Photo taken from the book: Krell, G (1997). Vivienne Westwood (Fashion Memoir). unknown: Thames & Hudson.

Firstly, I looked within the university library at the section for famous fashion designers and found many books about Vivienne Westwood’s life and collections where she pushed the boundaries of the fashion world and incorporated unusual and shocking aspects within her work. I found this photo from her Harris Tweed collection which features a red velvet corset and mini-crini with her famous rocking horse shoes. It was within this collection that Westwood revived the corset and other 19^th century garments as perhaps a symbol of sexual empowerment to prove that the corset is no longer seen as the symbol of women’s oppression.

This then drew me to look into the history of corsets where I found a similar one featured in Vivienne Westwood’s collection. The photo features a ‘Stay’ which is a corset style undergarment with straps which was most popular within the late 1700’s and were worn to accentuate the waist and shape the petticoat of the gown to the proper silhouette. Within the description of the garment there’s a quote from a letter written by the Duchess of Devonshire in 1778 where she complains that a similar corset to this one cut into her body and upper arms, ‘But it is the ‘ton’ [fashion]; and pride feels no pain.’ Which further cements the idea that corsets aren’t worth the pain if the 20^th century doesn’t demand them.

Photo of Wine silk damask stay taken from the V&A website

I later found an article linked to this image on the V&A website discussing the reappearance and disappearance of the corset throughout the years and why designers would want to bring the corset back when its physically oppressive and associates with women’s inferior status. It discusses how originally Proiret banned the corset in 1909 as a statement and replaced the fashion with the focus on the shoulders which later evolved into the bi-dimensional dresses associated with the 1920s.

It then later came back into fashion in the 1930’s when the waist was rediscovered as the focal point of dresses after popular movies such as ‘Gone with the Wind’ and ‘Little Woman’ made Victorian style dresses popular again which featured small waistlines only achievable by wearing a corset underneath.

Since then many designers have tried to recreate the slim and smooth waistline that the corset creates with padding, boning and different cuts. The most famous being the ‘Bar’ suit designed by Dior which closely resembles the exaggerated hourglass silhouette of a corset.

It was only in the late 1970’s did Vivienne Westwood release the Harris Tweed collection revolutionizing the corset again which spurred other designers to do so, such as Jean-Paul Gaultier and Thierry Mugler where they exaggerated the garment and made it into some sort of futuristic armor. Since then the corset has never comeback fully as the pain and rigidness discourages the general public from accepting this historic garment back into today’s fashion.

Bibliography:

Unknown. (unknown). Stays. Available: http://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O13864/stays-unknown/. Last accessed 26th Oct 2017.

Georgiana Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire (1778). The Sylph. 2nd ed. unknown: T. Lowndes.

Unknown. (unknown). The Corset in Late 20th-Century Fashion.Available: http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/articles/t/the-corset-in-late-20th-century-fashion/. Last accessed 27th Oct 2017.

Krell, G (1997). Vivienne Westwood (Fashion Memoir). unknown: Thames & Hudson.

Images of Kenzo’s 2008 Autumn/Winter collection (page 122 in book). There is clear influence of traditional Japanese Kimono with the back of the garment modernising the Obi belt of the traditional garment.

Image on left is from the Kenzo book published by Rizzoli New York, photographer unknown

Image on right is from http://www.elle.com/runway/fall-2008-rtw/g17649/kenzo-225307/?slide=45 (The book didn’t have a front picture of the garment so I wanted to find it to support the evidence of Kimono influence)

https://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2016/03/26/style/designer-jotaro-saito-seeks-free-kimono-confines-tradition/#.Wed_R1tSzIU

Tokyo fashion week March 2016 Jotaro Saito Photographer unknown

Image shows how kimono has been redesigned and adapted into high fashion concepts. “I represent the third generation of kimono makers in my family, and we have always worked more like designers than shokunin craftspeople.”

Then I began looking for an archive which would broaden my understanding of Kimono and its history. I found that the V&A has a large collection of Kimono in its archive and a lot of information on the topic with separate articles on the topic as well which is very helpful at broadening my understanding of the Kimono and the culture behind it. The collections on the website are also effective at providing reliable information. http://www.vam.ac.uk/page/k/kimono/

From conducting my own research in the library I found Kenzo’s book by Rizzoli New York which contained a vast amount of his collections over the years, with his 2008 Autumn/Winter collection standing out the most to me. I applied my own contextual knowledge when observing his work to find that he took inspiration from traditional female Kimono in the way he had adapted the obi belt into his piece by having the fabric form a back detail in his garment as this is similar to how obi is tied. After I researched into what the front of the garment looked like I also found it to have a play on the neckline of kimono as well.

I extended my research from these initial images in the library by exploring how other high fashion designers have taken inspiration from Kimono in their designs but made it modern and put their own personal style on it. This was done by doing an image search of Kimono on google which led me to find Jotaro Saito’s work in his Spring/Summer 2016 collection which was heavily inspired by traditional Kimono but designed with a modern outlook in its designs and pattern cutting. This image took me to an article about the designer in the Japanese Times where it was explained that he is a third generation kimono maker in his family who have always made kimono but with a “designer” state of mind rather than a more traditional one which interested me greatly as it shows how tradition has been rethought within his family to create something visually stunning and captivating.

With Jotaro having ties to traditional Kimono construction and design through his family heritage I decided that it would be beneficial to research into an archive which had more information on the traditional dress in its raw form. This lead to me finding the V&A’s Kimono archive which is extremely vast and in-depth with many pieces being displayed within it ranging from more common clothing to more lavish pieces which was very beneficial to my research as it demonstrated the range of different cuts and designs within Kimono itself and how culture and society effected these qualities. The V&A have a specific home page for their Kimono archive which branches off into different articles and pieces relating to the subject addressing different topics surrounding it. These articles are packed with reliable information about Kimono and inform me of things about the traditional dress style which I didn’t know previously.

This contextual research journey has been beneficial to my approach to research as I can see how a small piece of information such as my library image can expand into new topics and information which I didn’t know previously and can help inform my designs to make them more personal and knowledgeable. By beginning with Kenzo’s work I have also been able to understand how incorporating your own cultural history and personal experiences into your design work can make help develop a personal style and visually be stimulating for the audience.

Bibliography

http://www.elle.com/runway/fall-2008-rtw/g17649/kenzo-225307/?slide=45

http://www.vam.ac.uk/page/k/kimono/

“Kenzo” By Rizzoli New York   Published 2010    Image chosen is from 2008 Autumn/Winter collection (page 122 in book).

Designer Jotaro Saito seeks to free the kimono from the confines of tradition

Clockwise Margaret Annie, Edna, Ciara Print designs created in-house at Liberty, Image from the book Print & Pattern Nature by Bowie Style, published 2017

Having previously admired Bowie Style’s book collections of artists’ work, I found these bright and cheerful prints by Liberty in a book I have at home. It provided a brief history of the brand as well as Liberty’s design processes. The company was founded in 1875 by Arthur Lasenby Liberty, hence the designers are able to draw on a vast collection of artwork from Liberty’s renowned pattern archive. Their annual Open Call event, inviting new designers to collaborate with the brand, also means that whilst maintaining their characteristic style, Liberty is able to bring fresh and exciting designs to each collection.

Betsy Dress 2-6 Years
Liberty prints from http://www.libertylondon.com/uk/department/liberty-products/

Carolina Silk Chemise Liberty prints from http://www.libertylondon.com/uk/department/liberty-products/

I then went through the Liberty London website to see how the brand sold itself to the public and found these simple-cut garments in a similar style of print. The website is home to a selection of designers, with an emphasis on Liberty products that range from fashion to food and homeware. This iconic brand uses luxury materials such as silk and bold, striking patterns that immediately set them apart from the crowd. A large percentage of their designs include floral patterns that have always been popular whilst contributing to the brand’s signature style. The fact that Liberty is so recognizable underlines the importance of designer identity. Intrigued, I looked for any previous or current exhibitions that could clarify Liberty’s timeless success.

Fashion & Textile Museum website: http://www.ftmlondon.org/ftm-exhibitions/liberty-in-fashion/

A search online revealed that the Fashion & Textile Museum in London had previously done an exhibition on the brand, called “Liberty in Fashion” from October 2015 to February 2016. It explored the history and development of the company, as well as its role as an international leader in the fashion industry.

“Liberty is steeped in British tradition,” said the head of the museum, Celia Joicey. “But it has always been, and still is, hugely avant-garde.”

The exhibition included garments dating back to the 19th century, Liberty-designed costumes that featured in various films and a huge selection of over 150 garments, textiles and objects. Liberty’s design influence escalated very quickly and is even credited in part for helping to develop the Art Nouveau and Arts and Crafts movements. In addition to promoting business through their website, having their work published in books and articles and featuring in exhibitions has enabled Liberty to establish itself as a leading designer brand, whose presence in the fashion industry shows no sign of diminishing.

Starting with a page from a book at home, I was able to build up a quick view of Liberty’s background history, style and international influence. In addition to finding inspiration for my work from various sources such as libraries and the internet, I feel that I have now learnt how to use these tools as a means of developing my fashion and design awareness on a much broader scale.

This photography comes from <<Horst P Horst>>.The Author is Horst P Horst.

Firstly, Horst P Horst is one of my admired photography master. Also his works full of classical culture, especially Greek architectural aesthetics. he focus on hands, a feet , the back of a human body . He used classical techniques to restore the beauty of human body structure. Secondly, the designer of this garment is Main Bocher  who is a famous fashion designer .He designed this garment in 1930s for his own brand. Moreover, Main Bocher stressed that the curves of the female body. He is good at through the design to tighten the waist line to highlight women’s elegant and soft He’s design than Christian Dior ‘s” New Look ” early several decades . It can be see clearly that he is a very forward-looking artist and create a lots of perfect fusion of people and clothes the works of art. Then, I consider about the reason why this photograph at a premium .This is because of these two artists are good at using classical techniques to demonstrate women’s gentle . So, It had this “Main Bocher corset ” s birth.

What ‘s more ,This dress is a very famous work in the history of fashion. In addition, This photo was introduced to Madonna’s song MV scene in 1990, is VOGUE, there is a rap song, which mention the 16 golden age of Hollywood movie star, at the end of the period of MV inside, they use the idea of this famous work. And, the garment styling inspiration can represented the retro styled .

According to my investigation,in fact, in World War II, some American designers has been with the new shape features, but the first to lead the entire trend is mainly from the people of Paris, For example, In the beginning Mainbocher is not famous in America But after Mainbocher opened his first fashion shop in Pairs . He became famous step by step and back to the United States,.The Paris as the main fashion vane. this has not changed until after the Second World War in a period of time. But now I gradually developed a curiosity and doubt, I would like to leave a opening question :Whether the popular direction in 30s, (a large number of post-war revival in the retro style costume) concerned about the United States and not affected by the war, and in economy and all aspects in turn affect from Europe? I mean whether the trend of fashion from Europe is actually due to the influence of American culture, because the United States was not affected by the war at that time

Reference:

1: Horst:Photographs,1931-1986

2:http://glamourdaze.com/world-war-two-fashion/post-wwii-influence-in-the-1930s

3: The Impact of War on 1940’s Fashion in the USA.

The Colour of Fashion, 1992, Stewart, Tabori & Chang

Photograph of Japanese models challenging tradition, produced date unknown, photographed by Kaoru Ijima, Tokyo

This image derives from the view that Japanese fashion traditions should change. Japanese fashion had avoided mature, sexy images that showed flesh. This hiding of the body originated from the kimono tradition. I picked out this image due to its meaning behind the photograph. The photographer is clearly challenging the tradition of covering up the body, as well as symbolising the women’s desires to express their fashion. Connecting the bras is away of showing how their identity is being held back. The colour of the bras is also interesting. White symbolises purity and regarded as a highly spiritual colour. It is really fashionable in japan as well, to wear as underwear. I believe this fashion has derived from the association of white being pure. The fact that the image is of the women breaking out of the white bras, suggests they want to break out of tradition and dress freely without associations. I found the tradition behind colour extremely interesting and wanted to research more into why people wear certain colours on certain occasions.

Photograph of a bride called Lady Forrest, 1876, Victorian styled dress, photographer unknown

Image taken from: www.marryjim.com/en/page/show/id/30/template/history

I then researched into the history of wearing the colour white on your wedding day. Before 1840, a bride would wear any colour the liked on their wedding day. It mainly depended on the fashion of that time and how wealthy their family were. Rich brides in the middle ages commonly wore bold colours with silk, velvet and fur. White dresses only really became fashionable after Queen Victoria’s wedding in 1840. She was not the first monarch to wear white, however the event was photographed and widely published. The colour at the time also didn’t have any symbolism and it was later on given connotations of virginity. Before this blue was meant to represent purity.

Screenshot taken from:

http://www.vam.ac.uk/blog/here-come-brides/queen-victoria-and-the-white-wedding-dress

I then looked at the V&A website to broaden my understanding of wearing the colour white on your wedding day and where it derived from. In my task 2, I learnt that Queen Victoria had started the tradition in 1840 and I wanted to learn about this more in depth. The website states that not only did Queen Victoria create the white wedding dress tradition, she was the first in British history to entirely wear white on her wedding day. The monarchies before her, like Philippa Of England in 1406, wore some white garments on her wedding day, but not entirely white. She made the white wedding dress fashionable for many reasons. One reason was because of the press and how well her wedding photographs were published. The other reason was because of how romantic their wedding appeared to be. She wrote her vows as Albert’s future wife, not as the monarch. She also bordered her train with orange blossom and not crimson, velvet robe of state. This was a romantic gesture to show how devoted she was to have her wedding day about just them. This seemed to touch the hearts of the nation.

Overall, I have developed a firm understanding of colour in fashion and traditions and know how to research my topic in depth, with reliable sources.

Attempting to discover something that related well enough to my chosen image from the book ‘ERIC GILL: SCULPTURE’  Collins.J (1992), Lund Humphries, London; in association with Barbican Art Gallery. I felt quite challenged, there was a battle of communication and relevance between any possible garment/textile pieces, including the debate of whether information was reliable.

I managed to find an excellent example, which I thought related extremely well both through the influence of layers and colour, the work which was said to be created by Danielle Franklin was created by Chanel- Enania Velcani. Unfortunately, the website that I researched was later found to be incorrect, and didn’t give me a collection which I could reference and research further. Consequently, I had to look at another designer, who I ensured had enough valid information and work that related to my original choice of artwork, ‘Christ Driving out the Money Changers from the Temple’ (1922-3) sculptor Eric Gill. 

My range of resources weren’t as varied as I had hoped. However, I did use a book of sculpture, various websites including watching several videos to enhance my knowledge of the designer Cristobal Balenciaga, who is a strong focus in the collections of Molly Goddard, Gareth Pugh and Josep Font, three of the designers being interviewed within the short videos that I watched.
These can be found at: https://www.vam.ac.uk/articles/contemporary-fashion-designers-on-balenciaga

Balenciaga was known for his manipulation of the silhouette, something which each designer within the short films recognises as his strongest value and all try to replicate this with turning away from the hour-glass figure and involving much more volume to create the simplistic beauty that he did. His simple designs were thought to have been his best work, because of the minimalism. Whereas other designers obsessed over the hour-glass figure and the perfect woman. Balenciaga removed this, meaning you didn’t have to be perfect to wear his clothes.

I discovered more information about Balenciaga from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, https://www.metmuseum.org/TOAH/HD/bale/hd_bale.htm; where I learnt about his past including the ways that he came to be known in the fashion industry through designing for royalty.

Having to adapt my work because of incorrect information, I made the connection between Gill’s sculptural drawings and a silk coat created by Balenciaga for Mrs Byron C. Foy (1955) the rich red colour of the coat can also be found on tapestries and curtains in places of worship and prayer. Most notably this being inside the temple where Jesus drove our the money changers. The colour could also link in with the Christian imagery of the blood of Jesus Christ; this is internationally recognised as a big part of the communion, where bread is eaten to remind the followers of his body and wine as his blood.

I’m sewing heaven (n.a)
‘FASHION DETAILS’
https://artmagamma.wordpress.com/fashion-details/
(14^th October 2017)

Collins. J (1992)
‘ERIC GILLS: SCULPTURE’
 in association with Barbican Art Gallery
Published: Lund Humphries Publishers Ltd, London
(18^th October 2017)

The Macropolitical Museum of Art (n.a)
‘Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History -Evening coat’
https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/works-of-art/C.I.55.76.26/
(18th October 2017)

I started my research with a secondary image from the book ‘FASHION, A History from the 18th to the 20th Century’ by TASCHEN. The image I chose was of an Evening dress from 1921 the image stood out to me because the garment was very elegant yet simple in style and the overall design and embroidery of the evening dress was detailed and looked expensive. The description in the book next to the image states that the evening dress is made of ‘Silk jacquard of lavender’ it has ‘bead embroidery and fringe at the hip’ detailing the evening dresses style and hinting at the expense. Adding primary research to my work I went online and visited the ‘Vogue’ website and typed the weave technique ‘Jacquard’ into the search bar as it was a feature of the secondary research that I found intriguing so i wanted to find more modern uses of the weave technique. As my primary research I discovered, on Vogue’s website a new collection/collaboration by Erdem x H&M coming out November 2017 which uses jacquard as one of the collections main features along with lace and frills. I found it interesting how Erdem x H&M used jacquard in a very modern way and how it did not make the garments look dated but rather added to the overall look of the final design. I associate jacquard with the 1800’s and the detailed tapestry’s the jacquard loom produced, so for the Erdem x H&M collection to use the technique in modern designs and make them  relevant and interesting is a great achievement. I personally love the collection and think that they used the heavy material to create interesting shapes and lines within their garments.

To further my research I googled ‘jacquard loom’ and found on the national museum Scotland website a reliable source of information regarding jacquard looms and their contribution to the society we live in today, such as there punch hole method used in Jacquard looms is the bases of modern computer programming. The overall technique was more complex than the previous way of weaving in the 1800’s and allowed the weaver to create more detailed and larger textiles than before. I find this interesting  as jacquard looms are still being used today in the fashion industry, such as the Erdem x H&M collection, and for high street sale to create interesting and fashionable garments showing that it is still as relevant in  today’s fashion industry as it was when first produced in 1801 and used by liberty and co Paris and London for their silk evening gowns.

I found this research process interesting as it allowed me to explore an area of fashion that I had never looked into before, showing me the basics of complex fabric designs and the start of a revolutionary piece of equipment still used in the fashion industry today.

http://www.vogue.co.uk/gallery/first-look-hm-erdem-collaboration-pictures

https://www.nms.ac.uk/jacquardloom

Photograph of a woman wearing Oliver Theyskens’ ready to wear collection 1998 in the book ‘The Belgians an unexpected fashion story ‘ page 12, photographer unknown 

The real garment in the performance 1998

Taylor Swift’s  Gothic zombie look in  ‘What You Made Me Do’ Music Video  

Online article about the origin of the Gothic style by the Victoria and Albert Museum  http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/articles/t/the-gothic-style/

The research began by searching books from the library website. However, instead of picking the book that was originally chosen, the book ‘The Belgians an unexpected fashion story ‘ which was right next to the chosen one, appears more eye-catching of its design. After a short flip, my attention was clutched by Oliver Theyskens’ work. The rough texture, the vintage shade, the natural drape, the pasty looking modal and the relation between the garment and a giraffe all made me consider the meaning behind this garment and the inspiration of the designer.

The book doesn’t provide much information about the work or the artists, therefore I moved from the book to an online Vogue article about the actual catwalk show wrote by Laird Borrelli-Persson. She described the show as ‘ intended as a visual calling card’ and she thought that the show has an  “out of the tomb” vibe. The author focused on the fabric of  Theyskens’ work Then moved on to some interesting details of the appearance and the style then she finished the article in-depth with the concept and the influence of the idea:

“Though the collection was dubbed ”gothic ” by Vogue, the designer says that at the time he loved to look at Florentine studies of anatomy, as well as the 17th and 18th centuries and also the end of the 19th century, with its beads and lace. ”I was just putting together all these passions. I was also discovering how to do voluminous garments, it as the first collection where I put trains on the dresses. When I look back, some of the charms of this collection is that I can tell how much I’m trying different types of things as a discoverer or explorer, I was really doing things mostly for the first time.”[1]

It’s surprising to found out how this vintage style garment can link to ‘gothic’ or even anatomy. Referring to the topic ‘gothic’, It reminds me the image of Taylor Swift’s zombie look in her new song video: dirty pale blue dress with messy hair and creepy makeup. Similarly, the two garment both creates an old and uncomfortable vibe and the structure or the shape of the clothing are both simple. In contrast, instead of a pathway mocking and revealing the truth, Oliver Theyskens’ collection demonstrates directly of his intention and creativity to the audience.

Finally, I went to search for the origin of gothic style, it is said that ”In the area around Paris known as the Ile-de-France, a new style of art developed. Because of its supposedly Germanic character, this style was called ‘Gothic’, first by 16th-century Renaissance writers and again by 19th-century historians.”[2] Except from this point, I couldn’t find any more relative information on the website. In conclusion, the usage of the online source could be quite helpful to improve the research, although it might be slightly hard to distinguish between reliable and unreliable resources.

Reference and bibliography

[1]https://www.vogue.com/fashion-shows/fall-1998-ready-to-wear/olivier-theyskens

[2]http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/articles/t/the-gothic-style/

[3]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=21t3MvQ-UGc&t=190s

[4]https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=gothic&safe=strict&rlz=1C1KMZB_enGB540GB717&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiyo_2-nfvWAhVCNhoKHTavB8cQ_AUICigB&biw=1366&bih=662

[5]https://www.pinterest.co.uk/search/pins/?q=goth%20fashion&rs=guide&term_meta[]=goth%7Ctyped&add_refine=fashion%7Cguide%7Cword%7C0