In this module I was taught techniques that I will later need for my writing such as using online resources, library resources and referencing. I also explored topics I found interesting as well as things that I did not.

In Task 1/2, I looked at how to use online resources. I looked at a book which helped pick my theme for that task which was androgyny and further researched intro androgyny using the internet. What I found difficult about this task was trying to find archives that related to androgyny and I spent a lot of time looking for archives in the wrong part of the website, which was very time consuming. I did enjoy having the freedom to research anything I wanted to as it made the task enjoyable and also motivated me to do it as it was something of interest.

In Task 3/4, I looked at how to use harvard referencing by looking at a chapter in book, website and newspaper article that related to it. This task taught me how to harvard reference and the other tasks were practice for harvard referencing to help me for future tasks. At first I found Harvard referencing tedious but over time referencing became easier so I it affects me less than it did in the beginning.

In Task 5/6, I found this task interesting but i found the process to be time consuming and it created a lot of confusion. It was hard to find a designer who mentions all their references so I interpreted their references and found images I believed related to the collection. It was hard to research into my images as there were no specific references e.g. film, book, place. I had to try gather information about an artist based on minimal information I found.

In Task 7/8, this was the most time consuming task that I had to do. I chose the shortest article but it was mostly in French so I then read the longer article that I had read through that and make notes. Most of the notes were pointless as I had to summarise 18 pages and then talk about one specific topic within the text. I did find some of the text interesting and also found it to be a learning curve of what to expect in the future. I think I will scan through the text rather than pick a text based on length.

In Task 9/10, We has to look at ethical issues of an advert. I found the lecture as well as the task interesting because it is a topic that can have more than one viewpoint which allows more choice. I did not actually know any specific ethical issues in the task so I had to research some of those before I could start the task. It was interesting to look at the image and message behind it rather than the formal elements as I have done this in this past.

Overall, I think the task have given me information and knowledge for my future tasks and has allowed me to try and find my way of approaching tasks.

This is an advertisement for Duncan Quinn which is a menswear company which specialises in British tailoring and could be said to only used and produce the ‘best’. In the image there is a man dressed in a tailored suit with an amused look on his face on the right of the image. On the left of the image there is a slim woman who is in white lingerie lying on a car with what looks to be a leash around her neck. The woman looks subservient as well as unconscious due to her body looking limp and unresponsive which raises some red flags.

One ethical standard within advertising is to not mislead the consumer. In this image Duncan Quinn has objectified the woman into a submissive sex slave which doesn’t correspond to British menswear tailoring which misleads the consumer into not actually understanding the true point of the advert which was to promote Duncan Quinn as a menswear brand rather than sexual domination of men. In Gender and the media by R.Gill stated “turning a human being into a thing, an object, is almost always the first step towards justifying violence against that person” (Kilbourn 1999). This could be linked to the ‘victim blaming’ which is when something bad happens to a person but they, the victim, are blamed. This advert makes women seem more like sexual objects rather human beings and if something or someone is an object they will not be treated as another human being, creating one theory for why there is violence against women.

In advertising they are meant to mirror and reflect that society and if Duncan Quinn’s advert is meant to reflect society what does it say to the rest of the world about Britain and its men? That they’re dominant? Consumed with luxury and ego? That they care about themselves more than others? If so, this is quite evident by the way the man is treating the woman in the picture if you was to say that this image is a reflection of its society. This image is tailored towards the male gaze as it is directed at the ‘heterosexual man’ and the characteristics associated with the title. The woman is portrayed and treated as a sexual object in this picture which could also say that western societies do not view women as equals to men but rather sexual beings that satisfy men’s needs as this “woman’ is ‘depicted as ‘decorative object’” (R.Gill 2006) rather than a smart, intelligent, career bound with either a job or as a mother.

Overall, the image creates a false representation of western societies which violates ethics surrounding morals and misleading. The image can be considered offensive towards women as it portrays them as inferior and subservient to men and they are the ones in control because they are ‘holding the leash’. This is unethical because it incorrectly suggests that Duncan Quinn is about something other than British menswear tailoring.

Bibliography

Gill,Rosalind (2006) Gender in the media, Cambridge; Polity Press

Slideshare (2010) Available from https://www.slideshare.net/f098/ethical-issues-in-advertising [Accessed 25th November 2017]

In the Fashion as Communication book, Barnard (2002) explored etymology, which is concerned with the origins and developments of the meanings of words. Barnard believed “ etymology was used to shed a little light” on the meaning behind the word fashion. He explored how fashion plays a role in society through union and individualisation as well as how it differs through different societies as it may not really be called fashion but adornment and dress instead. Barnard then conclude that the “context in which the words appear must always be taken into consideration when deciding whether a garment is being understood or used as an item of fashion or clothing”.

Wilson (1992) in Fashion as Communication, believed “fashionable clothing is used in western capitalist societies to affirm both membership of various social and cultural groups and individual, personal identity” and as western societies are also referred to as complex societies it is believed that the “demands of society are challenged by individualisation”. Frances Corner (2014) explored individualisation in the book, why fashion matters (Reason 28) she wrote that individuals develop a “unique and personal approach to dress” or in other words their own ‘philosophy’ of fashion. This allows individuals to free themselves from industry trends where they create their own identity but they also maintain a relationship with social and cultural groups.

Flugel (1930) in Fashion as Communication, looked at fixed and modish costume. Fixed costume “changes slowly in time but varies greatly in space” meaning it is associated with particular area and has different ‘social bodies’ in different areas or ‘localities’. In Adorned by dreams: fashion and modernity by Elizabeth Wilson (1985). Wilson found that it was after world war two that clothing was mass produced and ready-to-wear which lead to it to becoming the standard wear for everyone which can be seen through ‘fixed costume’ but amongst those who do not have a lot of money as it was noted that the poor wore “out of date and shabby clothes”, suggesting that money plays a factor in fashion which is why there is not just on type of costume across the globe.

In my opinion, I believe that fashion is apart of an individual’s identity but mainly in western societies as in other societies fashion is the least of their problems. Corner believed that individuals free themselves of industry trends when they create their own identity or ‘philosophy’ of fashion which in some cases are true but any item of fashion comes from a trend it may not be a current trend but it was so it is not exactly a unique identity it could be considered a recycled one which is evident in recent trends where what was worn 20 years ago that after a while was no longer a trend has been recycle into a new trend. For example, The Nike Air Max Plus trainers which were originally released in 1998 which have now been re-released and are currently being sold for over £100, 19 years later.

Bibliography

• Barnard, M. (2002) Fashion as communication; 2nd edition, Routledge.
• Wilson, E. (1985) Adorned in Dreams: Fashion and Modernity, London: Virago.
• Corner, F. (2014) Why fashion matters, London: Thames and Hudson Ltd.

1, 2, 3, 4, 5 Chanel SS17  www.vogue.com

Chanel spring 2017

 While looking at Chanel’s spring 2017 ready to wear collection I discovered many inspirational links. The collection is based on intimate technology, pattern and colour.

One image I selected in particular(6) was of Will Smith from fresh prince of bel air dressed in a black suit jacket, gold chain, patterned tank-top and brightly coloured hat.

This image clearly represents the individuality and creativity that he was portraying. His character was known for wearing bold patterns which reflected his personality.

(6) Will Smith Photographer – Chris Haston/NBC Gettyimage.com

The image was not planned as it doesn’t have a backdrop it is a natural photograph in Smith’s working environment along with the blurred hand implying he wasn’t ready for the image to be taken. The image itself consists of soft lighting as it is a dark image which could be because Haston, the photographer, used the lighting already available on the set. Haston has a limited amount of information about him available. IMDb states he was a photographer for NBC for 27 years and for the show ‘Will and Grace’(1998).

The purpose of the picture was to capture and show off the character of Will Smith in the Fresh Prince of Bel air. He was a comical character which you can see in relation to the large gold chain and bow tie worn with the suit jacket. He also wore a brightly coloured hat which infers how relaxed of a person he is because he enjoys himself through expressing his personality through his clothes.

This image has a striking resemblance to an outfit from the collection with the twisted to the side hat and relaxed look of the model on the runway (5).

References

(1, 2, 3, 4, 5) Mower.S (2016) Vogue Available from https://www.vogue.com/fashion-shows/spring-2017-ready-to-wear/chanel [Accessed 1st November 2017]

(6) Getty image available from http://www.gettyimages.co.uk/detail/news-photo/pilot-gallery-pictured-will-smith-as-william-will-smith-news-photo/141335245#pilot-gallery-pictured-will-smith-as-william-will-smith-photo-by-picture-id141335245 [Accessed 1st November]

IMDb available from http://www.imdb.com/name/nm3386182/bio?ref_=nm_dyk_trv_sm#trivia [Accessed 1 November 2017]

African luxury market

The book I chose to look at is a book that I am currently reading by (1) Corner, F (2014) Why fashion matters. Frances Corner has been the head of the London college of fashion since 2005. As a design student I wanted to also gain insight into the economic side to further my knowledge and possibly a sociological explanation into why fashion is so personal to us. I chose the ‘The African luxury market’ because it referred to Africa’s potential to be both a ‘producer and ultimately consumer of luxury goods’ (page 16) you generally think of the production of clothing you is produced in Asia and consumed in Western societies.

I chose a website which was about the international Herald tribune’s 2012 by (2) Doran, S (2012) Luxury society, because it was referenced by Corner on page 16 of ‘Why fashion matters’. Within the article it mentioned Vivienne Westwood, Stella McCartney and Fendi have used Africa as a source of production because the work in Africa has been described as exceptional hand work which showed that Africa is becoming a producer of luxury goods.

I then found a newspaper article by (3) Paton, E (2014) Luxury heavyweights eye Africa’s newly affluent, Financial times. Within the article it mentioned the African market was dismissed by the luxury industry for years and now their target market is ‘the emerging…established middle class and the affluent African consumer who’s probably extremely well traveled and brand savvy,” Sue Fox, managing director for Estée Lauder in sub-Saharan Africa’. This showed that the rising African middle class population is becoming a consumer of luxury goods.

References

Book (1) – Corner, F (2014) Why fashion matters, London: Thames and Hudson

Webpage (2) – Doran, S (2012) Luxury society,  https://www.luxurysociety.com/en/articles/2012/09/luxury-brands-the-promise-of-africa-suzy-menkes/  [Accessed 22 October 2017].

Newspaper Article (3) – Paton, E (2014) Luxury heavyweights eye Africa’s newly affluent, Financial times, 19 September

(1) Leather, studs and tulle By Peter Moss for Blitz magazine February 1986

Androgynous Fashion

This image was found in “Women and Fashion: A New Look” by Caroline Evans and Minna Thornton. I picked up this book and found this picture (1) and the text on the page lead me to start to explore this topic of ‘androgyny’ which refers to the combination of both feminine and masculine characteristics.

(2) Witches raincoat and belt, Vivienne Westwood and Malcolm McLaren, 1983

Whilst researching into androgyny I came across many figures such as Grace Jones, Marlene Dietrich and David Bowie. With further research I came across this review on WordPress about an exhibition in the V&A to do with androgyny and it included Vivienne Westwood. I explored the V&A records using Vivienne Westwood and came across an article called “Vivienne Westwood: Punk, New Romantic and beyond” which included many garments she has made that the V&A have in their possession. I looked into some of the items and read the information but found the “witches” coat (2) to link to androgyny because it was the first item that was not linked to either male or female clothing but visually you can see how it is unisex as it takes the traditional practical trench coat and infuses the creativity amongst women’s clothing through the exaggerated sleeve shape.

(3) Purple dress with tank top and feather boa Biba 1971 V&A archives

Before looking into androgyny I thought it was only referred to as unisex fashion that was a modern fashion trend due to the rise in feminism and acceptance of the LGBT community. One article by oxford student stated that androgyny can be dated back to the 17th century with western European styles consisting of men wearing wigs and petticoat breeches that looked like skirts. There were key people who were involved in making androgyny popular such as Chevalier d’Éon in the 18th century who was a soldier was known to dress either masculine or feminine and Marlene Dietrich in the 1930s who helped popularise women’s suits.

I browsed the V&A archives of their collections and typed in androgyny and found an outfit that consisted of a dress, tank top and feather boa (3). It was made by Biba in 1971 and worn to the Gay Liberation Front ball in Kensington. Biba is said to be a brand that was worn by feminists and members of the LGBT community. There was also a photograph taken in the 80s of Jeny Howorth who has short hair and is dressed in a double breasted suit which is fitted with a long coat with shoulder pads. At a quick glance you wouldn’t see the feminine features as the silhouette creates a male figure the background image of a zoom in of Jeny’s face highlights the feminine features.

Bibliography

http://www.vogue.co.uk/gallery/fashion-androgynous-icons-annie-lennox-prince-david-bowie

https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O136252/witches-raincoat-and-belt-vivienne-westwood/

https://www.vam.ac.uk/articles/vivienne-westwood-punk-new-romantic-and-beyond

A History of Androgyny in Fashion

Androgyny in V&A

http://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O140982/dress-biba/

http://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O1061098/photograph/