Throughout this module I’ve found I’ve been challenged in a way I never have before as most of the tasks were topics that I have never really touched before. I felt very engaged in the lectures and they were very beneficial in order to complete the tasks set. I found some tasks harder than others but overall, they were necessary to expand my knowledge in another aspect of fashion.

All the tasks set required the appropriate research to back up my own opinions. I found myself using the internet more than I should have done as it’s a convenient source to go to when completing work at home. However, I did use the library to my advantage as it’s the most reliable source of information. At times I found that the library is a longer process to find the right information but when you finally get there in the end it is well worth the time you spend looking for your information. As you use the library more often you will find that when find your research the process gets easier as you know your way around.

When it came to the time to complete another task I found myself always stuck at the start but would then find my flow once I would begin. I would always find the tasks I would find raising my interest easier to write about. For instance, when it came to write about the task on Ethics, I found it a lot easier to give my own opinion on the topic and I found it easier to back them up as it is a popular matter of interest. I did however use the internet for this topic but in future I would rather use the books from the library to make it easier for myself and to have more reliable resource to quote from.

In future it will be easier for myself to complete the tasks in the week they are set, rather than avoiding them so it will give me time to edit if needed and the information from the lecture will still be fresh in my mind. I would also like to start writing a small plan of what I will write about before starting to avoid my paragraphs being disproportioned and going over the word limit. Hopefully this will teach me to break down my paragraphs in a more organised way to avoid waffling.

Overall, I find that the tasks have improved my knowledge on certain topics that I have never spoken about. They have shown me how important it is to use the information you find to your advantage as it can completely change your starting opinion about the topic and take in mind other opinions that can make you look at the topic in a new light.

As horrific the Duncan Quin advertisement was, this photo came to my attention as American Apparel is a sweatshop free clothing brand and specifically states that they are about ‘Equality, Diversity and Creativity’. In this ad the first thing you notice is the half-naked women lying on the bed staring at the camera. The women has no obvious emotion on her face in comparison to other advertisements I have seen. The model is positioned in a way that is very open and exposed. In this position is now vulnerable and can be taken advantage of. We also notice about the photo that the place she seems to be in does not seem very pleasant. The wooden chair in the background would probably be quite cheap, even though the photo is in black and white we are able to tell that there is no colour in the room, that everything seems to be mostly white, therefore we are able to tell that there are chips and cracks in the furniture you can see bits of. And that the room is very plain and does not seem to have much in it. From this we can suggest that whoever’s room this may be, may not be very wealthy. I searched American Apparel and their website states that their advertising campaigns [1]‘have become as synonymous with our brand name as the signature natural beauty’. When researching more about what they were about and what their campaigning signifies
They state that they feature ‘real girls who are selected not just for how they appear but for who they are’. So, does this advertisement really show who she really is as a person?
‘Their Intelligence, having a point of view and being an interesting person are qualities that we look for and those qualities brings energy to the pictures they take.’ The question that haunts me is how does advertisement seem to be showing this women’s intelligence?

When I researched about controversy in fashion advertisement I came across an article by the Varsity Fashion Editor Ellie Mullett, ‘The continual controversy of fashion ad campaigns’ as she reviews fashion houses mistakes in their ad campaigns.
[2]‘Some clothing is featured, but not a great deal of it, and that’s definitely not the first thing the viewer notices’ when reviewing the Saint Laurent campaign and how the way the model is sitting ‘She has been positioned to look compromised, and an uneasy feeling that she could be taken advantage of is projected’. This specific ad was described ’porno chic’ by director of the French advertising authority, Stephane Martin.

These type of advertising campaigns raise so much attention and make such a big impact. I feel that sometimes the fashion industry can become too competitive and can get carried away when trying to be more eye-catching than other competing brands. However, even in the fashion industry there should be such boundaries and should still respect them and avoid taking things to extreme.

Bibliography :
[1] http://www.americanapparel.com/en/aboutus/index.jsp
[2] https://www.varsity.co.uk/fashion/12930 Varsity, The continual controversy of fashion ad campaigns, Ellie Mullett

Task 7/8

According Sanda Miller from chapter 1 of ‘Fashion Media: Past and Present’ from eighteenth century the first start of the fashion magazine had emerged. Functioning as [1] “the most up-to-date social, cultural and artistic developments but also as self-styled…taste”. Once the fashion magazine (Le Mercure Galant) was accepted it was aimed to cover the aspects of the arts, as well as the opinions of others. Le Mercure Galant was short lived however ahead of its time and was reintroduced as Mercure de France.
During this time fashion magazines gradually introduced a wider “intellectual profile”, which lead to introduce products of ‘the Enlightenment’, also known as ‘Age of Reason’ during the French Revolution. This then soon led to the publication of an altogether different type of magazine ‘Le premiere journal des modes’. Being which the linking of fashion and taste in the title testifies to the “concept of taste”.
Miller questions the philosophical aesthetics and whether it is a matter of individual personal opinion or whether we are influenced by the person experiencing it. Miller uses the common phrase ‘beauty is in the eyes of the beholder’ and questions whether there is a “common denominator” therefore actual valid judgements or “an emotional response to the aesthetic experience”.
Miller talks a lot about David Hume’s essay ‘Of the Standard Taste’ and how he argues very much on the “great variety of taste, as well as of opinion”. This led me on to do more of my own research on the concept of taste on fashion. I came across a paper on the ‘The Dynamics of Style and Taste Adoption and Diffusion: Contributions From Fashion Theory’ by Charles W. King, Purdue University and Lawrence J. Ring, University of Virginia. It explains that [2]‘style in fashion is related to the concept of taste’, that taste becomes a style in fashion when enough individual opinions relate to one another.
I then came across an article from ‘The Protagonist Magazine’ ‘Is fashion really about taste? The Vulgar: Fashion Refined’. [3]“Bad taste doesn’t exist. There is just taste.”; the article states that if something is vulgar it is not always necessarily what we are looking at but its perception. Is it actually them being vulgar or is the people before us criticizing them? Does the criticism that we heard or read from others before us remain with us and change our perspective?
Many people stand with Miller and agree that fashion began in Paris [1]“everything began in Paris.” This was also stated in the book ‘The End of Fashion’ by Teri Agins [4]“Paris still stood on ceremony as the fashion capital of the world”. However, Paris was upstaged by other Italian and American fashion labels. Paris managed to maintain their position in high fashion however by the mid-1990s the fact was that French fashion wasn’t selling the way it used to and the French designers were by then in the history.
In conclusion, the first fashion magazine may have been published in France however I do not share the same opinion that fashion media began in France because it is regarded as universal. Fashion is Art and Art did not suddenly appear but grew and developed over time and travelled through different countries and cultures as did fashion. It cannot simply be pinned to one place as fashion is art and art is in everything.

Bibliography

[1] Fashion and Media, Past and Present, Bartlett, Cole, Rocamora

[2]The Dynamics of Style and Taste Adoption and Diffusion: Contributions From Fashion Theory
Charles W. King, Lawrence J. Ring    http://acrwebsite.org/volumes/9638/volumes/v07/NA-07

[3] The Protagonist Magazine, Is fashion really about taste? The Vulgar: Fashion Redefined http://www.theprotagonistmagazine.com/fashion/the-vulgar

[4] The End of Fashion, Teri Agins 

http://www.eliesaab.com/en/haute-couture/fw-2017-2018

https://fashioneditorials.com/vogue-uk-freja-beha-erichsen-theo-wenner/
http://www.vogue.co.uk/article/suzycouture-elie-saab-warrior-queens
http://www.vogue.co.uk/gallery/suzy-on-elie-saab-haute-couture-and-beirut-atelier

http://www.vogue.co.uk/article/freja-beha-erichsen-interview-style-vogue-covers

Elie Sabb is one of the many designers that inspires me in my work. I find her designs so elegant and perfectly detailed that it has me lost for words. to  ove on further I looked at what her previous work was inspired by. by scanning through various blogs in vogue I came across this photogragh of a model named Freja Beha Erichsen by Theo Wenner for Vogue UK November 2017. in this image we see Freja signing for something, what I would suspect being a check to pay for something she bought as in the photo she comes across a wealthy woman. She wears in the photo a glamorous yet elegant all body suit, detailed with thousands of diamonds and diamond earrings to match. I love that in the photo she is so oblivious to everything else around her, she is only focused on the one thing in front of her. in a regular situation this normal but the way she’s dressed makes her seem so sophisticated and important and that she’s above everyone else. I feel that she is a powerful, sexy, upper-class woman whom does not have to worry about the money that she spends. It seems as though the world she lives in could have to boundaries, that she could escape on life to another in a moment. Her outfit in this photo portrays that no one can touch her, that everyone she meets is just a visitor in her world and she will not allow them to stay unless she approves of them. This image links to Elie Sabb’s past collections as his garments are so luxurious and sophisticated that the person that wears them will automatically become the women in the photo.

‘In fashion the term “fairy tale” is often used to descried clothing that is particularly spectacular’. I’ve always found elaborate creations and ball gowns so inspiring and I find that in my own work that I am very inspired by couture and one of a kind pieces. Many fashion designers are inspired by fairy tales as they have always been amongst our history within the arts. Inspiration like this can make one create such beauty, elegancy and luxury.

Scanning the books through the library I came across ‘Fairy Tale Fashion’ Colleen Hill which goes into more detail about the exhibition at the Museum at the FIT describes a summary of the fairy tale inspiration and how it has inspired various designers in the work in different ways. It describes in detail about what exactly the designer was thinking and trying the convey in their piece. I was particularly fascinated by ‘Some Enchanted Evening’, a dress created by Alexander McQueen, which is in fact the dress that has been used on the front cover and the hand- printed silk taffeta evening gown by Dolce and Gabbana (pg 17).

I was intrigued by the book by Hill to research about the exhibition. ‘Fairy tale fashion was a unique and imaginative exhibition that examined fairy tales through the lens of high fashion’. The exhibition included fantasy-like settings designed by the architect Kim Ackert to match the dramatic garments created by designers like Marchesa, Tom Ford, Alexander McQueen, Prada and Walter Van Beirendonck amongst many more. As the typical setting for a fairy story is woodland and forest, the fashion was used to illustrate what story the audience would be walking into. For example, variations of the Little Red Riding Hoods cloaks were on display, including the Commes des Garcons enormous, peaked hood in scarlet patent leather cloak- Fall 2014.

https://www.fitnyc.edu/museum/exhibitions/fairy-tale-fashion.php

https://www.vogue.com/article/fairy-tale-fashion-exhibit-fit

I started off by searching through the Textile View magazine and came across a history trend where designers have been influenced by different eras. In this issue it showed how designers developed their Christmas and party collection by turning to Elizabethan through Baroque and Victorian eras. The key colours during these times were quite dark dull colours therefore the colours schemes of their collections were ‘severe monastic palette of black, winter white and anthracite with a dramatic accent of vermillion red’. Their collections involved fabrics like mixed lace and sheer fabric that were ‘toughened up and contrasted by luxe wool’ along with leather. To pull off the Elizabethan and Victorian style fashion the garments had maxi-coats that would just reach the floor and maxi-shirts, matched with ruffled, high-neck blouses.

Textile View summer 2011/issue 94

https://www.wonderlandmagazine.com/2015/03/13/pfw-alexander-mcqueen-aw15/

One of the garments from the Alexander McQueen collection used in the article pulled my attention so I researched it further.

In this article it explained that the collection ‘Gothic Romanticism’ was ‘bringing romance back’ with pastel petal dresses. ‘This collection the use of gothic silhouettes and the Victorian style hair made it easy to understand where the inspiration came from. The collection uses juxtaposition by combining transparent night gowns and petal dresses harmonising ‘gothic silhouettes against romanticised femininity’.

The Victorian hairstyle was used to compliment the Victorian look and the high necklines that were ‘constrained yet conservative’ in order to refer to the upcoming V&A exhibition ‘Alexander McQueen; Savage Beauty’. In particular, a white keyhole dress constructed with a black fenced belt with a high frilled collar to introduce the conservative against liberal design that Burton is so skilled at doing.

For this season much, softer pastel pink was introduced to combine delicate textures against the harsh black lines of detail and the harder surfaces. In order to give the look more of a gothic edge the designer the contrasting black tones to reach its way up to the sheer blouse to create this ‘Gothic Romanticism’ vibe.

http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/exhibitions/exhibition-alexander-mcqueen-savage-beauty/about-the-exhibition/

To go a little further, I research the ‘Savage Beauty’ exhibition held at the V&A. It explains that McQueen was ‘particularly inspired by the nineteenth century especially on the Victorian Gothic’. McQueen presents the ‘shadowy fancies’ that are written about in ‘The Fall of the House of Usher(1839)’. McQueen collections often refer to ‘paradoxical relationships…life and death, lightness and darkness, melancholy and beauty’ just like the Victorian Gothic that combines both horror and romance.