This task is the summery of the previous tasks that have been completed, which were useful in developing writing, researching and evaluative skills which are paraphrased here for this the sixth and final task.

For task 1 I used my favourite image from my books titled ALEXANDER MCQUEEN edited by Claire Wilcox and used the internet to find the original inspiration for this piece. This task was beneficial as I learned how to use the internet wisely, which is something I can continue with future projects, as I found a blog with quotes from Sarah Burton that provided vital information to complete this task. However, my research was not very focused, as I researched too many websites that did not aid my work. Although, this trial and error was useful to learn from.

Task 1 link – (http://blog.soton.ac.uk/rcs/2017/10/19/task-12-research-and-communication-with-lyanne/)

For task 2 I had to learn how to reference three sources; A book, website/webpage and newspaper/article. It was difficult to link each reference together with a common theme however, I decided to complete this task backwards because the newspaper gave me artists which allowed me to find a book that uses a common theme. This process will benefit my studies as using references that linked focused my searches. Also learning how to reference properly has been useful and I can now reference quickly.

Task 2 link – (http://blog.soton.ac.uk/rcs/2017/12/03/task-12-online-resources-3/)

For task 3 I interpreted the inspiration for Ziad Nakad’s 2017/18 collection. I found it difficult to interpret the inspiration as many blogs I visited used the same text. My researched became over-complicate which prevented me from finishing. However, I spoke to my lecturer and I was able to finish that day. This was a beneficial task to complete because I didn’t realise how many sources could be used, as I previously studied many different images of the same inspiration rather than looking else wear. I also learned how contrasting sources can complement each other.

Task 3 link (http://blog.soton.ac.uk/rcs/2017/12/03/task-34-academic-integrity-2/)

For task 4 I wrote a reflective summery regarding the original and changing definition of fashion. This task was difficult because of the reading involved, also sourcing a book with appropriate quotes was difficult because of my dyslexia. To help I looked at examples on the WSA blog to source useful books. However, though this task was difficult it was interesting to learn the etymology of fashion as I agree fashion is the process of making and not just wearing.

Task 4 link – (http://blog.soton.ac.uk/rcs/2017/12/04/task-56-visual-research-7/)

For task 5 I wrote an analysis of an ad campaign. The reason I chose the specific image I researched was because it involved a man and women, which I felt I could more easily look at the man’s point of view. This was useful because it makes me think about if the product is being featured well, as with this ad I felt it was being forgotten amongst the controversy.

Task 5 link – (http://blog.soton.ac.uk/rcs/2017/12/04/task-78-reflective-writing-4/)

In conclusion, paraphrasing these tasks has made me understand the knowledge I have gained. It’s been difficult however, I have enjoyed this module and it has provided me with skills which I can use for future projects.

Duncan Quinn: 2008 ad campaign.

I decided to explore the Duncan Quinn 2008 ad campaign because it evoked a lot of opinions. I feel I can give a less bias view point because I am male and I can understand the desire to feel strong. However, I feel this image has taken that desire far beyond acceptable limits.

Duncan Quinn is a suit brand for men which attempts to appeal to their target audience by including signifiers to create signified ideas that appeal to men, such as women signifying sex and cars signifying fun. However, after reading a blog from freelance writer Sandra Winn, my consensus is that using these signifiers in a disturbing way does little to achieve the desired effect of appealing to a target audience. furthermore, it evokes strong, negative emotions and various interpretations which all criticise this image. this includes a post on Buzz Feed titled “The Five Most Sexist/Misogynistic Print Ads from The Last Five Years”, which shares my opinion that this image is misogynistic and ethically incorrect.

The ethical issues raised by this image include repressing the idea of the modern woman. For example, this image contradicts modern ideas about the ascribed roles of women in today’s society as women are told to be strong and to not rely on men to provide for them. However, this image portrays outdated ideas about patriarchy, dominants and sex as the man in the image is well dressed and smirking whilst the women lays there with the man towering over her half naked bloody body, which suggest his dominance and authority because the women is vulnerable to the mans will.

However, this ad raises not only ethical issues regarding violence against women but also the ethical issues surrounding the representation of male fashion and patriarchal ideology, as men don’t often fit this ideology. I whilst reading the book Fashion as Communication by Malcom Barnard I found shor paragraph that helps to explain my point. “Fashion and clothing are instrumental in the process of socialisation into sexual and gender roles; they help shape people’s ideas of how men and women should look. It is not the case that fashion and clothing simply reflect an already existing sex and gender identity, but they are part of the process by which attitudes to and images of both men and women are both created and reproduced”(Barnard: 1996). meaning it’s the clothes that make the man and we choose how to represent ourselves. So why does a man wearing men’s clothing need to assert his dominance by degrading someone else? The more I read into this image I feel it oddly showcases weakness in the man because he has to degrade someone weaker than himself in order to feel strong. To me a “real” man may portray a masculine image with his fashion choices, but does not feel the need to assert dominance with violence. Overall the image has outdated values and has no place in the industry as in my opinion it does not represent a “real” man.

Bibliography

Winn .S (2008) Duncan Quinn Suit Campaign Depicts Strangled Women. Available from: https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/duncan-quinn-suit-ad-depicting-strangled-woman [Accessed 25/11/2017]

BuzzFeed Staff (2012) The Five Most Sexist/Misogynistic Print Ads The Last Five Years. Available from: https://www.buzzfeed.com/copyranter/the-five-most-sexistmisogynistic-print-ads-from-t?utm_term=.amJ6LR5Vv#.edZpER0o2 [Accessed 25/11/2017]

Turner .S (2012) When did it become ok to degrade women in the name of fashion. Available from:http://www.turnerink.co.uk/marketing/degrade-women-fashion/ [Accessed 25/11/2017]

I decided to explore Malcolm Bernard’s Fashion as Communication Because I was interested in etymology and I was surprised at how much I learned from this text. The section I am interested in is a description of etymology and what it means in terms of the word ‘fashion’. It states that “the original senses of fashion, then, referred to activities” (Barnard: 1996), as the word fashion originally derived from the Latin ‘factio’ meaning to do or to create. However, Bernard also explores the changing definition of this word, as he states “fashion was something one did, unlike now, perhaps, when fashion is something that one wears. The original sense of fashion also refers to the idea of a fetish”(Barnard: 1996) meaning an inanimate object that is ‘worshipped’ rather than a physical task. Personally, reading this section has given me a better understanding of fashion as I understand now the definition means the process of creating while garments (what we refer to as fashion) are the outcome.

This section also delves into the meaning of fashion as clothing and its symbolic purposes as Barnard states “every day we make decisions about the social status and role of the people we meet based on what they are wearing” (Barnard: 1996).

This suggests that garments can be called fashion because they still do something as their purpose is communicating one’s personality or position. For example, wearing a work uniform communicates your position at work or the specific job you do, whilst wearing your everyday clothes communicates your tastes, or even wearing the same shirt for a couple of days communicates that you’re busy and don’t have the time to actively think about specific clothing choices. Even when the clothing people wear doesn’t communicate personality or taste it communicates something about the wearer.

However, during the 80s women born in the ‘baby boom’ period after the war were career driven and excelled in the work place as women were now excepted in the workplace as they had previously proved themselves in the war when they filled the positions men were unable to fill. “As bank vice presidents, members of corporate boards, and partners at law firms, professional women became secure enough to ignore the foolish runway frippery that bore no connection to their lives” (Agins: 1999).

However, Barnard’s views arguably disagree with Agins’s statement as the quote I previous used contradict Agins’s, as Barnard stated that “every day we make decisions about the social status and role of the people we meet based on what they are wearing” (Barnard: 1996). Arguably women in the workplace are consciously making the decision to dress more like men to detach themselves from femininity, in order to be taken seriously, and so it could be argued that they understand the definitions of fashion as they are actively creating a look for themselves that communicates their professionalism and desire to work for themselves without discrimination.

Bibliography

Barnard. M (1996) Fashion as Communication. 11 new fetter lane EC4P 4EE, Routledge.

Agins. T (1999) The End of Fashion. 195 Broardway, New York, NY 10007. HarperCollinsPublishers.

Gowns from Ziad Naked’s 2017-18 fall/winter collection,The Snow Crystal Forrest.

Mood board of references used by Ziad Naked for his 2017-18 fall/winter collection, The Snow Crystal Forest.

illustration depicting a scene from One Thousand and One Nights, illustrated by Sani Ol-Molk (1856)

My chosen image is an illustration of a scene from the collection of stories One Thousand and One Nights. This scene depicts Shahrazad, the Sultan’s new wife telling her husband stories in order to delay her execution. The artist, Sani Ol-Molk captured the splendor of the story with his use of contrasting colours on the walls adorned with intricate, gold patterns. This indicates the scene is set within the Sultan’s grand palace.

I watched Ziad Nakad’s 2017-18 fall/winter, titled The Crystal Snow Forest. This collection was clearly inspired by a snow-covered wood, as depicted across the wall behind the catwalk platform. White predominated this collection however, the rich blacks, blues and reds used contrasted the inspiration. I researched various articles to discover other sources of inspiration for this collection and found one that spoke about how Nakad “proposes his romantic vision of a season in magic colors” and how his collection “gradually heats up when velvet, feathers, tulle and lace are interwoven through learned embroideries.” Initially this makes me think of Christmas However, I read on and discovered that one of the sources of inspiration was one thousand and one nights, “like a queen of an exceptional night, dressed in white and gold that illuminates this universe fit to the legends of a thousand and one nights.”

In conclusion I now have a better understanding of this collections inspiration and the variety of sources needed to fully inform and create a collection. I also have an understanding of how contrasting ideas can inform the same project and complement each other, because I could not understand how stories from cultures across Asia related to the inspiration of the snow-covered forest. However, I know understand that it was the romanticism and wonder that informed the direction of Ziad Nakad’s 2017-18 fall/winter collection.

Bibliography

Mariageenvue(2017) Ziad Nakad Couture Collection Fall/Winter 2017-18. Available from: http://www.mariageenvue.com/album/179/Ziad-Nakad-Couture-Collection-Fall-Winter-2017-18 [Accessed 18/11/2017]

Mark .J (2017) Haute Couture FW – Ziad Nakad F/W 2018 Collection. Available from: http://www.fshnmagazine.com/haute-couture-fw-ziad-nakad-fw-2018-collection/ [Accessed 18/11/2017]

Vogue (2017) AUTUMN/WINTER 2017 COUTURE Ziad Nakad. Available from: http://www.vogue.co.uk/shows/autumn-winter-2017-couture/ziad-nakad [Accessed 18/11/2017]

Fashionado (2017) ZIAD NAKAD Fall 2017 – 2018 Couture. Available from: https://www.fashionado.net/blog/2017/7/10/ziad-nakad-fall-2017-2018-couture  [Accessed 18/11/2017]

Trend Prive Magazine (2017) Ziad Nakad adds Sparkle to Fall/Winter Collection. Available from: http://trendprivemagazine.com/2017/07/23/ziad-nakad-adds-sparkle-fallwinter-collection/ [Accessed 18/11/2017]

Baly .P (2017) Ziad Nakad – Fall/Winter 2017 – 2018 Couture Show. Available from: http://www.unefrancaise.com/news/ziad-nakad-fall-winter-2017-2018-couture-show-collection/ [Accessed 18/11/2017]

Book Reference

Ricchetti, M. and Frisa, M. L.  (2012) The Beautiful And The Good. A View From Italy On Sustainable Fashion. First addition Spa in Venezia Marsilio Editori

Available at the Winchester School of Art.

Web Page Reference

Farra, E. (2017) Stella McCartney Discusses How Sustainable Fashion Can Be Sexy – And “How Technology Can Save Us”. Available from https://www.vogue.com/article/vogue-forces-of-fashion-stella-mccartney-sustainable  (Accessed 1st November 2017)

Newspaper Article Reference

The Telegraph (2017) article about up-coming exhibition. Available from: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/fashion/events/va-announces-key-style-exhibition-2018-fashioned-nature/ (Accessed 1st of November)

Author, Leaper, C. (2017) The V&A announces its key style exhibition for 2018; ‘Fashioned from Nature’ The Telegraph 1st of November web

I took a different approach to this task by sourcing my book, website and newspaper article in reverse order, because I felt it would be a simpler, less forced approach of finding each reference for this task. I wanted my references to follow a common theme which I felt would be harder to do if I referenced a book first. I originally intended to buy a newspaper however, I used the internet because it made the process faster and provided more options. I came across my chosen article when reading another one from The Telegraph’s website, about Botticelli’s works. Although, I had to subscribe to the online newspaper before I could read further. However, once I subscribed a different web page opened and I found my chosen article about sustainable fashion. This article talks about an up-coming exhibition at the V&A and it listed the names of designer’s whose works are included. This gave me a theme to work with and a list of designers to research further.

I then researched Stella McCartney’s sustainable fashion, as she was one of the designers listed. This was informative for my theme and naturally lent itself to the idea of finding a book to further my knowledge. Vogue’s article about Stella McCartney talks about the idea of using recycled materials which was an idea I kept in mind when searching the WSA library for a book to reference. I then found a suitable book to reference that explores the theory that using recycled materials is an inevitability today because it is now considered cool to care about the planet.

I originally chose to explore a book called Penguins by Stephen Martin because it wasn’t a typical national geographic book, rather it detailed the history of penguins and how they are presented in the media. However, I decided to change this book, because I felt making an aesthetic link between the texture of the penguin’s feathers and textures found in artists/designer’s work was not a strong idea. However, this led me to visit another of my favourite books titled Alexander McQueen: Edited by Claire Wilcox. This book presented detailed information about McQueen’s work as well as documenting all McQueen’s collections from his graduate collection to his last collection titled Angels and Demons in 2010.

Garment from Alexander McQueen’s last collection Angel’s and Demon’s 2010, originally modelled by Irina Kulikova. Featured in the Alexander McQueen Savage Beauty exhibition: At the V&A 14th of March – 2 August 2015. Photographer unknown.

I found my chosen image was a piece from McQueen’s final collection because I recognised another piece that was displayed with my chosen image at the exhibition. I then proceeded to search the internet for more information. It took some time to locate any useful information as I found footage on YouTube of the runway show of the collection however, this was purely visual and did not provide the information I wanted. I then searched Vogue magazine articles and found the name of the model Irina Kulikova, who wore my chosen piece at the runway show however, I wanted to find information about the inspiration and the fabrics of the piece. I eventually came across an article at Popsugar.com which included quotes by Sarah Burton, Alexander McQueen’s creative director who worked closely with McQueen, who gave details about his process and inspiration.

Burton detailed about how McQueen had “turned away from the world of the internet” and how “He wanted to get back to the hand craft that he loved”. My chosen piece had the angels of Botticelli and the demons of Hieronymus Bosch woven into the fabric, which I found out from this article. This was an informative discovery as I now had details about McQueen’s inspiration. To further my knowledge, I researched Botticelli’s paintings and McQueen’s angels and demons collection on the V&A Museum’s website.

Alexander McQueen Dress from McQueen’s Angels and Demon’s 2010 collection. exhibited and stored at the V&A Museum, London.

The Birth of Venus, painting by Sandro Botticelli (mid 1480s), Exhibited at the V&A Museum, London.

I found my chosen piece along with detailed descriptions about the fabric and it included the same Sarah Burton quotes that I originally found on the Popsugar.com article, assuring that this article was reliable.

I feel It’s ironic that McQueen’s last collection is arguably about the afterlife, because my immediate interpretation is that McQueen somehow predicted the events that led to his own death. However, with further research into the interpretations of Botticelli’s paintings of angels and Bosch’s paintings of demons, gave me a further understanding of what McQueen thought about his inspiration. I now understand more about this collection and now interpret that McQueen wanted to combine good and bad elements because McQueen found beauty in both. I feel these themes complement each other, but are also harmonious because they are like two sides of the same coin, as both aspects of McQueen’s inspiration are part of the same subject and demonstrate that one cannot exist without the other.

Bibliography

Vogue (2010) Alexander McQueen. Available from: http://www.vogue.co.uk/shows/autumn-winter-2010-ready-to-wear/alexander-mcqueen [Accessed 16/10/2017]

McQueen’s final collection titled Angels and Demons, images of collection posted on Vogue website.

Victoria and Albert Museum (date unknown) Savage Beauty in Numbers. Available from: http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/exhibitions/exhibition-alexander-mcqueen-savage-beauty/video-savage-beauty-in-numbers/ [Accessed 16/10/2017]

Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty exhibition – video promoting exhibition, no real explanation of pieces.

Vogue (2010) fall 2010 ready-to-wear. Available from: https://www.vogue.com/fashion-shows/fall-2010-ready-to-wear/alexander-mcqueen/slideshow/collection#11 [Accessed 16/10/2017]

Found the model who wore McQueen’s dress, Irina Kulikova.

IMG Models (date unknown) Irina Kulikova. Available from: http://www.imgmodels.com/model/paris/women/19255[Accessed 16/10/2017]

Found Irina Kulikova’s portfolio on IMG models website. However, McQueen’s dress is not featured in her portfolio.

Popsugar Fashion News (2010) Lee Alexander McQueen’s Final Collection For Fall 2010: All Angels and Demons. Available from: https://www.popsugar.com/fashion/Lee-Alexander-McQueen-Final-Collection-Fall-2010-All-Angels-Demons-7692975 – [Accessed 18/10/2017]

Popsugar.com article about McQueen’s collection with quotes from Sarah Burton detailing his inspiration and process.

Web Gallery of Art (1996) Picture Data. Available from:https://www.wga.hu/cgi-bin/search.cgi?author=Botticelli&title=angels&comment=&time=any&school=any&form=any&type=any&location=&format=5[Accessed 18/10/2017]

The web gallery of art website with seemingly authentic images of Botticelli’s works which include paintings McQueen could have been inspired by

Web Gallery of Art (1996) Madonna and Child and Two Angels. Available from: https://www.wga.hu/html_m/b/botticel/1early/08madonn.html [Accessed 8/10/2017]

Specific image of interest from website.

V&A (2017) Dress. Available from: http://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O1193821/dress-alexander-mcqueen/ [Accessed 18/10/2017]

Detailed description of the specific dress from McQueen’s Angels and Demons collection from the V &A website.

V&A (2017) copy after the Birth of Venus by Sandro Botticelli in the Uffizi (Florence). Available from: http://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O205978/copy-after-the-birth-of-watercolour-botticelli-sandro/ [Accessed 18/10/2017]

Detailed description of the painting The Birth of Venus from the V&A website.

V&A (2017) V&A Search The Collections. Available from: http://collections.vam.ac.uk/search/?extrasearch=&q=Hieronymus+Bosch&commit=Search&quality=0&objectnamesearch=&placesearch=&after=&before=&namesearch=&materialsearch=&mnsearch=&locationsearch= [Accessed 18/10/2017]

searches for Hieronymus Bosch’s works, the other artist that inspired McQueen’s Angels and Demons collection.