Theatre De La Mode

After the war ended in 1945, in an effort to reassert French Couture, designers, artists and the Chambre Syndicate of Paris came up with the idea to design and dress small scale couture dolls to send abroad to let the world know Paris was still number one in Fashion.  Miniature scale was decided as large quantities of materials to sew were not available; the dummies themselves were made from recycled iron with white unpainted plastered heads.

The son of Nina Ricci (Robert) was the head of commission of public relations at the Chambre and it was his idea to organise an event to raise money, the collection of dolls, all dressed by major couture fashion houses. 53 out of a total of 70 fashion houses took part. Some of these include, Balenciaga, Schiaparelli, Fath, Hermes, Ricci, Balenciaga, Worth and Carven, they were given the task of creating up to five outfits each.  There were a total of 237 dolls at the opening of the exhibition in March 1945. The exhibition travelled from city to city throughout Europe, then onto San Francisco.

Each doll was immaculately dressed and the details of their clothing was exquisite with linings, trimmings, accessories such as small purses, gloves, undergarments, hats, belts, powder compacts, shoes and wigs perfectly styled. Jewellery design was even by major jewellery houses such as Cartier and Van Cleef and Arpels.

The dolls were set up on amazing backdrops, designed by well-known artists, in some recognizable Parisian scenes.  On completion of the tour, the mannequins were laid to rest in the City of Paris department store (now Neiman Marcus) and then were forgotten about, until, it was discovered in the basement in 1952.  Sadly, many of the original sets and dolls were destroyed, before they were rescued by someone who had connections with the Maryhill Museum in America. This is where they resided until 1988 when Arthur Garfunkel became aware of their existence. There was an agreement reached whereby the Met Museum in France now house the collection and the Maryhill exhibits 3 out of the 9 sets every year and the rest of the time it travels the world.

The heads of miniature fashion mannequins, below, await
their bodies, above, as they are being prepared for display.
Each is dressed in Paris couture of 1946.

Photos from website www.archives.starbulletin.com These photos where taken when the Theatre De La Mode went to Hawaii.

Sadly I think we could be waiting a long time before they end up in Australia.

Our lecturer loves the story of Theatre De La Mode and thought it would be a wonderful idea if we created our own dolls. We were inspired by our Cultural Signpost research. Ours was “How Film and Fashion go hand in hand”. As a lover of the Mad Men Series, I decided an outfit for Joan Holloway. (Grey wool garment) The other garment pictured was designed by Veronica Parish.

Bye for Now.
Hope you enjoyed.

Identifying Fads/Trends and Classics

I’m sure you can all identify with me, when you have a big clear out of your wardrobe, either because you have no more space or you feel like spring cleaning, then you are hit with throwers remorse. It is very hard to know what to keep and what to not. My general rule is if it’s a classic it stays and if it’s a Fad it goes. If of course you have a massive wardrobe it can be fun to keep and fun to sieve through 20 years down the track. You should always keep classics  like a white shirt, pencil skirt, classic black pants and tailored jackets. So lets talk about Fads, Trends and Classic to help you make those wardrobe throw out decisions.

A Fad whether related to Fashion or anything for that matter is something that is short lived. It is extremely popular but for a short time and is followed with enthusiasm and zeal.

Of recent times the Jeggings would have to fit into this category. This is a Bubble up effect. Jeggings is a recent variant of leggings. They are leggings that take certain attributes from jeans, such as colour and style and seams down the side. Topshop introduced them in 2009 but the term originated in Japan. These wouldn’t be possible though without the technology to produce fabric (stretch) that looks digitally like denim.  As they are very comfortable society loved wearing them. Jeggings were a social fashion cycle.

Another Fad seen currently is the Nerd glasses as they have been termed. They were originally made of horn, tortoise shell or plastic in the 1950’s. They were a type of eyeglass students wore with the main characteristic being their lack of nose pads.  Today they are made fashionable by celebrities such as Pink and Lily Allen.  We are even seeing them on the runways, magazines and music video clips.  (Bubble up). They are a social fashion cycle.

A Trend is a general movement or direction in Fashion.

After in depth discussions our group decided that femininity will be the next trend. We are seeing it already but think it will continue strong with the current interest with television hit series like ‘The Mad Men Series’ where woman dressed like woman in stockings, dresses, hats, gloves and all the accessories. We are seeing alot of the designers like Louis Vuitton and Christian Dior being influenced by this glamour period of the 40, 50’s and 60’s. We all welcome this change away from masculine, minimal lines and can’t wait to see woman dress as woman used to.

The colour we predict are the soft pastels, particularly all shades of pink.

What is a classic?

Something that is continually in fashion usually because of its simplicity and basic need.

LBN: (trickled down).Everyone knows this stands for Little Black number. It is usually cut simply and quite short. The origin of the LBN dress can be traced to the 1920’s and Coco Chanel. It is essential to every wardrobe it’s almost a rule of fashion. Worn with a jacket and pumps for daytime attire or business wear then with ornate jewellery and killer heals and you have evening wear. When choosing your LBN make sure it is not part of a trend.  Chanel was the first to introduce black as a fashion colour; her versatile, semi-formal "little black dress" became a Chanel trademark.

Black was used for Day wear, evening wear and cocktail wear.  Black has continued to dominate throughout the decades. 

Chanel stripped down the design of women’s attire in 1926, no longer did the designs focus on bosoms, stomachs, and rump.  It was the simplifying taste of Chanel that woman could identify with.   No longer could men dictate what woman should wear. 

The LBN due to its simplicity will never be out of flavour, it’s something that can be worn to any occasion. The Little Black Dress started out being a political, feminism fashion cycle, nowadays though it is socially exceptable to wear a LBN anywhere.

Fashion and Film

HOW FASHION AND FILM GO HAND IN HAND

Film and Fashion are so very closely linked that we almost don’t notice their trendy sway. Movies have contributed to major trends in fashion, hairstyles and make-up.

Here are my personal favourite Top Fashion Moments in Film.

Sex in the City has definitely made MANOLO BLAHNIK shoes a household name but Blahnik opened his first shop in 1973. Woman drool over the expensive and exquisitively designed shoes as worn by Carrie and the the girls in Sex in the City.

Designers like Sass and Bide have even featured in Sex in the City. Sarah-Jane Clarke was wearing a self styled denim jacket and took it off and handed it to a security guard, who gave it to Sarah Jessica Parker whilst on set of filming Sex in the City. The next day, the Sass and Bide girls were invited to Parkers trailer to show their designs. Later they were commissioned to make a few one of pieces for the Series. This propelled their brand instantly internationally.

Desperately Seeking Susan, in this 1985 hit starring Madonna, created a trend with many look alikes appearing on the streets. (I remember it well!) She wore black dresses with leggings to men’s pants with exposed lacy bras to rolled-down rhinestone boots. She also wore chains with dangling crosses (which had the churches horrified), beads and of course bleached blonde permed hair.

Saturday Night Fever (dadadadadadaaaa) 1977 hit starring Johnny Travolta.

John Travolta’s blow-dryed hair, tight, shiny polyester pants and that famous white suit. Men wanted to look like him.  He gave men the courage to dress flamboyantly during the Disco era and was responsible for those embarrassing wedding photos in the 70’s sporting white suits. (looking back I bet they wished they hadn’t).

God Created Woman starring Bridgett Bardot in 1957

Bridgitte Bardot was a style innovator. In God created woman Brigitte wore her hair in an unkept style during an era of coiffed perfect hair. She also wore a very tight skirt (girdle free) for her bongo gyrations, making woman and men mouths drop. It was Brigitte Bardot who caused the demand for the bikini. It was because of this film that bikinis became fashionable. Pretty amazing considering the two piece swimwear was band from the Miss World Contest 6 years prior.

The Wild One (Marlon Brando)

Marlon Brando invades a small town with his biker gang “Black Rebels Motorcycle Club”. His iconic look of cuffed jeans, leather cap and tough black motorcycle jacket created this cool look to civilians. This look influenced TV and Movies like “Happy Day” and the Fonz and the “Rock and Roll Revolution”. This is a continuous trend today that is timeless in its style.

Mad Men Television Series

Mad Men is set in the 1960’s, at the advertising agency on Madison Avenue, New York.  The focal point of the series is Don Draper, creative director at Sterling Cooper and a founding partner, as well as those in his life, both in and out of the office.  Mad Men has received critical acclaim, particularly for its historical authenticity and visual style. It has influenced designer such as marc Jacobs with his latest collections of corsets, cleavage and cocktails. We are talking full skirts 50’s style, sweetheart necklines and cat’s eye sunglasses.  We may and I hope even see a change in models on the catwalk, steering away from the waif look to a more volumptuous look of Joan Holloway. Arguably this series has caused a” Bubble Up” effect.

If you haven’t seen the Mad Men series and you love fashion of the 60’s, do yourself a favour and get the series out.  Get a group of girls together with some champagne and take yourself back to the past. Yummy Don Draper!

You know when you’ve made it when there is a Barbie Doll to honour you.

PRESSUREEEEEEEEEEEE TEST

At TAFE recently we were put under a

Pressure Test. In a group of 3 using a selection

 of recycled garments create a garment based

 around your designer, we chose “ Deborah Lindquist”.

 We titled our range “ Cowgirl goes Caberet”. I must

say this was a difficult task for me. The main problem

was the time constraint which was 2 hours. Now I know

 how they feel on those reality TV shows like Project

Runway. Then you have 3 people working together as a

 team with 3 different ideas.  It was a Challenge to say

the least and this is what we created.

We were disappointed with ourselves and we now

 have a new appreciation and understanding when

 working under pressure just how difficult it can be.

Deborah Lindquist

Check out some of Deborah Lindquists latest collection " Cowgirl Meets Thunderdome"
Her pieces are limited edition as they are created from recycled materials combined with environmentally friendly fabric such as these Hemp.

Sustainability in the Fashion Industry

Sustainability and Fashion

Sustainability in Fashion is a very Broad Issue.

We can talk about ecologically produced fabric such as organic cotton which doesn’t harm the environment in its production as it is free from destructive toxic pesticides and chemical fertilizers.  Or, bamboo fabric which uses less water than any other in its fibre production.

 We can talk about designers using recycled clothing and remodelling them into new fashion.

Or, individuals doing there bit by producing less land fill.  We can all do this by handing down clothing to places like the Salvation Army and buying second hand or vintage clothing. Designers can also donate their scraps or off cuts from each production line. Every piece of fabric that doesn’t find its way to landfill has to help the environment. Whilst reading about different fabrics I came across Seacell. (it is a plant based synthetic, which is made from seaweed and purports to deliver vitamins and minerals through the wearer’s skin) Very interesting I thought. Fabric that is healthy for the skin.

Designers could also help the environment by purchasing the end runs of fabric. This would otherwise end up in landfill.

Nanotechnology may be the answer to fabric.  Silver nanoparticles are being added to fabric that kills bacteria making the fabric odour resistant. Eventually we could have dirt repellent clothing. Obviously the amount of water required to launder is incredible and a great burden on the world.  It seems an uphill battle for many designers to go Green and some do more green than others. Demand is the key and if we all start demanding more things can and will change.

In our study group we have decided to study Deborah Lindquist who has aptly been titled “Green Queen”. Deborah is an eco fashion brand which focuses on recycling fabric and uses also environmentally consciously produced fabric. She focuses on couture and ready-to-wear apparel and is based in Los Angeles, United States.

For her current collection “Rocker girl meets the Gypsy” she has used pre-loved materials such as vintage Cashmere, wool, leather, beaded wool and vintage buttons. She has also included eco fabric such as hemp, organic wool, peace silk, organic cotton and alpaca.  She is looking also to add soy silk, ingeo and sea cell (these are types of rayon).  The bustier seems to be prevalent throughout her designs.

She has dressed some mega stars such as Sharon Stone, Jessica Alba, Christina Aguilera and Rhianna.

Go to the link below to check out her designs.

www.deborahlindquist.com

Whats HOT and Whats NOT for 2011

All in all I’m Lovin the fashion for 2011. With Elegance being prominant throughout, I think its about  time that we all started dressing like real woman again.

Mad Men, the television series which focuses on life at a New York advertising agency in the early 1960’s, has definately influenced our fashion that we are seeing on the runways. The series which features all the looks of the era, with pencil skirts, lapelled suits, skinny ties, crinoline-puffed dresses and Peter Pan Collars. The very sexy, cunning and manipulative Joan Hollaway is the star of the show with her gorgeous hour glass figure, she always looks stunning. The fashion in this series is responsible for many of the Whats In Look. Bubble Up or Trickle Down there could be arguements for both. 

So lets take a look at the Whats in for 2011

Leather and lace gloves: Must haves. “Trickle down, Bubble up”

Late 70’s tailored pants  “ Trickle down, ”

Full below the knee circle skirts with a cinched in waist.  Both Louis Vuitton and Prada had the full circle skirts on the runway this year. Beware before choosing this look though, you need to have the right figure for it. Most importantly you need a waist, most suited for the hour glass figure or pear who usually has a smaller waist. If this is you then try this look out. “Trickle down”

Materials such as; Leather, Lace, Sheers  and Velvet “Trickle down”

Oversized knitted sweater cardigans; always comfy and warm so why not? “ Trickle down”

Floral Dresses OMG I just love these Louis Vuitton Cruise 2011 collection of dresses (if only I could afford them) “Trickle down” check it out picture below from the official Louis Vuitton website.

Turtlenecks well they are good for hiding the droopy chicken neck, but only good on those who are fortunate to have a long neck. “Trickle down”.

White tights and leggings (not sure about
 this one, maybe if your legs are super sexy and thin, you may be able to pull this one off) “Trickle down”.

Skirt lengths are falling: whether it be the midi, maxi or knee length (forget the mini this season) “Trickle down”.

Bangs or a Fringe as the Aussies like to call them, cheaper than botox yes  but unless you have dead straight hair they can be high maintenance. “Trickle down”.

SO WHATS OUT

Jeggings and thank goodness for that. Awful, Awful, Awful. I never liked them in the  first instance.

Nude is no longer, which is just as well as it didnt suit many skin tones, swap nude for tan, also check out Pantones Colour of the year for 2011. “Honeysuckle” pink 18-2120 (reddish, pink).You can even upgrade your Visa Card with the Honeysuckle Colour of the Year Visa Card.

Pantone colour swatch below from the official Pantone Website

Skinny leg jeans and ripped jeans

Bohemian style

Shoulder pads

Military jackets and coats

Tribal patterns and feathers

Mini skirts

Heavy zips incorporated into clothing

Bunny ears

Bye for now