Throughout this module I have enjoyed many of the lectures and debates that have been discussed in class. The tasks themselves were engaging and I developed many skills, for example learning how to Harvard reference. However other tasks I found were more challenging and really tested my abilities.

Many of the tasks included gathering secondary information to support a source or to provide developed knowledge of the subject. The library provided many great books that helped me find the right and necessary information I needed. Websites online including articles also gave me supporting evidence which helped me develop my research skills. I mainly learnt these skills in our very first task, Online Resources and our 5/6 task Visual Research.

The task I enjoyed the most was task 9/10 Ethics. The discussion in class was very useful to see both points of view when looking at photographs; this is something I rarely do as I haven’t been given the opportunity to have a big debate before. The task itself was engaging and I felt very passionate when writing my point of view. I mostly enjoyed defending women in these photographs and explaining how unhealthy it is for viewers to see these images and think it is okay to portray women in such ways. Analysing the image I also found interesting as I prefer analysing photos to a piece of text. I believe photos can spark imagination and show many hidden elements so breaking down a photograph for me is really exciting and interesting. Finding the supporting text was not too difficult as I learned how to use the internet wisely in previous tasks.

I really struggle with written tasks especially when it comes to analysing texts. I find the way the sentences are written really hard to understand and breakdown, therefore I struggled a great deal in task 7/8 reflective writing. I had to read the text many times to fully understand what was being said. I then decided to print out the text I had chosen to analyse as I could physically write notes beside the text to help me when writing the summary. This was really beneficial for me as it helped a lot to write my own notes that I could understand. Actually writing the task I also found difficult. I find it hard to concentrate when I don’t fully understand the text, however I slowly began to understand what the text was saying which made it easier. I also find that I repeat myself too much when writing tasks. I find that once I make a point I keep going back which is unnecessary. In the future I need to be more mindful of cutting down repetition especially because of strict word count.

From this module I have found that I have developed my research skills massively and started to think about debates in more depth. I am pleased with the time I have had to complete my tasks as I don’t like leaving them to the last minute as this causes too much stress. The information I have learnt here will definitely help me in future projects and tasks.

When looking at this image there are a whole range of ethical issues that clearly haven’t been taken into account. Firstly the man holding the necktie that is around the woman’s neck is well dressed and has a pleasant look on his face. He also looks rather wealthy which immediately to the viewers shows power and authority. His overall look is quickly compared to the subservient looking woman on the hood of a car. Due to her attire the man’s wealth and power is heightened even more so due to the woman only wearing underwear. The model in lingerie has no power or authority to the viewers but instead looks more like a sex slave. The photographer and company of this image clearly hasn’t taken ethical issues into account; the image quickly shows that men of wealth will have many powers over women and become almost like their ‘toys’ due to the authority they believe to have over the opposite sex. This photograph doesn’t show equality in the slightest as the woman has been draped over a car with no clothes on whilst the man is showing no skin and holding power over the woman with the necktie that is around the woman’s neck in his hand showing inequality. This image is teaching society it is okay to treat the opposite sex with no respect or consideration if we are wealthy.

This image not only teaches women that if we have wealth we have more power over the opposite sex but also that it is okay to sell ourselves to men who have this authority over us. The photograph shows the woman has no respect for herself by lying over the top of the car with one leg up and one hand behind her head whilst she looks up at the man with her back slightly arched. This photograph teaches women that it is okay to perform this kind of behavior and these actions for men. As it is clear she is lying over a car we can only assume that they are outside, therefore the photograph isn’t only showing the model wearing no clothes but also showing that she is in a public place performing these acts. This doesn’t give women the respect that they deserve as the majority of woman would never even think about performing such an act in a public place. The necktie that the man is holding shows an act of violence as if he were strangling the woman. This throws some confusion to the viewers as it makes us rethink if the woman is alive and willing to join in with the erotic acts he wants to perform or if she is unconscious or deceased. An article from The Conservation says, ‘Representing women as sexualised, zoomorphic and subjugated beings fosters a rape culture in which treating women in degrading ways through the use of violence is considered acceptable. By communicating that it is ok to dominate, sexually touch and assault women, violent advertising representations undervalue the right of a woman to say no.’ (Gurrieri, 2016)

This quote by Lauren Gurrieri explains that adverts like Duncan Quinn promote sexual abuse through power and violence which ignores the woman’s right to say no to such acts giving them no power or confidence. This image is falsely portraying the idea of sex to younger generations showing them that it is okay to perform dangerous and violent acts towards women as this is what they’ve been taught and believe how sex works due to adverts that show such explicit images.

Gurrieri, L., 2016. The Conservation. [Online] Available at: http://theconversation.com/why-is-the-advertising-industry-still-promoting-violence-against-women-64086 [Accessed 11 November 2017].

The chapter Fashion and Anti-fashion from the book Fashion as Communication by Malcolm Barnard states that society’s behaviour and the way we process information contributes to our own understanding of fashion. It states that due to the primitive desire to become part of a social group we act and behave in certain ways to be accepted by other members of society; this includes the way we dress. When we are part of that social group we feel the need to not just be a union but also individual, these two conflicting ideals create fashion and if either of them is absent, fashion would not exist due to the lack of social rules and the lack of the need to conform to certain fashion trends. The need and desire to be fashionable and individual comes mainly from western cultures. Fashion isn’t just used to make a statement about yourself but it is what binds social groups together. Societies where there is not such a demand to adapt one’s self to society will have little fashion as there is less pressure to be part of a social group as the social group isn’t dominated by fashion. The groups look for individualisation first then to reach complete  independence it can develop from fashion. These societies look for trends in the wider society like the western culture and not their own therefore there is not such a pressure for them.

Fred Davis claims, ‘clothes can make a clear reference to who we are and wish to be taken as while alternatively or simultaneously evoking an aura that merely suggests more than it can state precisely’. (Davis, 1986) This statement agrees with the idea that fashion can give us direct independence from our social group as clothes can suggest to a viewer how we observe ourselves and how we wish others to perceive us. However it also questions how someone perceives who you are as clothes can only go so far to suggest how we wish someone to view ourselves more than giving a fundamental statement about the precise person we are the clothes you wear as clothes suggest more of a feeling of how we want society to see us. 

Having analysed the text I agree with the idea that we feel the need to be a part of a social group but also show our individuality. From an evolutionary purpose we feel that we are safer in numbers but we do not want to be labelled but instead have our own identity. I also believe that Davis’s claim also spoke truth and clothes cannot exactly show people how we wish to be seen but instead give a strong feeling, this is due to how each individual sees a particular type of garment. Davis later goes on to state, ‘whatever it will come to mean eventually, is bound to be perceived and responded to quite differently by the coteries, audiences and publics to which is it successively exposed.’ Evidently due to different personalities we will not always see how one wishes to be perceived, however clothes can give a strong suggestion to indicate the way we would like to be acknowledged.

Reading a chapter from Adorned in Dreams helped me clarify my personal thoughts. Wilson claims that in the nineteenth century appearance was most important when looking to achieve a higher status, ‘each woman must wear the uniform of fashion, yet in a world that believed in individualized romantic love she must also express the uniqueness of her personality.’ (Wilson, 2003) Even in the nineteenth century we wished to be viewed in a certain way that would heighten our status by our individuality. It is clear that this desire has carried on into the 21st century so we are able to gain status. I do believe that being part of a group wants to give us independence but also if one of these behaviours is missing there will be a lack of fashion as we would no longer feel the need to constantly impress or standout from our original group to achieve status.

Davis, F., 1986. Clothing and Fashion as Communication. In: The Psychology of Fahion. Canada: unknown, p. 15.

Wilson, E., 2003. Adorned in Dream. In: London: I.B Tauris, pp. 15-17.

Mood board that inspired Elie Saab’s collections

Jeweled Amour by Rene Habermacher Vogue Japan 2013

Rene Habermacher, photographer, Junko Editor, Rena Semba fashion editor/stylist, vogue Japan

In this image you can see a high-class woman dressed in her wealth eating at the dining table. Her glance is focused away from the camera as if she was looking at another person at the other end of the dining table, perhaps her husband. This photograph was taken just slightly below eye-level so we are looking up at the model. This gives the model more authority to us and a higher status. The photo is in focus so that we can see the detail of the jewels that she wears. The main focal point within this image is her mouth and red lipstick. Her arm acts as a pathway for our eyes to look up to the model’s mouth and see the large shiny flower shaped ring on the model’s middle finger. This image is cropped so that we are able to closely look at the jewels she wears. The cropped image does not let us see her bent arm or what else is on the table in front; this way we are left to our own imaginations of what or who the model is staring at and what else is on the table that could influence her look and posture. I believe this image does conform to the typical stereotype of an upper-class woman from the amount of jewellery and expensive suit she is wearing. However this photo is not realistic as the model is not wearing any clothes underneath her jacket so that the viewer’s attention isn’t distracted away from the pearls around her neck. I believe this image is about the upper-class women in the 90s and the way they have to portray themselves in order to keep their higher status either by what they wear or to be visually appealing to their other half. Rene Habermacher captures the 90’s upper class woman to show off their wealth through jewels and mannerisms to give a sex appeal to the viewer drawing them in to what makes a wealthier woman sexy and successful.

Fiell, CF and Dirix, ED (2011) Fashion Sourcebook 1920s. London: Field.

Leaper  CL (March 29^th 2017) Marie Claire. Available from: https://blackboard.soton.ac.uk/bbcswebdav/pid-3651959-dt-content-rid-3314693_1/courses/ARTD1097-34661-17-18/Wk%203%20RCS%20Academic%20Integrity%20LH.pdf [23^rd October 2017]

Hall JH, (2014) Coco Chanel the Nazi spy: New document reveals that fashion designer worked for Hitler’s military intelligence. Daily Mail online 2^nd December 2014.

I decided to explore the 1920s as I was really intrigued by the ‘Roaring 20s’ and how the 1^st World War affected fashion. I have always been interested in the style and elegance that the women wore around the time of the flapper girl and who were the main fashion influences on the younger women.

I started off looking through books in the library; Fashion Sourcebook 1920s showed original photographs and drawing illustrations. From researching this I referenced all the necessary places and names in order to Harvard reference correctly. I was curious to see who the major designers were during this era so I went online and researched ‘fashion designers in 1920s’ in google. Marie Claire had a great webpage specifically allocated to showing viewers who were the key designers for the success of 1920s fashion. I took a photo of the web page and noted down the authors name, when it was published, the title of the webpage, the UCL link and the date that I accessed the page to Harvard reference. The main designer that I was most interested in from the Marie Claire website was Coco Chanel and her Little Black Dress designed in 1926. I wanted to find more information about Coco Chanel, not necessarily to do with fashion but more about what she did and where she came from. I found an interesting newspaper article from the Daily Mail on Chanel stating that during the time of the war she was a Nazi spy and worked for Hitler’s military intelligence. It was really interesting to read about her private life and not just about her design company and finding out her influence and actions during World War 2.

Photograph of a women in 1940’s. Photograph by Cecil Beaton, Vogue (British edition) September 1941, London, Gelatin-silver print

I found this photograph when looking in the University library, the book was titled “The V&A Gallery of Fashion”. I was really captivated by where this photo was taken and who the model was in the picture. From reading further on in the book I found out that this image was taken in front of the ruins of the Temple church in London after it was bombed on the 10^th of May 1941. Vogue used this image as a selling point for maintaining their status and readership. The title of this photograph was called “Fashion is Indestructible”. In the photo the model, who is unknown wore a suit designed by Digby Morton. Fashion was considered to still be important during the Second World War as a morale booster.

Fashioned in New York, the latest American ‘siren suit,’ 1941. Photo: IWM, http://fashion.telegraph.co.uk/news-features/TMG11446271/Fashion-on-the-Ration-how-World-War-2-finally-let-women-wear-the-trousers.html

From further research online I found a relatable source from the Telegraph in an article about how World War 2 finally allowed woman to wear trousers due to the shortage of clothing and rations. It stated that introduction of slacks first appeared on the market in the 1930s but were not popular to begin with; it was only until the war began did slacks become well known and a fashion trend. Vogue featured slacks in 1939 when presenting them in their fashion magazine modelled by a woman in an Eastern headdress paired with red slippers. Whilst Vogue was determined to not let attitudes to outward appearances be forgotten due to the war, the magazine Home and Country offered more practical and realistic advice. In its September and October issue they published darning and patches as well as knitting patterns for matching vest and underwear.

I was really intrigued about rationing in Britain during WW2 and decided to develop my knowledge and understanding further. From looking at an article in the Guardian titled “Fashion on the ration, how to make do and mend defined wartime style.” I found interesting information on what women would use in the absence of certain beauty products, for example they would wear beetroot juice in the lack of lipstick and use Moondusk Cyclax fake stocking cream. Not only did the women use Moondusk Cyclax they would also paint on a false seam to make the look more realistic. What I found most interesting was when utility clothing was made, I originally believed them to be in poor condition; however after reading the article I found that this was not the case. Utility clothing was in fact made well as they were expected to have a long duration. The restrictions for clothing were never to be taken out of line. There could be no more than five buttons, two pockets and two pleats on garments. The government released bracing ideas like pamphlets showing how to patch and darn as well as films being shown which included instructions on how to remodel a man’s felt hat. Fashion during the war was difficult especially when trying to keep up the morale with the limited supplies they had, however it seemed many women found interesting ways to keep up their daily beauty tricks and sense of style.