it today.
The evening dress and cape were one of my favourite pieces as the way it so effortlessly flows from the body almost like the way lava flows down a volcano portray the simplicity and comfort of this dress. The stiff silk gazar in bold green (which happens to be my favourite colour) send me vibes of elegance and beauty like an emerald. This dress was designed in 1961 and just by looking at it you can see just how far ahead of his time Balenciaga really was, dresses like this one for example inspired designers such as Demna Gvasalia – current creative director of Balenciaga, to redesign the evening dress and cape in Balenciaga’s Autumn 2017 collection (as shown on the right). This couldn’t have been done without the archive photos of Balenciaga’s early iconic designs from the 1950’s. Archive photos are so important to modern-day fashion as they have all the information and history from past shows, illustrations, and clothing. “I went through almost 30 years of photographs of Cristóbal’s lookbooks” – said by Demna Gvasalia. (As cited by Mower, 2017)
Postcard Theory - ROUGE I don’t know about you, but the colour red sparks a warm fire in my gut, a yearning for individuality yet also togetherness, romance. In contrast, red can also be electric and exciting. My relationship with electric colours dates way back to when light-up trainers and flameshirts plagued the primary school disco. However my love affair with all red happened last summer. I remember how it felt when I first looked in the mirror, my fresh off the shelf Gosha x Kappa tracksuit head to toe in electric red. I felt empowered, individual, and a little bit like a post box…But a peng post box. It was towards the end of summer, and there was a party being thrown in a private location. Dress code? Flex. I knew just what to wear. The event was thrown by a friend that was making his name known in the fashion industry, he inspired me and I wanted show him I was about that life. I walked through the entrance of the party and was confronted by a gang of hypebeasts. But you best believe that no one was wearing electric red down to the ankle. It was the first time I’ve ever truly felt like I stood out, and fit in. The colour red intrigues me, it fills me with feelings of sexuality, lust and romance. It’s captivating. For years women have been wearing red lipstick and red lingerie which personifies the vibe of sexuality, men are drawn to the colour like moths to a light. Women wear it to express their femininity and to be noticed. All red is like putting chocolate sauce on a triple chocolate cake, its extra. I was recently given a postcard to write an article on and you’ll never guess what the image was…A women in all red. The image is of Minnie Cunningham at the Old Bedford, 1892, Painted by Walter Richard Sickert. This photo portrays a strong sense of individuality whilst reflecting theatrical scenes of the french artist Edgar Degas. This image was exhibited with a subtitle ‘I’m an old hand at love, though I’m young in years.’ Which is a quotation of one of Cunninhams songs. This to me implies the complex relationship between red and love. The idea that this image, even though she is alone in the image, still portray this relationship with the viewer. Like she’s looking for love and she has found it when you pick up the image and really look at the story and the meaning of the image. Furthermore it gives a point of view of an audience member and catches the strange effect of theatrical lighting. For me this image expresses the meaning love, that no matter if your alone and searching for it, you’ve just got to hang in there. Because love will find you one day.
SEW
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GRUNGE
REFERENCES: C.P. COMPANY CONTINUATIVE GARMENTS 1991. (2015, September 25). Retrieved November 03, 2017, from https://www.cpcompany.co.uk/blogs/archive/54578117-c-p-company-continuative-garments-1991 HOW THE MILLE MIGLIA INSPIRED MASSIMO OSTI TO REALISE AN ICON... (2014, May 16). Retrieved November 03, 2017, from https://www.cpcompany.co.uk/blogs/news/14151073-how-the-millemiglia-inspired-massimo-osti-to-realise-an-icon THE SAHARIANA JACKET 1989. (2015, September 22). Retrieved November 03, 2017, from https:// www.cpcompany.co.uk/blogs/archive/53912325-the-sahariana-jacket-1989 A SINGLE JACKET FROM MASSIMO’S ARCHIVE INSPIRES AN ENTIRE COLLECTION. (2015, September 07). Retrieved November 03, 2017, from https://www.cpcompany.co.uk/blogs/archive/51018949-a-single-jacket-from-massimos-archive-inspires-an-entire-collection Liz. (2017, February 19). Fashion and Feminism: Dr. Inès Gaches-Sarraute and the Hunt for a Healthful Corset. The Pragmatic Costumer. Retrieved from https://thepragmaticcostumer.wordpress. com/2017/02/19/fashion-and-feminism-dr-ines-gaches-sarraute-and-the-hunt-for-a-healthful-corset/. Thomas, P.W. (n.d.). Edwardian Corsetry Fashion History. Fashion- era.com. Retrieved from http://www. fashion-era.com/edwardian_corsetry.htm#The%20S-Bend%20Corset%20Fashion%20To%20Tight%20 Lace%C2%A0%C2%A0